Communication method and apparatus

Abstract

Provided in the embodiments of the present application are a communication method and apparatus. The method comprises: a network device receiving a first message from a terminal device, wherein the first message is used for instructing the network device to configure a MIMO stream number for the terminal device on the basis of a second message and a third message, the second message is used for indicating the maximum MIMO stream number supported by the terminal device, and the third message is used for indicating at least one SRS antenna switching capability supported by the terminal device. In the embodiments of the present application, a terminal device can instruct a network device to configure a MIMO stream number for the terminal device on the basis of the maximum MIMO stream number and an SRS antenna switching capability supported by the terminal device, so that the MIMO stream number configured by the network device for the terminal device may be a MIMO stream number corresponding to the SRS antenna switching capability supported by the terminal device, and thus the radio frequency capability of the terminal device does not need to be reconfigured when the terminal device performs SRS antenna switching, thereby reducing the energy consumption of the terminal device.

Description

Communication method and device

[0001] CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

[0002] This application claims priority to the Chinese patent application filed with the State Intellectual Property Office of the People's Republic of China on October 30, 2023, with application number 202311432851.9 and invention name "A Communication Method and Device", the entire contents of which are incorporated by reference into this application. Technical Field

[0003] The present application relates to the field of communication technology, and in particular to a communication method and device. Background Art

[0004] To assist network devices in performing uplink channel measurements, terminal devices can transmit a sounding reference signal (SRS) on each antenna. The network device can then estimate the uplink channel information corresponding to each antenna based on the received SRS. In time division duplexing (TDD) frequency bands, where there is mutual benefit between the uplink and downlink channels between the terminal device and the network device, the network device can also estimate the downlink channel information corresponding to each antenna based on the received SRS. Therefore, to allow the network device to obtain complete channel information corresponding to all antennas, the terminal device can perform SRS antenna switching (AS). This means that the terminal device can use multiple antennas to transmit SRS in turn within the uplink RF capability to complete SRS transmission from all antennas within a period of time.

[0005] The SRS antenna switching capability supported by a terminal device refers to the SRS transmission port switching mode supported by the terminal device, and the SRS transmission port switching mode corresponds to the number of multiple-input multiple-output (MIMO) streams supported by the terminal device. If the SRS antenna switching capability supported by the terminal device is xTyR, it means that the terminal device can transmit SRS on x antenna ports through y antennas, y corresponds to all receiving antennas of the terminal device or a subset of receiving antennas, and indicates that the number of MIMO streams supported by the terminal device includes uplink x stream transmission and downlink y stream reception. For example, if the SRS antenna switching capability supported by the terminal device is t1r4, it means that the terminal device supports sending SRS four times in each measurement period, using one antenna port each time to send SRS, and indicates that the number of MIMO streams supported by the terminal device includes uplink 1 stream transmission and downlink 4 stream reception. Since the network device configures the number of MIMO streams for the terminal device according to the maximum number of MIMO streams supported by the terminal device, the number of MIMO streams configured by the network device for the terminal device may be the MIMO stream number corresponding to the SRS antenna switching that the terminal device does not support, resulting in the terminal device needing to reconfigure the RF capability, increasing the energy consumption of the terminal device.

[0006] Summary of the Invention

[0007] Embodiments of the present application provide a communication method and apparatus for reducing energy consumption of terminal equipment.

[0008] In a first aspect, an embodiment of the present application provides a communication method, which can be executed by a network device or a chip system that can implement the functions of the network device. The method includes: receiving a first message from a terminal device, the first message being used to instruct the network device to configure the number of multiple-input multiple-output (MIMO) streams for the terminal device based on a second message and a third message, the second message being used to indicate the maximum number of MIMO streams supported by the terminal device, and the third message being used to indicate at least one sounding reference signal (SRS) antenna switching capability supported by the terminal device.

[0009] In an embodiment of the present application, a terminal device can instruct a network device to configure the number of MIMO streams for the terminal device based on the maximum number of MIMO streams supported by the terminal device and the SRS antenna switching capability. This allows the network device to configure the number of MIMO streams for the terminal device to correspond to the SRS antenna switching capability supported by the terminal device. Consequently, the terminal device does not need to reconfigure its radio frequency capabilities when performing SRS antenna switching, thereby reducing energy consumption of the terminal device. Furthermore, since the terminal device does not modify the existing MIMO capability reporting format, it complies with existing protocol requirements and offers good compatibility.

[0010] In an optional embodiment, the at least one SRS antenna switching capability corresponds to at least one first MIMO stream number, a first MIMO stream number of the at least one first MIMO stream number is equal to the maximum MIMO stream number, and a first MIMO stream number of the at least one first MIMO stream number other than the one first MIMO stream number is less than the maximum MIMO stream number.

[0011] In this embodiment, the number of MIMO streams corresponding to the SRS antenna switching capability supported by the terminal device can be equal to or less than the maximum number of MIMO streams supported by the terminal device, so that when the number of MIMO streams configured by the network device for the terminal device is the maximum number of MIMO streams supported by the terminal device, the number of MIMO streams configured by the network device for the terminal device is also the number of MIMO streams corresponding to the SRS antenna switching capability supported by the terminal device, so that the terminal device does not need to reconfigure the radio frequency capability when performing SRS antenna switching, thereby reducing the energy consumption of the terminal device.

[0012] In an optional embodiment, the method further includes: configuring a second MIMO stream number for the terminal device based on the second message and the third message, the second MIMO stream number being the maximum MIMO stream number or any first MIMO stream number among the at least one first MIMO stream number; and sending a fourth message to the terminal device, the fourth message being used to indicate the second MIMO stream number.

[0013] In this embodiment, the number of MIMO streams configured by the network device for the terminal device can be the number of MIMO streams corresponding to the SRS antenna switching capability supported by the terminal device or the number of MIMO streams corresponding to the SRS antenna switching capability, so that the terminal device does not need to reconfigure the radio frequency capability when performing SRS antenna switching, thereby reducing the energy consumption of the terminal device.

[0014] In an optional embodiment, the maximum number of MIMO streams includes the maximum number of uplink MIMO streams and the maximum number of downlink MIMO streams supported by the terminal device on the first frequency band or the first carrier supported by the terminal device; the first number of MIMO streams includes one uplink MIMO stream and one downlink MIMO stream supported by the terminal device on the first frequency band or the first carrier supported by the terminal device. In this embodiment, the granularity of the number of MIMO streams can be each frequency band in each frequency band combination, or each carrier on each frequency band in each frequency band combination, which is more flexible.

[0015] In a second aspect, embodiments of the present application further provide a communication method, which can be executed by a terminal device or a chip system that can implement the functions of the terminal device. The method includes: sending a first message to a network device, the first message being used to instruct the network device to configure the number of MIMO streams for the terminal device based on a second message and a third message, the second message being used to indicate the maximum number of MIMO streams supported by the terminal device, and the third message being used to indicate at least one SRS antenna switching capability supported by the terminal device.

[0016] In an optional embodiment, the at least one SRS antenna switching capability corresponds to at least one second MIMO stream number, a first MIMO stream number of the at least one first MIMO stream number is equal to the maximum MIMO stream number, and a first MIMO stream number of the at least one first MIMO stream number other than the one first MIMO stream number is less than the maximum MIMO stream number.

[0017] In an optional embodiment, the method also includes: receiving a fourth message from the network device, the fourth message being used to indicate the second MIMO stream number configured by the network device for the terminal device based on the second message and the third message, the second MIMO stream number being the maximum MIMO stream number or any first MIMO stream number among the at least one first MIMO stream number.

[0018] In an optional embodiment, the maximum number of MIMO streams includes the maximum number of uplink MIMO streams and the maximum number of downlink MIMO streams supported by the terminal device on the first frequency band or the first carrier supported by the terminal device; the first number of MIMO streams includes one uplink MIMO stream number and one downlink MIMO stream number supported by the terminal device on the first frequency band or the first carrier supported by the terminal device.

