Multi-codeword transmission method and apparatus

Abstract

A multi-codeword transmission method and apparatus is provided that allows a terminal device to correctly demodulate data in a multi-codeword transmission scenario. The method includes generating, by a network device, downlink control information corresponding to each of a plurality of codewords to be transmitted to a terminal device. The downlink control information corresponding to each codeword includes at least one of a physical downlink shared channel resource element mapping, a quasi-co-location indicator, one or more antenna ports, a scrambling identifier, and a number of layers. The method further includes transmitting, by the network device, the downlink control information corresponding to the plurality of codewords to the terminal device.

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] [CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS] This application claims priority from Chinese Patent Application No. 201710087121.8, filed with the China Patent Office on February 17, 2017, entitled "Multi-Codeword Transmission Method and Apparatus," the contents of which are incorporated herein by reference in their entirety.

[0002] [Technical field] This application relates to the field of communications technology, and more particularly to a multi-codeword transmission method and apparatus. [Background technology]

[0003] With the proposal of Long Term Evolution-Advanced (LTE-A), people are increasingly paying attention to cell average spectrum efficiency and cell edge spectrum efficiency. In both the upstream and downstream of the LTE-A system, there is a frequency division system that uses Orthogonal Frequency Division Multiplexing (OFDM) as the basic multiple access multiplexing mode. Due to the perfect orthogonal frequency division, there is almost no interference problem inside the cell, while the interference handling at the edge of the cell is relatively difficult.

[0004] To improve cell-edge spectrum efficiency, a noncoherent joint transmission (NCJT) transmission mode has been proposed. NCJT means that multiple transmitting nodes simultaneously serve a terminal device, i.e., the terminal device may simultaneously receive data from multiple transmitting nodes. As an example, we use transmission between two transmission points (TPs). In the schematic diagram of coordinated multipoint transmission / reception shown in Figure 1, TP1 transmits a first codeword (Code Word 1, CW1), referred to as a transport block, to the terminal device, and TP2 transmits a second codeword (CW2) to the terminal device. Because strict synchronization between the transmitting nodes is not required and cotransmission by the transmitting nodes can improve user experience, this transmission technique has attracted considerable attention and been widely discussed as the main transmission mode for further enhancements to coordinated multipoint operation (Fe-CoMP).

[0005] On the other hand, in the prior art LTE and LTE-A technologies, a given terminal device receives only one or more codewords from a given transmitting node at a time.

[0006] Therefore, there is an urgent need to solve the problem of terminal devices being unable to correctly demodulate data in multi-codeword transmission scenarios. Summary of the Invention

[0007] This application provides a multi-codeword transmission method and apparatus to solve the problem that terminal devices cannot correctly demodulate data in multi-codeword transmission scenarios.

[0008] According to one aspect, there is provided a multi-codeword transmission method, comprising: generating, by a network device, downlink control information corresponding to each of a plurality of codewords to be transmitted to a terminal device, the downlink control information corresponding to each codeword including a physical downlink shared channel (PDSCH) resource element mapping and a quasi-co-location indicator, and at least one of one or more antenna ports, a scrambling identifier, and a number of layers; and transmitting, by the network device, the downlink control information corresponding to the plurality of codewords to the terminal device. The network device generates the downlink control information corresponding to each of the plurality of codewords to be transmitted to the terminal device, and the terminal device may demodulate data based on the downlink control information corresponding to the plurality of codewords. This ensures that the terminal device correctly demodulates data in a multi-codeword transmission scenario.

[0009] According to another aspect, there is provided a multi-codeword transmission method including the steps of receiving, by a terminal device, downlink control information corresponding to a plurality of codewords from a network device, wherein the downlink control information corresponding to each codeword among the plurality of codewords includes a Physical Downlink Shared Channel (PDSCH) resource element mapping and a quasi-co-location indicator, and at least one of one or more antenna ports, a scrambling identifier, and a number of layers, and demodulating data by the terminal device based on the downlink control information corresponding to the plurality of codewords. The terminal device may receive downlink control information corresponding to each of the plurality of codewords and generated by the network device, and demodulate data based on the downlink control information corresponding to the plurality of codewords. This ensures correct data demodulation.

[0010] According to yet another aspect, there is provided a multi-codeword transmission method, comprising: generating, by a network device, downlink control information corresponding to each of a plurality of codewords to be transmitted to a terminal device, the downlink control information corresponding to each codeword including a physical downlink shared channel (PDSCH) resource element mapping and a quasi-co-location indicator, the PDSCH resource element mapping and the quasi-co-location indicator conveying at least one of an antenna port, a scrambling identifier, and a number of layers; and transmitting, by the network device, the downlink control information corresponding to the plurality of codewords to the terminal device. The network device generates the downlink control information corresponding to each of the plurality of codewords to be transmitted to the terminal device, and the terminal device may demodulate data based on the downlink control information corresponding to the plurality of codewords. This ensures that the terminal device correctly demodulates data in a multi-codeword transmission scenario.

