Uplink Interference Measurement Method and Apparatus

Abstract

A method and apparatus for measuring uplink interference are provided, relating to the field of communications. In this method, a network device sends first information to a terminal device, the first information indicating at least one time-frequency resource. I time-frequency resources within at least one time-frequency resource occupy M consecutive slots in the time domain and N consecutive RBs in the frequency domain. Each of the I time-frequency resources contains K measurement resource blocks, each measurement resource block occupying one slot in the time domain and one RB in the frequency domain. The number of REs for uplink interference measurement in each measurement resource block is less than the total number of REs contained in each measurement resource block, where K ≤ M * N. The network device measures the uplink interference signal with the resource elements for uplink interference measurement in each measurement resource block. According to the method described above, the resource overhead for uplink interference measurement can be significantly reduced.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] Cross - reference to related applications This application claims the priority of Chinese Patent Application No. 202311002284.3, titled "Uplink Interference Measurement Method and Apparatus", filed with the China National Intellectual Property Administration on August 9, 2023, the entire content of which is incorporated herein by reference.

[0002] This application relates to the field of communication technologies, and particularly to uplink interference measurement methods and apparatuses.

Background Art

[0003] With the rapid development of satellite communication, spectrum resources have been rapidly occupied and are gradually becoming insufficient. In order to expand the bandwidth, attempts to explore the co - construction and sharing of spectrum resources are gradually being made in satellite communication. The co - construction and sharing of spectrum resources can improve resource utilization and reduce construction costs. However, the problem of co - channel / adjacent - channel interference between satellites and the ground, or between high - orbit and low - orbit satellites, needs to be solved.

[0004] Specifically, inter - system interference can be classified into downlink interference and uplink interference based on the signal direction. In the uplink interference scenario, how to configure resources for measuring uplink interference without causing significant waste of resources is a problem worthy of attention.

Summary of the Invention

[0005] This application provides an uplink interference measurement method and apparatus for performing uplink interference measurement with low resource overhead.

Means for Solving the Problems

[0006] According to a first aspect, the present application provides an uplink interference measurement method. The method may be performed by a network device or a module (e.g., a chip) within a network device. The method includes the network device sending first information to a terminal device. The first information indicates at least one time-frequency resource. I time-frequency resources within at least one time-frequency resource occupy M consecutive slots in the time domain and N consecutive RBs in the frequency domain. Each of the I time-frequency resources includes K measurement resource blocks, each measurement resource block occupying one slot in the time domain and one RB in the frequency domain. The number of REs for uplink interference measurement in each measurement resource block is less than the total number of REs contained in each measurement resource block. M, N, K, and I are positive integers, and K ≤ M * N. The network device measures the uplink interference signal with resource elements for uplink interference measurement in each measurement resource block.

[0007] According to the method described above, the network device measures the uplink interference signal using resource elements for uplink interference measurement in each measurement resource block. The number of resource elements for uplink interference measurement in each measurement resource block is less than the total number of resource elements in each measurement resource block. Therefore, the resource overhead for uplink interference measurement can be significantly reduced by using the method described above.

[0008] In a possible design, the first information contains S instruction information, each instruction information indicating one time-frequency resource, and the S instruction information corresponds one-to-one with the S time-frequency resources. S is a positive integer greater than or equal to 1, and when the value of S is 2 or greater, the S time-frequency resources are distinct from one another. Alternatively, at least one time-frequency resource is a periodic time-frequency resource, and the first information contains one instruction information and a period. The one instruction information indicates one time-frequency resource, and the period is the period of the time-frequency resource indicated by the one instruction information.

[0009] According to the design described above, the network device can configure at least one time-frequency resource for terminal devices, and at least one time-frequency resource may be a periodic or aperiodic resource.

[0010] In a possible design, for I time-frequency resources, the instruction information corresponding to the i-th time-frequency resource includes at least one of the following: start slot instruction information for the i-th time-frequency resource, start resource block instruction information for the i-th time-frequency resource, pattern instruction information for the i-th time-frequency resource, and pattern instruction information for the RE for uplink interference measurement. The pattern of the i-th time-frequency resource is used to determine the positions of K measurement resource blocks in the i-th time-frequency resource, and the pattern of the RE for uplink interference measurement is used to determine the position of the RE for uplink interference measurement in the measurement resource block. i is any positive integer in the range of 1 to I.

[0011] According to the aforementioned design, the pattern and time-frequency start position of the i-th time-frequency resource, as well as the RE pattern for uplink interference measurement in each measurement block within the i-th time-frequency resource, can be determined based on the aforementioned information.

[0012] In a possible design, for I time-frequency resources, the pattern of the i-th time-frequency resource is determined based on the pattern of the repeating blocks within the i-th time-frequency resource, the number of iterations of the repeating blocks in the time domain C1, and the number of frequency domain iterations of the repeating blocks in the frequency domain C2. The repeating block occupies m consecutive slots in the time domain and n consecutive RBs in the frequency domain. The repeating block contains k measurement resource blocks. The pattern of the repeating block indicates the positions of the k measurement resource blocks within the repeating block. C1, C2, m, n, and k are positive integers, where k ≤ m*n, M = m*C1, N = n*C2, and K = k*C1*C2. i is any positive integer in the range 1 to I.

[0013] According to the design described above, the network device may indicate the pattern of iterative blocks within the i-th time-frequency resource and the number of iterations of the iterative blocks in the time-frequency domain in order to obtain the pattern of the i-th time-frequency resource.

[0014] In a possible design, the pattern instruction information for the i-th time-frequency resource includes the pattern instruction information for the repeating block, the number of iterations of the repeating block in the time domain C1, and the number of iterations of the repeating block in the frequency domain C2.

[0015] In a possible design, the pattern indication information for a repeating block includes the index of the repeating block pattern, or parameters used to determine the repeating block pattern.

[0016] According to the aforementioned design, the requirement for a low resource overhead is met, and signaling overhead can be reduced.

[0017] In possible designs, the pattern of repeating blocks is determined based on the pattern of the first time-frequency resource element and the pattern of the second time-frequency resource element. The first time-frequency resource element occupies m1 consecutive slots in the time domain and n1 consecutive RBs in the frequency domain. The first time-frequency resource element contains s1 measurement resource blocks. The second time-frequency resource element occupies m2 consecutive slots in the time domain and n2 consecutive RBs in the frequency domain. The second time-frequency resource element contains s2 measurement resource blocks. m1, m2, n1, n2, s1, and s2 are positive integers, where k = s1 * s2, m = m1 * m2, and n = n1 * n2. The pattern of the first time-frequency resource element indicates the location of s1 measurement resource blocks in the first time-frequency resource element. The pattern of the second time-frequency resource element indicates the location of s2 measurement resource blocks in the second time-frequency resource element.

[0018] According to the aforementioned design, in order to improve the flexibility of the iterative blocks and reduce signaling overhead, the pattern of the iterative blocks can be determined based on both the pattern of the first time-frequency resource element and the pattern of the second time-frequency resource element.

[0019] In a possible design, in the second time-frequency resource element, m2 = n2 = s2, and s2 measurement resource blocks do not overlap in the time domain or frequency domain.

[0020] In possible designs, the pattern of the first time-frequency resource element is determined based on the rate of change of the uplink interference signal in the frequency domain and / or time domain.

[0021] According to the aforementioned design, the network device can select appropriate patterns for the first resource element and the second resource element based on uplink interference measurement results to obtain the expected repeating block and expected time-frequency resource patterns. In this way, resource configuration optimization is achieved, and resource overhead is further reduced.

[0022] In a possible design, the pattern instruction information for a repeating block includes pattern instruction information for a first time-frequency resource element and pattern instruction information for a second time-frequency resource element. The pattern instruction information for the first time-frequency resource element includes the index of the pattern of the first time-frequency resource element, or parameters used to determine the pattern of the first time-frequency resource element, and the pattern instruction information for the second time-frequency resource element includes the index of the pattern of the second time-frequency resource element, or parameters used to determine the pattern of the second time-frequency resource element.

[0023] In possible designs, the RE pattern indication information for uplink interferometry includes the number of symbols, the starting symbol offset, the number of subcarriers, and the starting subcarrier offset. Alternatively, the RE pattern indication information for uplink interferometry includes the number of symbols, the starting symbol offset, the comb size, and the starting subcarrier offset.

[0024] According to a second aspect, the present application provides an uplink interference measurement method. The method includes the following:

[0025] The terminal device receives first information from a network device. The first information indicates at least one time-frequency resource. I time-frequency resources within the at least one time-frequency resource occupy M consecutive slots in the time domain and N consecutive resource blocks RB in the frequency domain. Each of the I time-frequency resources includes K measurement resource blocks, and each measurement resource block occupies one slot in the time domain and one RB in the frequency domain. The number of resource elements RE for uplink interference measurement in each measurement resource block is less than the total number of REs included in each measurement resource block. M, N, K, and I are positive integers, and K≤M*N. The terminal device skips sending a signal with the resource elements for uplink interference measurement in each measurement resource block.

[0026] According to the foregoing method, the terminal device skips sending a signal with the resource elements for uplink interference measurement in each measurement resource block. The number of resource elements for uplink interference measurement in each measurement resource block is less than the total number of resource elements included in each measurement resource block. Therefore, the resource overhead for uplink interference measurement can be significantly reduced by using the foregoing method.

[0027] In a possible design, the first information includes S pieces of indication information, each piece of indication information indicates one time-frequency resource, and the S pieces of indication information correspond one-to-one to S time-frequency resources. S is a positive integer greater than or equal to 1. When the value of S is greater than or equal to 2, the S time-frequency resources are different from each other. Alternatively, at least one time-frequency resource is a periodic time-frequency resource, and the first information includes one piece of indication information and a period. One piece of indication information indicates one time-frequency resource, and the period is the period of the time-frequency resource indicated by one piece of indication information.

[0028] In a possible design, in the I time-frequency resources, the indication information corresponding to the i-th time-frequency resource is as follows: at least one of the start slot indication information of the i-th time-frequency resource, the start resource block indication information of the i-th time-frequency resource, the pattern indication information of the i-th time-frequency resource, and the pattern indication information of the REs for uplink interference measurement. The pattern of the i-th time-frequency resource is used to determine the positions of the K measurement resource blocks in the i-th time-frequency resource, and the pattern of the REs for uplink interference measurement is used to determine the positions of the REs for uplink interference measurement in the measurement resource blocks. i is any positive integer in the range of 1 to I.

[0029] In a possible design, in the I time-frequency resources, the pattern of the i-th time-frequency resource is determined based on the pattern of the repeating blocks within the i-th time-frequency resource, the number of repetitions C1 of the repeating blocks in the time domain, and the number of frequency-domain repetitions C2 of the repeating blocks in the frequency domain. The repeating block occupies m consecutive slots in the time domain and n consecutive RBs in the frequency domain. The repeating block includes k measurement resource blocks. The pattern of the repeating block indicates the positions of the k measurement resource blocks in the repeating block. C1, C2, m, n, and k are positive integers, k ≤ m * n, M = m * C1, N = n * C2, and K = k * C1 * C2. i is any positive integer in the range of 1 to I.

[0030] In a possible design, the pattern indication information of the i-th time-frequency resource includes the pattern indication information of the repeating block, the number of repetitions C1 of the repeating block in the time domain, and the number of frequency-domain repetitions C2 of the repeating block in the frequency domain.

[0031] In a possible design, the pattern indication information of the repeating block includes the index of the pattern of the repeating block, or the parameters used to determine the pattern of the repeating block.