[0019] Regarding the technical effects brought about by the second aspect or some optional implementation methods, reference may be made to the introduction to the technical effects of the first aspect or corresponding implementation methods.

[0020] In a third aspect, embodiments of the present application further provide a communication method, which can be executed by a network device or a chip system capable of implementing the functions of the network device. The method includes: receiving a fifth message from a terminal device, the fifth message being used to indicate at least one third number of MIMO streams supported by the terminal device, the at least one third number of MIMO streams corresponding to at least one SRS antenna switching capability, and any third number of the at least one third number of MIMO streams being less than the maximum number of MIMO streams supported by the terminal device.

[0021] In an embodiment of the present application, the terminal device can modify the existing MIMO capability reporting format to report all MIMO stream numbers supported by the terminal device except the maximum MIMO stream number. Since all MIMO stream numbers supported by the terminal device except the maximum MIMO stream number correspond to the SRS antenna switching capability supported by the terminal device, the base station can configure the MIMO stream number for the terminal device based on the maximum MIMO stream number supported by the terminal device and the SRS antenna switching capability, so that the MIMO stream number configured by the base station for the terminal device is the MIMO stream number corresponding to the SRS antenna switching capability supported by the terminal device, so that the terminal device does not need to reconfigure the RF capability when performing SRS antenna switching, thereby reducing the energy consumption of the terminal device.

[0022] In an optional embodiment, the method further includes: configuring a fourth MIMO stream number for the terminal device based on a second message and the fifth message, wherein the second message is used to indicate the maximum MIMO stream number, and the fourth MIMO stream number is the maximum MIMO stream number or any third MIMO stream number among the at least one third MIMO stream number; and sending a sixth message to the terminal device, wherein the sixth message is used to indicate the fourth MIMO stream number.

[0023] In this embodiment, the number of MIMO streams configured by the network device for the terminal device can be the number of MIMO streams corresponding to the SRS antenna switching capability supported by the terminal device or the number of MIMO streams corresponding to the SRS antenna switching capability, so that the terminal device does not need to reconfigure the radio frequency capability when performing SRS antenna switching, thereby reducing the energy consumption of the terminal device.

[0024] In an optional embodiment, the maximum number of MIMO streams includes the maximum number of uplink MIMO streams and the maximum number of downlink MIMO streams supported by the terminal device on the first frequency band or the first carrier supported by the terminal device; the third number of MIMO streams includes one uplink MIMO stream and one downlink MIMO stream supported by the terminal device on the first frequency band or the first carrier supported by the terminal device. In this embodiment, the granularity of the number of MIMO streams can be each frequency band in each frequency band combination, or each carrier on each frequency band in each frequency band combination, which is more flexible.

[0025] In a fourth aspect, embodiments of the present application further provide a communication method, which can be executed by a terminal device or by a chip system capable of implementing the functions of the terminal device. The method includes: sending a fifth message to a network device, the fifth message being used to indicate at least one third number of MIMO streams supported by the terminal device, the at least one third number of MIMO streams corresponding to at least one SRS antenna switching capability, and any third number of the at least one third number of MIMO streams being less than the maximum number of MIMO streams supported by the terminal device.

[0026] In an optional embodiment, the method further includes: receiving a sixth message from the network device, the sixth message being used to indicate the fourth MIMO stream number configured by the network device for the terminal device based on the second message and the fifth message, the second message being used to indicate the maximum MIMO stream number, the fourth MIMO stream number being the maximum MIMO stream number or any third MIMO stream number among the at least one third MIMO stream number.

[0027] In an optional embodiment, the maximum number of MIMO streams includes the maximum number of uplink MIMO streams and the maximum number of downlink MIMO streams supported by the terminal device on the first frequency band or the first carrier supported by the terminal device; the third number of MIMO streams includes one uplink MIMO stream number and one downlink MIMO stream number supported by the terminal device on the first frequency band or the first carrier supported by the terminal device.

[0028] Regarding the technical effects brought about by the fourth aspect or some optional implementation methods, reference may be made to the introduction to the technical effects of the third aspect or corresponding implementation methods.

[0029] In a fifth aspect, embodiments of the present application provide a communication device comprising a processor and a memory; the memory is configured to store computer instructions, and when the device is running, the processor executes the computer instructions stored in the memory to cause the device to perform any of the implementation methods described in aspects 1 to 4 above. The memory can be volatile or non-volatile memory, such as a cache memory in a semiconductor chip.

[0030] In a sixth aspect, embodiments of the present application provide a communications device, which may be a network device or a terminal device, or a chip for a network device or a terminal device. The device has the function of implementing any of the implementation methods of aspects 1 to 4 above. The function may be implemented by hardware, or by hardware executing corresponding software implementations. The hardware or software includes one or more modules corresponding to the above functions.

[0031] In a seventh aspect, an embodiment of the present application provides a communication device, comprising a unit or means for executing each step of any implementation method in the above-mentioned first to fourth aspects.

[0032] In an eighth aspect, an embodiment of the present application provides a communication device, comprising a processor and an interface circuit, wherein the processor is configured to communicate with another device via the interface circuit and execute any of the implementation methods described in aspects 1 to 4 above. The processor may be one or more processors.

[0033] In a ninth aspect, an embodiment of the present application provides a communication device, comprising a processor coupled to a memory, the processor configured to call a program stored in the memory to execute any of the implementation methods described in aspects 1 to 4 above. The memory may be located within or outside the device. The processor may also be one or more processors.

[0034] In the tenth aspect, an embodiment of the present application further provides a computer-readable storage medium, wherein the computer-readable storage medium stores instructions, which, when run on a communication device, enables any implementation method in the above-mentioned first to fourth aspects to be executed.

[0035] In the eleventh aspect, an embodiment of the present application further provides a computer program product, which includes a computer program or instructions. When the computer program or instructions are run by a communication device, any implementation method in the above-mentioned first to fourth aspects is executed.

[0036] In the twelfth aspect, an embodiment of the present application further provides a chip system, comprising: a processor for executing any implementation method in the above-mentioned first to fourth aspects. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0037] FIG1 is a schematic structural diagram of a wireless communication system provided in an embodiment of the present application;

[0038] FIG2 is a schematic structural diagram of a wireless communication device provided in an embodiment of the present application;

[0039] FIG3 is a schematic diagram of a UE communication process provided in an embodiment of the present application;

[0040] FIG4 is a schematic diagram of another UE communication process provided in an embodiment of the present application;

[0041] FIG5 is a schematic diagram of a communication device provided in an embodiment of the present application;

[0042] FIG6 is a schematic diagram of another communication device provided in an embodiment of the present application. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0043] In the embodiments of the present application, the terms "system" and "network" can be used interchangeably. "Multiple" refers to two or more. In view of this, in the embodiments of the present application, "multiple" can also be understood as "at least two". "At least one" can be understood as one or more, for example, one, two or more. For example, including at least one means including one, two or more, and there is no limit on which ones are included. For example, including at least one of A, B and C, then the included ones may be A, B, C, A and B, A and C, B and C, or A and B and C. Similarly, the understanding of descriptions such as "at least one" is similar. "And / or" describes the association relationship of associated objects, indicating that three relationships can exist. For example, A and / or B can mean: A exists alone, A and B exist at the same time, and B exists alone. In addition, the character " / ", unless otherwise specified, generally indicates that the related objects before and after are in an "or" relationship.

[0044] Unless otherwise specified, the ordinal numbers such as "first" and "second" mentioned in the embodiments of the present application are used to distinguish multiple objects, and are not used to limit the order, timing, priority or importance of multiple objects, and the descriptions of "first" and "second" do not limit the objects to be different.

[0045] The technical solutions in the embodiments of the present application are mainly applicable to wireless communication systems. The wireless communication systems may comply with the wireless communication standards of the Third Generation Partnership Project (3GPP), or may comply with other wireless communication standards, such as the 802 series (such as 802.11, 802.15, or 802.20) of the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE).