[0011] According to yet another aspect, there is provided a multi-codeword transmission method including the steps of: receiving, by a terminal device, downlink control information corresponding to a plurality of codewords from a network device, wherein the downlink control information corresponding to each codeword among the plurality of codewords includes a Physical Downlink Shared Channel (PDSCH) resource element mapping and a quasi-co-location indicator, the PDSCH resource element mapping and the quasi-co-location indicator conveying at least one of an antenna port, a scrambling identifier, and a number of layers; and demodulating, by the terminal device, data based on the downlink control information corresponding to the plurality of codewords. The terminal device may receive downlink control information corresponding to each of the plurality of codewords and generated by the network device, and demodulate data based on the downlink control information corresponding to the plurality of codewords. This ensures correct data demodulation.

[0012] In one implementation of the above aspects, the downlink control information corresponding to each codeword further includes at least one of a modulation and coding scheme (MCS), a new data indicator (NDI), and a redundancy version (RV). In this implementation, the downlink control information corresponding to each codeword may further include other parameters. The MCS is used to provide information related to the modulation mode, coding rate, and transport block size to a terminal device. The NDI is used to empty a soft buffer for initial transmission. The RV is used to provide redundancy version information.

[0013] In another implementation of the above aspects, the PDSCH resource element mapping and quasi-co-location indicator include at least one parameter of a PDSCH starting point, a multicast broadcast single frequency network (MBSFN) subframe configuration, a beam management reference signal configuration, and a channel state information reference signal (CSI-RS) configuration. In this implementation, the parameters included in the PDSCH resource element mapping and quasi-co-location indicator are described in detail.

[0014] In yet another implementation of the above aspects, the PDSCH resource element mapping and quasi-co-location indicator convey at least one of an antenna port, a scrambling identifier, and a number of layers.

[0015] In yet another implementation of the above aspects, the antenna port includes a demodulation reference signal (DMRS) port, the scrambling identifier includes DMRS scrambling information, and the number of layers includes the number of DMRS layers.

[0016] According to yet another aspect, a network device is provided, the network device having functions for implementing the operations of the network device in the above-described methods. The functions may be implemented by hardware, or may be implemented by hardware by executing corresponding software. The hardware or software may include one or more modules corresponding to the above-described functions.

[0017] In one possible implementation, a network device includes: a processing unit configured to generate downlink control information corresponding to each of a plurality of codewords to be transmitted to a terminal device, the downlink control information corresponding to each codeword including a physical downlink shared channel (PDSCH) resource element mapping and a quasi-co-location indicator, and at least one of one or more antenna ports, a scrambling identifier, and a number of layers; and a transmitting unit configured to transmit the downlink control information corresponding to the plurality of codewords to the terminal device.

[0018] In another possible implementation, a network device includes a transceiver, a memory, and a processor, wherein the memory stores a group of program codes, and the processor is configured to perform operations of invoking the program code stored in the memory to generate downlink control information corresponding to each of a plurality of codewords to be transmitted to a terminal device, the downlink control information corresponding to each codeword including a Physical Downlink Shared Channel (PDSCH) resource element mapping and a quasi-co-location indicator, and at least one of one or more antenna ports, a scrambling identifier, and a number of layers, and transmitting the downlink control information corresponding to the plurality of codewords to the terminal device by using the transceiver.

[0019] Based on the same inventive concept as the above method, the principle of solving the problem by the device and the beneficial effects brought by the device should be referred to the above multiple possible implementations of the method performed by the network device and the beneficial effects brought by those implementations. Therefore, for the implementations of those devices, reference should be made to the implementations of the method, and the repeated content will not be described again.

[0020] According to yet another aspect, a terminal device is provided, the terminal device having functions for implementing the operations of the terminal device in the above-described methods. The functions may be implemented by hardware, or may be implemented by hardware by executing corresponding software. The hardware or software includes one or more modules corresponding to the above-described functions.

[0021] In one possible implementation, a terminal device includes: a receiving unit configured to receive downlink control information corresponding to a plurality of codewords from a network device, wherein the downlink control information corresponding to each codeword among the plurality of codewords includes a Physical Downlink Shared Channel (PDSCH) resource element mapping and a quasi-co-location indicator, and at least one of one or more antenna ports, a scrambling identifier, and a number of layers; and a demodulating unit configured to demodulate data based on the downlink control information corresponding to the plurality of codewords.

[0022] In another possible implementation, a terminal device includes a transceiver, a memory, and a processor, wherein the memory stores a group of program codes, and the processor is configured to invoke the program code stored in the memory to perform operations of receiving, by using the transceiver, downlink control information corresponding to a plurality of codewords from a network device, wherein the downlink control information corresponding to each codeword among the plurality of codewords includes a Physical Downlink Shared Channel (PDSCH) resource element mapping and a quasi-co-location indicator, and at least one of one or more antenna ports, a scrambling identifier, and a number of layers, and demodulating data based on the downlink control information corresponding to the plurality of codewords.

[0023] Based on the same inventive concept as the above method, the principle of solving a problem by an apparatus and the beneficial effects brought by the apparatus should be referred to the above multiple possible implementations of the method executed by the terminal device and the beneficial effects brought by those implementations. Therefore, for the implementations of those apparatuses, reference should be made to the implementations of the method, and repeated content will not be described again.

