Sounding reference signal transmission method and apparatus

Abstract

The present application relates to the technical field of communications. Disclosed are a sounding reference signal transmission method and apparatus. The method comprises: receiving first configuration information for configuring a first period, and sending at least one first sounding reference signal on the basis of the first period, wherein the first period is shorter than a first duration; the first duration is related to a load of a first cell at a first moment; and the at least one first sounding reference signal is configured to estimate the channel quality of a full bandwidth on the operating bandwidth of the first cell. In the method, the sending period of the first sounding reference signal is shorter than the first duration; therefore, the duration for which a network side uses a precoding matrix indication weight indicated by a terminal to perform beamforming can be reduced, such that the network side can know the channel quality of the terminal as soon as possible, thus improving the data transmission rate.

Description

Method and device for transmitting sounding reference signal

[0001] This application claims priority to the Chinese patent application filed with the State Intellectual Property Office on September 25, 2023, with application number 202311249978.7 and application name “Method and Device for Transmitting Detection Reference Signals”, the entire contents of which are incorporated by reference into this application. Technical Field

[0002] The present application relates to the field of communication technology, and in particular to a method and apparatus for transmitting a sounding reference signal. Background Art

[0003] In a multiple-input, multiple-output (MIMO) system, beamforming can narrow the main lobe of the beam corresponding to the signal transmitted by the transmitter, more concentratedly directing the beam energy toward the receiver. This allows the signal to travel farther and reach the final receiver with greater energy. Specifically, beamforming involves vectorially superimposing the data to be transmitted and the weights, changing the amplitude or phase of the transmitted signal, and thereby adjusting the width and direction of the beam. Based on the principle of wave interference, the beam reaching the receiver is enhanced through coherent superposition.

[0004] Currently, before obtaining the full-bandwidth channel quality of the terminal on the configured bandwidth, the network device can perform beamforming based on the pre-coding matrix indication (PMI) weight reported by the terminal. Specifically, the terminal can measure the channel quality based on the channel state information-reference signal (CSI-RS), and based on the channel quality, select a PMI weight that best meets the current channel quality from several PMI weights, and indicate it to the network device so that the network device can determine the precoding matrix and perform vector superposition to achieve beamforming. Since the above-mentioned several PMI weights are obtained after quantifying the channel quality, they cannot perfectly fit the specific conditions of all channel qualities, so their accuracy and direction for beamforming are not good. Therefore, the network device cannot quickly and accurately grasp the channel quality of the terminal, resulting in a slow increase in data transmission rate.

[0005] Summary of the Invention

[0006] The present application provides a method and apparatus for transmitting a sounding reference signal, which can enable network equipment to quickly and accurately grasp the channel quality of a terminal, thereby improving the data transmission rate.

[0007] To achieve the above objectives, this application adopts the following technical solutions:

[0008] In a first aspect, a method for transmitting a sounding reference signal is provided. This method can be performed by a terminal; alternatively, it can be performed by a module implemented in the terminal, such as a chip, a chip system, or a circuit; alternatively, it can be performed by a logical node, a logical module, or software that implements all or part of the terminal's functions, without limitation. For ease of description, the following description uses execution by a terminal as an example.

[0009] The method includes: receiving first configuration information, the first configuration information is used to configure a first period, the first period is less than a first duration, and the first duration is related to the load of the first cell at a first moment; sending at least one first detection reference signal according to the first period, and the at least one first detection signal is used to estimate the channel quality of the full bandwidth on the working bandwidth of the first cell.

[0010] Based on the method provided in the first aspect above, the terminal can obtain a period for sending a first sounding reference signal and send at least one first sounding reference signal according to the period. Wherein, the period is less than a certain duration, so the method provided in the first aspect can enable the communication device receiving the first sounding reference signal (e.g., the first network device in the method shown in FIG4 below) to collect the full-bandwidth channel quality of the first cell as quickly as possible and perform beamforming based on the channel quality. Therefore, the duration for which the communication device uses the PMI weight for beamforming can be reduced, thereby improving the data transmission rate.

[0011] In a possible implementation, the first cell is a cell of a first network device, and receiving the first configuration information includes: receiving the first configuration information from a second network device, where the first network device and the second network device are different.

[0012] Based on the above possible implementation, the terminal can obtain, through the second network device, a period for sending the first sounding reference signal to the first network device, so that the terminal can subsequently use the period to send the first sounding reference signal to the first network device. It can be understood that the above possible implementation can be applied to a cell switching scenario, a secondary cell group (SCG) addition scenario, a primary secondary cell (PSCell) intra-site switching scenario, or a PSCell inter-site switching scenario.

[0013] In a possible implementation manner, receiving the first configuration information includes: after the terminal accesses the first cell, receiving the first configuration information.

[0014] Based on the foregoing possible implementation manner, the terminal may obtain a period for sending the first sounding reference signal after accessing the first cell.

[0015] In a possible implementation manner, the first configuration information includes first indication information, where the first indication information is used to indicate a first period.

[0016] Based on the foregoing possible implementation manner, the period for sending the first sounding reference signal may be configured for the terminal through the first indication information.

[0017] In one possible implementation, the number of at least one first sounding reference signal is greater than 1, the frequency domain resources of any two first sounding reference signals in the at least one first sounding reference signal are different, and the frequency domain resources are located in the working bandwidth of the first cell; or, the number of at least one first sounding reference signal is equal to 1, and the at least one first sounding reference signal occupies the entire working bandwidth of the first cell.

[0018] Based on the above possible implementations, the terminal can send the first sounding reference signal in different ways to adapt to different communication scenarios. For example, the terminal can send at least one first sounding reference signal through different frequency domain resources in multiple cycles, so that the network side can achieve full-bandwidth channel estimation of the working bandwidth of the first cell. Alternatively, the terminal can send at least one first sounding reference signal over the full bandwidth of the working bandwidth of the first cell in one cycle, so that the network side can achieve full-bandwidth channel estimation of the working bandwidth of the first cell.

[0019] In one possible implementation, the method also includes: the terminal receives second configuration information, the second configuration information is used to indicate a second period, the second period is related to the load of the first cell at a second moment, and the second moment is later than the first moment; and sends at least one second sounding reference signal according to the second period.

[0020] Based on the above possible implementation methods, the terminal can also obtain a period for sending the second sounding reference signal, and send the second sounding reference signal according to the period, so that the communication device receiving the second sounding reference signal can perform channel estimation, thereby ensuring the communication quality of the terminal.

[0021] In a possible implementation manner, the first configuration information is carried in a radio resource control reconfiguration message.

[0022] Based on the above possible implementation manner, the terminal can obtain the period for sending the first sounding reference signal through an existing message (such as a radio resource control reconfiguration message), which facilitates implementation.

[0023] A second aspect provides a method for transmitting a sounding reference signal. This method can be performed by a first network device; alternatively, it can be performed by a module implemented in the first network device, such as a chip, a chip system, or a circuit; alternatively, it can be performed by a logical node, a logical module, or software that implements all or part of the functions of the first network device, without limitation. For ease of description, the following description uses execution by the first network device as an example.

[0024] The method includes: sending first configuration information, the first configuration information is used to configure a first period, the first period is less than a first duration, and the first duration is related to the load of the first cell at a first moment; receiving at least one first detection reference signal according to the first period, and the at least one first detection reference signal is used to estimate the channel quality of the full bandwidth on the working bandwidth of the first cell.

[0025] Based on the method provided in the second aspect above, the first network device can configure a first period for receiving the first sounding reference signal and receive the first sounding reference signal according to the first period. The first period is less than the first duration, so the method provided in the second aspect enables the first network device to collect the channel quality of the full bandwidth of the first cell as quickly as possible, reducing the duration for the first network device to use the PMI weight for beamforming, thereby improving the data transmission rate. In one possible implementation, the first configuration information includes first indication information, and the first indication information is used to indicate the first period.

[0026] Based on the foregoing possible implementation manner, the first period may be indicated by the first indication information in the first configuration information.

[0027] In a possible implementation manner, sending the first configuration information includes: after the terminal accesses the first cell, sending the first configuration information to the terminal.

[0028] Based on the above possible implementation methods, after the terminal accesses the first cell, such as accessing the first cell through a random access process, the first network device can send first configuration information to the terminal so that the terminal sends the first sounding reference signal according to the first period configured according to the first configuration information.

[0029] In a possible implementation, sending the first configuration information includes: sending the first configuration information to a second network device, where the second network device is different from the first network device.

[0030] Based on the foregoing possible implementation manner, the first network device may configure the first period through the second network device.

[0031] In one possible implementation, the number of at least one first sounding reference signal is greater than 1, the frequency domain resources of any two first sounding reference signals in the at least one first sounding reference signal are different, and the frequency domain resources are located in the working bandwidth of the first cell; or, the number of at least one first sounding reference signal is equal to 1, and the at least one first sounding reference signal occupies the entire working bandwidth of the first cell.

[0032] Based on the above possible implementations, the first network device can receive the first sounding reference signal in different ways to adapt to different communication scenarios. For example, the first network device can receive at least one first sounding reference signal using different frequency domain resources within multiple cycles to achieve full-bandwidth channel estimation for the operating bandwidth of the first cell. Alternatively, the first network device can receive at least one first sounding reference signal over the full bandwidth of the operating bandwidth of the first cell within a single cycle to achieve full-bandwidth channel estimation for the operating bandwidth of the first cell.

[0033] In one possible implementation, the method further includes: sending second configuration information, where the second configuration information is used to indicate a second period, where the second period is related to the load of the first cell at a second moment, and the second moment is later than the first moment; and receiving at least one second sounding reference signal according to the second period.

[0034] Based on the above possible implementation methods, the first network device can also configure a period for receiving the second sounding reference signal, and receive the second sounding reference signal according to the period, so as to perform channel estimation based on the received second sounding reference signal, thereby ensuring the communication quality of the terminal.

[0035] In a possible implementation manner, the first configuration information is carried in a radio resource control reconfiguration message.

[0036] Based on the above possible implementation manner, the first network device may configure the period for receiving the first sounding reference signal through an existing message (such as a radio resource control reconfiguration message), which facilitates implementation.

[0037] In a third aspect, a communication device is provided for implementing the above method. The communication device may be the terminal in the above first aspect, or a device including the above terminal, or a module in the terminal in the above first aspect, such as a chip, a chip system or a circuit, or a logical node, a logical module or a software implementation that can implement some or all of the terminal functions; or the communication device may be the first network device in the above second aspect, or a device including the above first network device, or a module in the first network device in the above second aspect, such as a chip, a chip system or a circuit, or a logical node, a logical module or a software implementation that can implement some or all of the first network device functions. The communication device includes modules, units, or means corresponding to the above method, which may be implemented by hardware, software, or by hardware executing the corresponding software implementation. The hardware or software includes one or more modules or units corresponding to the above functions.