[0032] In possible designs, the pattern of repeating blocks is determined based on the pattern of the first time-frequency resource element and the pattern of the second time-frequency resource element. The first time-frequency resource element occupies m1 consecutive slots in the time domain and n1 consecutive RBs in the frequency domain. The first time-frequency resource element contains s1 measurement resource blocks. The second time-frequency resource element occupies m2 consecutive slots in the time domain and n2 consecutive RBs in the frequency domain. The second time-frequency resource element contains s2 measurement resource blocks. m1, m2, n1, n2, s1, and s2 are positive integers, where k = s1 * s2, m = m1 * m2, and n = n1 * n2. The pattern of the first time-frequency resource element indicates the location of s1 measurement resource blocks in the first time-frequency resource element. The pattern of the second time-frequency resource element indicates the location of s2 measurement resource blocks in the second time-frequency resource element.

[0033] In a possible design, in the second time-frequency resource element, m2 = n2 = s2, and s2 measurement resource blocks do not overlap in the time domain or frequency domain.

[0034] In possible designs, the pattern of the first time-frequency resource element is determined based on the rate of change of the uplink interference signal in the frequency domain and / or time domain.

[0035] In a possible design, the pattern instruction information for a repeating block includes pattern instruction information for a first time-frequency resource element and pattern instruction information for a second time-frequency resource element.

[0036] The pattern indication information for the first time-frequency resource element includes the index of the pattern of the first time-frequency resource element, or parameters used to determine the pattern of the first time-frequency resource element, and the pattern indication information for the second time-frequency resource element includes the index of the pattern of the second time-frequency resource element, or parameters used to determine the pattern of the second time-frequency resource element.

[0037] In possible designs, the RE pattern indication information for uplink interferometry includes the number of symbols, the starting symbol offset, the number of subcarriers, and the starting subcarrier offset. Alternatively, the RE pattern indication information for uplink interferometry includes the number of symbols, the starting symbol offset, the comb size, and the starting subcarrier offset.

[0038] According to a third aspect, the present application provides an uplink interferometry device. This device is The system includes a transceiver unit configured such that it sends first information to a terminal device, the first information indicates at least one time-frequency resource, I time-frequency resources within the at least one time-frequency resource occupy M consecutive slots in the time domain and N consecutive resource blocks RB in the frequency domain, each of the I time-frequency resources contains K measurement resource blocks, each of the measurement resource blocks occupies one slot in the time domain and one RB in the frequency domain, the number of resource elements RE for uplink interference measurement in each measurement resource block is less than the total number of REs contained in each measurement resource block, M, N, K, and I are positive integers, and K ≤ M*N, and a processing unit that causes the transceiver unit to measure uplink interference signals with resource elements for uplink interference measurement in each of the measurement resource blocks.

[0039] In a possible design, the first information contains S instruction information, each instruction information indicating one time-frequency resource, and the S instruction information corresponds one-to-one with the S time-frequency resources. S is a positive integer greater than or equal to 1, and when the value of S is 2 or greater, the S time-frequency resources are distinct from one another. Alternatively, at least one time-frequency resource is a periodic time-frequency resource, and the first information contains one instruction information and a period. The one instruction information indicates one time-frequency resource, and the period is the period of the time-frequency resource indicated by the one instruction information.

[0040] In a possible design, for I time-frequency resources, the instruction information corresponding to the i-th time-frequency resource includes at least one of the following: start slot instruction information for the i-th time-frequency resource, start resource block instruction information for the i-th time-frequency resource, pattern instruction information for the i-th time-frequency resource, and pattern instruction information for the RE for uplink interference measurement. The pattern of the i-th time-frequency resource is used to determine the positions of K measurement resource blocks in the i-th time-frequency resource, and the pattern of the RE for uplink interference measurement is used to determine the position of the RE for uplink interference measurement in the measurement resource block. i is any positive integer in the range of 1 to I.

[0041] In a possible design, for I time-frequency resources, the pattern of the i-th time-frequency resource is determined based on the pattern of the repeating blocks within the i-th time-frequency resource, the number of iterations of the repeating blocks in the time domain C1, and the number of frequency domain iterations of the repeating blocks in the frequency domain C2. The repeating block occupies m consecutive slots in the time domain and n consecutive RBs in the frequency domain. The repeating block contains k measurement resource blocks. The pattern of the repeating block indicates the positions of the k measurement resource blocks within the repeating block. C1, C2, m, n, and k are positive integers, where k ≤ m*n, M = m*C1, N = n*C2, and K = k*C1*C2. i is any positive integer in the range 1 to I.

[0042] In a possible design, the pattern instruction information for the i-th time-frequency resource includes the pattern instruction information for the repeating block, the number of iterations of the repeating block in the time domain C1, and the number of iterations of the repeating block in the frequency domain C2.

[0043] In a possible design, the pattern indication information for a repeating block includes the index of the repeating block pattern, or parameters used to determine the repeating block pattern.

[0044] In possible designs, the pattern of repeating blocks is determined based on the pattern of the first time-frequency resource element and the pattern of the second time-frequency resource element. The first time-frequency resource element occupies m1 consecutive slots in the time domain and n1 consecutive RBs in the frequency domain. The first time-frequency resource element contains s1 measurement resource blocks. The second time-frequency resource element occupies m2 consecutive slots in the time domain and n2 consecutive RBs in the frequency domain. The second time-frequency resource element contains s2 measurement resource blocks. m1, m2, n1, n2, s1, and s2 are positive integers, where k = s1 * s2, m = m1 * m2, and n = n1 * n2. The pattern of the first time-frequency resource element indicates the location of s1 measurement resource blocks in the first time-frequency resource element. The pattern of the second time-frequency resource element indicates the location of s2 measurement resource blocks in the second time-frequency resource element.

[0045] In a possible design, in the second time-frequency resource element, m2 = n2 = s2, and s2 measurement resource blocks do not overlap in the time domain or frequency domain.

[0046] In possible designs, the pattern of the first time-frequency resource element is determined based on the rate of change of the uplink interference signal in the frequency domain and / or time domain.

[0047] In a possible design, the pattern instruction information for a repeating block includes pattern instruction information for a first time-frequency resource element and pattern instruction information for a second time-frequency resource element.

[0048] The pattern indication information for the first time-frequency resource element includes the index of the pattern of the first time-frequency resource element, or parameters used to determine the pattern of the first time-frequency resource element, and the pattern indication information for the second time-frequency resource element includes the index of the pattern of the second time-frequency resource element, or parameters used to determine the pattern of the second time-frequency resource element.

[0049] In possible designs, the RE pattern indication information for uplink interferometry includes the number of symbols, the starting symbol offset, the number of subcarriers, and the starting subcarrier offset. Alternatively, the RE pattern indication information for uplink interferometry includes the number of symbols, the starting symbol offset, the comb size, and the starting subcarrier offset.

[0050] According to a fourth aspect, the present application provides an uplink interferometry device. This device is A transceiver unit configured to receive first information from a network device, wherein the first information indicates at least one time-frequency resource, and I time-frequency resources within the at least one time-frequency resource occupy M consecutive slots in the time domain and N consecutive resource blocks RB in the frequency domain, each of the I time-frequency resources contains K measurement resource blocks, each of the measurement resource blocks occupies one slot in the time domain and one RB in the frequency domain, the number of resource elements RE for uplink interference measurement in each measurement resource block is less than the total number of REs contained in each measurement resource block, M, N, K, and I are positive integers, K ≤ M*N, and the i-th time-frequency resource is any one of at least one time-frequency resource, A processing unit configured to decide not to send a signal to the resource element for uplink interference measurement in each of the measurement resource blocks, and Includes.

[0051] In a possible design, the first information contains S instruction information, each instruction information indicating one time-frequency resource, and the S instruction information corresponds one-to-one with the S time-frequency resources. S is a positive integer greater than or equal to 1, and when the value of S is 2 or greater, the S time-frequency resources are distinct from one another. Alternatively, at least one time-frequency resource is a periodic time-frequency resource, and the first information contains one instruction information and a period. The one instruction information indicates one time-frequency resource, and the period is the period of the time-frequency resource indicated by the one instruction information.

[0052] In a possible design, for I time-frequency resources, the instruction information corresponding to the i-th time-frequency resource includes at least one of the following: start slot instruction information for the i-th time-frequency resource, start resource block instruction information for the i-th time-frequency resource, pattern instruction information for the i-th time-frequency resource, and pattern instruction information for the RE for uplink interference measurement. The pattern of the i-th time-frequency resource is used to determine the positions of K measurement resource blocks in the i-th time-frequency resource, and the pattern of the RE for uplink interference measurement is used to determine the position of the RE for uplink interference measurement in the measurement resource block. i is any positive integer in the range of 1 to I.

[0053] In a possible design, for I time-frequency resources, the pattern of the i-th time-frequency resource is determined based on the pattern of the repeating blocks within the i-th time-frequency resource, the number of iterations of the repeating blocks in the time domain C1, and the number of frequency domain iterations of the repeating blocks in the frequency domain C2. The repeating block occupies m consecutive slots in the time domain and n consecutive RBs in the frequency domain. The repeating block contains k measurement resource blocks. The pattern of the repeating block indicates the positions of the k measurement resource blocks within the repeating block. C1, C2, m, n, and k are positive integers, where k ≤ m*n, M = m*C1, N = n*C2, and K = k*C1*C2. i is any positive integer in the range 1 to I.

[0054] In a possible design, the pattern instruction information for the i-th time-frequency resource includes the pattern instruction information for the repeating block, the number of iterations of the repeating block in the time domain C1, and the number of iterations of the repeating block in the frequency domain C2.

[0055] In a possible design, the pattern indication information for a repeating block includes the index of the repeating block pattern, or parameters used to determine the repeating block pattern.

[0056] In possible designs, the pattern of repeating blocks is determined based on the pattern of the first time-frequency resource element and the pattern of the second time-frequency resource element. The first time-frequency resource element occupies m1 consecutive slots in the time domain and n1 consecutive RBs in the frequency domain. The first time-frequency resource element contains s1 measurement resource blocks. The second time-frequency resource element occupies m2 consecutive slots in the time domain and n2 consecutive RBs in the frequency domain. The second time-frequency resource element contains s2 measurement resource blocks. m1, m2, n1, n2, s1, and s2 are positive integers, where k = s1 * s2, m = m1 * m2, and n = n1 * n2. The pattern of the first time-frequency resource element indicates the location of s1 measurement resource blocks in the first time-frequency resource element. The pattern of the second time-frequency resource element indicates the location of s2 measurement resource blocks in the second time-frequency resource element.

[0057] In a possible design, in the second time-frequency resource element, m2 = n2 = s2, and s2 measurement resource blocks do not overlap in the time domain or frequency domain.

[0058] In possible designs, the pattern of the first time-frequency resource element is determined based on the rate of change of the uplink interference signal in the frequency domain and / or time domain.

[0059] In a possible design, the pattern instruction information for a repeating block includes pattern instruction information for a first time-frequency resource element and pattern instruction information for a second time-frequency resource element.

[0060] The pattern indication information for the first time-frequency resource element includes the index of the pattern of the first time-frequency resource element, or parameters used to determine the pattern of the first time-frequency resource element, and the pattern indication information for the second time-frequency resource element includes the index of the pattern of the second time-frequency resource element, or parameters used to determine the pattern of the second time-frequency resource element.

[0061] In possible designs, the RE pattern indication information for uplink interferometry includes the number of symbols, the starting symbol offset, the number of subcarriers, and the starting subcarrier offset. Alternatively, the RE pattern indication information for uplink interferometry includes the number of symbols, the starting symbol offset, the comb size, and the starting subcarrier offset.

[0062] According to a fifth aspect, the present application provides a communication device, which may be used in a terminal device or a network device, and which includes a unit configured to perform a method according to any one of the preceding aspects.

[0063] According to a sixth aspect, the application provides a communication device comprising at least one processing element and at least one storage element. The at least one storage element is configured to store a program and data. The at least one processing element is configured to read and execute the program and data stored in the storage element in order to carry out a method provided in any one of the aforementioned aspects of the application.

[0064] According to a seventh aspect, the present application further provides a computer program. When the computer program runs on a computer, it causes the computer to perform a method according to any one of the aforementioned aspects.