[0046] Figure 1 is a schematic diagram of the structure of a wireless communication system provided in an embodiment of the present application. The wireless communication system includes a network device and one or more terminal devices. According to the transmission direction, the transmission link from the terminal device to the network device is recorded as an uplink (UL), and the transmission link from the network device to the terminal device is recorded as a downlink (DL). Data transmission on the uplink can be referred to as uplink data transmission or uplink transmission, and data transmission on the downlink can be referred to as downlink data transmission or downlink transmission.

[0047] In this wireless communication system, network equipment can provide communication coverage for a specific geographical area through integrated or external antenna equipment. One or more terminal devices within the communication coverage area of ​​the network equipment can access the network equipment. A network equipment can manage one or more cells. Each cell has an identification, which is also called a cell identity (cell ID). From the perspective of wireless resources, a cell is a combination of downlink wireless resources and its paired uplink wireless resources (optional).

[0048] The terminal device and network device are aware of the predefined configurations of the wireless communication system, including the radio access technology (RAT) supported by the system and the wireless resource configuration specified by the system (such as the basic configuration of the radio frequency band and carrier). A carrier is a frequency range that complies with the system regulations. This frequency range can be determined by the center frequency of the carrier (denoted as the carrier frequency) and the bandwidth of the carrier. These system-predefined configurations can be part of the standard protocol of the wireless communication system, or determined through interaction between the terminal device and the network device. The content of the relevant standard protocol may be pre-stored in the memory of the terminal device and the network device, or embodied in the hardware circuit or software code of the terminal device and the network device.

[0049] In this wireless communication system, the terminal device and the network device support one or more of the same RATs, such as New Radio (NR), Long Term Evolution (LTE), or RATs of future evolution systems. Specifically, the terminal device and the network device use the same air interface parameters, coding scheme, and modulation scheme, and communicate with each other based on the radio resources specified by the system.

[0050] The terminal device in the embodiment of the present application is a device with wireless transceiver function, which can be deployed on land, including indoors or outdoors, handheld or vehicle-mounted; it can also be deployed on the water surface (such as ships, etc.); it can also be deployed in the air (for example, on airplanes, balloons and satellites, etc.). The terminal device can be a mobile phone, a tablet computer, a computer with wireless transceiver function, a virtual reality (VR) terminal, an augmented reality (AR) terminal, a wireless terminal in industrial control, a wireless terminal in self-driving, a wireless terminal in remote medical, a wireless terminal in smart grid, a wireless terminal in transportation safety, a wireless terminal in smart city, a wireless terminal in smart home, a user equipment (UE), etc. In the embodiment of the present application, UE is used as an example of a terminal device for description.

[0051] The network device can be a base station, an evolved NodeB (eNodeB), a transmission reception point (TRP), a next-generation NodeB (gNB) in a fifth-generation (5G) mobile communication system, a next-generation base station in a sixth-generation (6G) mobile communication system, a base station in a future mobile communication system, or an access node in a wireless fidelity (WiFi) system, etc.; it can also be a module or unit that performs some of the functions of a base station, for example, a centralized unit (CU) or a distributed unit (DU). The network device can be a macro base station, a micro base station or an indoor station, a relay node or a donor node, etc. The embodiments of the present application do not limit the specific technology and specific device form adopted by the network device. In the embodiments of the present application, a base station is used as an example of a network device for description.

[0052] Figure 2 is a schematic diagram of the structure of a wireless communication device provided in an embodiment of the present application. The wireless communication device may be a UE or a base station in an embodiment of the present application. The wireless communication device may include multiple components, such as: an application subsystem, memory, massive storage, a baseband subsystem, a radio frequency integrated circuit (RFIC), a radio frequency front end (RFFE) device, and an antenna (ANT). These components can be coupled via various interconnect buses or other electrical connection methods.

[0053] In Figure 2 , ANT_1 represents the first antenna, ANT_N represents the Nth antenna, and N is an integer greater than 1. Tx represents the transmit path, and Rx represents the receive path, with different numbers representing different paths. Each path can represent a signal processing channel. FBRx represents the feedback receive path, PRx represents the main receive path, and DRx represents the diversity receive path. HB represents high frequency, and LB represents low frequency, referring to the relative high and low frequencies. BB represents baseband. It should be understood that the symbols and components in Figure 2 are for illustrative purposes only and are provided as one possible implementation. The embodiments of this application also include other implementations. For example, a wireless communication device may include more or fewer paths and more or fewer components.

[0054] Among them, the application subsystem may include one or more processors. The multiple processors may include multiple processors of the same type, or may include a combination of multiple types of processors. In this application, the processor may be a general-purpose processor or a processor designed for a specific field. For example, the processor may be a central processing unit (CPU), a digital signal processor (DSP), or a microcontroller (MCU). The processor may also be a graphics processing unit (GPU), an image signal processor (ISP), an audio signal processor (ASP), and an AI processor specially designed for artificial intelligence (AI) applications. AI processors include but are not limited to neural network processing units (NPUs), tensor processing units (TPUs), and processors called AI engines.

[0055] Radio frequency integrated circuits (including RFIC 1, and one or more optional RFIC 2) and RF front-end devices can together constitute a radio frequency subsystem. Depending on the signal reception or transmission path, the radio frequency subsystem can also be divided into an RF receive path and an RF transmit path. Among them, the RF receive channel can receive the RF signal through the antenna, process the RF signal (such as amplification, filtering and down-conversion) to obtain a baseband signal, and pass it to the baseband subsystem. The RF transmit channel can receive the baseband signal from the baseband subsystem, process the baseband signal (such as up-conversion, amplification and filtering) to obtain an RF signal, and finally radiate the RF signal into space through the antenna. The radio frequency integrated circuit can be called an RF processing chip or an RF chip.

[0056] Similar to the RF subsystem's primary function of processing RF signals, the baseband subsystem primarily processes baseband signals. The baseband subsystem extracts useful information or data bits from baseband signals or converts them into baseband signals for transmission. These information or data bits can represent user data such as voice, text, and video, or control information. For example, the baseband subsystem performs signal processing operations such as modulation and demodulation, encoding, and decoding. Baseband signal processing operations vary across different radio access technologies, such as 5G NR and 4G LTE.

[0057] Similar to the application subsystem, the baseband subsystem may also include one or more processors. Furthermore, the baseband subsystem may also include one or more hardware accelerators (HACs). Hardware accelerators can be used to specifically perform sub-functions with high processing overhead, such as data packet assembly and parsing, data packet encryption and decryption, etc. These sub-functions can also be implemented using general-purpose processors, but due to performance or cost considerations, using hardware accelerators may be more appropriate. In specific implementations, hardware accelerators are mainly implemented using application-specific integrated circuits (ASICs). Of course, hardware accelerators may also include one or more relatively simple processors, such as MCUs.

[0058] The baseband subsystem can be integrated into one or more chips, which are referred to as baseband processing chips or baseband chips. The baseband subsystem can also be implemented as a standalone chip, which is referred to as a modem or modem chip. The baseband subsystem can be manufactured and sold as a modem chip. Modem chips are sometimes also referred to as baseband processors or mobile processors. Furthermore, the baseband subsystem can be further integrated into a larger chip, which is also manufactured and sold as a larger chip. This larger chip is referred to as a system-on-chip (SoC), a system-on-chip (SoC), or simply an SoC chip. The software components of the baseband subsystem can be built into the chip's hardware components before the chip leaves the factory, imported from other non-volatile memory into the chip's hardware components after the chip leaves the factory, or downloaded and updated online via the network.

[0059] The wireless communication device may also include memory, such as the internal memory and mass storage device shown in Figure 2. Furthermore, the application subsystem and baseband subsystem may each include one or more caches. In specific implementations, memory can be divided into volatile memory (volatile memory) and non-volatile memory (NVM). Volatile memory refers to memory whose stored data is lost if the power supply is interrupted. Currently, volatile memory is primarily random access memory (RAM), including static RAM (SRAM) and dynamic RAM (DRAM). Non-volatile memory refers to memory whose stored data is not lost even if the power supply is interrupted. Common non-volatile memory includes read-only memory (ROM), optical disks, magnetic disks, and various types of memory based on flash memory technology. Generally speaking, volatile memory can be used for internal memory and cache, while non-volatile memory, such as flash memory, can be used for mass storage.

