Communication method and apparatus, and receiving-end device and sending-end device

Abstract

The present disclosure relates to a communication method and apparatus, and a receiving-end device and a sending-end device. The communication method comprises: a receiving-end device sending first information to a sending-end device, wherein the first information is used for indicating at least one first antenna port in a first port set, the at least one first antenna port being used as a reference for a port used by the sending-end device to perform transmission to the receiving-end device. The embodiments of the present disclosure allow the continued use of the existing system design for the far field when a receiving-end device is located in the near field of a sending antenna array of a sending-end device.

Description

Communication method, device, receiving device and transmitting device Technical Field

[0001] The present disclosure relates to the field of communication technologies, and in particular to a communication method, apparatus, receiving device, and transmitting device. Background Art

[0002] In existing cellular wireless communication systems, user equipment (UE) is typically located in the far field of the base station's transmit antenna array. As carrier frequencies increase and / or antenna arrays become larger, current far-field UEs are likely to become near-field UEs, making existing far-field designs inapplicable.

[0003] Summary of the Invention

[0004] The embodiments of the present disclosure provide a communication method, an apparatus, a receiving device, and a transmitting device.

[0005] According to a first aspect of an embodiment of the present disclosure, a communication method is provided, the method comprising:

[0006] The receiving device sends first information to the transmitting device, where the first information is used to indicate at least one first antenna port in a first port set, and the at least one first antenna port is used as a reference for the port used by the transmitting device to transmit to the receiving device.

[0007] According to a second aspect of an embodiment of the present disclosure, a communication method is provided, the method comprising:

[0008] A transmitting device receives first information sent by a receiving device, where the first information is used to indicate at least one first antenna port in a first port set, and the at least one first antenna port is used as a reference for a port used by the transmitting device to transmit to the receiving device.

[0009] According to a third aspect of an embodiment of the present disclosure, a communication device is provided, including:

[0010] A transceiver module is used for a receiving device to send first information to a sending device, where the first information is used to indicate at least one first antenna port in a first port set, and the at least one first antenna port is used as a reference for the port used by the sending device to transmit to the receiving device.

[0011] According to a fourth aspect of an embodiment of the present disclosure, a communication device is provided, including:

[0012] A transceiver module is used for a transmitting device to receive first information sent by a receiving device, where the first information is used to indicate at least one first antenna port in a first port set, and the at least one first antenna port is used as a reference for the port used by the transmitting device to transmit to the receiving device.

[0013] According to a fifth aspect of an embodiment of the present disclosure, a receiving device is provided, including:

[0014] one or more processors;

[0015] The receiving device is used to execute the communication method proposed in the first aspect of the embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0016] According to a sixth aspect of an embodiment of the present disclosure, a transmitting end device is provided, including:

[0017] one or more processors;

[0018] The transmitting device is used to execute the communication method proposed in the second aspect of the embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0019] According to the seventh aspect of an embodiment of the present disclosure, a communication system is proposed, comprising a transmitting device and a receiving device, wherein the receiving device is configured to implement the communication method proposed in the first aspect of the embodiment of the present disclosure, and the transmitting device is configured to implement the communication method proposed in the second aspect of the embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0020] According to an eighth aspect of an embodiment of the present disclosure, a storage medium is proposed, which stores instructions. When the instructions are executed on a communication device, the communication device executes the communication method proposed in the first aspect or the second aspect of the embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0021] The embodiments of the present disclosure enable existing far-field system designs to continue to be used when the receiving device is located in the near field of the transmitting antenna array of the transmitting device. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0022] In order to more clearly illustrate the technical solutions in the embodiments of the present disclosure, the following drawings required for describing the embodiments are introduced. The following drawings are merely some embodiments of the present disclosure and do not impose specific limitations on the protection scope of the present disclosure.