[0065] According to the eighth aspect, the present application provides a communication device, the device including an interface circuit, the interface circuit configured to provide input and / or output of a program or instruction to at least one processor, the at least one processor configured to execute a program or instruction to cause the communication device to carry out a method according to any one of the preceding aspects.

[0066] In any possible way, the communication device includes at least one processor.

[0067] According to the ninth aspect, the present application provides a computer storage medium. The storage medium stores a software program, and when the software program is read and executed by one or more processors, a method according to any one of the aforementioned aspects may be implemented.

[0068] According to a tenth aspect, the present application provides a computer program product including instructions. When the instructions are executed on a computer, the computer is made to perform the method in any one of the aforementioned aspects.

[0069] According to the eleventh aspect, a chip system is provided. The chip system includes at least one chip and memory. At least one chip is configured to read and execute a program stored in memory in order to carry out the method according to any one of the first aspects.

[0070] According to the twelfth aspect, a communication system is provided. The system includes at least one terminal and a network device. The terminal performs a method according to any one of the second aspects, and the network device performs a method according to any one of the first aspects.

[0071] Based on the embodiments provided in the foregoing aspects of this application, the embodiments may be further combined to provide more embodiments. [Brief explanation of the drawing]

[0072] [Figure 1] This is a diagram showing the architecture of a mobile communication system to which one embodiment of this application is applied. [Figure 2] This diagram illustrates a typical scenario in which the NTN network provides user equipment access, as described in this application. [Figure 3] This diagram illustrates another typical scenario in which the NTN network provides user equipment access, as described in this application. [Figure 4] This is a diagram of downlink interference according to this application. [Figure 5] This is a diagram of uplink interference according to this application. [Figure 6] This is a diagram illustrating the interference scenario between LEO satellites and a ground cellular network, as described in this application. [Figure 7] This is a diagram illustrating an interference scenario between a low Earth orbit satellite and a high Earth orbit satellite, as described in this application. [Figure 8] This is a diagram of the frame structure according to this application. [Figure 9] This is a schematic flowchart of the uplink interference measurement method described in this application. [Figure 10] This is a diagram of the RE pattern for uplink interferometry according to this application. [Figure 11] This is a diagram of another pattern of RE for uplink interferometry according to this application. [Figure 12] This is a diagram showing the pattern of the i-th time-frequency resource according to this application. [Figure 13] This is a diagram showing another pattern of the i-th time-frequency resource according to this application. [Figure 14] This is a diagram showing the pattern of the first time-frequency resource element according to this application. [Figure 15] This is a diagram showing the pattern of the second time-frequency resource element according to this application. [Figure 16] This is a diagram of the time-frequency resource pattern shown in Example a of this application. [Figure 17]This is a diagram of the time-frequency resource pattern shown in Example b of this application. [Figure 18] This is a diagram of the time-frequency resource pattern shown in Example c of this application. [Figure 19] This is a diagram of the time-frequency resource pattern shown in example d of this application. [Figure 20] This is a diagram of the time-frequency resource pattern shown in example e of this application. [Figure 21] This is a diagram showing the structure of the communication device according to this application. [Figure 22] This is a diagram showing the structure of another communication device according to this application. [Modes for carrying out the invention]

[0073] The technical solutions in the embodiments of this application may be applied to a variety of communication systems, such as long-term evolution (LTE) systems, 5G systems or new radio (NR), non-terrestrial networks (NTN), and future communication systems such as sixth-generation mobile communication systems. This is not limited to these applications.

[0074] Figure 1 is a diagram of the architecture of a communication system 100 applicable to one embodiment of the present application. As shown in Figure 1, the communication system 100 may include at least one access network device (e.g., 110a, 110b, and 110c in Figure 1) and may further include at least one terminal device (e.g., 120a to 120g in Figure 1). The access network devices may be connected to each other by wired or wireless means. Figure 1 is for illustrative purposes only. The communication system may further include other network devices, for example, a wireless relay device and a wireless backhaul device.

[0075] The network devices provided in the embodiments of this application may be access network devices, such as base stations, Node B, evolved Node B (eNode B, or eNB), transmission reception points (TRP), next-generation Node B (gNB) in 5th generation (5G) mobile communication systems, access network devices in open radio access networks (O-RAN or open RAN), next-generation base stations in 6th generation (6G) mobile communication systems, base stations in future mobile communication systems, or access nodes in wireless fidelity (WiFi) systems. Alternatively, the network device may be a module or unit that performs some of the functions of a base station, such as a central unit (CU), a distributed unit (DU), a central unit control plane (CU-CP) module, or a central unit user plane (CU-UP) module. The network device may be a satellite (e.g., 110a in Figure 1) or a macro base station (e.g., 110b in Figure 1). Alternatively, the access network device may be a micro base station or indoor base station (e.g., 110c in Figure 1), or a relay node or donor node, etc. The specific technology and specific device form used by the access network device are not limited in this application. For the sake of clarity, the following uses an example in which the network device functions as an access network device.

[0076] The terminal devices provided in the embodiments of this application may also be called terminals and include, but are not limited to, user equipment (UE), mobile stations, or mobile terminals. Terminal devices can be widely used in a variety of scenarios for communication. For example, scenarios include, but are not limited to, at least one of the following: enhanced mobile broadband (eMBB), ultra-reliable low-latency communication (URLLC), massive machine-type communication (mMTC), device-to-device (D2D), vehicle-to-everything (V2X), machine-type communication (MTC), Internet of Things (IOT), virtual reality, augmented reality, industrial control, autonomous driving, telemedicine, smart grids, smart furniture, smart offices, smart wearables, smart transportation, or smart cities. The terminal devices may include mobile phones (e.g., mobile phones 120a, 120d, and 120f in Figure 1), tablet computers, computers with wireless transceiver functionality (e.g., computer 120g in Figure 1), wearable devices, vehicles (e.g., 120b in Figure 1), unmanned aerial vehicles, helicopters, airplanes (e.g., 120c in Figure 1), ships, robots, mechanical arms, or smart home devices (e.g., printer 120e in Figure 1). The specific technologies and specific device forms used by the terminal devices are not limited in this application.

[0077] Network devices and / or terminal devices may be in a fixed location or may be mobile. Network devices and / or terminal devices, including indoor devices, outdoor devices, handheld devices, or vehicle-mounted devices, may be deployed on the ground, on water, or in the air on an airplane, balloon, or satellite. The environments / scenarios in which network devices and terminal devices are deployed are not limited in this application. Network devices and terminal devices may be deployed in the same environment / scenarios or in different environments / scenarios. For example, both network devices and terminal devices may be deployed on the ground. Or, network devices may be deployed on the ground and terminal devices on water. Examples are not listed.

[0078] To facilitate understanding for those skilled in the art, the following will first explain and define some of the terms used in the embodiments of this application.

[0079] I.NTN NTN refers to networks that utilize radio frequency resources on satellites (or unmanned aircraft system (UAS) platforms, or high-altitude platform stations (HAPS)). Compared to terrestrial cellular networks (e.g., 5th-generation mobile communication technology, 5G)), NTN networks offer broad coverage, low latency, high bandwidth, and low cost. As a supplement and extension of terrestrial cellular networks, NTN networks can implement wide-area seamless coverage that cannot be achieved by wired telephone networks and terrestrial mobile communication networks, effectively solving internet access problems in areas with inadequate communication infrastructure. Numerous satellites are deployed in near-Earth orbit, and the round-trip data transmission delay between satellites and ground terminal devices has been drastically reduced to tens of milliseconds. The use of technologies such as high bandwidth, multi-spot beam, and frequency reuse significantly improves the communication capabilities of satellites, reduces unit broadband costs, and meets the requirements of high-information-rate services. Compared to terrestrial cellular base stations and communication infrastructure such as submarine fiber optics and cables, NTN offers significant cost advantages. Modern small satellites have low development and manufacturing costs, and software-defined technologies can further extend the lifespan of satellites in orbit. NTN networks can be used in scenarios such as global coverage (e.g., remote areas and maritime vessels), emergency response and disaster relief (e.g., disaster monitoring and emergency communications), the Internet of Everything, and high-speed transportation (e.g., high-speed rail and airplanes).

[0080] The 3rd Generation Partnership Project (3GPP®) has been conducting research on satellite-ground convergence since R14. TS22.261 discusses the role and benefits of satellites in 5G systems and for the first time specifies that 5G will support satellite access. In R15, the first technical report on 5G and satellite convergence, TR38.811, was formulated, defining eight eMBB scenarios and two massive machine-type communication (mMTC) scenarios, and defining the NTN channel model. In R16, architectures and solutions for NR supporting NTN were further researched in TR38.821. Based on the results of R16, R17 initiated standardization of new 5G radio supporting NTN, and the first version of the convergence technology specification was formulated. R18 is to continue research on NTN extensions.

[0081] Typical scenarios in which the NTN network provides user equipment access include transparent payloads and regenerative payloads. In the transparent payload scenario, there is no processing such as baseband demodulation or decoding on the satellite. Therefore, as shown in Figure 2, the signal waveform is repeated without modification. In the regenerative payload scenario, as shown in Figure 3, the satellite (or UAS platform) has all or part of the functions of a base station (e.g., gNB). It should be noted that Figures 2 and 3 are merely examples of NTN scenarios, and NTN scenarios may further include other specific scenarios, which are not limited to this application.

[0082] NTN networks generally consist of the following elements: 1. One or more gateways connecting the NTN network and the public data network, 2. Feeder link: A wireless link between the gateway and the satellite (or UAS platform), 3. Service Link: A wireless link between the terminal device and the satellite (or UAS platform), 4. A satellite (or UAS platform) capable of carrying transparent payloads and regenerative payloads, 5. Optional inter-satellite links (ISLs) between satellite constellations (if inter-satellite links exist, satellites carry regenerative payloads, and ISLs may operate on radio frequency (RF) or optical bands), 6. Terminal devices serviced by satellites (or UAS platforms) within the target service area It holds.

[0083] II. Satellite Spectra Satellite communications operate in the microwave band, which has a frequency range of 1 GHz to 40 GHz. The band can be divided into L, S, C, X, Ku, K, and Ka bands. Different bands are used for different purposes. The K band is located in the frequency window with the greatest atmospheric absorption loss and is unsuitable for satellite communications. Therefore, the common satellite communications bands are the L, S, C, X, Ku, and Ka bands.

[0084] The L and S bands are used for satellite mobile communications, i.e., typical handheld satellite phones. The C band has lower frequencies. Therefore, signal coverage is wider and the signal is less susceptible to weather. The C band is typically used for government / corporate private network communications, international dedicated lines, and TV station content distribution. The X band is a controlled band, typically used by governments and the military, and not for civilian commercial purposes. The Ku band has higher frequencies and is more susceptible to signal fluctuations caused by antennas. However, the signal strength in the Ku band is higher than that of the C band. Therefore, the diameter of the ground receiving antenna can be smaller. Generally, this diameter can be reduced to about 0.35m. The Ku band is very suitable for home satellite TV live broadcasting. The Ka band has emerged and has been used in recent years. The Ka band, with its higher frequencies, is being investigated because the C and Ku bands are nearly saturated and cannot carry more services.

[0085] Higher bandwidths indicate more bandwidth resources and greater service capacity that can be supported. In recent years, with the surge in satellite internet access requirements, people have begun to focus on the Ka band, which has higher frequencies. While the Ka band is more susceptible to weather conditions compared to the Ku band, it offers wider operating bandwidth, higher signal strength, smaller antenna diameters, and greater development value. Table 1 lists common satellite communication bands and their main purposes.

[0086] [Table 1]

[0087] Table 2 shows NTN's frequency range and band numbers for frequency range (FR) 1.

[0088] [Table 2]

[0089] Table 3 shows NTN's frequency ranges and band numbers for bandwidths exceeding 10 GHz.