[0024] According to yet another aspect, a network device is provided. The network device has functionality for implementing the operation of the network device in the above-described methods. The functionality may be implemented by hardware or by executing corresponding software. The hardware or software may include one or more modules corresponding to the above-described functionality. In one possible implementation, the network device includes: a processing unit configured to generate downlink control information corresponding to each of a plurality of codewords to be transmitted to a terminal device, the downlink control information corresponding to each codeword including a Physical Downlink Shared Channel (PDSCH) resource element mapping and a quasi-co-location indicator, the PDSCH resource element mapping and the quasi-co-location indicator carrying at least one of an antenna port, a scrambling identifier, and a number of layers; and a transmitting unit configured to transmit the downlink control information corresponding to the plurality of codewords to the terminal device.

[0025] In another possible implementation, a network device includes a transceiver, a memory, and a processor, wherein the memory stores a group of program codes, and the processor is configured to perform operations of invoking the program code stored in the memory to generate downlink control information corresponding to each of a plurality of codewords to be transmitted to a terminal device, the downlink control information corresponding to each codeword including a Physical Downlink Shared Channel (PDSCH) resource element mapping and a quasi-co-location indicator, the PDSCH resource element mapping and the quasi-co-location indicator conveying at least one of an antenna port, a scrambling identifier, and a number of layers, and transmitting the downlink control information corresponding to the plurality of codewords to the terminal device by using the transceiver.

[0026] Based on the same inventive concept as the above method, the principle of solving the problem by the device and the beneficial effects brought by the device should be referred to the above multiple possible implementations of the method performed by the network device and the beneficial effects brought by those implementations. Therefore, for the implementations of those devices, reference should be made to the implementations of the method, and the repeated content will not be described again.

[0027] According to yet another aspect, a terminal device is provided, the terminal device having functions for implementing the operations of the terminal device in the above-described methods. The functions may be implemented by hardware, or may be implemented by hardware by executing corresponding software. The hardware or software includes one or more modules corresponding to the above-described functions.

[0028] In one possible implementation, a terminal device includes: a receiving unit configured to receive downlink control information corresponding to a plurality of codewords from a network device, wherein the downlink control information corresponding to each codeword among the plurality of codewords includes a Physical Downlink Shared Channel (PDSCH) resource element mapping and a quasi-co-location indicator, and the PDSCH resource element mapping and the quasi-co-location indicator carry at least one of an antenna port, a scrambling identifier, and a number of layers; and a demodulation unit configured to demodulate data based on the downlink control information corresponding to the plurality of codewords.

[0029] In another possible implementation, a terminal device includes a transceiver, a memory, and a processor, wherein the memory stores a group of program codes, and the processor is configured to invoke the program code stored in the memory to perform operations of receiving, by using the transceiver, downlink control information corresponding to a plurality of codewords from a network device, wherein, among the downlink control information corresponding to the plurality of codewords, the downlink control information corresponding to each codeword includes a Physical Downlink Shared Channel (PDSCH) resource element mapping and a quasi-co-location indicator, the PDSCH resource element mapping and the quasi-co-location indicator carrying at least one of an antenna port, a scrambling identifier, and a number of layers, and demodulating data based on the downlink control information corresponding to the plurality of codewords.

[0030] Based on the same inventive concept as the above method, the principle of solving a problem by an apparatus and the beneficial effects brought by the apparatus should be referred to the above multiple possible implementations of the method executed by the terminal device and the beneficial effects brought by those implementations. Therefore, for the implementations of those apparatuses, reference should be made to the implementations of the method, and repeated content will not be described again.

[0031] Yet another aspect of the present application provides a computer-readable storage medium that stores instructions that, when executed by a computer, enable the computer to perform the methods of the above aspects.

[0032] Yet another aspect of the present application provides a computer program product including instructions that, when executed on a computer, cause the computer to perform the method of the above aspect. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0033] In order to more clearly describe the technical solutions in the embodiments of the present invention or the background art, the following description will describe the accompanying drawings necessary to describe the embodiments of the present invention or the background art.

[0034] [Figure 1] FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram of an example of coordinated multipoint transmission / reception. [Figure 2a] 1 is a schematic diagram of several possible mappings of resource elements of a physical downlink shared channel; [Figure 2b] 1 is a schematic diagram of several possible mappings of resource elements of a physical downlink shared channel; [Figure 2c] 1 is a schematic diagram of several possible mappings of resource elements of a physical downlink shared channel; [Figure 3] 1 is a schematic interactive diagram of a multi-codeword transmission method according to an embodiment of the present invention; [Figure 4] 1 is a schematic module diagram of a network device according to an embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 5] 1 is a schematic module diagram of a terminal device according to an embodiment of the present invention; [Figure 6] FIG. 2 is a schematic architecture diagram of the hardware of a network device according to an embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 7] FIG. 2 is a schematic architecture diagram of the hardware of a terminal device according to an embodiment of the present invention; DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0035] The following description refers to a number of accompanying drawings illustrating a number of embodiments of the invention.

[0036] In accordance with several embodiments of the present invention, a communication system includes a network device and a terminal device. The network device controls a multi-codeword transmission of a transmitting node. The communication system may be a Global System for Mobile Communication (GSM) system, a Code Division Multiple Access (CDMA) system, a Wideband Code Division Multiple Access (WCDMA) system, a Worldwide Interoperability for Microwave Access (WMIC) system, or a cellular system. The communication system may be a WiMAX system, a long term evolution (LTE) system, a 5G communication system (e.g., a new radio (NR) system), a communication system that integrates various communication technologies (e.g., a communication system that integrates LTE technology and NR technology), or any subsequently evolved communication system.