[0023] FIG1A is an exemplary schematic diagram of the architecture of a communication system provided according to an embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0024] FIG1B is an exemplary schematic diagram of the architecture of a communication system provided according to an embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0025] FIG2A is a schematic diagram of the near field and far field of the electromagnetic field of an antenna array provided according to an embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0026] FIG2B is an exemplary schematic diagram of beams for a UE when the UE is located in a far field and a near field, respectively, according to an embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0027] FIG3 is an exemplary interaction diagram of a communication method provided according to an embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0028] FIG4A is a schematic diagram of an exemplary flow chart of a communication method provided according to an embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0029] FIG4B is a schematic diagram of an exemplary flow chart of a communication method provided according to an embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0030] FIG4C is a schematic diagram of an exemplary flow chart of a communication method provided according to an embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0031] FIG4D is a schematic diagram of an exemplary flow chart of a communication method provided according to an embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0032] FIG5A is a schematic diagram of an exemplary flow chart of a communication method provided according to an embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0033] FIG5B is a schematic diagram of an exemplary flow chart of a communication method provided according to an embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0034] FIG5C is a schematic diagram of an exemplary flow chart of a communication method provided according to an embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0035] FIG5D is a schematic diagram of an exemplary flow chart of a communication method provided according to an embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0036] FIG6 is a schematic diagram of an exemplary interaction of a communication method provided according to an embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0037] FIG7 is a schematic diagram of an exemplary interaction of a communication method provided according to an embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0038] FIG8 is an exemplary schematic diagram of an application scenario of a communication method provided according to an embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0039] FIG9A is an exemplary schematic diagram of the structure of a communication device provided according to an embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0040] FIG9B is an exemplary schematic diagram of the structure of a communication device provided according to an embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0041] FIG10A is an exemplary schematic diagram of the structure of a communication device provided according to an embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0042] FIG10B is an exemplary schematic diagram of the structure of a chip provided according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0043] The embodiments of the present disclosure provide a communication method, an apparatus, a receiving device, and a transmitting device.

[0044] In a first aspect, an embodiment of the present disclosure proposes a communication method, comprising: a receiving device sends first information to a transmitting device, wherein the first information is used to indicate at least one first antenna port in a first port set, and the at least one first antenna port is used as a reference for a port used by the transmitting device to transmit to the receiving device.

[0045] According to the above embodiment, the receiving device can select a part of the antenna ports suitable for the receiving device in the first port set as the first antenna port, and notify the transmitting device of the first antenna port. The transmitting device can determine the port used for transmission to the receiving device based on the first antenna port, instead of directly using all antenna ports for transmission. When the receiving device is located in the near field of the transmitting antenna array of the transmitting device, the transmitting device can form a virtual small antenna array for the receiving device based on this part of the antenna ports suitable for the receiving device. The receiving device is in the far field of the virtual small antenna array, so the existing system design for the far field can continue to be used.

[0046] In combination with some embodiments of the first aspect, in some embodiments, each antenna port in the first port set corresponds to a first receiving power, and the at least one first antenna port includes at least one of the following: the M antenna ports with the largest first receiving power in the first port set, where M is an integer greater than or equal to 1; the antenna port in the first port set whose absolute value of the difference between the second receiving power and the first receiving power is less than or equal to the first power threshold, and the second receiving power is the maximum value of the first receiving powers corresponding to all antenna ports in the first port set.

[0047] According to the above embodiment, the at least one first antenna port may include the M antenna ports with the largest first received power in the first port set, and / or the antenna ports in the first port set for which the absolute value of the difference between the second received power and the first received power does not exceed the first power threshold. On the one hand, from a global perspective, power efficiency and energy efficiency can be improved. On the other hand, when the receiving device is located in the far field of the transmitting antenna array of the transmitting device, the difference between the first received power of each antenna port in the first port set measured by the receiving device in the far field is small. Therefore, the first antenna port may include all antenna ports in the first port set. Therefore, the embodiments of the present disclosure are compatible with both far-field and near-field receiving devices.

[0048] In combination with some embodiments of the first aspect, in some embodiments, the method also includes: the receiving end device obtains second information, and the second information is used by the receiving end device to determine the at least one first antenna port; the second information includes at least one of the following: the M; the first power threshold.

[0049] According to the above embodiment, the receiving end device may determine the at least one first antenna port according to at least one of the number of ports M and the first power threshold.

[0050] In combination with some embodiments of the first aspect, in some embodiments, the first information includes at least one of the following: an index of the first antenna port; an index of a second port set, the second port set is a subset of the first port set, and the first antenna port is included in the second port set.