[0090] [Table 3]

[0091] III. Inter-system interference Inter-system interference can be classified into downlink interference and uplink interference based on the signal direction.

[0092] Downlink interference has the following characteristics:

[0093] 1. A small number of interference sources exist. An example is used where a low-Earth orbit satellite interferes with a ground terminal device. As shown in Figure 4, the main interference source is satellite 1, which covers the terminal device. Interference from satellite 2 to the terminal device is mainly from the side lobes, and the path loss is greater. Therefore, the interference level is lower.

[0094] 2. The ground station or low-Earth orbit satellite is close to the terminal device. Therefore, interference becomes stronger.

[0095] Uplink interference has the following characteristics:

[0096] 1. Numerous interference sources exist. An example is used where ground terminal devices interfere with low Earth orbit satellites. As shown in Figure 5, the interference sources are all ground terminal devices within the satellite's visible range.

[0097] 2. Collective interference is strong. The main source of interference is terminal devices near the main lobe of the satellite beam. In this case, the satellite reception gain is high.

[0098] 3. Uplink interference is beam-level. In a single-satellite multi-beam scenario, interference to the satellite varies with different beam directions.

[0099] 4. Frequency selectivity exists. Interfering signals exhibit different characteristics in different frequency bands.

[0100] 5. Time-varying characteristics exist. Interfering signals exhibit different characteristics at different points in time.

[0101] Inter-system interference can be classified into satellite-ground interference and high / low orbit interference, based on the interference scenario.

[0102] (1) Satellite-Ground Interference Because terrestrial cellular networks have numerous base stations and terminal devices, and LEO satellites are close to the ground with low path loss, interference easily occurs between LEO satellites and terrestrial cellular networks. Figure 6 shows an interference scenario between LEO satellites and terrestrial cellular networks. Solid lines represent valid signals, dashed lines represent interfering signals, and arrows indicate signal direction.

[0103] As shown in Table 4, interference can be classified into the following six types.

[0104] [Table 4]

[0105] (2) High-low orbit interference High Earth orbit satellites have a wide coverage area, and the coverage area of ​​low Earth orbit satellites overlaps with that of high Earth orbit satellites. Because low Earth orbit satellites have lower path loss, interference easily occurs between high Earth orbit satellites and low Earth orbit satellites. Figure 7 shows an interference scenario between low Earth orbit satellites and high Earth orbit satellites. Solid lines represent effective signals, dashed lines represent interfering signals, and arrows indicate signal direction.

[0106] As shown in Table 5, interference can be classified into the following four types.

[0107] [Table 5]

[0108] Currently, the frame structure is designed as shown in Figure 8 to measure uplink interference. Slot 0 is used to measure uplink interference. In other words, in this slot, the satellite terminal does not send a signal, and the satellite base station receives the interference signal. Slots 1 through 7 are used to transmit signals. In other words, the satellite terminal sends a signal, and the satellite base station receives the signal, filters out the interference signal, and forms a valid signal. Slot 0 occupies all frequency domain resources for this time period, causing serious resource waste. Figure 7 is used as an example. If we assume that all frequency domain resources in slots 1 through 7 are used for data scheduling, then approximately 1 / 8 ≈ 12.5% ​​of the time frequency domain resources are wasted.

[0109] Based on the network system architecture and related technologies shown in Figure 1, embodiments of this application provide an uplink interference measurement method. Examples of execution entities of the method include network devices and terminal devices. For example, the network device may be 110a, 110b, or 110c in Figure 1. The terminal device may be 120a to 120g in Figure 1. Furthermore, it should be understood that the network device may be replaced by a communication device having network device functionality, or a chip, unit, or module within a communication device having network device functionality. The terminal device may be replaced by a communication device having terminal device functionality, or a chip, unit, or module within a communication device having terminal device functionality. It should be understood that the specific structure of the execution entities of the method provided in embodiments of this application is not particularly limited in this application, as long as a program recording the code of the method provided in embodiments of this application can be operated to perform communication according to the method provided in embodiments of this application. The following uses the interaction between a terminal device and a network device as an example for illustrative purposes.

[0110] In this application, the names of messages and resources in the following procedures are used only as examples. As communication technology advances, the names of messages and resources in the following procedures may change. However, regardless of how the names change, if the meaning of the message is the same as the function or meaning of the message in this application, the message remains within the scope of protection of this application. The order of the steps in the following procedures is also illustrative. In actual application, the order of the steps in the procedure may be adjusted.

[0111] Figure 9 shows an example of a possible schematic flowchart of an uplink interference measurement method according to one embodiment of the present application. As shown in Figure 9, the method includes the following steps:

[0112] Step 900: The network device sends the first piece of information to the terminal device. In response, the terminal device receives the first piece of information from the network device.

[0113] For example, the first piece of information indicates at least one time-frequency resource, where I time-frequency resources within that at least one time-frequency resource occupy M consecutive slots in the time domain and N consecutive resource blocks (RBs) in the frequency domain. Each of the I time-frequency resources contains K measurement resource blocks, each measurement resource block occupying one slot in the time domain and one RB in the frequency domain. The number of resource elements (REs) for uplink interference measurement in each measurement resource block is less than the total number of REs contained in each measurement resource block. M, N, K, and I are positive integers, and K ≤ M*N.

[0114] Step 910: The network device measures the uplink interference signal at the resource element for uplink interference measurement in each measurement resource block. Correspondingly, the terminal device skips sending a signal at the resource element for uplink interference measurement in each measurement resource block.

[0115] It can be understood that a terminal device may send signals to a network device using resource elements other than the resource element for uplink interference measurement in each measurement resource block, thereby enabling the network device to process the signals received by resource elements other than the resource element for uplink interference measurement in each measurement resource block, based on relevant information regarding the uplink interference signal measured by the resource element for uplink interference measurement in each measurement resource block, in order to obtain a valid uplink signal.

[0116] According to the method described above, the network device measures the uplink interference signal using resource elements for uplink interference measurement in each measurement resource block. The number of resource elements for uplink interference measurement in each measurement resource block is less than the total number of resource elements in each measurement resource block. Therefore, the resource overhead for uplink interference measurement can be significantly reduced by using the method described above.

[0117] In possible embodiments, the first information includes S instruction information, and the S instruction information corresponds one-to-one with S time-frequency resources. S is a positive integer greater than or equal to 1, and when the value of S is 2 or greater, the S time-frequency resources are distinct from each other. In other words, the first information may indicate S time-frequency resources, and the value of S may be 1, or the value of S may be 2 or greater. When the value of S is 2 or greater, the S time-frequency resources are distinct from each other, i.e., the S instruction information may be distinct from each other. In this case, the number of at least one time-frequency resource is S. For example, at least one time-frequency resource may be a periodic time-frequency resource. The network device may configure at least one time-frequency resource individually and generate one instruction information for each time-frequency resource.

[0118] In another possible embodiment, the first information includes one indicator and a period. The indicator indicates one time-frequency resource, and the period is the period of the time-frequency resource indicated by the indicator. In other words, the first information may indicate one time-frequency resource and the period of the time-frequency resource, i.e., at least one time-frequency resource is a periodic time-frequency resource.

[0119] In addition, the first information may, or otherwise, indicate at least one time-frequency resource. This is not limited to the present application.

[0120] The following example uses only the i-th time-frequency resource and the corresponding instruction information for illustrative purposes. The i-th time-frequency resource is one of the I time-frequency resources, where i is any positive integer in the range of 1 to I.

[0121] If the first information includes S pieces of instruction information, it can be understood that the instruction information corresponding to the i-th time-frequency resource is one of the S pieces of instruction information. If the number of at least one time-frequency resources indicated by the first information differs from the value of I, the specific forms of the time-frequency resources other than the I time-frequency resources within the at least one time-frequency resource, and the specific embodiments of the corresponding instruction information, are not limited in this application. If the number of at least one time-frequency resources indicated by the first information is the same as the value of I, the specific embodiments of the instruction information corresponding to the i-th time-frequency resource are similar to the specific embodiments of the instruction information other than the instruction information corresponding to the i-th time-frequency resource, and cross-referencing is possible.

[0122] If the first piece of information includes one instruction and a period, the i-th time-frequency resource may be the time-frequency resource indicated by the instruction or a time-frequency resource corresponding to any period, and the at least one time-frequency resource indicated by the first piece of information is I time-frequency resources, and the number of at least one time-frequency resources is the same as the value of I. If the time-frequency resource indicated by one instruction is the i-th time-frequency resource, then the one piece of information is the instruction that corresponds to the i-th time-frequency resource.

[0123] Unless otherwise specified, for specific embodiments of the instruction information in this application, please refer to the following embodiments of instruction information corresponding to the i-th time-frequency resource.

[0124] In possible embodiments, in I time-frequency resources, the instruction information corresponding to the i-th time-frequency resource may include at least one of the following: start slot instruction information for the i-th time-frequency resource, start resource block instruction information for the i-th time-frequency resource, pattern instruction information for RE for uplink interference measurement, and pattern instruction information for the i-th time-frequency resource, where i is any positive integer in the range of 1 to I.

[0125] The following describes possible embodiments of the information described above.

[0126] (1) Start slot instruction information for the i-th time-frequency resource and start resource block instruction information for the i-th time-frequency resource For example, the start slot instruction information for the i-th time-frequency resource may include the index of the start slot for the i-th time-frequency resource, and the start resource block instruction information for the i-th time-frequency resource may include the index of the start resource block for the i-th time-frequency resource.

[0127] If the first piece of information contains S pieces of instruction information, and the start slot instruction information for the i-th time-frequency resource is different from the start slot instruction information for the p-th time-frequency resource, then it can be understood that the start resource block instruction information for the i-th time-frequency resource may be the same as or different from the start resource block instruction information for the p-th time-frequency resource. Both the i-th and p-th time-frequency resources belong to S time-frequency domain resources, where p is a positive integer. In addition, the pattern instruction information for the RE for uplink interference measurement within the instruction information corresponding to the i-th time-frequency resource may be the same as or different from the pattern instruction information for the RE for uplink interference measurement within the p-th time-frequency resource. The pattern instruction information for the i-th time-frequency resource within the instruction information corresponding to the i-th time-frequency resource may be the same as or different from the pattern instruction information for the p-th time-frequency resource within the p-th time-frequency resource.

[0128] (2) RE pattern indication information for uplink interference measurement For example, the RE pattern for uplink interference measurement is used to determine the position of the RE for uplink interference measurement in the measurement resource block. In one example, the RE pattern indication information for uplink interference measurement includes the number of symbols, the starting symbol offset, the number of subcarriers, and the starting subcarrier offset. The number of symbols is the number of symbols occupied by the RE for uplink interference measurement in one slot, and the number of subcarriers is the number of subcarriers occupied by the RE for uplink interference measurement in 12 consecutive subcarriers contained in one RB. The number of REs for uplink interference measurement is the product of the number of symbols and the number of subcarriers. The starting symbol offset is the offset of the starting symbol on which the RE for uplink interference measurement is located. For example, the starting symbol offset is the offset of the starting symbol on which the RE for uplink interference measurement is located relative to symbol 0 or symbol 13. In this application, only symbol 0 is used as an example for illustrative purposes. The starting subcarrier offset is the offset of the starting subcarrier on which the RE for uplink interference measurement is located. For example, the start subcarrier offset is the offset of the start subcarrier on which the RE for uplink interference measurement is located relative to subcarrier 0 or subcarrier 11. In this application, only subcarrier 0 is used as an example for illustrative purposes.