[0038] In conjunction with the third aspect above, in one possible implementation, the communication device may include a processing module and an interface module. The processing module may be configured to implement the processing functions described in any of the above aspects and any possible implementations thereof. The processing module may, for example, be a processor. The interface module, also referred to as an interface unit, may be configured to implement the sending and / or receiving functions described in any of the above aspects and any possible implementations thereof. The interface module may be comprised of an interface circuit, a transceiver, a transceiver, or a communication interface.

[0039] In combination with the third aspect above, in a possible implementation, the interface module includes a sending module and a receiving module, which are respectively used to implement the sending and receiving functions in any of the above aspects and any possible implementations thereof.

[0040] In a fourth aspect, a communication device is provided, comprising: a processor; the processor is configured to be coupled to a memory, and after reading instructions from the memory, execute the method described in any of the above aspects according to the instructions. The communication device may be the terminal described in the first aspect, or a device including the terminal, or a module in the terminal described in the first aspect, such as a chip, a chip system, or a circuit, or a logical node, a logical module, or a software implementation that can implement some or all of the terminal functions; or the communication device may be the first network device described in the second aspect, or a device including the first network device, or a module in the first network device described in the second aspect, such as a chip, a chip system, or a circuit, or a logical node, a logical module, or a software implementation that can implement some or all of the first network device functions.

[0041] In conjunction with the fourth aspect above, in one possible implementation, the communication device further includes a memory for storing program instructions and data. Optionally, the memory is integrated with the processor; or the memory is independent of the processor.

[0042] In conjunction with the fourth aspect above, in one possible implementation, the communication device is a chip or a chip system. Optionally, when the communication device is a chip system, it can be composed of a chip or include a chip and other discrete devices.

[0043] In a fifth aspect, a communication device is provided, comprising: a processor and an interface circuit; the interface circuit is configured to receive a computer program or instruction and transmit it to the processor; the processor is configured to execute the computer program or instruction so that the communication device performs the method described in any of the above aspects. The communication device may be the terminal described in the first aspect, or a device including the terminal described in the first aspect, or a module in the terminal described in the first aspect, such as a chip, a chip system, or a circuit, or a logical node, a logical module, or a software implementation that can implement some or all of the terminal functions; or the communication device may be the first network device described in the second aspect, or a device including the first network device described in the second aspect, or a module in the first network device described in the second aspect, such as a chip, a chip system, or a circuit, or a logical node, a logical module, or a software implementation that can implement some or all of the first network device functions.

[0044] In conjunction with the fifth aspect above, in one possible implementation, the communication device is a chip or a chip system. Optionally, when the communication device is a chip system, it can be composed of a chip or include a chip and other discrete devices.

[0045] In a sixth aspect, a computer-readable storage medium is provided, wherein instructions are stored in the computer-readable storage medium. When the computer-readable storage medium is run on a computer, the computer can execute the method described in any one of the above aspects.

[0046] In a seventh aspect, a computer program product comprising instructions is provided, which, when executed on a computer, enables the computer to execute the method described in any one of the above aspects.

[0047] In an eighth aspect, a communication system is provided, which includes a terminal for executing the method described in the first aspect and a first network device for executing the method described in the second aspect.

[0048] Among them, the technical effects brought about by any possible implementation method in the third to eighth aspects can be referred to the technical effects brought about by any aspect in the first to second aspects or different possible implementation methods in any aspect, and will not be repeated here.

[0049] It is understandable that, provided that the solutions are not contradictory, the solutions in each aspect can be combined. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0050] FIG1A is a schematic diagram of a process for a terminal to initially access a network provided by the present application;

[0051] FIG1B is a schematic diagram of a process for a terminal to re-enter the network provided in this application;

[0052] FIG1C is a schematic diagram of a process flow of a cell handover scenario provided in this application;

[0053] FIG1D is a schematic diagram of the process of adding an SCG scenario provided by this application;

[0054] FIG1E is a schematic diagram of the process of the PSCell intra-site handover scenario provided by this application;

[0055] FIG1F is a schematic diagram of the process of the inter-PSCell handover scenario provided by this application;

[0056] FIG2 is a schematic diagram of the communication system architecture provided by this application;

[0057] FIG3 is a schematic diagram of the hardware structure of the communication device provided in this application;

[0058] FIG4 is a flowchart of a method for transmitting a sounding reference signal provided in the present application;

[0059] FIG5 is a schematic diagram of a method for a terminal to send a first sounding reference signal (SRS) provided in the present application;

[0060] FIG6 is a second schematic diagram of a method for a terminal to send a first SRS provided in this application;

[0061] FIG7 is a second flow chart of the method for transmitting a sounding reference signal provided in the present application;

[0062] FIG8 is a schematic diagram of the structure of the communication device provided in this application. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0063] Before introducing the technical solution of this application, the relevant technical terms involved in this application are explained. It is understood that these explanations are intended to make this application easier to understand and should not be regarded as limiting the scope of protection claimed in this application.

[0064] 1. Terminal

[0065] The terminal in this application, such as terminal 204 or terminal 205 in Figure 2, is a device with wireless transceiver capabilities. The terminal can be deployed on land, including indoors, outdoors, handheld or vehicle-mounted; it can also be deployed on the water (such as ships, etc.); it can also be deployed in the air (such as airplanes, balloons and satellites, etc.). The terminal can also be called a terminal device, and the terminal device can be user equipment (UE), mobile station (MS), mobile terminal (MT), etc., or a device used to provide voice or data connectivity to users. Among them, UE includes handheld devices with wireless communication capabilities, vehicle-mounted devices (such as cars, bicycles, electric vehicles, airplanes, ships, trains, high-speed railways, etc.), wearable devices (such as smart watches, smart bracelets, pedometers, etc.) or computing devices. Exemplarily, UE can be a mobile phone, tablet computer, laptop computer, PDA, mobile internet device (MID), satellite terminal or computer with wireless transceiver capabilities. A UE may also be a virtual reality (VR) terminal device, an augmented reality (AR) terminal device, a wireless modem, a smart point of sale (POS) machine, customer-premises equipment (CPE), an intelligent robot, a robotic arm, workshop equipment, smart home devices (e.g., refrigerators, televisions, air conditioners, electric meters, etc.), a wireless terminal in industrial control, a wireless terminal in unmanned driving, a wireless terminal in telemedicine, a wireless terminal in a smart grid, a wireless terminal in transportation safety, a wireless terminal in a smart city, a wireless terminal in a smart home, an in-vehicle terminal, a roadside unit (RSU) with terminal functions, or an aerial device (e.g., an intelligent robot, a hot air balloon, a drone, an airplane), etc. A terminal may also be other devices with terminal functions, for example, a terminal may also be a device that functions as a terminal in device-to-device (D2D) communication.

[0066] As an example and not a limitation, in this application, the terminal may be a wearable device. Wearable devices may also be referred to as wearable smart devices, which are a general term for wearable devices that are intelligently designed and developed using wearable technology for daily wear, such as glasses, gloves, watches, clothing, and shoes. A wearable device is a portable device that is worn directly on the body or integrated into the user's clothes or accessories. For example, a wearable device is not only a hardware device, but also a device that achieves powerful functions through software support, data interaction, and cloud interaction. Broadly speaking, wearable smart devices include devices that are fully functional, large in size, and can achieve complete or partial functions without relying on smartphones, such as smart watches or smart glasses, as well as devices that focus on a certain type of application function and need to be used in conjunction with other devices such as smartphones, such as various smart bracelets and smart jewelry for vital sign monitoring.

[0067] In the present application, the terminal may be a terminal in an Internet of Things (IoT) system. IoT is an important component of the future development of information technology. Its main technical feature is to connect objects to the network through communication technology, thereby realizing an intelligent network of human-machine interconnection and object-to-object interconnection. The terminal in the present application may be a terminal in machine type communication (MTC). The terminal of the present application may be an on-board module, on-board module, on-board component, on-board chip or on-board unit built into a vehicle as one or more components or units. The vehicle may implement the method of the present application through the built-in on-board module, on-board module, on-board component, on-board chip or on-board unit. The terminal of the present application may be a vehicle, such as a car. Therefore, the present application may be applied to Internet of Vehicles, such as vehicle to everything (V2X), long term evolution vehicle (LTE-V), vehicle to vehicle (V2V), etc.

[0068] In this application, the form of the terminal is not limited. The device used to implement the function of the terminal can be a terminal; it can also be a device that can support the terminal to implement the function, such as a chip system. The device can be installed in the terminal or used in conjunction with the terminal.

[0069] 2. Network equipment

[0070] The network devices in this application, such as network devices 201, 202, and 203 in Figure 2, and the first, second, and third network devices in the following embodiments, can be devices with wireless transceiver functionality that can help terminals achieve wireless access. The network devices in this application can also be referred to as nodes in a radio access network (RAN), RAN nodes, or access network devices. Network equipment includes, but is not limited to, evolved NodeBs (eNBs or e-NodeBs) in long term evolution (LTE), evolved NodeBs (ng-eNBs) in next generation LTE, gNodeBs (gNBs) in new radio (NR), transmitting points (TPs) or transmission receiving points (TRPs), base stations subsequently evolved by the 3rd Generation Partnership Project (3GPP), next generation NodeBs (gNBs), next generation base stations in 6th generation (6G) mobile communication systems, base stations in future mobile communication systems, satellites, access nodes in wireless fidelity (WiFi) systems, wireless relay nodes, wireless backhaul nodes, integrated access and backhaul (IAB) nodes, mobile switching centers, and non-terrestrial communication networks. A network device is a network device in a network (NTN) communication system, which can be deployed on a high-altitude platform or satellite. A base station can be a macro base station, a micro base station, a pico base station, a small station, a relay station, or a balloon station. Multiple base stations can support networks of the same technology mentioned above, or they can support networks of different technologies mentioned above. A base station can include one or more co-located or non-co-located TRPs. A network device can also be a device that functions as a base station in D2D communication, vehicle-to-vehicle communication, drone communication, and machine communication. A network device can also be a wireless controller in a cloud radio access network (CRAN) scenario.A network device may also be a centralized unit (CU), a distributed unit (DU), a CU-control plane (CP), a CU-user plane (UP), a radio unit (RU), a roadside unit (RSU) with base station functionality, a wired access gateway, or a core network element. A network device may also be a server, a wearable device, a machine communication device, or an in-vehicle device. For example, a network device in V2X technology may be an RSU. The following description uses a base station as an example. The multiple network devices may be base stations of the same type or different types. A base station may communicate with a terminal or with the terminal through a relay station. A terminal may communicate with multiple base stations using different technologies. For example, a terminal may communicate with a base station supporting an LTE network or a base station supporting a fifth-generation (5G) network, and may also support dual connectivity with base stations on both LTE and 5G networks.