[0037] A terminal device in this application is a device having wireless communication capabilities. The terminal device may be a handheld device, an in-vehicle device, a wearable device, a computing device having wireless communication capabilities, or other processing device connected to a wireless modem. In different networks, the terminal device may have different names, such as a user equipment (UE), an access terminal, a subscriber unit, a subscriber station, a mobile station, a mobile console, a remote station, a remote terminal, a mobile device, a subscriber terminal, a terminal, a wireless communication device, a user agent, or a user equipment, a mobile phone, a cordless telephone set, a Session Initiation Protocol (SIP) phone, a Wireless Local Loop (WLL) station, a Personal Digital Assistant (PDA), or a terminal device in a 5G network or a future evolved network.

[0038] The network device in this application is a device that is located in a radio access network and provides wireless communication functions. The network device includes, but is not limited to, a base transceiver station (BTS), a node B (NodeB, NB), an evolved node B (ENB), and the like. (evolvedThe downlink control channel may include a base station such as a base transceiver station (BS) such as a NodeB, eNB, or eNodeB, a transmitting node such as a transmission reception point (TRP) or a transmission point (TP) in an NR system, or a next-generation NodeB (gNB), a base station or network device in future communication networks, a relay node, an access point, an in-vehicle device, a wearable device, a wireless-fidelity (Wi-Fi) site, a wireless backhaul node, a small cell, and a microcell. In the existing LTE and LTE-A protocols, the downlink control channel corresponds to one or two codewords during Coordinated Multiple Points Transmission (CoMP). When the downlink control channel carries scheduling information for multiple codewords, the system defaults to using the Physical Downlink Shared Channel (PDC). The multiple codewords carried by the PDSCH may be codewords from one transmitting node or from multiple transmitting nodes that are synchronized with each other in the time / frequency domain. In other words, the multiple codewords have the same large-scale channel experience. The large-scale channel experience includes characteristics such as delay spread, Doppler spread, Doppler shift, average gain, average delay, receiving beam number of the terminal device, transmit / receive channel correlation, receiving angle-of-arrival (AoA), spatial correlation of the receiver antenna, dominant angle of arrival, average angle of arrival, and AoA spread.Meanwhile, only one set of parameters, namely, Physical Downlink Shared Channel Resource Element Mapping and Quasi-Co-Location Indicator (PDSCH RE Mapping and Quasi-Co-Location Indicator), one or more antenna port(s), Scrambling identity and number of layers, are included in the downlink control information.

[0039] For multi-codeword transmissions implemented in the NCJT scenario, multiple different codewords are transmitted by multiple different transmitting nodes, and each transmitting node independently performs self-adaptive precoding. That is, the multiple codewords correspond to different large-scale channel experiences, and the time / frequency domain resources carried by the multiple codewords may be different. If demodulation of multiple codewords is implemented according to existing protocols by using one set of PDSCH resource element mapping and quasi-co-location indicator parameters, a high bit error rate of data transmission will be caused. Therefore, in actual transmissions, downlink control information corresponding to the PDSCH for each transmitting node should be considered. In addition, fixed information regarding one or more antenna ports, scrambling identifiers, and the number of layers does not match the decoding requirements of all transmitting nodes. Using PDSCH resource element mapping as an example. As shown in Figures 2a to 2c, the actual PDSCH resource element mapping information carried by different codewords may be exactly the same (as shown in Figure 2a), partly the same (as shown in Figure 2b), or completely different (as shown in Figure 2c). Therefore, existing configuration information cannot guarantee that the PDSCH resource element mapping and downlink control information, such as the quasi-co-location indicator, antenna port(s), scrambling identifier, and number of layers, will be consistent with the downlink control information of all transmitting nodes in the case of multi-codeword transmission performed in an NCJT scenario.

[0040] Some embodiments of the present invention provide a multi-codeword transmission method and apparatus, in which a network device generates downlink control information corresponding to each of a plurality of codewords to be transmitted to a terminal device, and the terminal device may demodulate data based on the downlink control information corresponding to the plurality of codewords, which ensures that the terminal device correctly demodulates data in a multi-codeword transmission scenario.

[0041] Multi-codeword transmission scenarios in several embodiments of the present invention include, for example, coordinated multipoint transmission / reception, such as NCJT; multi-codeword transmission performed by using multiple beam groups used for one transmitting node, such as radio frequency communication based on multiple simulated narrow beams; and multi-codeword transmission performed by using multiple different antenna panels used for one transmitting node, such as radio frequency communication based on multiple panels.

[0042] 3 is a schematic interactive diagram of a multi-codeword transmission method according to an embodiment of the present invention, which includes the following steps:

[0043] S101. A network device generates downlink control information corresponding to each of a plurality of codewords to be transmitted to a terminal device.