[0129] For example, assuming that the RE pattern indication information for uplink interference measurement includes the number of symbols symb_num=2, the start symbol offset symb_start=3, the number of subcarriers subc_num=4, and the start subcarrier offset subc_start=4, the RE pattern for uplink interference measurement is shown in Figure 10. In Figure 10, the horizontal axis represents symbols and the vertical axis represents subcarriers. Since each measurement resource block occupies one slot in the time domain and one RB in the frequency domain, each measurement resource block occupies 14 consecutive symbols and 12 consecutive subcarriers. Based on the number of symbols symb_num=2 and the number of subcarriers subc_num=4, it can be seen that the number of REs for uplink interference measurement is 2*4=8. The specific positions of the 8 REs for uplink interference measurement can be determined based on the start symbol offset symb_start=3 and the start subcarrier offset subc_start=4.

[0130] In another example, the pattern indication information for REs for uplink interferometry includes the number of symbols, the starting symbol offset, the comb size, and the starting subcarrier offset. See the relevant explanations above for details on the number of symbols, the starting symbol offset, and the starting subcarrier offset; further details are not provided here. The number of REs for uplink interferometry is determined based on the number of symbols and the comb size.

[0131] For example, assuming that the pattern indication information for REs for uplink interference measurement includes the number of symbols symb_num=12, the start symbol offset symb_start=0, the comb size comb_size=12, and the start subcarrier offset subc_start=0, the pattern for REs for uplink interference measurement is shown in Figure 11. In Figure 11, the horizontal axis represents symbols and the vertical axis represents subcarriers. Since each measurement resource block occupies one slot in the time domain and one RB in the frequency domain, each measurement resource block occupies 14 consecutive symbols and 12 consecutive subcarriers. In Figure 11, based on the number of symbols symb_num=12 and the comb size comb_size=12, it can be seen that the number of REs for uplink interference measurement is 12, and the specific positions of the 12 REs for uplink interference measurement can be determined based on the start symbol offset symb_start=0, the start subcarrier offset subc_start=0, and the comb size comb_size=12.

[0132] (3) Pattern indication information for the i-th time-frequency resource For example, the pattern of the i-th time-frequency resource is used to determine the positions of K measurement resource blocks within the i-th time-frequency resource. The specific content included in the pattern indication information of the i-th time-frequency resource depends on the method used to determine the pattern of the i-th time-frequency resource.

[0133] Method 1: If the pattern of the i-th time-frequency resource is pre-configured by the network device for the terminal device, the pattern indication information for the i-th time-frequency resource includes the index of the i-th time-frequency resource pattern.

[0134] For example, a network device pre-configures W time-frequency resource patterns for a terminal device, where W is a positive integer, and the W time-frequency resource patterns include the pattern of the i-th time-frequency resource. The network device may send first information to the terminal device, which includes instruction information corresponding to the i-th time-frequency resource, the instruction information corresponding to the i-th time-frequency resource includes pattern instruction information for the i-th time-frequency resource, and the pattern instruction information for the i-th time-frequency resource includes the index of the pattern of the i-th time-frequency resource.

[0135] Method 2: The pattern indication information for the i-th time-frequency resource includes parameters used to determine the pattern of the i-th time-frequency resource.

[0136] For example, the pattern indication information for the i-th time-frequency resource may include the number M of consecutive slots occupied by the i-th time-frequency resource in the time domain, the number N of consecutive RBs occupied by the i-th time-frequency resource in the frequency domain, the number K of measurement resource blocks included in the i-th time-frequency resource, and associated parameters indicating the positions of the K measurement resource blocks.

[0137] Method 3: The pattern of the i-th time-frequency resource is determined based on the pattern of the iterative blocks within the i-th time-frequency resource, the number of iterations C1 of the iterative blocks in the time domain, and the number of frequency domain iterations C2 of the iterative blocks in the frequency domain.

[0138] A repeating block occupies m consecutive slots in the time domain and n consecutive RBs in the frequency domain. A repeating block contains k measurement resource blocks. The pattern of a repeating block indicates the positions of the k measurement resource blocks within the repeating block. C1, C2, m, n, and k are positive integers, where k ≤ m*n, M = m*C1, N = n*C2, and K = k*C1*C2.

[0139] From method 3 described above, it can be seen that the pattern of the i-th time-frequency resource is determined together based on the pattern of the iterative block, the number of iterations C1 of the iterative block in the time domain, and the number of frequency-domain iterations C2 of the iterative block in the frequency domain. The number K of measurement resource blocks included in the i-th time-frequency resource is also determined based on the number k of measurement resource blocks included in the iterative block, the number of iterations C1 of the iterative block in the time domain, and the number of frequency-domain iterations C2 of the iterative block in the frequency domain.

[0140] In a possible embodiment, the pattern instruction information for the i-th time-frequency resource includes the pattern instruction information for a repeating block, the number of iterations of the repeating block in the time domain C1, and the number of iterations of the repeating block in the frequency domain C2.

[0141] It can be understood that the values ​​of C1 and C2 may be pre-configured by the network device, agreed upon by protocol, or configured individually for each time-frequency resource. This is not limited to the present application.

[0142] For example, pattern information for a repeating block can be determined in the following ways, but is not limited to these:

[0143] Method A: The pattern indication information for the repeating block includes the index of the repeating block pattern, or parameters used to determine the repeating block pattern.

[0144] For example, a network device may pre-configure at least one repeating block pattern for a terminal device. Furthermore, the repeating block pattern instruction information sent by the network device to the terminal device may include an index of the repeating block pattern. Alternatively, the repeating block pattern instruction information sent by the network device to the terminal device may include parameters used to determine the repeating block pattern. For example, the parameters used to determine the repeating block pattern may include the number m of consecutive slots occupied by the repeating block in the time domain, the number n of consecutive RBs occupied by the repeating block in the frequency domain, the number k of measurement resource blocks included in the repeating block, and associated parameters indicating the positions of the k measurement resource blocks.

[0145] For example, the pattern indication information for the i-th time-frequency resource includes the index of the repeating block pattern (IDX=1), the number of repetitions of the repeating block in the time domain C1=6, and the number of repetitions of the repeating block in the frequency domain C2=6. The pattern for the i-th time-frequency resource is shown in Figure 12. In Figure 12, the horizontal axis represents slots and the vertical axis represents RBs. The repeating block corresponding to IDX=1 occupies four consecutive slots in the time domain, i.e., m=4, and the repeating block corresponding to IDX=1 occupies four consecutive RBs in the frequency domain, i.e., n=4. The repeating block corresponding to IDX=1 contains four measurement resource blocks, i.e., k=4. It can be seen that the i-th time-frequency resource occupies 24 consecutive slots in the time domain, i.e., M=m*C1=4*6=24, and the i-th time-frequency resource occupies 24 consecutive RBs in the frequency domain, i.e., N=n*C2=4*6=24. The i-th time-frequency resource contains 144 measurement resource blocks, i.e., K = k * C1 * C2 = 4 * 6 * 6 = 144.

[0146] In another example, the pattern indication information for the i-th time-frequency resource includes the index of the repeating block pattern (IDX=2), the number of iterations of the repeating block in the time domain C1=6, and the number of iterations of the repeating block in the frequency domain C2=2. The pattern for the i-th time-frequency resource is shown in Figure 13. In Figure 13, the horizontal axis represents slots and the vertical axis represents RBs. The repeating block corresponding to IDX=2 occupies four consecutive slots in the time domain, i.e., m=4, and the repeating block corresponding to IDX=2 occupies twelve consecutive RBs in the frequency domain, i.e., n=12. The repeating block corresponding to IDX=2 contains four measurement resource blocks, i.e., k=4. It can be seen that the i-th time-frequency resource occupies 24 consecutive slots in the time domain, i.e., M=m*C1=4*6=24, and the i-th time-frequency resource occupies 24 consecutive RBs in the frequency domain, i.e., N=n*C2=12*2=24. The i-th time-frequency resource contains 48 measurement resource blocks, i.e., K = k * C1 * C2 = 4 * 6 * 2 = 48.

[0147] For example, the first piece of information is assumed to include one instruction and a period. The pattern of time-frequency resources indicated by one instruction is shown in Figure 13, and the corresponding pattern of REs for uplink interference measurement is shown in Figure 10. The period T is equal to 100 slots. In this case, the total number of resources for uplink interference measurement in a single period is 24 * 100 * 12 * 14 = 403,200 REs. 24 represents 24 RBs, indicating that the time-frequency resources occupy 24 consecutive RBs in the frequency domain, each RB containing 12 consecutive subcarriers. 100 represents 100 slots, which is the total number of slots included in a single period, each slot containing 14 consecutive symbols.

[0148] As shown in Figure 10, the number of REs for uplink interference measurement in each measurement block is 2 * 4 = 8. As shown in Figure 13, the time-frequency resource contains 48 measurement resource blocks, and the total number of resources for uplink interference measurement is 48 * 8 = 384 REs.

[0149] Therefore, the resource overhead for uplink interference measurement is only 384 / 403200 = 0.095%, which is a 99.24% reduction compared to 12.5% ​​for conventional techniques, or 1 - 0.095 / 12.5 = 99.24%.

[0150] If the number of iterations C1 of an iterative block in the time domain is equal to 1, and the number of frequency domain iterations C2 of the iterative block in the frequency domain is equal to 1, then it can be understood that the pattern of the i-th time-frequency resource is the pattern of the iterative block.

[0151] In the aforementioned method A, the requirement for a design with low resource overhead is met, and signaling overhead can be reduced.

[0152] Method B: The pattern instruction information for the repeating block includes pattern instruction information for a first time-frequency resource element and pattern instruction information for a second time-frequency resource element. The pattern instruction information for the first time-frequency resource element includes the index of the pattern of the first time-frequency resource element, or parameters used to determine the pattern of the first time-frequency resource element, and the pattern instruction information for the second time-frequency resource element includes the index of the pattern of the second time-frequency resource element, or parameters used to determine the pattern of the second time-frequency resource element.

[0153] In this case, the pattern of the repeating blocks is determined based on the pattern of the first time-frequency resource element and the pattern of the second time-frequency resource element. The first time-frequency resource element occupies m1 consecutive slots in the time domain and n1 consecutive RBs in the frequency domain, and the first time-frequency resource element contains s1 measurement resource blocks. The second time-frequency resource element occupies m2 consecutive slots in the time domain and n2 consecutive RBs in the frequency domain, and the second time-frequency resource element contains s2 measurement resource blocks. m1, m2, n1, n2, s1, and s2 are positive integers, where k = s1 * s2, m = m1 * m2, and n = n1 * n2.

[0154] The pattern of the first time-frequency resource element indicates the positions of s1 measurement resource blocks in the first time-frequency resource element, and the pattern of the second time-frequency resource element indicates the positions of s2 measurement resource blocks in the second time-frequency resource element. For example, in the second time-frequency resource element, m2 = n2 = s2, and the s2 measurement resource blocks do not overlap in the time domain or frequency domain.

[0155] For example, the horizontal axis represents slots and the vertical axis represents RB. Figure 14 is a diagram of the pattern of the first time-frequency resource element, and Figure 15 is a diagram of the pattern of the second time-frequency resource element. idx1 represents the index of the pattern of the first time-frequency resource element, and idx2 represents the index of the pattern of the second time-frequency resource element. idx2=0 indicates that there is no second time-frequency resource element. In this case, the pattern of the first time-frequency resource element is a repeating block pattern.

[0156] The following will explain Method B in detail with reference to specific examples.

[0157] Example a: Assume that the pattern instruction information for the i-th time-frequency resource includes the pattern index of the first time-frequency resource element (idx1=0), the pattern index of the second time-frequency resource element (idx2=10), the number of iterations of the iterative block in the time domain C1=6, and the number of iterations of the iterative block in the frequency domain C2=6.