[0071] In this application, the CU and DU may be separately configured or may be included in the same network element, such as a baseband unit (BBU). The RU may be included in a radio frequency device or radio frequency unit, such as a remote radio unit (RRU), an active antenna unit (AAU), or a remote radio head (RRH). It is understood that the CU may be classified as a network device in an access network, or as a network device in a core network, without limitation herein.

[0072] In different systems, CU (or CU-CP and CU-UP), DU or RU may also have different names, but those skilled in the art can understand their meanings. For example, in an open radio access network (ORAN) system, CU may also be called O-CU (open CU), DU may also be called O-DU, CU-CP may also be called O-CU-CP, CU-UP may also be called O-CU-UP, and RU may also be called O-RU. For the convenience of description, this application takes CU, CU-CP, CU-UP, DU and RU as examples for description. Any unit of CU (or CU-CP, CU-UP), DU and RU in this application can be implemented by a software module, a hardware module, or a combination of a software module and a hardware module.

[0073] It is understandable that in some scenarios, the roles of network devices and terminals are relative. For example, a helicopter or drone, which is usually configured as a terminal, can also be configured as a mobile base station, and the device that accesses the RAN via the helicopter or drone is configured as a terminal.

[0074] In this application, the form of the network device is not limited. The device used to implement the function of the network device can be a network device; it can also be a device that can support the network device to implement the function, such as a chip system. The device can be installed in the network device or used in conjunction with the network device.

[0075] 3. Beamforming

[0076] In this application, the network device and / or terminal is equipped with a multi-antenna array, which can perform beamforming to concentrate the transmission power in the direction pointed by the beam, so that the transmission power in the direction pointed by the beam is higher and the signal is transmitted farther.

[0077] The following example illustrates the principle of beamforming, using a network device as the transmitter and a terminal as the receiver. The network device emits multiple electromagnetic waves through its multi-antenna array. According to the principle of wave interference, when the peaks or troughs of these waves overlap, the energy of the electromagnetic waves also adds, forming constructive interference. Conversely, when the peaks and troughs meet, they cancel each other out, forming destructive interference. Where the peaks or troughs overlap, the electromagnetic wave energy is strongest, forming a directional beam known as the mainlobe beam. Away from the mainlobe beam, some energy cancels out due to destructive interference, while others also form constructive interference, but the beam energy is weaker than the mainlobe beam. These beams are known as sidelobe beams. The purpose of beamforming is to enhance the accuracy of the mainlobe beam's pointing direction, directing it toward the terminal. It also suppresses the energy of the sidelobe beams, concentrating the energy in the mainlobe beam. This minimizes electromagnetic wave loss and allows them to propagate farther.

[0078] In this application, the network device can determine the corresponding precoding scheme through the PMI weight or SRS, and then perform beamforming.

[0079] 4. Beamforming by PMI weights

[0080] First, the network device and the terminal store several PMI weights. These PMI weights are discrete codebooks obtained by quantizing the channel quality. Therefore, different PMI weights correspond to different channel qualities. The network device can send a CSI-RS to the terminal. The terminal can estimate the downlink channel quality based on the CSI-RS, determine the PMI weight corresponding to the downlink channel quality, and indicate this PMI weight to the network device. In this way, the network device can refer to the PMI weight indicated by the terminal to determine the corresponding precoding scheme and then perform beamforming. Alternatively, the network device can determine the precoding scheme corresponding to the uplink channel based on the reciprocity principle and indicate it to the terminal, so that the terminal can implement beamforming according to this precoding scheme.

[0081] 5. Beamforming through SRS

[0082] The network device can configure SRS resources for the terminal, so that the terminal sends the SRS to the network device on the SRS resources. Subsequently, the network device determines the uplink channel quality of the full bandwidth corresponding to the terminal based on the received SRS, and determines the precoding scheme corresponding to the downlink channel quality based on the reciprocity principle, and then performs beamforming. Alternatively, the network device determines the uplink channel quality of the full bandwidth corresponding to the terminal based on the received SRS, determines the corresponding precoding scheme based on the uplink channel quality, and indicates it to the terminal, so that the terminal uses the corresponding precoding scheme according to the instruction of the network device to implement beamforming.

[0083] It is understandable that it takes some time for the network device to receive the SRS and determine the uplink channel quality of the full bandwidth corresponding to the terminal. Therefore, before this, the network device or terminal can perform beamforming based on the PMI weight. The following examples are respectively introduced using the terminal's initial network access scenario, the terminal's network re-entry scenario, the cell handover scenario, the SCG addition scenario, the PSCell intra-site handover scenario, and the PSCell inter-site handover scenario.

[0084] 6. Terminal initial network access scenario

[0085] Referring to FIG1A , the terminal's initial network access scenario may include the following steps:

[0086] S1001: The terminal sends a radio resource control (RRC) setup request (RRCSetupRequest) message to the network device. Correspondingly, the network device receives the RRC setup request message from the terminal.

[0087] As will be understood, if a terminal needs to send or receive data, the terminal's non-access stratum (NAS) triggers the RRC layer to initiate an RRC establishment process. For example, the terminal sends an RRC establishment request message to the network device via the air interface. The RRC establishment request message may include the terminal's identifier (e.g., UE-Identity) and may also indicate the reason why the terminal is requesting RRC establishment.

[0088] S1002: The network device sends an RRC setup message to the terminal. Correspondingly, the terminal receives the RRC setup message from the network device.

[0089] It is understandable that after receiving the RRC establishment request message, if the network device allows the terminal to access the network, it can send an RRC establishment message to the terminal to configure wireless resource configuration for the terminal, such as physical layer configuration, medium access control (MAC) layer configuration, packet data convergence protocol (PDCP) layer configuration, radio link control (RLC) layer configuration, etc. Correspondingly, after receiving the RRC establishment message, the terminal can perform corresponding configuration, for example, establishing signaling radio bearer (SRB) 1. SBR1 is used to carry RRC signaling between the network device and the terminal after entering the connected state.

[0090] S1003: The terminal sends an RRC setup complete (RRCSetupComplete) message to the network device. Correspondingly, the network device receives the RRC setup complete message from the terminal.

[0091] It is understandable that after completing the configuration indicated in the RRC establishment message, the terminal sends an RRC establishment completion message to the network device. At this point, the RRC connection establishment is completed.

[0092] S1004: The network device sends an RRC reconfiguration message to the terminal. Correspondingly, the terminal receives the RRC reconfiguration message from the network device.

[0093] It is understood that after the RRC connection is established, the network device may send one or more RRC reconfiguration messages to the terminal to reconfigure the radio resources. For example, the network device may send an RRC reconfiguration message to the terminal in S1004 to configure the resource set of SRB2, data radio bearer (DRB), and SRS. The resource set of SRS is used to indicate the time domain resources and frequency domain resources for the terminal to send SRS.

[0094] S1005: The terminal sends an RRC reconfiguration complete (RRCReconfigurationComplete) message to the network device. Correspondingly, the network device receives the RRC reconfiguration complete message from the terminal.

[0095] It can be understood that after the terminal completes the configuration of the radio resources according to the RRC reconfiguration message, it sends an RRC reconfiguration completion message to the network device to indicate that the RRC reconfiguration is completed.

[0096] In the above process, the network device and the terminal may first use the PMI weights for beamforming and send corresponding messages. After the network device receives the SRS and determines the uplink channel quality of the full bandwidth corresponding to the terminal, the network device and the terminal may use the SRS for beamforming. For example, the network device and the terminal may use the PMI weights for beamforming in steps S1001-S1005 and use the SRS for beamforming in steps after S1005.

[0097] 7. Terminal re-entry scenario

[0098] It is understood that re-entry means that the terminal performs a local release (local release) due to some abnormal reasons when in the connected state, and the terminal initiates the RRC re-establishment (RRC Reestablishment) process in order to restore the RRC connection. Please refer to Figure 1B, the terminal re-entry scenario may include the following steps:

[0099] S1101: The terminal sends an RRC reestablishment request (RRCReestablishmentRequest) message to the network device. Correspondingly, the network device receives the RRC reestablishment request message from the terminal.

[0100] It is understandable that when the terminal is in a connected state, certain abnormalities may occur, such as failure of SRB integrity protection detection, re-initiation of random access due to the maximum number of scheduling requests (SR), and failure of random access, or failure of the radio link, etc. The terminal will initiate RRC reconstruction to restore the RRC connection. For example, the terminal initiates the RRC reconstruction process by sending an RRC reconstruction request message to the network device. The RRC reconstruction request message may include the terminal's identifier (such as ue-identiy), indication information indicating the cause of reconstruction (cause), cell radio network temporary identity (C-RNTI), the identifier of the cell where the terminal is located before re-establishing RRC (such as physCellID), and a short media access control identifier (shortMAC-I) for integrity protection of SRB1 signaling.

[0101] S1102: The network device sends an RRC setup / re-establishment message to the terminal. Correspondingly, the terminal receives the RRC setup / re-establishment message from the network device.

[0102] It is understandable that after receiving the RRC re-establishment request message, if the terminal is allowed to access and the network device successfully obtains the context of the terminal, the network device will send an RRC re-establishment message (RRCReestablishment) to the terminal to restore the previous RRC connection. Alternatively, after receiving the RRC re-establishment request message, if the terminal is allowed to access and the network device fails to obtain the context of the terminal, the network device will send an RRC establishment message to the terminal to establish a new RRC connection.

[0103] S1103: The terminal sends an RRC setup / re-establishment completion message to the network device. Correspondingly, the network device receives the RRC setup / re-establishment completion message from the terminal.

[0104] It is understandable that after the terminal receives the RRC re-establishment message and restores the previous RRC connection, it can send an RRC re-establishment complete (RRCReestablishmentComplete) message to the network device. Alternatively, after the terminal receives the RRC establishment message and establishes a new RRC connection, it can send an RRC establishment complete message to the network device.

[0105] S1104: The network device sends an RRC reconfiguration message to the terminal. Correspondingly, the terminal receives the RRC reconfiguration message from the network device.

[0106] S1105: The terminal sends an RRC reconfiguration completion message to the network device. Correspondingly, the network device receives the RRC reconfiguration completion message from the terminal.

[0107] It can be understood that the process of S1104-S1105 is similar to the process of S1004-S1005, so you can refer to the corresponding description in the above S1004-S1005 and will not repeat it again.

[0108] In the above process, the network device and the terminal may first use the PMI weights for beamforming and send corresponding messages. After the network device receives the SRS and determines the uplink channel quality of the full bandwidth corresponding to the terminal, the network device and the terminal may use the SRS for beamforming. For example, the network device and the terminal may use the PMI weights for beamforming in steps S1101-S1105 and use the SRS for beamforming in steps after S1105.