[0060] The above briefly introduces the wireless communication system and wireless communication device applicable to the embodiments of the present application. The following introduces the relevant technical solutions involved in the embodiments of the present application.

[0061] 1) Uplink (UL) / Downlink (DL)-MIMO capabilities

[0062] UL / DL-MIMO means that the UE can use multiple antennas to simultaneously send and receive multiple streams (layers) (also called streams) on the same wireless channel. Usually, the UL / DL-MIMO capability supported by the UE is a comprehensive reflection of baseband processing, the number of radio frequency channels, and the number of physical antenna ports. From the perspective of the physical layer, the maximum number of streams and logical ports supported by the UE are directly related to the number of radio frequency channels. It should be understood that physical antennas, logical ports, and streams are not a one-to-one relationship. Specifically, the number of physical antennas is not less than the number of logical ports, and the number of logical ports is not less than the number of streams. For example, when the UE uses the [1, 0; 0, 1] codebook for uplink transmission, it means that the UE maps 2-stream modulation symbols to 2 logical ports.

[0063] Currently, the UE can report the MIMO capabilities supported by the UE to the base station through the following information elements: FeatureSetDownlinkPerCC and FeatureSetUplinkPerCC. Among them, the information element FeatureSetDownlinkPerCC is the downlink carrier feature set, and the information element FeatureSetUplinkPerCC is the uplink carrier feature set. These two sets respectively represent a set of features supported by the UE on the downlink or uplink carrier of a frequency band of the spectrum combination. The sub-information element MIMO-LayersDL of FeatureSetDownlinkPerCC and the sub-information element MIMO-LayersUL of FeatureSetUplinkPerCC are used to directly indicate the maximum number of MIMO streams supported by the UE. For example, when the UE reports MIMO-LayersDL as 4, it means that the UE supports a maximum of 4 downlink streams on the corresponding carrier, and thus the UE also has the reception capability of 3 streams, 2 streams, and 1 stream. For another example, when the UE reports MIMO-LayersUL as 4, it means that the UE supports a maximum of 4 uplink streams on the corresponding carrier, and thus the UE also has the transmission capability of 3 streams, 2 streams, and 1 stream. It can be seen that when the UE reports the MIMO capability, the uplink and downlink are decoupled and reported, and the MIMO capability reported by the UE is the maximum MIMO capability supported by the UE.

[0064] 2) SRS antenna switching capability

[0065] To assist the base station with uplink channel measurement, the UE can transmit an SRS (antenna switching SRS) on each antenna. The base station can then estimate the uplink channel information for each antenna based on the received SRS. In the TDD band, where there is mutual benefit between the uplink and downlink channels between the UE and the base station, the base station can also estimate the downlink channel information for each antenna based on the received SRS. Therefore, to allow the base station to obtain complete channel information for all antennas, the UE can perform SRS antenna switching. This means that the UE can transmit SRS using multiple antennas in turn within the uplink RF capability to complete SRS transmission for all antennas within a certain period of time. For example, if the UE reports MIMO-Layers UL / DL as 4, meaning the maximum number of uplink MIMO streams supported by the UE is 1 and the maximum number of downlink MIMO streams is 4, then based on the maximum number of uplink MIMO streams supported by the UE, the UE can transmit SRS four times within a measurement period, using one antenna port each time. This allows the UE to complete SRS transmission for four RF links within a single measurement period.

[0066] The SRS antenna switching capability supported by the UE refers to the SRS port switching mode supported by the UE, and the SRS transmission port switching mode corresponds to the number of MIMO streams supported by the UE. If the SRS antenna switching capability indicated by the UE is xTyR, it means that the UE can transmit SRS on x antenna ports through y antennas, y corresponds to all receiving antennas of the UE or a subset of receiving antennas, and indicates that the number of MIMO streams supported by the UE includes uplink x stream transmission and downlink y stream reception (i.e., (x, y)). For example, if the SRS antenna switching capability supported by the UE is t1r4, it means that the UE supports sending SRS four times in each measurement period, using one antenna port each time to send SRS, and indicates that the number of MIMO streams supported by the UE includes uplink 1 stream transmission and downlink 4 stream reception (1, 4).

[0067] Currently, the UE can report some of the SRS antenna switching capabilities supported by the UE to the base station through the following information elements: supportedSRS-TxPortSwitch and supportedSRS-TxPortSwitch-v1610, where the information element supportedSRS-TxPortSwitch indicates the xTyR supported by the UE. The information element supportedSRS-TxPortSwitch-v1610 indicates the fallback xTyR supported by the UE. For example, when the UE reports supportedSRS-TxPortSwitch as t1r4, it means that the UE supports sending SRS four times in each measurement cycle, using one antenna port each time to send SRS. Assuming that the base station has a 64-reception capability, the base station can estimate a channel matrix with a dimension of 1*64 each time it receives, and thus the base station can estimate a channel matrix with a dimension of 64*4 in each measurement cycle. For example, when the UE reports supportedSRS-TxPortSwitch as t2r4, it means that the UE supports sending SRS twice in each measurement cycle, using two antenna ports each time to send SRS. Assuming that the base station has a 64-receive capability, the base station can estimate a channel matrix with a dimension of 2*64 each time it receives, and thus the base station can estimate a 64*4 channel matrix in each measurement cycle. Alternatively, the UE can traverse and report all SRS antenna switching capabilities supported by the UE, that is, the UE can report the SRS antenna switching capabilities supported by the UE to the base station through the information element Supported SRS-Tx Port Switch Beyond 4Rx-r17. Among them, the information element Supported SRS-Tx Port Switch Beyond 4Rx-r17 represents all xTyR combinations supported by the UE. It contains an 11-bit bitmap. Starting from the leftmost bit (i.e., bit 0), each bit corresponds to {t1r1, t2r2, t1r2, t4r4, t2r4, t1r4, t2r6, t1r6, t4r8, t2r8, t1r8}. For example, when the UE reports Supported SRS-Tx Port Switch Beyond 4Rx-r17 as {0, 0, 0, 0, 1, 1, 0, 0, 1, 1, 1}, it means that the UE supports 8r 1t / 2t / 4t switching (i.e., t4r8, t2r8, t1r8) and falls back to 4r 1t / 2t switching (i.e., t2r4, t1r4). It can be seen that when the UE reports the SRS antenna switching capability, the uplink and downlink are not decoupled, and the SRS antenna switching capability reported by the UE is the full range of SRS antenna switching capabilities supported by the UE.

[0068] 3) MIMO stream number and SRS resource configuration

[0069] After the UE reports the maximum number of MIMO streams supported and the SRS antenna switching capability it supports, the base station can configure the number of MIMO streams for the UE according to the maximum number of MIMO streams supported by the UE, and configure SRS resources for the UE according to the SRS antenna switching capability supported by the UE. SRS resources refer to the time domain resources and / or frequency domain resources used to send SRS. However, since the base station only considers the maximum number of MIMO streams supported by the UE when configuring the number of MIMO streams for the UE and does not consider the SRS antenna switching capability supported by the UE, the number of MIMO streams configured by the base station for the UE may be the number of MIMO streams corresponding to the SRS antenna switching capability that the UE does not support, resulting in higher energy consumption of the UE.

[0070] For example, the number of MIMO streams configured by the base station for the UE is 4 uplink streams for transmission and 4 downlink streams for reception (4, 4), that is, the UE maintains 4 independent radio frequency links for signal transmission and reception. When the SRS antenna switching capability supported by the UE includes t4r8 but does not include t4r4, the base station configures the SRS resources corresponding to t4r8 for the UE. The UE sends the SRS twice in each measurement period, using 4 antenna ports each time to send the SRS. At this time, the UE needs to maintain 8 independent radio frequency links for SRS antenna switching. Therefore, the UE needs to reconfigure the radio frequency capability, which increases the energy consumption of the UE.