[0158] The pattern of the first time-frequency resource element can be determined based on Figure 14 and idx1=0, and the pattern of the second time-frequency resource element can be determined based on Figure 15 and idx2=10. Furthermore, a pattern of repeating blocks can be obtained, as shown at the top of Figure 16. The horizontal axis represents slots and the vertical axis represents RBs. The first time-frequency resource element corresponding to idx1=0 occupies one slot in the time domain, i.e., m1=1, and the first time-frequency resource element corresponding to idx1=0 occupies one RB in the frequency domain, i.e., n1=1. The first time-frequency resource element corresponding to idx1=0 contains one measurement resource block, i.e., s1=1. The second time-frequency resource element corresponding to idx2=10 occupies four consecutive slots in the time domain, i.e., m2=4, and the second time-frequency resource element corresponding to idx2=10 occupies four consecutive RBs in the frequency domain, i.e., n2=4. The second time-frequency resource element corresponding to idx2=10 contains four measurement resource blocks, i.e., s2=4. It can be seen that the iterative block occupies four consecutive slots in the time domain, i.e., m=m1*m2=1*4=4, and the iterative block occupies four consecutive RBs in the frequency domain, i.e., n=n1*n2=1*4=4. The iterative block contains four measurement resource blocks, i.e., k=s1*s2=1*4=4.

[0159] Furthermore, the pattern of the i-th time-frequency resource is shown at the bottom of Figure 16. The i-th time-frequency resource occupies 24 consecutive slots in the time domain, i.e., M=m*C1=4*6=24, and the i-th time-frequency resource occupies 24 consecutive RBs in the frequency domain, i.e., N=n*C2=4*6=24. The i-th time-frequency resource contains 144 measurement resource blocks, i.e., K=k*C1*C2=4*6*6=144.

[0160] Example b: Assume that the pattern indication information for the i-th time-frequency resource includes the pattern index of the first time-frequency resource element (idx1=1), the pattern index of the second time-frequency resource element (idx2=10), the number of iterations of the iterative block in the time domain C1=6, and the number of iterations of the iterative block in the frequency domain C2=2.

[0161] The pattern of the first time-frequency resource element can be determined based on Figure 14 and idx1=1, and the pattern of the second time-frequency resource element can be determined based on Figure 15 and idx2=10. Furthermore, a pattern of repeating blocks can be obtained, as shown at the top of Figure 17. The horizontal axis represents slots and the vertical axis represents RBs. The first time-frequency resource element corresponding to idx1=1 occupies one slot in the time domain, i.e., m1=1, and the first time-frequency resource element corresponding to idx1=1 occupies three consecutive RBs in the frequency domain, i.e., n1=3. The first time-frequency resource element corresponding to idx1=1 contains one measurement resource block, i.e., s1=1. The second time-frequency resource element corresponding to idx2=10 occupies four consecutive slots in the time domain, i.e., m2=4, and the second time-frequency resource element corresponding to idx2=10 occupies four consecutive RBs in the frequency domain, i.e., n2=4. The second time-frequency resource element corresponding to idx2=10 contains four measurement resource blocks, i.e., s2=4. It can be seen that the iterative block occupies four consecutive slots in the time domain, i.e., m=m1*m2=1*4=4, and the iterative block occupies twelve consecutive RBs in the frequency domain, i.e., n=n1*n2=3*4=12. The iterative block contains four measurement resource blocks, i.e., k=s1*s2=1*4=4.

[0162] Furthermore, the pattern of the i-th time-frequency resource is shown at the bottom of Figure 17. The i-th time-frequency resource occupies 24 consecutive slots in the time domain, i.e., M=m*C1=4*6=24, and the i-th time-frequency resource occupies 24 consecutive RBs in the frequency domain, i.e., N=n*C2=12*2=24. The i-th time-frequency resource contains 48 measurement resource blocks, i.e., K=k*C1*C2=4*6*2=48.

[0163] Example c: Assume that the pattern indication information for the i-th time-frequency resource includes the pattern index of the first time-frequency resource element (idx1=2), the pattern index of the second time-frequency resource element (idx2=14), the number of iterations of the iterative block in the time domain C1=2, and the number of iterations of the iterative block in the frequency domain C2=6.

[0164] The pattern of the first time-frequency resource element can be determined based on Figure 14 and idx1=2, and the pattern of the second time-frequency resource element can be determined based on Figure 15 and idx2=14. Furthermore, a pattern of repeating blocks can be obtained, as shown at the top of Figure 18. The horizontal axis represents slots and the vertical axis represents RBs. The first time-frequency resource element corresponding to idx1=2 occupies three slots in the time domain, i.e., m1=3, and the first time-frequency resource element corresponding to idx1=2 occupies one RB in the frequency domain, i.e., n1=1. The first time-frequency resource element corresponding to idx1=2 contains one measurement resource block, i.e., s1=1. The second time-frequency resource element corresponding to idx2=14 occupies four consecutive slots in the time domain, i.e., m2=4, and the second time-frequency resource element corresponding to idx2=14 occupies four consecutive RBs in the frequency domain, i.e., n2=4. The second time-frequency resource element corresponding to idx2=10 contains four measurement resource blocks, i.e., s2=4. It can be seen that the iterative block occupies 12 consecutive slots in the time domain, i.e., m=m1*m2=3*4=12, and the iterative block occupies 4 consecutive RBs in the frequency domain, i.e., n=n1*n2=1*4=4. The iterative block contains four measurement resource blocks, i.e., k=s1*s2=1*4=4.

[0165] Furthermore, the pattern of the i-th time-frequency resource is shown at the bottom of Figure 18. The i-th time-frequency resource occupies 24 consecutive slots in the time domain, i.e., M=m*C1=12*2=24, and the i-th time-frequency resource occupies 24 consecutive RBs in the frequency domain, i.e., N=n*C2=4*6=24. The i-th time-frequency resource contains 48 measurement resource blocks, i.e., K=k*C1*C2=4*2*6=48.

[0166] Example d: Assume that the pattern indication information for the i-th time-frequency resource includes the pattern index of the first time-frequency resource element (idx1=3), the pattern index of the second time-frequency resource element (idx2=14), the number of iterations of the iterative block in the time domain C1=2, and the number of iterations of the iterative block in the frequency domain C2=2.

[0167] The pattern of the first time-frequency resource element can be determined based on Figure 14 and idx1=3, and the pattern of the second time-frequency resource element can be determined based on Figure 15 and idx2=14. Furthermore, a pattern of repeating blocks can be obtained, as shown at the top of Figure 19. The horizontal axis represents slots and the vertical axis represents RBs. The first time-frequency resource element corresponding to idx1=3 occupies three consecutive slots in the time domain, i.e., m1=3, and the first time-frequency resource element corresponding to idx1=3 occupies three consecutive RBs in the frequency domain, i.e., n1=3. The first time-frequency resource element corresponding to idx1=3 contains one measurement resource block, i.e., s1=1. The second time-frequency resource element corresponding to idx2=14 occupies four consecutive slots in the time domain, i.e., m2=4, and the second time-frequency resource element corresponding to idx2=14 occupies four consecutive RBs in the frequency domain, i.e., n2=4. The second time-frequency resource element corresponding to idx2=10 contains four measurement resource blocks, i.e., s2=4. It can be seen that the iterative block occupies twelve consecutive slots in the time domain, i.e., m=m1*m2=3*4=12, and the iterative block occupies twelve consecutive RBs in the frequency domain, i.e., n=n1*n2=3*4=12. The iterative block contains four measurement resource blocks, i.e., k=s1*s2=1*4=4.

[0168] Furthermore, the pattern of the i-th time-frequency resource is shown at the bottom of Figure 19. The i-th time-frequency resource occupies 24 consecutive slots in the time domain, i.e., M=m*C1=12*2=24, and the i-th time-frequency resource occupies 24 consecutive RBs in the frequency domain, i.e., N=n*C2=12*2=24. The i-th time-frequency resource contains 16 measurement resource blocks, i.e., K=k*C1*C2=4*2*2=16.

[0169] Example e: Assume that the pattern instruction information for the i-th time-frequency resource includes the pattern index of the first time-frequency resource element (idx1=4), the pattern index of the second time-frequency resource element (idx2=0), the number of iterations of the iterative block in the time domain C1=1, and the number of iterations of the iterative block in the frequency domain C2=6. Alternatively, assume that the pattern instruction information for the i-th time-frequency resource includes the pattern index of the iterative block (IDX=0), the number of iterations of the iterative block in the time domain C1=1, and the number of iterations of the iterative block in the frequency domain C2=6.

[0170] The pattern of the first time-frequency resource element can be determined based on Figure 14 and idx1=4. idx2=0 indicates that the pattern of the second time-frequency resource element is empty, and is shown as 1. Furthermore, the pattern of the repeating block can be obtained, as shown at the top of Figure 20. When idx2=0, it can be understood that the pattern of the first time-frequency resource element is the pattern of the repeating block.

[0171] The horizontal axis represents slots, and the vertical axis represents RBs. The first time-frequency resource element corresponding to idx1=4 occupies one slot in the time domain, i.e., m1=1, and the first time-frequency resource element corresponding to idx1=4 occupies two consecutive RBs in the frequency domain, i.e., n1=2. The first time-frequency resource element corresponding to idx1=4 contains two measurement resource blocks, i.e., s1=2. It can be seen that the iterative block occupies one slot in the time domain, i.e., m=m1=1, and the iterative block occupies two consecutive RBs in the frequency domain, i.e., n=n1=2. The iterative block contains two measurement resource blocks, i.e., k=s1=2.

[0172] Furthermore, the pattern of the i-th time-frequency resource is shown at the bottom of Figure 20. The i-th time-frequency resource occupies one slot in the time domain, i.e., M=m*C1=1*1=1, and the i-th time-frequency resource occupies 12 consecutive RBs in the frequency domain, i.e., N=n*C2=2*6=12. The i-th time-frequency resource contains 12 measurement resource blocks, i.e., K=k*C1*C2=2*1*6=12.

[0173] The aforementioned examples are merely illustrative and should be understood as not intended to limit this application.

[0174] In possible designs, the pattern of the first time-frequency resource element is determined based on the rate of change of the uplink interference signal in the frequency domain and / or time domain.

[0175] For example, the rate of change of the uplink interference signal in the frequency domain may be determined based on the interference power corresponding to the adjacent RB. If the interference power corresponding to the adjacent RB is less than a first preset threshold, i.e., if the frequency-selective characteristics of the uplink interference are not clear, the pattern of the first time-frequency unit may be adjusted to reduce the overhead of the measurement block in the frequency domain.

[0176] For example, suppose the i-th time-frequency resource pattern configured by the network device for a terminal device is shown in Figure 16. If the network device obtains interference power corresponding to an adjacent RB by measuring over a period of time, and determines, based on the interference power corresponding to the adjacent RB, that the rate of change of interference power in the frequency domain is less than a first preset threshold, the network device may reconfigure the time-frequency resource and adjust the pattern of the first time-frequency unit to reduce the overhead of the measurement block in the frequency domain. For example, the index of the pattern of the first time-frequency unit is changed from idx1=0 to idx1=1, so that the reconfigured time-frequency resource pattern is shown in Figure 17. Compared to Figure 16, the measurement blocks in Figure 17 are sparsely distributed in the frequency domain, which can further reduce the resource overhead for uplink interference measurement.

[0177] For example, the rate of change of the uplink interference signal in the time domain may be determined based on the interference power corresponding to the adjacent slot. If the interference power corresponding to the adjacent time point is below a second preset threshold, i.e., if the time variation characteristics of the uplink interference are not clear, the pattern of the first time-frequency unit may be adjusted to reduce the overhead of the measurement block in the time domain.

[0178] Example 1: Assume that the pattern of the i-th time-frequency resource configured by the network device for a terminal device is shown in Figure 16. If the network device obtains interference power corresponding to adjacent slots by measuring over a period of time, and determines that the rate of change of interference power in the time domain is less than a second preset threshold based on the interference power corresponding to adjacent slots, the network device may reconfigure the time-frequency resource and adjust the pattern of the first time-frequency unit to reduce the overhead of the measurement block in the time domain. For example, the index of the pattern of the first time-frequency unit is changed from idx1=0 to idx1=2, and the index of the pattern of the second time-frequency unit is changed from idx2=10 to idx2=14, so that the reconfigured time-frequency resource pattern is shown in Figure 18. Compared to Figure 16, the measurement blocks in Figure 18 are sparsely distributed in the time domain, which can further reduce the resource overhead for uplink interference measurement.