[0109] 8. Cell switching scenario

[0110] Referring to FIG. 1C , a cell handover scenario may include the following steps:

[0111] S1201: The terminal sends a measurement report (MeasurementReport) to the network device B. Correspondingly, the network device B receives the measurement report from the terminal.

[0112] It can be understood that when the terminal resides in the cell of network device B, it can measure the signal quality of the neighboring cells of the cell, or measure the signal quality of the cell and the signal quality of the neighboring cells of the cell. When the measured signal quality meets the measurement reporting conditions, a measurement report can be sent to network device A.

[0113] For example, the terminal measures the reference signal received power (RSRP) of the cell of network device A (i.e., the neighboring cell of the cell of network device B), and when the RSRP is greater than a certain threshold, sends a measurement report to network device B. Alternatively, the terminal measures the RSRP of the cell of network device A and the RSRP of the cell of network device B, and when the RSRP of the cell of network device B is less than a first threshold and the RSRP of the cell of network device A is greater than a second threshold, sends a measurement report to network device A.

[0114] S1202: Network device B sends a handover request (HO request) to network device A. Correspondingly, network device A receives the handover request from network device B.

[0115] The switching request is used to request cell switching for the terminal.

[0116] S1203: Network device A sends a handover request confirmation (HO request ACK) message to network device B. Correspondingly, network device B receives the handover request confirmation message from network device A.

[0117] It is understandable that if network device A agrees to perform cell switching, it can send a switching request confirmation message to network device B.

[0118] S1204: Network device B sends an RRC reconfiguration message to the terminal. Correspondingly, the terminal receives the RRC reconfiguration message from network device B.

[0119] It is understandable that the RRC reconfiguration message in S1204 may indicate the identifier of the cell of network device A and the time domain and frequency domain resources used after the terminal switches to the cell of network device B. The RRC reconfiguration message may also indicate an SRS resource set.

[0120] S1205: The terminal sends an RRC reconfiguration completion message to network device A. Correspondingly, network device A receives the RRC reconfiguration completion message from the terminal.

[0121] In the above process, network device A and the terminal may first perform beamforming using the PMI weights and send corresponding messages. After network device B receives the SRS and determines the uplink channel quality of the full bandwidth corresponding to the terminal, network device A and the terminal may perform beamforming using the SRS. For example, network device A and the terminal may perform beamforming using the SRS in the steps following S1205.

[0122] 9. SCG adds scenes

[0123] Referring to Figure 1D , the steps for adding a scene to the SCG include:

[0124] S1301: The terminal sends an RRC connection request (RRCConnectionRequest) to network device B. Correspondingly, network device B receives the RRC connection request from the terminal.

[0125] The RRC connection request is used to request to establish an RRC connection.

[0126] S1302: Network device B sends an RRC connection setup (RRCConnectionSetup) message to the terminal. Correspondingly, the terminal receives the RRC connection setup message from network device B.

[0127] The RRC connection establishment message is used to configure radio resource configuration.

[0128] S1303: The terminal sends an RRC connection setup complete (RRCConnectionSetupComplete) message to the network device B. Correspondingly, the network device B receives the RRC connection setup complete message from the terminal.

[0129] It can be understood that S1301-S1303 describe the process of the terminal entering the connected state. After S1303 is executed, the terminal is connected to the cell of network device A. Subsequently, the terminal measures the neighboring cells of the cell of network device A. If the RSRP of the cell of network device A is greater than a certain threshold, the terminal can report a measurement report to network device A. Network device A can add an SCG for the terminal based on the measurement report, for example, by performing the following steps:

[0130] S1304: Network device B sends a secondary gNB (SGNB) add request (SGNB Add Request) to network device A. Correspondingly, network device A receives the SGNB add request from network device A.

[0131] Among them, the SGNB add request can be used to request to add an SCG for the terminal.

[0132] S1305: Network device A sends an SGNB Add ACK message to network device B. Correspondingly, network device B receives the SGNB Add ACK from network device A.

[0133] It can be understood that if network device A agrees to add SCG for the terminal, it can send an SGNB addition confirmation to network device B.

[0134] S1306: Network device B sends an RRC connection reconfiguration message to the terminal. Correspondingly, the terminal receives the RRC connection reconfiguration message from network device B.

[0135] The RRC connection reconfiguration message may indicate a resource set of the SRS.

[0136] S1307: The terminal sends an RRC connection reconfiguration complete (RRCReconfigurationComplete) message to the network device B. Correspondingly, the network device B receives the RRC connection reconfiguration complete message from the terminal.

[0137] In the above process, network device A and the terminal may first perform beamforming using the PMI weight and send corresponding messages. After network device A receives the SRS and determines the uplink channel quality of the full bandwidth corresponding to the terminal, network device A and the terminal may perform beamforming using the SRS. For example, network device A and the terminal may perform beamforming using the SRS in the steps following S1307.

[0138] 10. Switching scenarios within PSCell

[0139] Referring to FIG. 1E , a PSCell intra-site handover scenario may include the following steps:

[0140] S1401: The terminal sends a measurement report to network device B. Correspondingly, network device B receives the measurement report from the terminal.

[0141] It can be understood that when the PSCell to which the terminal is currently connected is the first cell of network device A, if the terminal measures that the RSRP of the neighboring cell of the first cell (such as the second cell of network device A) is greater than the third threshold and the RSRP of the first cell is less than the fourth threshold, a measurement report can be reported to the network device (such as network device B) to which the primary cell (PCell) to which the terminal is currently connected belongs.

[0142] It is understandable that after receiving the measurement report, network device B may send the measurement report to network device A so that network device A configures the wireless resources corresponding to the cell of network device A for the terminal.

[0143] S1402: Network device B sends an SGNB Modify Request to network device A. Correspondingly, network device B receives the SGNB Modify Request from network device A.

[0144] Among them, the SGNB modification request can configure the wireless resources corresponding to the second cell for the terminal.

[0145] S1403: Network device B sends an RRC connection reconfiguration message to the terminal. Correspondingly, the terminal receives the RRC connection reconfiguration message from network device B.

[0146] The RRC connection reconfiguration message may indicate a resource set of the SRS.

[0147] S1404: The terminal sends an RRC connection configuration complete message to network device B. Correspondingly, network device B receives the RRC connection configuration complete message from the terminal.

[0148] S1405: Network device B sends an SGNB Modify Confirm message to network device A. Correspondingly, network device A receives the SGNB Modify Confirm message from network device B.

[0149] In the above process, network device A and the terminal may first perform beamforming using the PMI weight and send corresponding messages. After network device A receives the SRS and determines the uplink channel quality of the full bandwidth corresponding to the terminal, network device A and the terminal may perform beamforming using the SRS. For example, network device A and the terminal may perform beamforming using the SRS in the steps following S1405.

[0150] 11. PSCell inter-station switching scenario

[0151] Referring to FIG. 1F , a PSCell inter-station handover scenario may include the following steps:

[0152] S1501: The terminal sends a measurement report to network device B. Correspondingly, network device B receives the measurement report from the terminal.

[0153] It can be understood that when the PSCell to which the terminal is currently connected is the cell of network device C, if the terminal measures that the RSRP of the neighboring cell of network device C (such as the cell of network device A) is greater than the fifth threshold, and the RSRP of the cell of network device C is less than the sixth threshold, a measurement report can be reported to the network device (such as network device B) to which the PCell to which the terminal is currently connected belongs.

[0154] It is understandable that after receiving the measurement report, network device B can send the measurement report to network device C, so that network device C requests network device B to initiate an SGNB switching process.

[0155] S1502: Network device C sends an SGNB handover request (SGNB Change Required) to network device B. Correspondingly, network device B receives the SGNB handover request from network device C.

[0156] S1503: Network device B sends an SGNB add request (SGNB Add Required) to network device A. Correspondingly, network device A receives the SGNB add request from network device B.

[0157] The SGNB add request is used to request that the terminal access the cell of network device A.

[0158] S1504: Network device A sends an SGNB add request confirmation (SGNB Add Required ACK) message to network device B. Correspondingly, network device B receives the SGNB add request confirmation message from network device A.

[0159] The SGNB add request confirmation message may indicate the resource set of the SRS.

[0160] S1505: Network device B sends an RRC connection reconfiguration message to the terminal. Correspondingly, the terminal receives the RRC connection reconfiguration message from network device B.

[0161] The RRC connection reconfiguration message may indicate a resource set of the SRS.

[0162] S1506: The terminal sends an RRC connection configuration complete message to network device B. Correspondingly, network device B receives the RRC connection configuration complete message from the terminal.

[0163] S1507: Network device B sends an SGNB Change Confirm message to network device C. Correspondingly, network device C receives the SGNB Change Confirm message from network device B.

[0164] S1508: Network device C sends an SGNB reconfiguration complete message to network device A. Correspondingly, network device A receives the SGNB reconfiguration complete message from network device C.

[0165] In the above process, network device A and the terminal may first perform beamforming using the PMI weights and send corresponding messages. After network device A receives the SRS and determines the uplink channel quality of the full bandwidth corresponding to the terminal, network device A and the terminal may perform beamforming using the SRS. For example, network device A and the terminal may perform beamforming using the SRS in the steps following S1505.

[0166] It can be understood that the above scenario is only an exemplary scenario for beamforming through PMI weights and SRS. In specific applications, beamforming through PMI weights and SRS can also be applied to other scenarios. For example, the RRC resume scenario. Specifically, when the terminal is in an inactive state, an RRC recovery process can be initiated to enter the RRC connection state. After the terminal enters the RRC connection state, the network device can configure the resource set of SRS for the terminal. Therefore, in this scenario, the network device and the terminal also first use PMI weights for beamforming. After the network device receives the SRS and determines the uplink channel quality of the full bandwidth corresponding to the terminal, the network device and the terminal use SRS for beamforming.

[0167] To summarize, before network equipment can determine the full-bandwidth uplink channel quality corresponding to a terminal, it must use PMI weights for beamforming. However, PMI weights are a discrete codebook derived from quantizing channel quality. They cannot perfectly capture all channel quality conditions, resulting in limited beamforming accuracy and direction. Consequently, network equipment cannot quickly and accurately determine the terminal's channel quality, resulting in slower data rate increases.

[0168] In order to solve the above problems, the present application provides an SRS transmission method. In this method, the network device can configure the SRS period for the terminal, and the period is less than a certain duration, so that the terminal can complete the transmission of the SRS in a shorter time, and the network device can obtain the uplink channel quality of the full bandwidth corresponding to the terminal in a shorter time, and use the SRS for beamforming as soon as possible. Therefore, this method can shorten the time for the network device to use the PMI weight for beamforming, so that the network device can quickly and accurately grasp the channel quality of the terminal, thereby improving the data transmission rate. This method will be specifically described in the methods shown in Figures 4 and 7 below, and will not be repeated here.