[0071] To address the issue of how to reduce UE energy consumption when the UE performs SRS antenna switching, the embodiments of the present application provide multiple communication methods. The embodiments of the present application are further described below with reference to specific examples. In the accompanying drawings corresponding to the various embodiments of the present application, all steps indicated by dotted lines are optional steps.

[0072] In the first embodiment, as shown in FIG3 , a UE communication process diagram is provided in an embodiment of the present application. The method includes the following steps:

[0073] Step 301: The UE sends a first message to the base station. Correspondingly, the base station receives the first message from the UE.

[0074] In this embodiment of the present application, the first message may be used to instruct the base station to configure the number of MIMO streams for the UE based on the second message and the third message.

[0075] Among them, the second message can be used to indicate the maximum number of MIMO streams supported by the UE. Optionally, the maximum number of MIMO streams supported by the UE may include the maximum number of uplink MIMO streams and the maximum number of downlink MIMO streams supported by the UE on the first frequency band or the first carrier supported by the UE. It can be understood that the granularity of the maximum number of MIMO streams supported by the UE can be each frequency band in each frequency band combination, or the granularity of the maximum number of MIMO streams supported by the UE can also be each carrier on each frequency band in each frequency band combination. This embodiment of the present application does not limit this.

[0076] In a specific implementation, the second message can indicate the maximum number of uplink MIMO streams and the maximum number of downlink MIMO streams supported by the UE on the first frequency band or first carrier supported by the UE through the information element MIMO-LayersUL and the information element MIMO-LayersDL, respectively. For example, when the second message indicates that MIMO-LayersUL is 4 and MIMO-LayersDL is 8, the base station can determine that the maximum number of uplink MIMO streams supported by the UE on the first frequency band or first carrier supported by the UE is 4 and the maximum number of downlink MIMO streams is 8, that is, the base station can determine that the maximum number of MIMO layers supported by the UE on the first frequency band or first carrier supported by the UE includes 4 uplink streams sending and 8 downlink streams receiving (4, 8).

[0077] The third message may be used to indicate at least one SRS antenna switching capability supported by the UE. Optionally, the SRS antenna switching capability supported by the UE may include the SRS antenna switching capability supported by the UE on the first frequency band or first carrier supported by the UE. It can be understood that the granularity of the SRS antenna switching capability supported by the UE may be each frequency band in each frequency band combination, or the granularity of the SRS antenna switching capability supported by the UE may also be each carrier on each frequency band in each frequency band combination. This embodiment of the present application does not impose any restrictions on this.

[0078] The at least one SRS antenna switching capability supported by the UE may correspond to the at least one first MIMO stream number supported by the UE. A first MIMO stream number of the at least one first MIMO stream number supported by the UE is equal to the maximum MIMO stream number supported by the UE, and a first MIMO stream number other than the one first MIMO stream number of the at least one first MIMO stream number supported by the UE is less than the maximum MIMO stream number supported by the UE. It can be understood that the at least one first MIMO stream number supported by the UE refers to all MIMO stream numbers supported by the UE, including the maximum MIMO stream number. Optionally, the first MIMO stream number supported by the UE includes an uplink MIMO stream number and a downlink MIMO stream number supported by the UE on the first frequency band or the first carrier supported by the UE. It can be understood that the granularity of the first MIMO stream number supported by the UE can be each frequency band in each frequency band combination, or the granularity of the first MIMO stream number supported by the UE can also be each carrier on each frequency band in each frequency band combination. This embodiment of the present application does not impose any limitation on this.

[0079] In a specific implementation, the third message may indicate, in the form of a bitmap, at least one SRS antenna switching capability supported by the UE on the first frequency band or the first carrier supported by the UE. For example, the third message may include an 11-bit bitmap, starting from the first leftmost bit (i.e., bit 0), where each bit corresponds to {t1r1, t2r2, t1r2, t4r4, t2r4, t1r4, t2r6, t1r6, t4r8, t2r8, t1r8}. When the third message indicates the bitmap {0, 0, 0, 0, 1, 1, 0, 0, 1, 1, 1}, the base station can determine that the UE supports 1t / 2t / 4t switching of 8r and 1t / 2t switching falling back to 4r, that is, the at least one SRS antenna switching capability supported by the UE on the first frequency band or the first carrier supported by the UE includes {t2r4, t1r4, t4r8, t2r8, t1r8}, and {t2r4, t1r4, t4r8, t2r8, t1r8} corresponds to uplink 2 stream transmission and downlink 4 stream reception (2, 4), uplink 1 stream transmission and downlink 4, respectively. Stream reception (1, 4), uplink 4 streams sending and downlink 8 streams receiving (4, 8), uplink 2 streams sending and downlink 8 streams receiving (2, 8), uplink 1 stream sending and downlink 8 streams receiving (1, 8), and then the base station can determine that at least one first MIMO stream number supported by the UE on the first frequency band or the first carrier supported by the UE includes uplink 2 streams sending and downlink 4 streams receiving (2, 4), uplink 1 stream sending and downlink 4 streams receiving (1, 4), uplink 4 streams sending and downlink 8 streams receiving (4, 8), uplink 2 streams sending and downlink 8 streams receiving (2, 8), and uplink 1 stream sending and downlink 8 streams receiving (1, 8).

[0080] Optionally, the first message may be the same message as the second message or the third message, and it can be understood that the first message is carried in the second message or the third message; alternatively, the first message may be different from the second message and the third message, and this embodiment of the present application does not limit this. The first message, the second message, or the third message may be an air interface message such as UECapabilityInformation, UEAssistanceInformation, RRCSetupRequest, RRCResumeRequest, RRCReestablishmentRequest, RRCSetupComplete, RRCResumeComplete, or RRCReestablishmentComplete, and this embodiment of the present application does not limit this.

[0081] Step 302: The base station configures a second number of MIMO streams for the UE based on the second message and the third message.

[0082] In this embodiment of the present application, step 302 is optional. The second MIMO stream number may be the maximum MIMO stream number supported by the UE on the first frequency band or first carrier supported by the UE, or may be any first MIMO stream number among at least one first MIMO stream number supported by the UE on the first frequency band or first carrier supported by the UE. For example, the maximum number of MIMO streams supported by the UE on the first frequency band or the first carrier supported by the UE includes uplink 4 streams sending and downlink 8 streams receiving (4, 8), and at least one first number of MIMO streams supported by the UE on the first frequency band or the first carrier supported by the UE includes uplink 2 streams sending and downlink 4 streams receiving (2, 4), uplink 1 stream sending and downlink 4 streams receiving (1, 4), uplink 4 streams sending and downlink 8 streams receiving (4, 8), uplink 2 streams sending and downlink 8 streams receiving (2, 8), and uplink 1 stream sending and downlink 8 streams receiving (1, 8). Then the second number of MIMO streams configured by the base station for the UE can be uplink 2 streams sending and downlink 4 streams receiving (2, 4), uplink 1 stream sending and downlink 4 streams receiving (1, 4), uplink 4 streams sending and downlink 8 streams receiving (4, 8), uplink 2 streams sending and downlink 8 streams receiving (2, 8), or uplink 1 stream sending and downlink 8 streams receiving (1, 8).

[0083] Step 303: The base station sends a fourth message to the UE. Correspondingly, the UE receives the fourth message from the base station.

[0084] In the embodiment of the present application, step 303 is an optional step. The fourth message may be used to indicate the second MIMO stream number configured by the base station for the UE based on the second message and the third message.

[0085] According to the above scheme, the UE can instruct the base station to configure the number of MIMO streams for the UE based on the maximum number of MIMO streams supported by the UE and the SRS antenna switching capability, ensuring that the number of MIMO streams configured by the base station for the UE is the number of MIMO streams corresponding to the SRS antenna switching capability supported by the UE, so that the UE does not need to reconfigure the radio frequency capability when performing SRS antenna switching, thereby reducing the energy consumption of the UE. Moreover, since the UE does not modify the existing MIMO capability reporting format, it complies with the provisions of the existing protocol and has good compatibility.