[0179] Example 2: Assume that the pattern of the i-th time-frequency resource configured by the network device for a terminal device is shown in Figure 16. If the network device determines, by measurement over a period of time, that the rate of change of interference power in the frequency domain is below a first preset threshold and the rate of change of interference power in the time domain is below a second preset threshold, the network device may reconfigure the time-frequency resource and adjust the pattern of the first time-frequency unit to reduce the overhead of the measurement block in the time and frequency domains. For example, the index of the pattern of the first time-frequency unit may be changed from idx1=0 to idx1=3 and the index of the pattern of the second time-frequency unit may be changed from idx2=10 to idx2=14, so that the reconfigured time-frequency resource pattern is shown in Figure 19. Compared to Figure 16, the measurement blocks in Figure 19 are sparsely distributed in both the time and frequency domains, which can further reduce the resource overhead for uplink interference measurement.

[0180] In the aforementioned Examples 1 and 2, it can be seen that changing the index of the second time-frequency unit pattern from idx2=10 to idx2=14 does not affect resource overhead. Alternatively, the index of the second time-frequency unit pattern does not need to be changed.

[0181] In method B described above, resource overhead can be reduced, resources can be diversified, and signaling overhead can also be reduced. The network device may select appropriate patterns for the first resource element and the second resource element based on uplink interference measurement results to obtain expected repeating block and expected time-frequency resource patterns. In this way, resource configuration optimization is performed and resource overhead is further reduced.

[0182] In conclusion, in this application, to reduce resource overhead, the RE for uplink interference measurement does not occupy all of the REs included in each measurement resource block, and the REs are sparsely distributed in the time-frequency domain. Furthermore, repeating blocks are configured, and the number of repetitions of the repeating blocks in the time-frequency domain is set, so that the distribution of measurement blocks has long-term characteristics and is within multiple bands. Therefore, the uplink interference signal can be measured over a wide range of time-frequency domains, and the statistical characteristics of the uplink interference signal in the time-frequency domain can be obtained.

[0183] In addition, uplink interference is beam-level. Specifically, in a single-satellite multibeam scenario, the satellite experiences different interferences in different beam directions. Therefore, each time-frequency resource can correspond to one beam direction, where the beam direction is the direction of the received beam for the network device. For example, if the i-th time-frequency resource is associated with the j-th beam, the network device measures uplink interference with the i-th time-frequency resource. In this case, the uplink interference measurement result for the beam direction of the j-th beam can be obtained, where j is a positive integer.

[0184] To implement the functions in the embodiments described above, it may be understood that network devices and terminal devices include corresponding hardware structures and / or software modules for performing the functions. Those skilled in the art will readily notice that, in this application, the units and method steps in the examples described with reference to the embodiments disclosed herein can be implemented by hardware or by a combination of hardware and computer software. Whether the functions are performed by hardware or by hardware driven by computer software depends on the specific application scenario and design constraints of the technical solution.

[0185] Figures 21 and 22 are diagrams of the structure of a possible communication device according to one embodiment of the present application, respectively. The communication device may be configured to perform the functions of a terminal device or network device in the method embodiment described above. Thus, the beneficial effects of the method embodiment described above can also be implemented. In this embodiment of the present application, the communication device may be one of 120a to 120g in Figure 1, or 110a, 110b, or 110c in Figure 1, or a module (e.g., a chip) used in a terminal device or base station.

[0186] As shown in Figure 21, the communication device 2100 includes a processing unit 2110 and a transceiver unit 2120. The communication device 2100 is configured to perform the functions of a terminal device or network device in the method embodiment shown in Figure 2.

[0187] The communication device 2100 is configured to perform the functions of the network device in the method embodiment shown in Figure 9.

[0188] In this case, the transceiver unit 2120 is configured to send first information to a terminal device, the first information indicating at least one time-frequency resource. I time-frequency resources within at least one time-frequency resource occupy M consecutive slots in the time domain and N consecutive resource blocks RB in the frequency domain. Each of the I time-frequency resources contains K measurement resource blocks, each measurement resource block occupying one slot in the time domain and one RB in the frequency domain. The number of resource elements RE for uplink interference measurement in each measurement resource block is less than the total number of REs contained in each measurement resource block. M, N, K, and I are positive integers, and K ≤ M*N.

[0189] The processing unit 2110 causes the transceiver unit 2120 to measure the uplink interference signal using the resource elements for uplink interference measurement in each measurement resource block.

[0190] The communication device 2100 is configured to perform the functions of the terminal device in the method embodiment shown in Figure 9.

[0191] In this case, the transceiver unit 2120 is configured to receive first information from a network device, and the first information indicates at least one time-frequency resource. I time-frequency resources within at least one time-frequency resource occupy M consecutive slots in the time domain and N consecutive resource blocks RB in the frequency domain. Each of the I time-frequency resources contains K measurement resource blocks, each measurement resource block occupies one slot in the time domain and one RB in the frequency domain. The number of resource elements RE for uplink interference measurement in each measurement resource block is less than the total number of REs contained in each measurement resource block. M, N, K, and I are positive integers, and K ≤ M*N.

[0192] The processing unit 2110 is configured to decide not to send a signal to the resource element for uplink interference measurement in each measurement resource block.

[0193] For a more detailed description of the processing unit 2110 and the transceiver unit 2120, please refer directly to the relevant description of the method embodiment shown in Figure 9. Further details are not provided here.

[0194] As shown in Figure 22, the communication device 2200 includes a processor 2210 and an interface circuit 2220. The processor 2210 and the interface circuit 2220 are coupled to each other. It can be understood that the interface circuit 2220 may be a transceiver or an input / output interface. Optionally, the communication device 2200 may further include a memory 2230 configured to store instructions executed by the processor 2210, input data required by the processor 2210 to operate the instructions, or data generated after the processor 2210 has operated the instructions.

[0195] When the communication device 2200 is configured to perform the method shown in Figure 9, the processor 2210 is configured to perform the functions of the processing unit 2110, and the interface circuit 2220 is configured to perform the functions of the transceiver unit 2120.

[0196] When the communication device is a chip used in a terminal device, the chip within the terminal device performs the functions of the terminal device in the method embodiment described above. The chip within the terminal device receives information from another module within the terminal device (e.g., a radio frequency module or an antenna), and the information is sent to the terminal device by the network device. Alternatively, the chip within the terminal device sends information to another module within the terminal device (e.g., a radio frequency module or an antenna), and the information is sent to the network device by the terminal device.

[0197] When the communication device is a module used in a network device, the module within the network device performs the functions of the network device in the method embodiment described above. The module within the network device receives information from another module within the network device (e.g., a radio frequency module or antenna), and the information is sent to the network device by a terminal device. Alternatively, the module within the network device sends information to another module within the network device (e.g., a radio frequency module or antenna), and the information is sent to the terminal device by the network device. The network device module here may be the baseband chip of the network device, or it may be a DU or another module. The DU here may be a DU in an open radio access network (O-RAN) architecture.

[0198] It can be understood that the processor in the embodiments of this application may be a Central Processing Unit (CPU), or another general-purpose processor, a Digital Signal Processor (DSP), an Application Specific Integrated Circuit (ASIC), a Field Programmable Gate Array (FPGA), or another programmable logic device, a transistor logic device, a hardware component, or any combination thereof. The general-purpose processor may be a microprocessor or any conventional processor.

[0199] This application provides another example of a device. The notification device includes at least one processor and at least one memory. The at least one processor is coupled to at least one memory. The at least one memory is configured to store instructions. When instructions are executed by the at least one processor, the communication device is made to perform the method of the embodiments described above. For example, the communication device includes one processor and one memory. As shown in Figure 22, the communication device 2200 includes one processor 2210 and one memory 2230. The processor 2210 is coupled to the memory 2230. The memory 2230 stores instructions. When instructions stored in the memory 2230 are executed by the processor 2210, the communication device 2200 performs the method performed by the network device or terminal device in the embodiments described above.

[0200] The method steps in the embodiments of this application may be implemented in hardware or by software instructions that can be executed by a processor. The software instructions may include corresponding software modules. The software modules may be stored in random access memory, flash memory, read-only memory, programmable read-only memory, erasable programmable read-only memory, electrically erasable programmable read-only memory, registers, hard disk drives, removable hard disk drives, CD-ROMs, or any other form of storage medium known in the art. For example, the storage medium is coupled to the processor so that the processor can read information from the storage medium and write information to the storage medium. The storage medium may also be a component of the processor. The processor and storage medium may be located in an ASIC. In addition, the ASIC may be located in a network device or terminal device. Alternatively, the processor and storage medium may exist in a network device or terminal device as separate components.

[0201] All or part of the embodiments described above may be implemented using software, hardware, firmware, or any combination thereof. When software is used to implement the embodiments, all or part of the embodiments may be implemented in the form of a computer program product. A computer program product includes one or more computer programs or instructions. When a computer program or instruction is loaded and executed on a computer, the procedure or function in the embodiments of this application is executed in whole or in part. The computer may be a general-purpose computer, a dedicated computer, a computer network, a network device, user equipment, or another programmable device. The computer program or instruction may be stored in a computer-readable storage medium or transmitted from one computer-readable storage medium to another. For example, a computer program or instruction may be transmitted by wire or wirelessly from one website, computer, server, or data center to another website, computer, server, or data center. The computer-readable storage medium may be any available medium that can be accessed by a computer, or it may be a data storage device incorporating one or more available media, such as a server or data center. The usable media may be magnetic media, such as floppy disks, hard disk drives, or magnetic tapes; optical media, such as digital video discs; or semiconductor media, such as solid-state drives. The computer-readable storage medium may be volatile or non-volatile, or may include two types of storage media: volatile and non-volatile.

[0202] In the various embodiments of this application, unless otherwise specified, or where there is a logical inconsistency, the terminology and / or descriptions in different embodiments are consistent and can be referenced to one another, and technical features in different embodiments can be combined into new embodiments based on their internal logical relationships.

[0203] In this application, “at least one” means one or more, and “multiple” means two or more. “And / or” describes the relationship between related objects and indicates that three relationships may exist. For example, A and / or B may indicate the following: only A exists, both A and B exist, and only B exists, where A and B may be singular or plural. In the description in the text of this application, the symbol “ / ” represents an “or” relationship between related objects. In the formulas of this application, the symbol “ / ” represents a “division” relationship between related objects. “Containing at least one of A, B, and C” may mean containing A, containing B, containing C, containing A and B, containing A and C, containing B and C, and containing A, B, and C.