[0044] In this embodiment, the multiple codewords may be codewords from multiple transmitting nodes, such as multiple codewords used in NCJT in the case of coordinated multipoint transmission / reception, or codewords from multiple beam groups used for one transmitting node, such as multiple codewords used in radio frequency communication based on multiple simulated narrow beams, or codewords from multiple different antenna panels used for one transmitting node, such as multiple codewords in radio frequency communication based on multiple panels. Optionally, the terminal device may be one terminal device or multiple different terminal devices. In this embodiment, before the multiple transmitting nodes, multiple beam groups used for one transmitting node, or multiple different antenna panels used for one transmitting node transmit codewords, the network device generates downlink control information (DCI) corresponding to each of the multiple codewords to be transmitted to the terminal device. The downlink control information corresponding to each codeword includes at least one of a PDSCH resource element mapping and a pseudo-co-location indicator, one or more antenna ports, a scrambling identifier, and the number of layers. Optionally, the downlink control information corresponding to each codeword includes a PDSCH resource element mapping and quasi-co-location indicator, one or more antenna ports, a scrambling identifier, and the number of layers.

[0045] The PDSCH mapping and quasi-co-location indicator are used to indicate quasi-co-location relationships among multiple antenna ports, corresponding to quasi-co-location relationships among multiple different types of reference signals. Specifically, the PDSCH resource element mapping and quasi-co-location indicator include at least one of a PDSCH starting point, a Multicast-Broadcast Single Frequency Network (MBSFN) subframe configuration, a beam management reference signal configuration, and a Channel State Information Reference Signal (CSI-RS) configuration. In this specification, the different types of reference signals include a beam management reference signal, a CSI-RS, and a Demodulation Reference Signal (DMRS). The beam management reference signal is used to measure a simulated beam, the CSI-RS is used to measure channel state information, and the DMRS is used to demodulate data. The beam management reference signal, the CSI-RS, and the DMRS have a quasi-co-location relationship. This means that a transmitting node, a beam group of the same transmitting node, or a group of antenna ports of a single antenna panel of a transmitting node have the same large-scale channel characteristics. Different transmitting points, different beam groups, or different antenna panels transmitting multiple codewords correspond to at least two groups of antenna ports. The large-scale channel characteristics may include delay spread, average delay, Doppler spread, Doppler shift, average gain, number of receiving beams at the terminal device, transmit / receive channel correlation, receive angle of arrival, spatial correlation of the receive antennas, dominant angle of arrival, average angle of arrival, and AoA spread, etc.Specifically, the quasi-co-location indicator is used to indicate whether at least two groups of antenna ports have a quasi-co-location relationship, the quasi-co-location indicator is used to indicate whether the reference signals transmitted by the at least two groups of antenna ports are reference signals from one transmission point, the quasi-co-location indicator is used to indicate whether the reference signals transmitted by the at least two groups of antenna ports are reference signals from one beam group, or the quasi-co-location indicator is used to indicate whether the reference signals transmitted by the at least two groups of antenna ports are reference signals from one antenna panel.

[0046] The one or more antenna ports, scrambling identifiers, and layer numbers are used to indicate the DMRS port, DMRS scrambling identifier, and DMRS layer number corresponding to the current codeword. In the LTE protocol, the relationship between the DMRS port number and the number of DMRS transport layers is as follows: UE-specific reference signals related to the PDSCH are transmitted from antenna ports p=5, p=7, p=8, p=11, p=13, p={11, 13}, or p=7, 8, ..., v+6, where v is the number of transport layers used for the PDSCH. The DMRS scrambling identifier is used to determine the DMRS transmission sequence. For detailed definitions and applications of this parameter, please refer to the LTE protocol, and the details will not be described again one by one in this specification.

[0047] The two parameters, PDSCH resource element mapping and pseudo-co-location indicator, antenna port(s), scrambling identifier, and number of layers, are closely related to the codeword. When multiple codewords are transmitted and the multiple codewords are from different transmitting nodes, different beam groups, or different antenna panels, data demodulation fails if the same set of the two parameters is used for multiple codewords.

[0048] Furthermore, the downlink control information corresponding to each codeword further includes at least one of a Modulation and Coding Scheme (MCS), a New Data Indicator (NDI), and a Redundancy Version (RV). The MCS is used to provide terminal devices with information related to the modulation mode, coding rate, and transport block size. The NDI is used to empty a soft buffer for initial transmission. For detailed definitions and applications of these parameters, reference should be made to the LTE protocol, and the details will not be described one by one again in this specification.

[0049] In addition to the downlink control information corresponding to each codeword, the downlink control information may further include more parameters. The following parameters may be transmitted in DCI 2D format according to the existing LTE protocol. The downlink control information is used by the terminal device to demodulate data. An example is provided in which two TPs simultaneously transmit two codewords for one UE, and the case of transmitting two or more codewords is excluded. The DCI transmitted by the two TPs is: - a carrier indicator indicating the component carrier to which the downlink control information relates; -Resource Allocation Header (resource allocation type 0 / 1); - a resource block allocation indicating resource blocks on a component carrier by which a terminal device should receive a PDSCH; -Transmit Power Control (TPC) commands for the Physical Uplink Control Channel (PUCCH) used to schedule the secondary carrier in case of carrier aggregation; - a downlink allocation index used to inform the terminal device of the number of downlink transmissions and related information; - the number of Hybrid Automatic Repeat reQuest (HARQ) processes used to inform the terminal device of the relevant current HARQ process; A Sounding Reference Signal (SRS) request, used to trigger the transmission of an uplink sounding reference signal only in the case of Time Division Duplexing (TDD); - first codeword; -MCS; -NDI; -RV; PDSCH resource element mapping and pseudo-colocation indicator; - one or more antenna ports, a scrambling identifier, and the number of layers; - second codeword; -MCS; -NDI; -RV; PDSCH resource element mapping and pseudo-colocation indicator; - one or more antenna ports, a scrambling identifier, and the number of layers; HARQ-ACK resource offset (used for enhanced Physical Downlink Control Channel (ePDCCH)) used to dynamically control PUCCH resources for HARQ acknowledgments; Includes:

[0050] In one implementation, the PDSCH resource element mapping, the quasi-co-location indicator, the one or more antenna ports, the scrambling identifier, and the number of layers may be included in one parameter set or in multiple different parameter sets. Specifically, in one alternative manner, the two parameters, the PDSCH resource element mapping, the quasi-co-location indicator, the one or more antenna ports, the scrambling identifier, and the number of layers, are included in multiple different parameter sets, i.e., the two parameters are represented by using parameter sets with two domains. For example, in the case of the above DCI parameters used as an example, the two parameters are represented separately. In another alternative manner, the two parameters, the PDSCH resource element mapping, the quasi-co-location indicator, the one or more antenna ports, the scrambling identifier, and the number of layers, are included in one parameter set, i.e., the two parameters are represented by using parameter sets with one domain. In other words, the PDSCH resource element mapping and the quasi-co-location indicator convey the antenna port, the scrambling identifier, and the number of layers. Specifically, the PDSCH resource element mapping and quasi-co-location indicator include at least one parameter of a PDSCH starting point, a multicast broadcast single frequency network subframe configuration, a beam management reference signal configuration, a channel state information reference signal configuration, a DMRS port, DMRS scrambling information, and the number of DMRS layers.

[0051] S102. The network device sends downlink control information corresponding to a plurality of codewords to the terminal device.

[0052] The network device may transmit downlink control information corresponding to multiple codewords to the terminal device via a Physical Downlink Control Channel (PDCCH). Alternatively, the network device may transmit downlink control information corresponding to multiple codewords to the terminal device via multiple PDCCHs. The terminal device receives downlink control information corresponding to multiple codewords from the network device.

[0053] S103. The terminal device demodulates data according to the downlink control information corresponding to the plurality of codewords.

[0054] Since the terminal device receives downlink control information corresponding to each codeword, the downlink control information corresponding to multiple codewords may be used to demodulate data related to multiple codewords from multiple different transmitting nodes, multiple different beam groups of a single transmitting node, or multiple different antenna panels of a single transmitting node. For specific data demodulation processes, reference should be made to existing LTE protocols, and details will not be repeated in this specification.

[0055] According to the multi-codeword transmission method according to this embodiment of the present invention, the network device generates downlink control information corresponding to each of a plurality of codewords transmitted to the terminal device, and the terminal device can demodulate data related to the plurality of codewords based on the downlink control information corresponding to the plurality of codewords, which ensures that the terminal device correctly demodulates data in a multi-codeword transmission scenario.

[0056] The above description details the method in several embodiments of the present invention, and the following description provides the apparatus in several embodiments of the present invention.

[0057] 4 is a schematic module diagram of a network device according to an embodiment of the present invention. The network device 1000 may include a processing unit 11 and a transmitting unit 12. The processing unit 11 may be configured to control the operation of the network device, for example, to perform S101 of generating downlink control information corresponding to each of a plurality of codewords to be transmitted to a terminal device. The transmitting unit 12 may be configured to communicate with the terminal device, for example, to perform S102 of transmitting downlink control information corresponding to the plurality of codewords to the terminal device. For details, please refer to the description of the method embodiment, and the details will not be described again in this specification.

[0058] According to the network device provided by this embodiment of the present invention, the network device generates downlink control information corresponding to each of a plurality of codewords transmitted to the terminal device, and the terminal device can perform demodulation on a plurality of codewords from a plurality of different transmitting nodes based on the downlink control information corresponding to each codeword, thereby ensuring correct demodulation.

[0059] 5 is a schematic module diagram of a terminal device according to an embodiment of the present invention. The terminal device 2000 may include a receiving unit 21 and a demodulating unit 22. The receiving unit 21 may be configured to communicate with the network device, for example, after S102 is executed, receive downlink control information corresponding to a plurality of codewords from the network device. The demodulating unit 22 may be configured to control the operation of the terminal device, for example, execute S103 of demodulating data based on the downlink control information corresponding to the plurality of codewords. For details, please refer to the description of the method embodiment, and the details will not be repeated in this specification.

[0060] According to the terminal device provided by this embodiment of the present invention, the terminal device can receive downlink control information generated by the network device and corresponding to each of a plurality of codewords, and demodulate data related to the plurality of codewords based on the downlink control information corresponding to the plurality of codewords, which ensures that the terminal device correctly demodulates data in a multi-codeword transmission scenario.

[0061] 6 is a hardware architecture diagram of a network device according to an embodiment of the present invention. The network device 3000 may include a transceiver 31, a processor 32, and a memory 33. The transceiver 31, the processor 32, and the memory 33 are connected to each other using a bus 34. The functions related to the processing unit 11 in FIG. 4 may be implemented by one or more processors 32, and the functions related to the transmitting unit 12 in FIG. 4 may be implemented by the transceiver 31.