[0169] It can be understood that the SRS transmission method provided in the present application can be used in various communication systems. For example, the communication system can be a universal mobile telecommunications system (UMTS) system, an LTE system, a 5G communication system, a WiFi system, a 3GPP-related communication system, a future evolutionary communication system (such as: a sixth generation (6G) communication system, etc.), or a system integrating multiple systems, etc., without limitation. Among them, 5G can also be referred to as NR. The method provided in the present application is described below using the communication system 20 shown in Figure 2 as an example. Figure 2 is only a schematic diagram and does not constitute a limitation on the applicable scenarios of the technical solution provided in the present application.

[0170] FIG2 is a schematic diagram of the architecture of a communication system 20 provided in this application. In FIG2 , communication system 20 may include a network device 201 and a terminal 204 capable of communicating with network device 201. Optionally, communication system 20 may also include a network device 202 and / or a network device 203. Communication system 20 may also include a terminal 205.

[0171] In Figure 2, the network device can provide wireless access services for the terminal. Specifically, each network device corresponds to a service coverage area. The terminal entering the area can communicate with the network device through the air interface to receive the wireless access service provided by the network device. Optionally, the service coverage area may include one or more cells. The terminal and the network device can communicate through an air interface link. Among them, the air interface link can be divided into an uplink (UL) and a downlink (DL) according to the direction of the data transmitted thereon. Uplink data sent from the terminal to the network device can be transmitted on the UL, and downlink data transmitted from the network device to the terminal can be transmitted on the DL. For example: in Figure 2, terminal 204 is located in the coverage area of ​​network device 201. Network device 201 can send downlink data to terminal 204 via DL, and terminal 204 can send uplink data to the network device via UL. For other introductions to network devices and terminals, please refer to the previous description of network devices and terminals and will not be repeated here.

[0172] The communication system 20 shown in FIG2 is for example only and is not intended to limit the technical solutions of this application. Those skilled in the art will appreciate that, in a specific implementation, the communication system 20 may further include other devices, and the number of network devices and terminals may be determined based on specific needs without limitation.

[0173] Optionally, each network element or device in Figure 2 of the present application (for example, network device 201, network device 202, network device 203, or terminal 204 or terminal 205, etc.) can also be referred to as a communication device, which can be a general device or a dedicated device. This application does not make specific limitations on this.

[0174] Optionally, the relevant functions of each network element or device in FIG. 2 of the present application (e.g., network device 201, network device 202, network device 203, or terminal 204 or terminal 205, etc.) can be implemented by a single device, or can be implemented by multiple devices together, or can be implemented by one or more functional modules within a single device, and this application does not specifically limit this. It is understood that the above functions can be network elements in hardware devices, software functions running on dedicated hardware, or a combination of hardware and software, or virtualized functions instantiated on a platform (e.g., a cloud platform).

[0175] In a specific implementation, each network element or device shown in Figure 2 (e.g., network device 201, network device 202, network device 203, or terminal 204 or terminal 205, etc.) can adopt the structure shown in Figure 3, or include the components shown in Figure 3. Figure 3 shows a schematic diagram of the hardware structure of a communication device applicable to the present application. The communication device 30 includes at least one processor 301 and at least one communication interface 304, which are used to implement the method provided in the present application. The communication device 30 may also include a communication line 302 and a memory 303.

[0176] The processor 301 may be a general-purpose central processing unit (CPU), a microprocessor, an application-specific integrated circuit (ASIC), or one or more integrated circuits for controlling the execution of the program of the present application.

[0177] The communication link 302 may include a path for transmitting information between the above components, such as a bus.

[0178] Communication interface 304 is used to communicate with other devices or communication networks. Communication interface 304 can be any transceiver-like device, such as an Ethernet interface, a radio access network (RAN) interface, a wireless local area network (WLAN) interface, a transceiver, a pin, a bus, an interface circuit, or a transceiver circuit.

[0179] The memory 303 can be a read-only memory (ROM) or other types of static storage devices that can store static information and instructions, a random access memory (RAM) or other types of dynamic storage devices that can store information and instructions, or an electrically erasable programmable read-only memory (EEPROM), a compact disc read-only memory (CD-ROM) or other optical disc storage, optical disc storage (including compressed optical disc, laser disc, optical disc, digital versatile disc, Blu-ray disc, etc.), a magnetic disk storage medium or other magnetic storage device, or any other medium that can be used to carry or store desired program code in the form of instructions or data structures and can be accessed by a computer, but is not limited to this. The memory can be independent and coupled to the processor 301 via a communication line 302. The memory 303 can also be integrated with the processor 301. The memory provided in this application can generally be non-volatile.

[0180] Among them, the memory 303 is used to store computer-executable instructions involved in executing the solution provided by this application, and is controlled by the processor 301. The processor 301 is used to execute the computer-executable instructions stored in the memory 303, thereby implementing the method provided by this application. Alternatively, optionally, in this application, the processor 301 can also perform the processing-related functions of the method provided below in this application, and the communication interface 304 is responsible for communicating with other devices or communication networks, which is not specifically limited in this application.

[0181] Optionally, the computer-executable instructions in this application may also be referred to as application code, which is not specifically limited in this application.

[0182] The coupling in this application is an indirect coupling or communication connection between devices, units or modules, which can be electrical, mechanical or other forms, and is used for information exchange between devices, units or modules.

[0183] As an embodiment, the processor 301 may include one or more CPUs, such as CPU0 and CPU1 in FIG. 3 .

[0184] As an embodiment, the communication device 30 may include multiple processors, such as processor 301 and processor 307 in FIG3 . Each of these processors may be a single-core (single-CPU) processor or a multi-core (multi-CPU) processor. The processor herein may refer to one or more devices, circuits, and / or processing cores for processing data (e.g., computer program instructions).

[0185] As an embodiment, the communication device 30 may further include an output device 305 and / or an input device 306. The output device 305 is coupled to the processor 301 and can display information in a variety of ways. For example, the output device 305 can be a liquid crystal display (LCD), a light emitting diode (LED) display device, a cathode ray tube (CRT) display device, or a projector. The input device 306 is coupled to the processor 301 and can receive user input in a variety of ways. For example, the input device 306 can be a mouse, a keyboard, a touch screen device, or a sensor device.

[0186] It is understandable that the composition structure shown in Figure 3 does not constitute a limitation on the communication device. In addition to the components shown in Figure 3, the communication device may include more or fewer components than shown in the figure, or combine certain components, or arrange the components differently.

[0187] The method provided by the present application will be described below with reference to the accompanying drawings. Each network element in the following embodiment may include the components shown in FIG3 , which will not be described in detail.

[0188] It can be understood that the message names between network elements or the names of parameters in the messages in the following embodiments of the present application are only examples, and other names may be used in specific implementations, and the present application does not make any specific limitations on this.

[0189] It is understandable that in this application, "sending information to... (such as a terminal)" can be understood as the destination end of the information being the terminal. This can include sending information to the terminal directly or indirectly. "Receiving information from... (such as a terminal)" can be understood as the source end of the information being the terminal, which can include receiving information from the terminal directly or indirectly. The information may undergo necessary processing between the source end and the destination end of the information transmission, such as format changes, but the destination end can understand the valid information from the source end. Similar expressions in this application can be understood similarly and will not be repeated here.

[0190] It is understood that in this application, " / " can indicate that the objects associated with each other are in an "or" relationship, for example, A / B can mean A or B; "and / or" can be used to describe that there are three relationships between the associated objects, for example, A and / or B can mean: A exists alone, A and B exist at the same time, and B exists alone, where A and B can be singular or plural. In addition, expressions similar to "at least one of A, B and C" or "at least one of A, B or C" are usually used to indicate any of the following: A exists alone; B exists alone; C exists alone; A and B exist at the same time; A and C exist at the same time; B and C exist at the same time; A, B and C exist at the same time. The above uses A, B and C as an example to illustrate the optional items of the item. When there are more elements in the expression, the meaning of the expression can be obtained according to the above rules.

[0191] In order to facilitate the description of the technical solutions of the present application, in the present application, words such as "first" and "second" may be used to distinguish between technical features with the same or similar functions. The words such as "first" and "second" do not limit the quantity and execution order, and the words such as "first" and "second" do not necessarily limit them to be different. In the present application, words such as "exemplary" or "for example" are used to indicate examples, illustrations or explanations. Any embodiment or design described as "exemplary" or "for example" should not be interpreted as being more preferred or more advantageous than other embodiments or design. The use of words such as "exemplary" or "for example" is intended to present related concepts in a concrete way for easy understanding.

[0192] It is understood that the "embodiment" mentioned throughout the specification means that the specific features, structures or characteristics related to the embodiment are included in at least one embodiment of the present application. Therefore, the various embodiments in the entire specification do not necessarily refer to the same embodiment. In addition, these specific features, structures or characteristics can be combined in one or more embodiments in any suitable manner. It is understood that in the various embodiments of the present application, the size of the sequence number of each process does not mean the order of execution. The execution order of each process should be determined by its function and internal logic, and should not constitute any limitation on the implementation process of the present application.

[0193] It can be understood that in the present application, "used to indicate" can include direct indications and indirect indications, and can also include explicit indications and implicit indications. When describing that a certain indication information is used to indicate A, it can include that the indication information directly indicates A or indirectly indicates A, and it does not mean that the indication information must carry A. The information indicated by a certain information (such as the first indication information described below) is called information to be indicated. In the specific implementation process, there are many ways to indicate the information to be indicated, such as but not limited to, directly indicating the information to be indicated, such as the information to be indicated itself or the index of the information to be indicated. The information to be indicated can also be indirectly indicated by indicating other information, where there is an association between the other information and the information to be indicated. It is also possible to indicate only a part of the information to be indicated, while the other parts of the information to be indicated are known or agreed in advance. For example, the indication of specific information can also be achieved by means of the arrangement order of each information agreed in advance (such as specified in the protocol), thereby reducing the indication overhead to a certain extent.

[0194] It can be understood that in this application, "when...", "in the case of...", "if" and "if" all mean that corresponding processing will be taken under certain objective circumstances, and do not limit the time, nor do they require judgment actions when implementing them, nor do they mean that there are other limitations.

[0195] The term "simultaneously" in this application may be understood as at the same time point, within a period of time, or within the same cycle.

[0196] It is understood that some optional features in this application may, in certain scenarios, be implemented independently of other features, such as the solution on which they are currently based, to solve corresponding technical problems and achieve corresponding effects. They may also be combined with other features in certain scenarios as needed. Accordingly, the devices provided in this application may also implement these features or functions accordingly, which will not be described in detail here.

[0197] It is understandable that the same step or steps or technical features with the same function in different embodiments of the present application can be referenced to each other.