[0086] In the second embodiment, as shown in FIG4 , another UE communication process diagram provided in an embodiment of the present application is shown. The method includes the following steps:

[0087] Step 401: The UE sends a fifth message to the base station. Correspondingly, the base station receives the fifth message from the UE.

[0088] In an embodiment of the present application, the fifth message may be used to indicate at least one third MIMO stream number supported by the UE. Optionally, the third MIMO stream number supported by the UE may include one uplink MIMO stream number and one downlink MIMO stream number supported by the UE on a first frequency band or a first carrier supported by the UE. It can be understood that the granularity of the third MIMO stream number supported by the UE may be each frequency band in each frequency band combination, or the granularity of the third MIMO stream number supported by the UE may also be each carrier on each frequency band in each frequency band combination, which is not limited in this embodiment of the present application.

[0089] The at least one third MIMO stream number supported by the UE may correspond to at least one SRS antenna switching capability supported by the UE. Optionally, the SRS antenna switching capability supported by the UE may include the SRS antenna switching capability supported by the UE on the first frequency band or first carrier supported by the UE. It can be understood that the granularity of the SRS antenna switching capability supported by the UE can be each frequency band in each frequency band combination, or the granularity of the SRS antenna switching capability supported by the UE can also be each carrier on each frequency band in each frequency band combination. This embodiment of the present application is not limited to this.

[0090] Any of the at least one third MIMO stream numbers supported by the UE may be smaller than the maximum MIMO stream number supported by the UE. It can be understood that the at least one third MIMO stream number supported by the UE refers to all MIMO stream numbers supported by the UE except the maximum MIMO stream number. Optionally, the maximum MIMO stream number supported by the UE includes the maximum uplink MIMO stream number and the maximum downlink MIMO stream number supported by the UE on the first frequency band or the first carrier supported by the UE. It can be understood that the granularity of the maximum MIMO stream number supported by the UE can be each frequency band in each frequency band combination, or the granularity of the maximum MIMO stream number supported by the UE can also be each carrier on each frequency band in each frequency band combination. The embodiments of the present application do not impose any restrictions on this.

[0091] In a specific implementation, the fifth message may indicate the number of at least one third MIMO streams supported by the UE in the form of a bitmap. For example, the fifth message may include an 11-bit bitmap, starting from the first leftmost bit (i.e., bit 0), and each bit corresponds to {(1, 1), (2, 2), (1, 2), (4, 4), (2, 4), (1, 4), (2, 6), (1, 6), (4, 8), (2, 8), (1, 8)}, where (x, y) indicates that x streams are sent in the uplink and y streams are received in the downlink, such as (1, 1) indicates that 1 stream is sent in the uplink and 1 stream is received in the downlink. When the UE supports 1t / 2t / 4t switching of 8r and 1t / 2t switching falling back to 4r, that is, the at least one SRS antenna switching capability supported by the UE on the first frequency band or first carrier supported by the UE includes {t2r4, t1r4, t4r8, t2r8, t1r8}, and the maximum number of MIMO streams supported by the UE on the first frequency band or first carrier supported by the UE includes 4 uplink streams sending and 8 downlink streams receiving (4, 8), the fifth message reported by the UE to the base station can indicate the bitmap {0, 0, 0, 0, 1, 1, 0, 0, 1, 1}, that is, the fifth message can indicate that the at least one third MIMO stream number supported by the UE on the first frequency band or first carrier supported by the UE includes {(2, 4), (1, 4), (2, 8), (1, 8)}.

[0092] Optionally, the fifth message may be an air interface message such as UECapabilityInformation, UEAssistanceInformation, RRCSetupRequest, RRCResumeRequest, RRCReestablishmentRequest, RRCSetupComplete, RRCResumeComplete, or RRCReestablishmentComplete, which is not limited in the embodiments of the present application.

[0093] Step 402: The base station configures a fourth number of MIMO streams for the UE based on the second message and the fifth message.

[0094] In this embodiment of the present application, step 402 is optional. The second message may be used to indicate the maximum number of MIMO streams supported by the UE on the first frequency band or first carrier supported by the UE. Optionally, the second message may be an air interface message such as UECapabilityInformation, UEAssistanceInformation, RRCSetupRequest, RRCResumeRequest, RRCReestablishmentRequest, RRCSetupComplete, RRCResumeComplete, or RRCReestablishmentComplete, which is not limited in this embodiment of the present application.

[0095] The fourth MIMO stream number may be the maximum MIMO stream number supported by the UE on the first frequency band or the first carrier supported by the UE, or may be any third MIMO stream number among at least one third MIMO stream number supported by the UE on the first frequency band or the first carrier supported by the UE. For example, if the maximum MIMO stream number supported by the UE on the first frequency band or the first carrier supported by the UE includes uplink 4 streams transmitted and downlink 8 streams received (4, 8), and the at least one third MIMO stream number supported by the UE on the first frequency band or the first carrier supported by the UE includes {(2, 4), (1, 4), (2, 8), (1, 8)}, then the second MIMO stream number may be uplink 2 streams transmitted and downlink 4 streams received (2, 4), uplink 1 stream transmitted and downlink 4 streams received (1, 4), uplink 4 streams transmitted and downlink 8 streams received (4, 8), uplink 2 streams transmitted and downlink 8 streams received (2, 8), or uplink 1 stream transmitted and downlink 8 streams received (1, 8).

[0096] Step 403: The base station sends a sixth message to the UE. Correspondingly, the UE receives the sixth message from the base station.

[0097] In the embodiment of the present application, step 403 is an optional step. The sixth message may be used to indicate the fourth MIMO stream number configured by the base station for the UE based on the second message and the fifth message.

[0098] According to the above scheme, the UE can modify the existing MIMO capability reporting format and report all MIMO streams supported by the UE except the maximum MIMO stream number. Since all MIMO streams supported by the UE except the maximum MIMO stream number correspond to the SRS antenna switching capability supported by the UE, the base station can configure the MIMO stream number for the UE based on the maximum MIMO stream number supported by the UE and the SRS antenna switching capability, ensuring that the MIMO stream number configured by the base station for the UE is the MIMO stream number corresponding to the SRS antenna switching capability supported by the UE, so that the UE does not need to reconfigure the radio frequency capability when performing SRS antenna switching, thereby reducing the energy consumption of the UE.

[0099] It is understood that in order to implement the functions in the above embodiments, the terminal devices and network devices include hardware structures and / or software modules corresponding to the execution of each function. Those skilled in the art should readily appreciate that, in combination with the units and method steps of each example described in the embodiments disclosed in this application, the present application can be implemented in the form of hardware or a combination of hardware and computer software. Whether a function is executed in hardware or in a manner driven by computer software depends on the specific application scenario and design constraints of the technical solution.

[0100] Figures 5 and 6 are schematic diagrams of the structures of possible communication devices provided in embodiments of the present application. These communication devices can be used to implement the functions of the terminal device or network device in the above method embodiments, thereby also achieving the beneficial effects of the above method embodiments. In the embodiments of the present application, the communication device can be a terminal device, a network device, or a module (such as a chip) applied to a terminal device or a network device.

[0101] As shown in Figure 5, a communication device 500 includes a processing unit 510 and a transceiver unit 520. The communication device 500 is used to implement the functions of the terminal device or network device in the method embodiments shown in Figures 3 to 4 above.

[0102] In the first embodiment, when the communication device 500 is used to implement the function of the network device in the method embodiment shown in Figure 3: the transceiver unit 520 is used to receive a first message from the terminal device, the first message is used to indicate that the network device configures the number of MIMO streams for the terminal device based on the second message and the third message, the second message is used to indicate the maximum number of MIMO streams supported by the terminal device, and the third message is used to indicate at least one SRS antenna switching capability supported by the terminal device.