[0204] It should be understood that the various numbers in the embodiments of this application are used merely for distinction to simplify the explanation and are not used to limit the scope of the embodiments of this application. The sequential numbering of the processes described above does not imply an execution order, and the execution order of the processes should be determined based on the function and internal logic of the processes. [Explanation of Symbols]

[0205] 100 Communication Systems 110a Access Network Device 110b Access Network Device 110c Access Network Device 120a Terminal Device 120b Terminal device 120c Terminal Device 120d Terminal Device 120e Terminal Device 120f Terminal Device 120g terminal device 2100 Communication equipment 2110 Processing Unit 2120 Transceiver Unit 2200 Communication equipment 2210 Processor 2220 Interface Circuit 2230 memory

Claims

1. Uplink interference measurement method, wherein the method is A step of sending first information to a terminal device by a network device, wherein the first information indicates at least one time-frequency resource, I time-frequency resources within the at least one time-frequency resource occupy M consecutive slots in the time domain and N consecutive resource blocks RB in the frequency domain, each of the I time-frequency resources includes K measurement resource blocks, each of the measurement resource blocks occupies one slot in the time domain and one RB in the frequency domain, the number of resource elements RE for uplink interference measurement in each of the measurement resource blocks is less than the total number of REs included in each of the measurement resource blocks, and M, N, K, and I are positive integers, with K ≤ M * N, The network device performs the steps of measuring the uplink interference signal at the resource element for uplink interference measurement in each of the measurement resource blocks. Uplink interference measurement method, including

2. Uplink interference measurement method, wherein the method is A step of receiving first information from a network device by a terminal device, wherein the first information indicates at least one time-frequency resource, I time-frequency resources within the at least one time-frequency resource occupy M consecutive slots in the time domain and N RBs in the frequency domain, each of the I time-frequency resources includes K measurement resource blocks, each of the measurement resource blocks occupies one slot in the time domain and one RB in the frequency domain, the number of REs for uplink interference measurement in each of the measurement resource blocks is less than the total number of REs included in each of the measurement resource blocks, and M, N, K, and I are positive integers, with K ≤ M * N, The terminal device skips sending signals to the resource elements for uplink interference measurement in each of the measurement resource blocks. Uplink interference measurement method, including

3. The first information includes S instruction pieces, each of which indicates one time-frequency resource, and the S instruction pieces correspond one-to-one with the S time-frequency resources, where S is a positive integer greater than or equal to 1, and when the value of S is 2 or greater, the S time-frequency resources are different from each other, or The method according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the at least one time-frequency resource is a periodic time-frequency resource, the first information includes one instruction information and a period, the one instruction information indicates one time-frequency resource, and the period is the period of the time-frequency resource indicated by the one instruction information.

4. In the I time-frequency resources, the instruction information corresponding to the i-th time-frequency resource includes at least one of the following: start slot instruction information for the i-th time-frequency resource, start resource block instruction information for the i-th time-frequency resource, pattern instruction information for the i-th time-frequency resource, and pattern instruction information for the RE for uplink interference measurement. The i-th time-frequency resource pattern is used to determine the positions of the K measurement resource blocks in the i-th time-frequency resource, and the RE pattern for uplink interference measurement is used to determine the position of the RE for uplink interference measurement in the measurement resource block. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein i is any positive integer in the range of 1 to I.

5. In the I time-frequency resources, the pattern of the i-th time-frequency resource is determined based on the pattern of the repeating block within the i-th time-frequency resource, the number of iterations C1 of the repeating block in the time domain, and the number of frequency domain iterations C2 of the repeating block in the frequency domain. The repeating block occupies m consecutive slots in the time domain and n consecutive RBs in the frequency domain, the repeating block includes k measurement resource blocks, and the pattern of the repeating block indicates the positions of the k measurement resource blocks in the repeating block. C1, C2, m, n, and k are positive integers such that k ≤ m * n, M = m * C1, N = n * C2, and K = k * C1 * C2. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 4, wherein i is any positive integer in the range of 1 to I.

6. The method according to claim 5, wherein the pattern instruction information of the i-th time-frequency resource includes the pattern instruction information of the repeating block, the number of iterations C1 of the repeating block in the time domain, and the number of iterations C2 of the repeating block in the frequency domain.

7. The method according to claim 6, wherein the pattern instruction information of the repeating block includes an index of the pattern of the repeating block, or a parameter used to determine the pattern of the repeating block.

8. The pattern of the repeating block is determined based on the pattern of the first time-frequency resource element and the pattern of the second time-frequency resource element, wherein the first time-frequency resource element occupies m1 consecutive slots in the time domain and n1 consecutive RBs in the frequency domain, and the first time-frequency resource element includes s1 measurement resource blocks, and the second time-frequency resource element occupies m2 consecutive slots in the time domain and n2 consecutive RBs in the frequency domain, and the second time-frequency resource element includes s2 measurement resource blocks, where m1, m2, n1, n2, s1, and s2 are positive integers, k = s1 * s2, m = m1 * m2, and n = n1 * n2. The pattern of the first time-frequency resource element indicates the positions of the s1 measurement resource blocks in the first time-frequency resource element. The method according to claim 5 or 6, wherein the pattern of the second time-frequency resource element indicates the positions of the s2 measurement resource blocks in the second time-frequency resource element.

9. The method according to claim 8, wherein in the second time-frequency resource element, m2 = n2 = s2, and the s2 measurement resource blocks do not overlap in the time domain or the frequency domain.

10. The method according to claim 8 or 9, wherein the pattern of the first time-frequency resource element is determined based on the rate of change of the power of the uplink interference signal in the frequency domain and / or time domain.

11. The pattern instruction information of the repeating block includes the pattern instruction information of the first time-frequency resource element and the pattern instruction information of the second time-frequency resource element. The method according to any one of claims 8 to 10, wherein the pattern indication information for the first time-frequency resource element includes an index of the pattern of the first time-frequency resource element, or parameters used to determine the pattern of the first time-frequency resource element, and the pattern indication information for the second time-frequency resource element includes an index of the pattern of the second time-frequency resource element, or parameters used to determine the pattern of the second time-frequency resource element.

12. The pattern indication information of the RE for uplink interferometry includes the number of symbols, the starting symbol offset, the number of subcarriers, and the starting subcarrier offset, or The method according to any one of claims 4 to 11, wherein the pattern indication information of the RE for uplink interference measurement includes the number of symbols, a start symbol offset, a comb size, and a start subcarrier offset.

13. Uplink interferometry device, wherein the device is A transceiver unit configured such that it sends first information to a terminal device, the first information indicates at least one time-frequency resource, I time-frequency resources within the at least one time-frequency resource occupy M consecutive slots in the time domain and N consecutive resource blocks RB in the frequency domain, each of the I time-frequency resources includes K measurement resource blocks, each of the measurement resource blocks occupies one slot in the time domain and one RB in the frequency domain, the number of resource elements RE for uplink interference measurement in each of the measurement resource blocks is less than the total number of REs included in each of the measurement resource blocks, and M, N, K, and I are positive integers, with K ≤ M * N. The transceiver unit includes a processing unit that causes the resource element for measuring uplink interference in each of the measurement resource blocks to measure the uplink interference signal. An uplink interferometry device equipped with the following features.

14. Uplink interferometry device, wherein the device is A transceiver unit configured to receive first information from a network device, wherein the first information indicates at least one time-frequency resource, and I time-frequency resources within the at least one time-frequency resource occupy M consecutive slots in the time domain and N consecutive resource blocks RB in the frequency domain, each of the I time-frequency resources includes K measurement resource blocks, each of the measurement resource blocks occupies one slot in the time domain and one RB in the frequency domain, and the number of resource elements RE for uplink interference measurement in each of the measurement resource blocks is less than the total number of REs included in each of the measurement resource blocks, where M, N, K, and I are positive integers and K ≤ M * N, A processing unit configured to decide not to send a signal from the resource element for uplink interference measurement in each of the aforementioned measurement resource blocks, and An uplink interferometry device equipped with the following features.

15. The first information includes S instruction pieces, each of which indicates one time-frequency resource, and the S instruction pieces correspond one-to-one with the S time-frequency resources, where S is a positive integer greater than or equal to 1, and when the value of S is 2 or greater, the S time-frequency resources are different from each other, or The apparatus according to claim 13 or 14, wherein the at least one time-frequency resource is a periodic time-frequency resource, the first information includes one instruction information and a period, the one instruction information indicates one time-frequency resource, and the period is the period of the time-frequency resource indicated by the one instruction information.

16. In the I time-frequency resources, the instruction information corresponding to the i-th time-frequency resource includes at least one of the following: start slot instruction information for the i-th time-frequency resource, start resource block instruction information for the i-th time-frequency resource, pattern instruction information for the i-th time-frequency resource, and pattern instruction information for the RE for uplink interference measurement. The i-th time-frequency resource pattern is used to determine the positions of the K measurement resource blocks in the i-th time-frequency resource, and the RE pattern for uplink interference measurement is used to determine the position of the RE for uplink interference measurement in the measurement resource block. The apparatus according to any one of claims 13 to 15, wherein i is any positive integer in the range of 1 to I.

17. In the I time-frequency resources, the pattern of the i-th time-frequency resource is determined based on the pattern of the repeating block within the i-th time-frequency resource, the number of iterations C1 of the repeating block in the time domain, and the number of frequency domain iterations C2 of the repeating block in the frequency domain. The repeating block occupies m consecutive slots in the time domain and n consecutive RBs in the frequency domain, the repeating block includes k measurement resource blocks, and the pattern of the repeating block indicates the positions of the k measurement resource blocks in the repeating block. C1, C2, m, n, and k are positive integers such that k ≤ m * n, M = m * C1, N = n * C2, and K = k * C1 * C2. The apparatus according to any one of claims 13 to 16, wherein i is any positive integer in the range of 1 to I.

18. The apparatus according to claim 17, wherein the pattern instruction information of the i-th time-frequency resource includes the pattern instruction information of the repeating block, the number of iterations C1 of the repeating block in the time domain, and the number of iterations C2 of the repeating block in the frequency domain.

19. The apparatus according to claim 18, wherein the pattern instruction information of the repeating block includes an index of the pattern of the repeating block, or a parameter used to determine the pattern of the repeating block.

20. The pattern of the repeating block is determined based on the pattern of the first time-frequency resource element and the pattern of the second time-frequency resource element, wherein the first time-frequency resource element occupies m1 consecutive slots in the time domain and n1 consecutive RBs in the frequency domain, and the first time-frequency resource element includes s1 measurement resource blocks, and the second time-frequency resource element occupies m2 consecutive slots in the time domain and n2 consecutive RBs in the frequency domain, and the second time-frequency resource element includes s2 measurement resource blocks, where m1, m2, n1, n2, s1, and s2 are positive integers, k = s1 * s2, m = m1 * m2, and n = n1 * n2. The pattern of the first time-frequency resource element indicates the positions of the s1 measurement resource blocks in the first time-frequency resource element. The apparatus according to claim 17 or 18, wherein the pattern of the second time-frequency resource element indicates the positions of the s2 measurement resource blocks in the second time-frequency resource element.

21. The apparatus according to claim 20, wherein in the second time-frequency resource element, m2 = n2 = s2, and the s2 measurement resource blocks do not overlap in the time domain or the frequency domain.

22. The apparatus according to claim 20 or 21, wherein the pattern of the first time-frequency resource element is determined based on the rate of change of the power of the uplink interference signal in the frequency domain and / or time domain.

23. The pattern instruction information of the repeating block includes the pattern instruction information of the first time-frequency resource element and the pattern instruction information of the second time-frequency resource element. The apparatus according to any one of claims 20 to 22, wherein the pattern indication information for the first time-frequency resource element includes an index of the pattern of the first time-frequency resource element, or parameters used to determine the pattern of the first time-frequency resource element, and the pattern indication information for the second time-frequency resource element includes an index of the pattern of the second time-frequency resource element, or parameters used to determine the pattern of the second time-frequency resource element.

24. The pattern indication information of the RE for uplink interferometry includes the number of symbols, the starting symbol offset, the number of subcarriers, and the starting subcarrier offset, or The apparatus according to any one of claims 16 to 23, wherein the pattern indication information of the RE for uplink interference measurement includes the number of symbols, a start symbol offset, a comb size, and a start subcarrier offset.

25. A communication device comprising a unit or module configured to perform the method described in any one of claims 1 to 12.

26. A communication device comprising one or more processors and one or more memories, wherein the one or more memories store one or more programs, and when the programs are executed by the one or more processors, the device is made to perform the method according to any one of claims 1 to 12.

27. A chip system comprising at least one chip and memory, wherein the at least one chip is configured to read and execute a program stored in the memory in order to carry out the method according to any one of claims 1 to 12.

28. A readable storage medium, wherein the readable storage medium includes a program, and when the program is running on the device, the device is made to perform the method according to any one of claims 1 to 12.

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