[0198] It is understood that in the present application, the first network device, and / or the second network device, and / or the third network device, and / or the terminal may perform some or all of the steps in the present application. These steps are merely examples, and the present application may also perform other steps or variations of various steps. In addition, the steps may be performed in a different order than presented in the present application, and it is possible that not all of the steps in the present application need to be performed.

[0199] It is understandable that the method provided below in this application is to illustrate the method by taking a network device (such as a first network device, a second network device, or a third network device) and a terminal as the execution subject of the interaction diagram as an example, but this application does not limit the execution subject of the interaction diagram. For example, the network device in the method provided in the following embodiment of this application may also be a chip, a chip system, or a processor that supports the network device to implement the method, or a logical node, a logical module, or software that can implement all or part of the network device functions; the terminal in the method provided below in this application may also be a chip, a chip system, or a processor that supports the terminal to implement the method, or a logical node, a logical module, or software that can implement all or part of the terminal functions.

[0200] As shown in FIG4 , a method for transmitting an SRS is provided in the present application. The method for transmitting an SRS may include the following steps:

[0201] S401: The terminal obtains first configuration information.

[0202] In the present application, the terminal may be the terminal 204 in the communication system 20 shown in FIG. 2 .

[0203] In the present application, the first configuration information can be used to configure a first period. The first period is the period of the first SRS, and the first period is less than a certain duration. For example, the first period is less than the first duration. The first duration is related to the load of the first cell at the first moment (such as the number of users in the first cell at the first moment and / or the traffic volume at the first moment). It should be understood that the first moment can be a time point or a time period, without limitation. The first cell is the cell of the first network device.

[0204] For example, if the SRS period determined based on the load of the first cell at the first moment is 8 time slots, the first period configured by the first configuration information is less than 8 time slots, for example, the first period is 5 time slots, 4 time slots, or 2 time slots. In this way, the time it takes for the terminal to complete the first SRS transmission can be shortened, so that the network side can obtain the channel quality of the full bandwidth of the working bandwidth of the first cell (i.e., the full bandwidth corresponding to the terminal) as soon as possible.

[0205] In one possible design, the first configuration information includes first indication information. The first indication information is used to indicate the first period. For example, the first indication information includes the first period, or the first indication information includes an identifier of the first period, or the first indication information includes the number of time units included in the first period, such as the number of time slots / symbols / subframes, etc. Optionally, the first indication information also includes a time domain offset, which is used to indicate the offset of the starting position of the first period relative to the reference position. For example, if the reference position is the first symbol of time slot 1 and the time domain offset is 2 symbols, the starting position of the first period is the third symbol in time slot 1. Optionally, the first configuration information also includes information on the time-frequency resources of the first SRS. The information on the time-frequency resources of the first SRS is used to indicate the time-frequency resources of the first SRS, so that the terminal uses the time-frequency resources to send the first SRS.

[0206] Exemplarily, the first configuration information may configure the SRS Resource information element, and the SRS Resource information element may include periodicityAndOffset-p and / or periodicityAndOffse-p-Ext, which is used to configure the first period. In other words, the first indication information is periodicityAndOffset-p and / or periodicityAndOffse-p-Ext. Optionally, when periodicityAndOffset-p and periodicityAndOffse-p-Ext appear at the same time, the first period indicated by periodicityAndOffse-p-Ext shall prevail. Taking the first indication information as "periodicityAndOffset-p" as an example, the content included in the SRS Resource information element may be as shown in Table 1. In Table 1, the first indication information is periodicityAndOffset-p, indicating the first period. For example, when periodicityAndOffset-p takes a value of "sl1", it indicates that the first period is 1 slot; when periodicityAndOffset-p takes a value of "sl2", it indicates that the first period is 2 slots, and so on.

[0207] Table 1

[0208] It is understood that Table 1 is only an example of the first configuration information. In specific applications, the first configuration information may also configure the first period in other forms, and the value of the first period may be different in different scenarios. For example, for the cross-link interference (CLI) SRS-RSRP measurement scenario, the first period is not s11280 (i.e., 1280 time slots) or s12560 (i.e., 2560 time slots). For the scenario where SRS is used for positioning, the first configuration information can configure the SRS-PosResource information element, which is used to configure the first period, and when the sub-carrier space (SCS) is 15kHz, the first period is not sl20480 (i.e., 20480 time slots), sl40960 (i.e., 40960 time slots) and sl81920 (i.e., 81920 time slots); when the SCS is 30kHz, the first period is not sl81920 (i.e., 81920 time slots) and sl40960 (i.e., 40960 time slots); when the SCS is 60kHz, the first period is not sl81920 (i.e., 81920 time slots).

[0209] Optionally, the first configuration information is carried in an RRC reconfiguration message.

[0210] In this application, in different scenarios, the terminal obtains the first configuration information in different ways. The following is an introduction using the terminal initial network entry scenario, the terminal re-entry scenario, the RRC recovery scenario, the cell switching scenario, the SCG addition scenario, the PSCell intra-site switching scenario, and the PSCell inter-site switching scenario as examples. It should be understood that the above scenarios are only examples of scenarios to which the method provided by this application can be applied. In addition to the above scenarios, the method provided by this application can also be applied to other scenarios, such as scenarios introduced by communication systems after 5G, without limitation.

[0211] Method 1: The terminal obtains the first configuration information from the first network device, where the first cell is the terminal's current serving cell. In other words, after the terminal accesses the first cell, it can obtain the first configuration information from the first network device. Specifically, after the terminal accesses the first cell, the first network device generates the first configuration information and sends the first configuration information to the terminal. Upon receiving the first configuration information, the terminal obtains the first configuration information. Optionally, the first network device reserves some time domain resources, which are used by the terminal to send the first SRS. The first network device may be network device 201 in the communication system shown in Figure 2.

[0212] Example 1, taking method 1 applied to the scenario where the terminal first enters the network as an example, the first network device is equivalent to the network device in Figure 1A. After the terminal establishes an RRC connection with the network device through S1001-S1003, the network device generates first configuration information and sends the first configuration information to the terminal through the RRC reconfiguration message in S1004 (such as the SRS resource set indicating the first period and the time-frequency resources of the first SRS).

[0213] Example 2, taking method 1 applied to the terminal re-entry scenario as an example, the first network device is equivalent to the network device in Figure 1B. After the terminal establishes an RRC connection with the network device through S1101-S1103, the network device generates first configuration information and sends the first configuration information to the terminal through the RRC reconfiguration message in S1104 (such as the SRS resource set indicating the first period and the time-frequency resources of the first SRS).

[0214] Example 3, taking method 1 applied to the RRC recovery scenario as an example, after the terminal restores the RRC connection with the first network device through the RRC recovery process, the first network device generates first configuration information and sends the first configuration information to the terminal through an RRC reconfiguration message (such as the SRS resource set indicating the first period and the time-frequency resources of the first SRS).

[0215] Method 2: The terminal obtains the first configuration information from the second network device, and the first cell is the cell that the terminal is going to access. Specifically, the first network device generates the first configuration information and sends the first configuration information to the second network device. After receiving the first configuration information, the second network device sends the first configuration information to the terminal. The terminal receives the first configuration information, that is, obtains the first configuration information. It should be understood that after receiving the first configuration information, the second network device can directly forward the first configuration information to the terminal, or can further process the first configuration information, such as adding information, deleting information, modifying information or repackaging, and send the processed information to the terminal, without restriction. Optionally, the first network device reserves some time domain resources, which are used for the terminal to send the first SRS. The first network device is different from the second network device. For example, the first network device is network device 202 or network device 203 in the communication system shown in Figure 2, and the second network device is network device 201.

[0216] Example 4, taking method 2 applied to a cell handover scenario as an example, the first network device is equivalent to network device A in Figure 1C, and the second network device is equivalent to network device B in Figure 1C. After network device A receives the handover request sent by network device B, it can generate first configuration information and send the first configuration information to network device B through the handover request confirmation message in S1203. After network device B receives the handover request confirmation message, it sends the first configuration information (such as the resource set of the SRS indicating the first period and the time-frequency resources of the first SRS) to the terminal through the RRC reconfiguration message in S1204.

[0217] Example 5, taking method 2 applied to the SCG addition scenario as an example, the first network device is equivalent to network device A in Figure 1D, and the second network device is equivalent to network device B in Figure 1D. After network device A receives the SGNB addition request sent by network device B, it can generate first configuration information and send the first configuration information to network device B through the SGNB addition confirmation message in S1305. After network device B receives the SGNB addition confirmation message, it sends the first configuration information (such as the resource set of the SRS indicating the first period and the time-frequency resources of the first SRS) to the terminal through the RRC reconfiguration message in S1306.

[0218] Example 6, taking method 2 applied to the PSCell intra-site switching scenario as an example, the first network device is equivalent to network device A in Figure 1E, and the second network device is equivalent to network device B in Figure 1E. After network device A receives the SGNB modification request sent by network device B, it can generate first configuration information and send the first configuration information to the terminal through the RRC reconfiguration message in S1403 (such as the SRS resource set indicating the first period and the time-frequency resources of the first SRS). After network device B receives the RRC connection reconfiguration from the terminal, it sends the SGNB modification confirmation message in S1405 to network device A.

[0219] Example 7, taking method 2 applied to the PSCell inter-station handover scenario as an example, the first network device is equivalent to network device A in Figure 1F, and the second network device is equivalent to network device B in Figure 1F. After network device A receives the SGNB add request sent by network device B, it can generate first configuration information and send the first configuration information to network device B through the handover request confirmation message in S1504. After network device B receives the SGNB add request confirmation message, it sends the first configuration information (such as the SRS resource set indicating the first period and the time-frequency resources of the first SRS) to the terminal through the RRC reconfiguration message in S1505.

[0220] For Examples 1 to 7 above, after obtaining the first configuration information, the terminal can send the first SRS to the first network device according to the first configuration information. Because the first period is less than the first duration, the first network device can quickly obtain the full-bandwidth channel quality of the operating bandwidth of the first cell, shortening the duration for the first network device to use the PMI weight for beamforming, thereby improving the data transmission rate.

[0221] S402: The terminal sends at least one first SRS to the first network device according to the first period. Correspondingly, the first network device receives the at least one first SRS from the terminal.

[0222] In the present application, when the number of at least one first SRS is 1 and when the number of at least one first SRS is greater than 1, the terminal sends the first SRS in different ways, which are explained in detail below.

[0223] In one possible implementation, if the number of at least one first SRS is greater than 1, the frequency domain resources of any two first SRSs in the at least one first SRS are different. The frequency domain resources are located in the operating bandwidth of the first cell. In other words, the terminal can transmit the first SRS in a frequency hopping manner.