[0103] In one possible implementation method, the at least one SRS antenna switching capability corresponds to at least one first MIMO stream number, a first MIMO stream number of the at least one first MIMO stream number is equal to the maximum MIMO stream number, and a first MIMO stream number of the at least one first MIMO stream number other than the one first MIMO stream number is less than the maximum MIMO stream number.

[0104] In one possible implementation method, the processing unit 510 is used to configure a second MIMO stream number for the terminal device based on the second message and the third message, where the second MIMO stream number is the maximum MIMO stream number or any first MIMO stream number among the at least one first MIMO stream number; the transceiver unit 520 is also used to send a fourth message to the terminal device, where the fourth message is used to indicate the second MIMO stream number.

[0105] In one possible implementation method, the maximum number of MIMO streams includes the maximum number of uplink MIMO streams and the maximum number of downlink MIMO streams supported by the terminal device on the first frequency band or the first carrier supported by the terminal device; the first number of MIMO streams includes one uplink MIMO stream number and one downlink MIMO stream number supported by the terminal device on the first frequency band or the first carrier supported by the terminal device.

[0106] In the first embodiment, when the communication device 500 is used to implement the function of the terminal device in the method embodiment shown in Figure 3: the transceiver unit 520 is used to send a first message to the network device, and the first message is used to indicate that the network device configures the number of MIMO streams for the terminal device based on the second message and the third message. The second message is used to indicate the maximum number of MIMO streams supported by the terminal device, and the third message is used to indicate at least one SRS antenna switching capability supported by the terminal device.

[0107] In one possible implementation method, the at least one SRS antenna switching capability corresponds to at least one second MIMO stream number, a first MIMO stream number of the at least one first MIMO stream number is equal to the maximum MIMO stream number, and a first MIMO stream number of the at least one first MIMO stream number other than the one first MIMO stream number is less than the maximum MIMO stream number.

[0108] In a possible implementation method, the transceiver unit 520 is further used to receive a fourth message from the network device, where the fourth message is used to indicate the second MIMO stream number configured by the network device for the terminal device based on the second message and the third message, where the second MIMO stream number is the maximum MIMO stream number or any first MIMO stream number among the at least one first MIMO stream number.

[0109] In one possible implementation method, the maximum number of MIMO streams includes the maximum number of uplink MIMO streams and the maximum number of downlink MIMO streams supported by the terminal device on the first frequency band or the first carrier supported by the terminal device; the first number of MIMO streams includes one uplink MIMO stream number and one downlink MIMO stream number supported by the terminal device on the first frequency band or the first carrier supported by the terminal device.

[0110] In a second embodiment, when the communication device 500 is used to implement the function of the network device in the method embodiment shown in Figure 4: the transceiver unit 520 is used to receive a fifth message from the terminal device, and the fifth message is used to indicate at least one third MIMO stream number supported by the terminal device, and the at least one third MIMO stream number corresponds to at least one SRS antenna switching capability, and any third MIMO stream number of the at least one third MIMO stream number is less than the maximum MIMO stream number supported by the terminal device.

[0111] In one possible implementation method, the processing unit 510 is used to configure a fourth MIMO stream number for the terminal device based on the second message and the fifth message, where the second message is used to indicate the maximum MIMO stream number, and the fourth MIMO stream number is the maximum MIMO stream number or any third MIMO stream number among the at least one third MIMO stream number; the transceiver unit 520 is also used to send a sixth message to the terminal device, where the sixth message is used to indicate the fourth MIMO stream number.

[0112] In one possible implementation method, the maximum number of MIMO streams includes the maximum number of uplink MIMO streams and the maximum number of downlink MIMO streams supported by the terminal device on the first frequency band or the first carrier supported by the terminal device; the third number of MIMO streams includes one uplink MIMO stream number and one downlink MIMO stream number supported by the terminal device on the first frequency band or the first carrier supported by the terminal device.

[0113] In a second embodiment, when the communication device 500 is used to implement the function of the terminal device in the method embodiment shown in Figure 4: the transceiver unit 520 is used to send a fifth message to the network device, and the fifth message is used to indicate at least one third MIMO stream number supported by the terminal device, and the at least one third MIMO stream number corresponds to at least one SRS antenna switching capability, and any third MIMO stream number of the at least one third MIMO stream number is less than the maximum MIMO stream number supported by the terminal device.

[0114] In a possible implementation method, the transceiver unit 520 is further used to receive a sixth message from the network device, where the sixth message is used to indicate the fourth MIMO stream number configured by the network device for the terminal device based on the second message and the fifth message, and the second message is used to indicate the maximum MIMO stream number, and the fourth MIMO stream number is the maximum MIMO stream number or any third MIMO stream number among the at least one third MIMO stream number.

[0115] In one possible implementation method, the maximum number of MIMO streams includes the maximum number of uplink MIMO streams and the maximum number of downlink MIMO streams supported by the terminal device on the first frequency band or the first carrier supported by the terminal device; the third number of MIMO streams includes one uplink MIMO stream number and one downlink MIMO stream number supported by the terminal device on the first frequency band or the first carrier supported by the terminal device.

[0116] As shown in Figure 6, communication device 600 includes a processor 610 and an interface circuit 620. Processor 610 and interface circuit 620 are coupled to each other. It is understood that interface circuit 620 can be a transceiver or an input / output interface. Optionally, communication device 600 may also include a memory 630 for storing instructions executed by processor 610, input data required by processor 610 to execute instructions, or data generated after processor 610 executes instructions.

[0117] When the communication device 600 is used to implement the method shown in FIG. 3 to FIG. 4 , the processor 610 is used to implement the functions of the processing unit 510 , and the interface circuit 620 is used to implement the functions of the transceiver unit 520 .

[0118] When the communication device is a chip used in a terminal device, the terminal device chip implements the functions of the terminal device in the above method embodiments. The terminal device chip receives information from other modules in the terminal device (such as a radio frequency module or antenna), and the information is sent by the network device to the terminal device; or the terminal device chip sends information to other modules in the terminal device (such as a radio frequency module or antenna), and the information is sent by the terminal device to the network device.

[0119] When the above-mentioned communication device is a module applied to a network device, the network device module implements the functions of the network device in the above-mentioned method embodiment. The network device module receives information from other modules in the network device (such as a radio frequency module or an antenna), and the information is sent by the terminal device to the network device; or the network device module sends information to other modules in the network device (such as a radio frequency module or an antenna), and the information is sent by the network device to the terminal device. The network device module here can be a baseband chip of the network device, or it can be a DU or other module. The DU here can be a DU under the open radio access network (O-RAN) architecture.

[0120] It is understood that the processor in the embodiments of the present application may be a central processing unit (CPU), or may be other general-purpose processors, digital signal processors (DSP), application-specific integrated circuits (ASIC), field programmable gate arrays (FPGA), or other programmable logic devices, transistor logic devices, hardware components, or any combination thereof. The general-purpose processor may be a microprocessor or any conventional processor.

[0121] Those skilled in the art will appreciate that the embodiments of the present application can be provided as methods, systems, or computer program products. Therefore, the present application can adopt the form of a complete hardware embodiment, a complete software embodiment, or an embodiment in combination with software and hardware. Moreover, the present application can adopt the form of a computer program product implemented on one or more computer-usable storage media (including but not limited to magnetic disk storage, CD-ROM, optical storage, etc.) that contain computer-usable program code.

[0122] The present application is described with reference to the flowcharts and / or block diagrams of the methods, devices (systems), and computer program products according to the present application. It should be understood that each flow and / or box in the flow chart and / or block diagram, as well as the combination of the flow chart and / or box in the flow chart and / or block diagram, can be implemented by computer program instructions. These computer program instructions can be provided to a processor of a general-purpose computer, a special-purpose computer, an embedded processor, or other programmable data processing device to produce a machine, so that the instructions executed by the processor of the computer or other programmable data processing device produce a device for implementing the functions specified in one or more flow charts and / or one or more boxes in the block diagram.