[0062] The memory 33 may include, but is not limited to, a random access memory (RAM), a read-only memory (ROM), an erasable programmable read-only memory (EPROM), or a compact disc read-only memory (CD-ROM). The memory 33 is configured to store associated instructions and data.

[0063] The transceiver 31 is configured to transmit data and / or signals and receive data and / or signals. The transceiver 31 may include a transmitter and a receiver. The transmitter and receiver perform transmitting and receiving operations, respectively. The transmitter and receiver may be separate components or may be integrated components.

[0064] Processor 32 may include one or more processors, for example, one or more central processing units (CPUs). When processor 32 is a CPU, the CPU may be a single-core CPU or a multi-core CPU.

[0065] The processor 33 is configured to assist the network device in performing step S101 of Figure 3, which generates downlink control information corresponding to each of a plurality of codewords to be transmitted to the terminal device. The memory 33 is configured to store program codes and data for the network device.

[0066] The transceiver 31 is configured to communicate with the terminal device and perform step S102 of transmitting downlink control information corresponding to a plurality of codewords to the terminal device, as shown in FIG.

[0067] For details of the steps performed by the processor 33 and the transceiver 31, reference should be made to the description of the embodiment shown in FIG. 3, and the details will not be repeated here.

[0068] It can be understood that Figure 6 only shows a simplified design of a network device. In actual applications, each network device may further include other necessary components, including but not limited to any number of transceivers, any number of processors, any number of controllers, and any number of memories. In addition, all network devices capable of implementing the present invention fall within the protection scope of the present invention.

[0069] According to the network device provided by this embodiment of the present invention, the network device generates downlink control information corresponding to each of a plurality of codewords transmitted to a terminal device, and the terminal device can demodulate data related to the plurality of codewords based on the downlink control information corresponding to the plurality of codewords, which ensures that the terminal device correctly demodulates data in a multi-codeword transmission scenario.

[0070] 7 is a schematic architecture diagram of hardware of a terminal device according to an embodiment of the present invention. The terminal device 4000 may include a transceiver 41, a processor 42, and a memory 43. The transceiver 41, the processor 42, and the memory 43 are connected to each other using a bus 44. The functions related to the demodulation unit 22 in FIG. 5 may be implemented by one or more processors 42, and the functions related to the reception unit 21 in FIG. 5 may be implemented by the transceiver 41.

[0071] The memory 43 may include, but is not limited to, a random access memory, a read-only memory, an erasable programmable read-only memory, or a compact disc read-only memory. The memory 43 is configured to store relevant instructions and data.

[0072] The transceiver 41 is configured to transmit data and / or signals and receive data and / or signals. The transceiver 41 may include a transmitter and a receiver. The transmitter and receiver perform transmitting and receiving operations, respectively. The transmitter and receiver may be separate components or may be integrated components.

[0073] Processor 42 may include one or more processors, for example, one or more central processing units. When processor 42 is a CPU, the CPU may be a single-core CPU or a multi-core CPU.

[0074] Processor 42 3, which demodulates data based on the downlink control information corresponding to the plurality of codewords. The memory 43 is configured to store program codes and data of the network device.

[0075] The transceiver 41 is configured to communicate with the network device, perform step S102 shown in FIG. 3, and receive downlink control information corresponding to the plurality of codewords from the network device.

[0076] Processor 42 For details of the steps performed by the transceiver 41, please refer to the description of the embodiment shown in FIG. 3, and the details will not be repeated here.

[0077] It can be understood that Figure 7 only shows a simplified design of a terminal device. In actual applications, each terminal device may further include other necessary components, including but not limited to any number of transceivers, any number of processors, any number of controllers, and any number of memories. In addition, all terminal devices capable of implementing the present invention fall within the protection scope of the present invention.

[0078] According to the terminal device provided by this embodiment of the present invention, the terminal device can receive downlink control information generated by the network device and corresponding to each of a plurality of codewords, and demodulate data related to the plurality of codewords based on the downlink control information corresponding to the plurality of codewords, which ensures that the terminal device correctly demodulates data in a multi-codeword transmission scenario.

[0079] Those skilled in the art can recognize that the units and algorithm steps in the examples described with reference to the embodiments disclosed herein can be implemented by electronic hardware or by a combination of computer software and electronic hardware. Whether the functions are performed by hardware or software depends on the specific application and design constraints of the technical solution. Those skilled in the art can use multiple different methods to implement the described functions for each specific application, but the implementation should not be interpreted as going beyond the scope of this application.

[0080] Those skilled in the art can clearly understand that for convenience and conciseness of description, the detailed operation processes of the systems, devices and units should be referred to the corresponding processes in the method embodiments, and the details will not be described repeatedly in this specification.

[0081] It should be understood that in some embodiments provided by this application, the disclosed systems, devices, and methods can be implemented in other ways. For example, the described device embodiment is merely one example. For example, the division of units is merely a logical division of functions, and other divisions may be used in actual implementation. For example, multiple units or components may be combined or integrated into other systems, or some features may be ignored or not implemented. In addition, the shown or discussed mutual couplings, direct couplings, or communication connections may be implemented using some interfaces. Indirect couplings or communication connections between devices or units may be implemented in electrical, mechanical, or other forms.

[0082] The units described as separate parts may be physically separated, and the parts shown as multiple units may or may not be multiple physical units, and may be located in one location or distributed across multiple network units. According to actual needs, some or all of the units may be selected to achieve the objectives of the solutions of the embodiments.