[0224] For example, taking the operating bandwidth of the first cell as continuous in the frequency domain and the number of at least one first SRS as four, the manner in which a terminal transmits at least one first SRS can be shown in Figure 5. In Figure 5, during the first first period, the terminal transmits the first SRS via resource 501; during the second first period, the terminal transmits the first SRS via resource 502; during the third first period, the terminal transmits the first SRS via resource 503; and during the first fourth period, the terminal transmits the first SRS via resource 504. In other words, the terminal transmits the first SRS across all frequency domain resources of the operating bandwidth of the first cell through four first periods, allowing the first network device to obtain the channel quality of the full bandwidth of the operating bandwidth of the first cell within the duration corresponding to the four first periods. The first network device can then perform beamforming based on the obtained channel quality, thereby improving the data transmission rate. The terminal transmits the SRS through the aforementioned frequency hopping method. On the one hand, the terminal does not need to fully detect the entire operating bandwidth before transmitting the first SRS. Instead, it can only transmit the first SRS for the corresponding frequency domain resource after detecting a portion of the frequency band, which helps improve frequency bandwidth utilization. On the other hand, it enhances the ability to combat frequency selective fading in the channel.

[0225] In another possible implementation, if the number of the at least one first SRS is equal to 1, the at least one first SRS occupies the entire working bandwidth of the first cell. In other words, the terminal simultaneously sends the first SRS over the entire working bandwidth of the first cell.

[0226] Exemplarily, taking the case where the working bandwidth of the first cell is continuous in the frequency domain as an example, the way in which the terminal sends the first SRS can be shown in Figure 6. In Figure 6, within the first first period, the terminal sends the first SRS through resource 601. That is to say, the terminal sends the first SRS on all frequency domain resources of the working bandwidth of the first cell through a first period, so that the first network device can obtain the channel quality of the full bandwidth of the working bandwidth of the first cell within the duration corresponding to the first period. Afterwards, the first network device can perform beamforming according to the obtained channel quality, thereby improving the data transmission rate. Furthermore, since the first network device can obtain the channel quality of the full bandwidth of the working bandwidth of the first cell within a first period, the data transmission rate can be improved faster than when the terminal sends the first SRS in a frequency hopping manner.

[0227] It is understandable that in different scenarios, the timing at which the terminal sends at least one first SRS to the first network device according to the first period is different, which will be explained in detail below.

[0228] For the above example 1, after S1004, the terminal may send at least one first SRS to the network device according to the first period configured by the RRC reconfiguration message in S1004.

[0229] For the above example 2, after S1104, the terminal may send at least one first SRS to the network device according to the first period configured by the RRC reconfiguration message in S1104.

[0230] For the above example 3, after the RRC connection is restored, the terminal may send at least one first SRS to the network device according to the first period configured in the RRC reconfiguration message.

[0231] For the above example 4, after S1204, the terminal may send at least one first SRS to the network device according to the first period configured by the RRC reconfiguration message in S1204.

[0232] For the above example 5, after S1306, the terminal may send at least one first SRS to the network device according to the first period configured by the RRC reconfiguration message in S1306.

[0233] For the above example 6, after S1403, the terminal may send at least one first SRS to the network device according to the first period configured by the RRC reconfiguration message in S1403.

[0234] For the above example 7, after S1505, the terminal may send at least one first SRS to the network device according to the first period configured by the RRC reconfiguration message in S1505.

[0235] Based on the method shown in Figure 4, the terminal can obtain the period for sending the first SRS and send at least one first SRS according to the period. Wherein, the period is less than a certain duration. Therefore, the method shown in Figure 4 can enable the first network device that receives the first SRS to quickly collect the full-bandwidth channel quality of the first cell of the first network device and perform beamforming based on the channel quality. Therefore, the duration of beamforming using the PMI weight by the first network device can be reduced, thereby improving the data transmission rate.

[0236] Optionally, in a possible implementation of the method shown in FIG4, after the first network device obtains the full-bandwidth channel quality of the first cell, in order to ensure the communication quality of the terminal, the first network device may reconfigure the period for sending the SRS for the terminal based on the load of the first cell, so that the terminal sends the SRS according to the period, and the first network device performs channel estimation based on the received SRS. Specifically, as shown in FIG7, the method shown in FIG4 may further include the following steps:

[0237] S403: The first network device sends second configuration information to the terminal. Correspondingly, the terminal receives the second configuration information from the first network device.

[0238] In the present application, the second configuration information is used to configure a second period. The second period is a period of a second SRS, and the second period is related to the load of the first cell at the second moment. For example, the second period is the same as the SRS period determined based on the load of the first cell at the second moment. The second moment is later than the first moment.

[0239] In one possible design, the second configuration information includes second indication information. The second indication information is used to indicate the second period. For example, the second indication information includes the second period, or the second indication information includes an identifier of the second period. Optionally, the second configuration information also includes information about the time-frequency resources of the second SRS. The information about the time-frequency resources of the second SRS is used to indicate the time-frequency resources of the second SRS, so that the terminal uses the time-frequency resources to send the second SRS.

[0240] Exemplarily, if the SRS period determined according to the load of the first cell at the second moment is 8 time slots, the second period indicated by the second indication information is equal to 8 time slots.

[0241] Optionally, the second configuration information is carried in an RRC reconfiguration message.

[0242] S404: The terminal sends at least one second SRS to the first network device according to the second period. Correspondingly, the first network device receives the at least one second SRS from the terminal.

[0243] It can be understood that the process of the terminal sending at least one second SRS to the first network device according to the second period is similar to the process of the terminal sending at least one first SRS to the first network device according to the first period. Therefore, reference may be made to the corresponding description in S402 above and no further details will be given.

[0244] Among them, the actions of the terminal or the first network device or the second network device in the above S401-S404 can be executed by the processor 301 in the communication device 30 shown in Figure 3 calling the application code stored in the memory 303, and this application does not impose any restrictions on this.

[0245] The various embodiments mentioned above in this application can be combined without limitation if there is no contradiction between the solutions.

[0246] The above primarily describes the solutions provided by this application from the perspective of interaction between various network elements. Accordingly, this application also provides a communications device, which may be a terminal in the above-described method embodiments, or a device including such a terminal, or a component usable for a terminal; alternatively, the communications device may be a first network device in the above-described method embodiments, or a device including such a first network device, or a component usable for such a first network device. It will be understood that, in order to implement the aforementioned functions, the terminal or first network device, etc., includes hardware structures and / or software modules corresponding to the respective functions. Those skilled in the art will readily appreciate that, in conjunction with the various exemplary units and algorithmic operations described in the embodiments disclosed herein, this application can be implemented in hardware or a combination of hardware and computer software. Whether a function is implemented in hardware or by computer software driving hardware depends on the specific application and design constraints of the technical solution. Professionals and technicians may use different methods to implement the described functions for each specific application, but such implementations should not be considered beyond the scope of this application.

[0247] It should be understood that the above description only uses the terminal and the first network device as an example to describe the interactions between various network elements. In practice, the processing performed by the terminal is not limited to being performed by a single network element, and the processing performed by the first network device is not limited to being performed by a single network element. For example, the processing performed by the first network device can be performed by at least one of a central unit (CU), a distributed unit (DU), and a remote unit (RU).

[0248] The present application can divide the terminal or the first network device into functional modules according to the above method examples. For example, each functional module can be divided according to each function, or two or more functions can be integrated into a processing module. The above integrated modules can be implemented in the form of hardware or software functional modules. It is understood that the division of modules in this application is schematic and is only a logical functional division. In actual implementation, other division methods may be used.

[0249] For example, FIG8 illustrates a schematic diagram of the structure of a communication device 80, where the functional modules are integrated. Communication device 80 includes an interface module 801 and a processing module 802. Interface module 801, also known as an interface unit, performs transceiver operations and may be, for example, an interface circuit, a transceiver, a transceiver, or a communication interface. Processing module 802, also known as a processing unit, performs operations other than transceiver operations and may be, for example, a processing circuit or a processor.

[0250] In some embodiments, the communication device 80 may further include a storage module (not shown in FIG. 8 ) for storing program instructions and data.

[0251] Exemplarily, the communication device 80 is used to implement the functions of a terminal. The communication device 80 is, for example, the terminal described in the embodiment shown in FIG4 or the embodiment shown in FIG7 .

[0252] The interface module 801 is configured to receive first configuration information. The first configuration information is configured to configure a first period, where the first period is less than a first duration, and the first duration is related to a load of the first cell at a first moment. For example, the interface module 801 may be configured to execute S401.

[0253] The processing module 802 is configured to control the interface module to send at least one first sounding reference signal according to a first period, wherein the at least one first sounding reference signal is used to estimate the channel quality of the full bandwidth of the operating bandwidth of the first cell. For example, the processing module 802 can be configured to execute S402.

[0254] In a possible implementation, the first cell is a cell of a first network device. The interface module 801 is specifically configured to receive first configuration information from a second network device, where the first network device and the second network device are different.

[0255] In a possible implementation, the first cell is a cell of a first network device, and the interface module 801 is specifically configured to receive first configuration information from a second network device, where the first network device and the second network device are different.

[0256] In a possible implementation, the interface module 801 is specifically configured to receive first configuration information after accessing the first cell.

[0257] In a possible implementation manner, the first configuration information includes first indication information, where the first indication information is used to indicate a first period.

[0258] In one possible implementation, the number of at least one first sounding reference signal is greater than 1, the frequency domain resources of any two first sounding reference signals in the at least one first sounding reference signal are different, and the frequency domain resources are located in the working bandwidth of the first cell; or, the number of at least one first sounding reference signal is equal to 1, and the at least one first sounding reference signal occupies the entire working bandwidth of the first cell.

[0259] In one possible implementation, the interface module 801 is further used to receive second configuration information, where the second configuration information is used to configure a second period, where the second period is related to the load of the first cell at a second moment, and the second moment is later than the first moment; the processing module 802 is further used to control the interface module 801 to send at least one second sounding reference signal according to the second period.

[0260] In a possible implementation manner, the first configuration information is carried in a radio resource control reconfiguration message.

[0261] When used to implement the functions of the terminal, for other functions that the communication device 80 can implement, reference can be made to the relevant introduction of the embodiment shown in FIG4 or the embodiment shown in FIG7 , and no further details will be given.

[0262] Alternatively, illustratively, the communication device 80 is used to implement the function of the first network device. The communication device 80 is, for example, the first network device in the embodiment shown in FIG4 , the embodiment shown in FIG7 , or the embodiment shown in FIG5 .

[0263] The interface module 801 is configured to send first configuration information. The first configuration information is configured to configure a first period, the first period being less than a first duration, and the first duration being related to a load of the first cell at a first moment. For example, the interface module 801 may be configured to execute S401.

[0264] The processing module 802 is configured to control the interface module to receive at least one first sounding reference signal according to a first period, wherein the at least one first sounding reference signal is used to estimate the channel quality of the full bandwidth of the operating bandwidth of the first cell. For example, the processing module 802 can be configured to execute S402.