[0123] These computer program instructions may also be stored in a computer-readable memory that can direct a computer or other programmable data processing device to operate in a specific manner, so that the instructions stored in the computer-readable memory produce a product including an instruction device that implements the functions specified in one or more processes in the flowchart and / or one or more boxes in the block diagram.

[0124] These computer program instructions can also be loaded onto a computer or other programmable data processing device so that a series of operating steps are executed on the computer or other programmable device to produce a computer-implemented process, so that the instructions executed on the computer or other programmable device provide steps for implementing the functions specified in one or more processes in the flowchart and / or one or more boxes in the block diagram.

[0125] Obviously, those skilled in the art may make various changes and modifications to this application without departing from the spirit and scope of this application. Thus, if these modifications and variations of this application fall within the scope of the claims of this application and their equivalents, this application is intended to include these modifications and variations.

Claims

1. A communication method, characterized in that: Applied to a network device, the method comprises: A first message is received from a terminal device, wherein the first message is used to instruct the network device to configure the number of multiple-input multiple-output MIMO streams for the terminal device based on a second message and a third message, the second message is used to indicate the maximum number of MIMO streams supported by the terminal device, and the third message is used to indicate at least one sounding reference signal SRS antenna switching capability supported by the terminal device.

2. The method according to claim 1, characterized in that The at least one SRS antenna switching capability corresponds to at least one first MIMO stream number, a first MIMO stream number of the at least one first MIMO stream number is equal to the maximum MIMO stream number, and a first MIMO stream number of the at least one first MIMO stream number other than the first MIMO stream number is less than the maximum MIMO stream number.

3. The method according to claim 2, characterized in that The method further comprises: Based on the second message and the third message, configure a second MIMO stream number for the terminal device, where the second MIMO stream number is the maximum MIMO stream number or any first MIMO stream number among the at least one first MIMO stream number; A fourth message is sent to the terminal device, where the fourth message is used to indicate the second MIMO stream number.

4. The method according to claim 2 or 3, characterized in that The maximum number of MIMO streams includes a maximum number of uplink MIMO streams and a maximum number of downlink MIMO streams supported by the terminal device on a first frequency band or a first carrier supported by the terminal device; The first MIMO stream number includes an uplink MIMO stream number and a downlink MIMO stream number supported by the terminal device on the first frequency band or the first carrier supported by the terminal device.

5. A communication method, characterized in that: Applied to a terminal device, the method comprises: A first message is sent to a network device, wherein the first message is used to instruct the network device to configure the number of MIMO streams for the terminal device based on a second message and a third message, wherein the second message is used to indicate the maximum number of MIMO streams supported by the terminal device, and the third message is used to indicate at least one SRS antenna switching capability supported by the terminal device.

6. The method according to claim 5, characterized in that The at least one SRS antenna switching capability corresponds to at least one second MIMO stream number, a first MIMO stream number of the at least one first MIMO stream number is equal to the maximum MIMO stream number, and a first MIMO stream number of the at least one first MIMO stream number other than the first MIMO stream number is less than the maximum MIMO stream number.

7. The method according to claim 6, characterized in that The method further comprises: Receive a fourth message from the network device, wherein the fourth message is used to indicate a second MIMO stream number configured by the network device for the terminal device based on the second message and the third message, wherein the second MIMO stream number is the maximum MIMO stream number or any first MIMO stream number among the at least one first MIMO stream number.

8. The method according to claim 6 or 7, characterized in that The maximum number of MIMO streams includes a maximum number of uplink MIMO streams and a maximum number of downlink MIMO streams supported by the terminal device on a first frequency band or a first carrier supported by the terminal device; The first MIMO stream number includes an uplink MIMO stream number and a downlink MIMO stream number supported by the terminal device on a first frequency band or a first carrier supported by the terminal device.

9. A communication method, characterized in that: Applied to a network device, the method comprises: Receive a fifth message from a terminal device, wherein the fifth message is used to indicate at least one third MIMO stream number supported by the terminal device, wherein the at least one third MIMO stream number corresponds to at least one SRS antenna switching capability, and any third MIMO stream number of the at least one third MIMO stream number is less than the maximum MIMO stream number supported by the terminal device.

10. The method according to claim 9, characterized in that The method further comprises: Based on the second message and the fifth message, configure a fourth MIMO stream number for the terminal device, where the second message is used to indicate the maximum MIMO stream number, and the fourth MIMO stream number is the maximum MIMO stream number or any third MIMO stream number among the at least one third MIMO stream number; A sixth message is sent to the terminal device, where the sixth message is used to indicate the fourth MIMO stream number.

11. The method according to claim 9 or 10, characterized in that The maximum number of MIMO streams includes a maximum number of uplink MIMO streams and a maximum number of downlink MIMO streams supported by the terminal device on a first frequency band or a first carrier supported by the terminal device; The third MIMO stream number includes an uplink MIMO stream number and a downlink MIMO stream number supported by the terminal device on the first frequency band or the first carrier supported by the terminal device.

12. A communication method, characterized in that: Applied to a terminal device, the method comprises: Send a fifth message to the network device, the fifth message being used to indicate at least one third MIMO stream number supported by the terminal device, the at least one third MIMO stream number corresponding to at least one SRS antenna switching capability, and any of the at least one third MIMO stream number A third MIMO stream number is less than a maximum MIMO stream number supported by the terminal device.

13. The method according to claim 12, characterized in that The method further comprises: Receive a sixth message from the network device, the sixth message being used to indicate a fourth MIMO stream number configured by the network device for the terminal device based on the second message and the fifth message, the second message being used to indicate the maximum MIMO stream number, the fourth MIMO stream number being the maximum MIMO stream number or any third MIMO stream number among the at least one third MIMO stream number.

14. The method according to claim 12 or 13, characterized in that The maximum number of MIMO streams includes a maximum number of uplink MIMO streams and a maximum number of downlink MIMO streams supported by the terminal device on a first frequency band or a first carrier supported by the terminal device; The third MIMO stream number includes an uplink MIMO stream number and a downlink MIMO stream number supported by the terminal device on the first frequency band or the first carrier supported by the terminal device.

15. A communication device, characterized in that: Comprising a module for executing the method as claimed in any one of claims 1 to 4, or a module for executing the method as claimed in any one of claims 5 to 8, or a module for executing the method as claimed in any one of claims 9 to 11, or a module for executing the method as claimed in any one of claims 12 to 14.

16. A communication device, characterized in that: The method comprises a processor and an interface circuit, wherein the interface circuit is used to receive signals from other communication devices other than the communication device and transmit them to the processor or send signals from the processor to other communication devices other than the communication device, and the processor implements the method as claimed in any one of claims 1 to 4, or implements the method as claimed in any one of claims 5 to 8, or implements the method as claimed in any one of claims 9 to 11, or implements the method as claimed in any one of claims 12 to 14 through a logic circuit or executing code instructions.

17. A communication device, characterized in that: include: Memory for storing computer programs; A processor, configured to call and run the computer program from the memory to implement the method as claimed in any one of claims 1 to 4, or to implement the method as claimed in any one of claims 5 to 8, or to implement the method as claimed in any one of claims 9 to 11, or to implement the method as claimed in any one of claims 12 to 14.

18. A chip system, characterized in that: include: Memory for storing computer programs; A processor, used to call and run the computer program from the memory, so that a device equipped with the chip system executes the method as described in any one of claims 1 to 4, or executes the method as described in any one of claims 5 to 8, or executes the method as described in any one of claims 9 to 11, or executes the method as described in any one of claims 12 to 14.

19. A computer program product, characterized in that The invention comprises a computer program, which, when executed by a communication device, implements the method according to any one of claims 1 to 14.

20. A computer-readable storage medium, characterized in that: The storage medium stores a computer program or an instruction. When the computer program or the instruction is executed by the communication device, the method according to any one of claims 1 to 14 is implemented.

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