[0083] Additionally, multiple functional units in multiple embodiments of this application may be integrated into a single processing unit, or each unit may exist physically alone, or two or more units may be integrated into a single unit.

[0084] All or part of the above embodiments may be implemented using software, hardware, firmware, or any combination thereof. When implementing the embodiments using software, the embodiments may be implemented, fully or partially, in the form of a computer program product. A computer program product includes one or more computer instructions. When the computer program instructions are loaded and executed on a computer, the procedures or functions according to the embodiments of the present invention are generated in whole or in part. The computer may be a general-purpose computer, a special-purpose computer, a computer network, or other programmable device. The computer instructions may be stored in a computer-readable storage medium or transmitted using a computer-readable storage medium. The computer instructions may be transmitted from a website, computer, server, or data center to another website, computer, server, or data center via a wired method (e.g., coaxial cable, fiber optic, or digital subscriber line (DSL)) or a wireless method (e.g., infrared, radio, or microwave). The computer-readable storage medium may be any available medium accessible by a computer, or may be a data storage device such as a server or data center that integrates one or more available media. The available media may be magnetic media (e.g., floppy disks, hard disks, or magnetic tapes), optical media (e.g., DVDs), or semiconductor media (e.g., solid state disks (SSDs)).

Claims

1. 1. A multi-codeword transmission method, the multi-codeword transmission method comprising: generating, by the network device in a non-coherent joint transmission (NCJT) transmission mode, downlink control information corresponding to each of the plurality of codewords; The plurality of codewords are codewords from a plurality of transmitting nodes and are simultaneously transmitted to a terminal device, corresponding to a plurality of different large-scale channel experiences and carrying different time / frequency domain resources; Each of the large-scale channel experiences includes one or more of a delay spread, a primary angle of arrival, or a receiving beam number of the terminal device; the downlink control information corresponding to each codeword includes a physical downlink shared channel (PDSCH) resource element mapping and a quasi-co-location indicator. Steps and transmitting, by the network device, to the terminal device, the downlink control information corresponding to the plurality of codewords; all of the downlink control information corresponding to the plurality of codewords are used for data demodulation of the terminal device; The downlink control information is used by the terminal device to demodulate data of a codeword carried on a PDSCH corresponding to a transmitting node with channel characteristics having parameters including a receive angle of arrival, a main angle of arrival, and a receive angle of arrival spread. and method.

2. 2. The method of claim 1, wherein the downlink control information corresponding to each codeword further includes at least one of a modulation and coding scheme (MCS), a new data indicator (NDI), or a redundancy version (RV).

3. 2. The method of claim 1, wherein the PDSCH resource element mapping and quasi-co-location indicator comprises at least one of a PDSCH starting point, a multicast broadcast single frequency network (MBSFN) subframe configuration, a beam management reference signal configuration, or a channel state information reference signal (CSI-RS) configuration.

4. the PDSCH resource element mapping and quasi-co-location indicator conveys at least one of an antenna port, a scrambling identifier, and a number of layers.

4. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 3.

5. The antenna port includes a demodulation reference signal (DMRS) port; the scrambling identifier includes DMRS scrambling information; The number of layers includes the number of DMRS layers. The method of claim 4.

6. A communication device configured to perform the method according to any one of claims 1 to 5. Communication equipment.

7. A multi-codeword transmission method, comprising: receiving, by the terminal device, from the network device, downlink control information corresponding to each of the plurality of codewords; The downlink control information is generated by the network device in a non-coherent joint transmission (NCJT) transmission mode, and the multiple codewords are codewords from multiple transmitting nodes and are simultaneously transmitted to the terminal device, corresponding to multiple different large-scale channel experiences and carrying different time / frequency domain resources; Each of the large-scale channel experiences includes one or more of a delay spread, a primary angle of arrival, or a receiving beam number of the terminal device, and downlink control information corresponding to each codeword includes a physical downlink shared channel (PDSCH) resource element mapping and a quasi-co-location indicator; demodulating, by the terminal device, data based on the downlink control information corresponding to the plurality of codewords; The downlink control information is used by the terminal device to demodulate data of a codeword carried on a PDSCH corresponding to a transmitting node with channel characteristics having parameters including a receive angle of arrival, a main angle of arrival, and a receive angle of arrival spread. and method.

8. The method described in claim 7, wherein the downlink control information corresponding to each codeword further includes at least one of a modulation and coding scheme (MCS), a new data indicator (NDI), or a redundancy version (RV).

9. The method described in claim 7, wherein the PDSCH resource element mapping and pseudo-co-location indicator include at least one of a PDSCH starting point, a multicast broadcast single frequency network (MBSFN) subframe configuration, a beam management reference signal configuration, or a channel state information reference signal (CSI-RS) configuration.

10. The PDSCH resource element mapping and quasi-co-location indicator conveys at least one of an antenna port, a scrambling identifier, and a number of layers.

10. The method according to any one of claims 7 to 9.

11. The antenna port includes a demodulation reference signal (DMRS) port, the scrambling identifier includes DMRS scrambling information; The number of layers includes the number of DMRS layers. The method of claim 10.

12. A communications device configured to perform a method according to any one of claims 7 to 11. Communication equipment.

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