[0265] In a possible implementation, the first configuration information includes first indication information, where the first indication information is used to indicate a first period.

[0266] In a possible implementation, the interface module 801 is specifically configured to send first configuration information to the terminal after the terminal accesses the first cell.

[0267] In a possible implementation, the interface module 801 is specifically configured to send the first configuration information to the second network device, where the second network device is different from the first network device.

[0268] In one possible implementation, the number of at least one first sounding reference signal is greater than 1, the frequency domain resources of any two first sounding reference signals in the at least one first sounding reference signal are different, and the frequency domain resources are located in the working bandwidth of the first cell; or, the number of at least one first sounding reference signal is equal to 1, and the at least one first sounding reference signal occupies the entire working bandwidth of the first cell.

[0269] In one possible implementation, the interface module 801 is also used to send second configuration information, where the second configuration information is used to configure a second period, where the second period is related to the load of the first cell at a second moment, and the second moment is later than the first moment; the processing module 802 is also used to control the interface module 801 to receive at least one second sounding reference signal according to the second period.

[0270] In a possible implementation manner, the first configuration information is carried in a radio resource control reconfiguration message.

[0271] When used to implement the function of the first network device, regarding other functions that the communication device 80 can implement, reference can be made to the relevant introduction of the embodiment shown in Figure 4 or Figure 7, and no further details will be given.

[0272] In a simple embodiment, those skilled in the art may conceive that the communication device 80 may be in the form shown in Figure 3. For example, the processor 301 in Figure 3 may call the computer-executable instructions stored in the memory 303 to enable the communication device 80 to execute the method described in the above embodiment.

[0273] Exemplarily, the functions / implementation processes of the interface module 801 and the processing module 802 in FIG8 can be implemented by the processor 301 in FIG3 calling computer-executable instructions stored in the memory 303. Alternatively, the functions / implementation processes of the processing module 802 in FIG8 can be implemented by the processor 301 in FIG3 calling computer-executable instructions stored in the memory 303, and the functions / implementation processes of the interface module 801 in FIG8 can be implemented by the communication interface 304 in FIG3.

[0274] It is understandable that one or more of the above modules or units can be implemented by software, hardware or a combination of the two. When any of the above modules or units is implemented by software, the software exists in the form of computer program instructions and is stored in a memory, and a processor can be used to execute the program instructions and implement the above method flow. The processor can be built into an SoC (system on chip) or an ASIC, or it can be an independent semiconductor chip. In addition to the core used to execute software instructions to perform calculations or processing within the processor, it can further include necessary hardware accelerators, such as field programmable gate arrays (FPGAs), PLDs (programmable logic devices), or logic circuits that implement dedicated logic operations.

[0275] When the above modules or units are implemented in hardware, the hardware can be any one or any combination of a CPU, a microprocessor, a digital signal processing (DSP) chip, a microcontroller unit (MCU), an artificial intelligence processor, an ASIC, a SoC, an FPGA, a PLD, a dedicated digital circuit, a hardware accelerator or a non-integrated discrete device, which can run the necessary software or not rely on the software to execute the above method flow.

[0276] Optionally, the present application also provides a chip system, comprising: at least one processor and an interface, wherein the at least one processor is coupled to a memory via the interface, and when the at least one processor executes a computer program or instruction in the memory, the method in any of the above method embodiments is executed. In one possible implementation, the chip system also includes a memory. Optionally, the chip system can be composed of a chip, or can include a chip and other discrete devices, which is not specifically limited in this application.

[0277] Optionally, the present application also provides a computer-readable storage medium. All or part of the processes in the above-mentioned method embodiments can be completed by a computer program to instruct the relevant hardware. The program can be stored in the above-mentioned computer-readable storage medium. When the program is executed, it can include the processes of the above-mentioned method embodiments. The computer-readable storage medium can be an internal storage unit of the communication device of any of the above-mentioned embodiments, such as a hard disk or memory of the communication device. The above-mentioned computer-readable storage medium can also be an external storage device of the above-mentioned communication device, such as a plug-in hard disk, a smart memory card (smart media card, SMC), a secure digital (secure digital, SD) card, a flash card (flash card), etc. equipped on the above-mentioned communication device. Furthermore, the above-mentioned computer-readable storage medium can also include both the internal storage unit of the above-mentioned communication device and an external storage device. The above-mentioned computer-readable storage medium is used to store the above-mentioned computer program and other programs and data required by the above-mentioned communication device. The above-mentioned computer-readable storage medium can also be used to temporarily store data that has been output or is to be output.

[0278] Optionally, the present application also provides a computer program product. All or part of the processes in the above method embodiments may be completed by a computer program instructing related hardware. The program may be stored in the above computer program product, and when executed, the program may include the processes in the above method embodiments.

[0279] Optionally, the present application also provides a computer instruction. All or part of the process in the above method embodiment can be completed by the computer instruction to instruct the relevant hardware (such as a computer, processor, terminal or first network device, etc.). The program can be stored in the above computer-readable storage medium or in the above computer program product.

[0280] Optionally, the present application further provides a communication system, comprising: the first network device and the terminal in the above embodiment. Optionally, the communication system further comprises: a second network device.

[0281] Through the description of the above implementation methods, technical personnel in the relevant field can clearly understand that for the convenience and simplicity of description, only the division of the above-mentioned functional modules is used as an example. In actual applications, the above-mentioned functions can be assigned to different functional modules as needed, that is, the internal structure of the device can be divided into different functional modules to complete all or part of the functions described above.

[0282] In the several embodiments provided in this application, it should be understood that the disclosed devices and methods can be implemented in other ways. For example, the device embodiments described above are merely schematic. For example, the division of the modules or units is merely a logical function division. In actual implementation, there may be other division methods, such as multiple units or components can be combined or integrated into another device, or some features can be ignored or not executed. Another point is that the mutual coupling or direct coupling or communication connection shown or discussed can be through some interfaces, indirect coupling or communication connection of devices or units, which can be electrical, mechanical or other forms.

[0283] The units described as separate components may or may not be physically separate, and the components shown as units may be one physical unit or multiple physical units, that is, they may be located in one place or distributed in multiple places. Some or all of the units may be selected according to actual needs to achieve the purpose of the solution of this embodiment.

[0284] In addition, the functional units in the various embodiments of the present application may be integrated into a single processing unit, or each unit may exist physically separately, or two or more units may be integrated into a single unit. The aforementioned integrated units may be implemented in the form of hardware or software functional units.

[0285] The above is only a specific embodiment of the present application, but the scope of protection of this application is not limited to this. Any changes or substitutions within the technical scope disclosed in this application should be included in the scope of protection of this application. Therefore, the scope of protection of this application should be based on the scope of protection of the claims.

Claims

1. A method for transmitting a sounding reference signal, characterized in that: The method comprises: Receive first configuration information, where the first configuration information is used to configure a first period, where the first period is less than a first duration, and the first duration is related to a load of the first cell at a first moment; At least one first sounding reference signal is sent according to the first period, and the at least one first sounding reference signal is used to estimate the channel quality of the full bandwidth on the working bandwidth of the first cell.

2. The method according to claim 1, characterized in that The first cell is a cell of a first network device, and the receiving first configuration information includes: The first configuration information is received from a second network device, the first network device being different from the second network device.

3. The method according to claim 1, characterized in that The receiving first configuration information comprises: After accessing the first cell, the first configuration information is received.

4. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 3, characterized in that The first configuration information includes first indication information, where the first indication information is used to indicate the first period.

5. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 4, characterized in that The number of the at least one first sounding reference signal is greater than 1, frequency domain resources of any two of the at least one first sounding reference signal are different, and the frequency domain resources are located in the working bandwidth of the first cell; or, The number of the at least one first sounding reference signal is equal to 1, and the at least one first sounding reference signal occupies the entire working bandwidth of the first cell.

6. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 5, characterized in that The method further comprises: receiving second configuration information, where the second configuration information is used to configure a second period, where the second period is related to a load of the first cell at a second moment, and the second moment is later than the first moment; At least one second sounding reference signal is sent according to the second period.

7. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 6, characterized in that The first configuration information is carried in a radio resource control reconfiguration message.

8. A method for transmitting a sounding reference signal, characterized in that: The method comprises: Sending first configuration information, where the first configuration information is used to configure a first period, where the first period is less than a first duration, and the first duration is related to a load of the first cell at a first moment; At least one first sounding reference signal is received according to the first period, and the at least one first sounding reference signal is used to estimate the channel quality of the full bandwidth on the working bandwidth of the first cell.

9. The method according to claim 8, characterized in that The first configuration information includes first indication information, where the first indication information is used to indicate the first period.

10. The method according to claim 8 or 9, characterized in that: The sending of the first configuration information includes: After the terminal accesses the first cell, the first configuration information is sent to the terminal.

11. The method according to claim 8 or 9, characterized in that: The method is applied to a first network device, and the sending of first configuration information includes: The first configuration information is sent to a second network device, where the second network device is different from the first network device.

12. The method according to any one of claims 8 to 11, characterized in that The number of the at least one first sounding reference signal is greater than 1, frequency domain resources of any two of the at least one first sounding reference signal are different, and the frequency domain resources are located in the working bandwidth of the first cell; or, The number of the at least one first sounding reference signal is equal to 1, and the at least one first sounding reference signal occupies the entire working bandwidth of the first cell.

13. The method according to any one of claims 8 to 12, characterized in that: The method further comprises: Sending second configuration information, where the second configuration information is used to configure a second period, where the second period is related to a load of the first cell at a second moment, and the second moment is later than the first moment; At least one second sounding reference signal is received according to the second period.

14. The method according to any one of claims 8 to 13, characterized in that: The first configuration information is carried in a radio resource control reconfiguration message.

15. A communication device, characterized in that: The method comprises a unit or module for executing the method according to any one of claims 1 to 7, or comprises a unit or module for executing the method according to any one of claims 8 to 14.

16. A communication device, characterized in that: include: A processor, the processor is coupled to a memory, the memory is used to store programs or instructions, when the program or instructions are executed by the processor, the device executes the method as claimed in any one of claims 1 to 7, or executes the method as claimed in any one of claims 8 to 14.

17. A computer-readable storage medium having a computer program or instruction stored thereon, characterized in that: When the computer program or instructions are executed, the computer performs the method according to any one of claims 1 to 7 or the method according to any one of claims 8 to 14.

18. A computer program product, comprising computer program code, characterized in that: When the computer program code is executed on a computer, the computer is enabled to implement the method according to any one of claims 1 to 7 or the method according to any one of claims 8 to 14.

19. A communication system, characterized in that: include: An apparatus for executing the method according to any one of claims 1 to 7, and / or an apparatus for executing the method according to any one of claims 8 to 14.

Images