[0051] According to the above embodiment, the receiving device can send one of the following to the transmitting device: (a) an index of each first antenna port; (b) an index of a second port set, where all or part of the first antenna ports are included in the second port set; (c) an index of a portion of the first antenna ports and an index of the second port set, where another portion of the first antenna ports are included in the second port set. By sending the index of the second port set, the antenna port indication overhead can be reduced. For example, for item (b), the first antenna port can be indicated using three bits.

[0052] In combination with some embodiments of the first aspect, in some embodiments, the method further includes: the receiving end device obtains third information, the third information is used to indicate multiple third port sets, each of the third port sets is a subset of the first port set, and the multiple third port sets are used to determine the second port set.

[0053] According to the above embodiment, the transmitting device may pre-configure multiple third port sets, or the protocol may pre-define multiple third port sets, so that the receiving device can determine the second port set from the multiple third port sets.

[0054] In second aspect, an embodiment of the present disclosure proposes a communication method, which includes: a transmitting device receives first information sent by a receiving device, the first information is used to indicate at least one first antenna port in a first port set, and the at least one first antenna port is used as a reference for the port used by the transmitting device to transmit to the receiving device.

[0055] In combination with some embodiments of the second aspect, in some embodiments, each antenna port in the first port set corresponds to a first receiving power, and the at least one first antenna port includes at least one of the following: the M antenna ports with the largest first receiving power in the first port set, where M is an integer greater than or equal to 1; the antenna port in the first port set whose absolute value of the difference between the second receiving power and the first receiving power is less than or equal to the first power threshold, and the second receiving power is the maximum value of the first receiving powers corresponding to all antenna ports in the first port set.

[0056] In combination with some embodiments of the second aspect, in some embodiments, the method also includes: the transmitting device sends second information to the receiving device, and the second information is used by the receiving device to determine the at least one first antenna port; the second information includes at least one of the following: the M; the first power threshold.

[0057] In combination with some embodiments of the second aspect, in some embodiments, the first information includes at least one of the following: an index of the first antenna port; an index of a second port set, the second port set is a subset of the first port set, and the first antenna port is included in the second port set.

[0058] In combination with some embodiments of the second aspect, in some embodiments, the method further includes: the sending device sends third information to the receiving device, the third information is used to indicate multiple third port sets, each of the third port sets is a subset of the first port set, and the multiple third port sets are used to determine the second port set.

[0059] In a third aspect, an embodiment of the present disclosure proposes a communication device, comprising: a transceiver module, configured for a receiving device to send a first information to a transmitting device, wherein the first information is used to indicate at least one first antenna port in a first port set, and the at least one first antenna port is used as a reference for a port used by the transmitting device to transmit to the receiving device.

[0060] In a fourth aspect, an embodiment of the present disclosure proposes a communication device, comprising: a transceiver module, used for a transmitting device to receive first information sent by a receiving device, wherein the first information is used to indicate at least one first antenna port in a first port set, and the at least one first antenna port is used as a reference for the port used by the transmitting device to transmit to the receiving device.

[0061] In a fifth aspect, an embodiment of the present disclosure proposes a receiving device, comprising: one or more processors; wherein the receiving device is used to execute the first aspect and the optional implementation method of the first aspect.

[0062] In a sixth aspect, an embodiment of the present disclosure proposes a sending end device, comprising: one or more processors; wherein, the sending end device is used to execute the second aspect and the optional implementation method of the second aspect.

[0063] In the seventh aspect, an embodiment of the present disclosure proposes a communication system, including a sending device and a receiving device, wherein the receiving device is configured to implement the first aspect and the optional implementation method of the first aspect, and the sending device is configured to implement the second aspect and the optional implementation method of the second aspect.

[0064] In an eighth aspect, an embodiment of the present disclosure proposes a storage medium storing instructions, which, when executed on a communication device, enables the communication device to execute the first aspect and the optional implementation method of the first aspect, or to execute the second aspect and the optional implementation method of the second aspect.

[0065] In a ninth aspect, an embodiment of the present disclosure proposes a program product. When the program product is executed by a communication device, the communication device executes the method described in the first and second aspects, and the optional implementation methods of the first and second aspects.

[0066] In a tenth aspect, an embodiment of the present disclosure proposes a computer program, which, when executed on a computer, enables the computer to execute the methods described in the first and second aspects, and the optional implementations of the first and second aspects.

[0067] In an eleventh aspect, an embodiment of the present disclosure provides a chip or a chip system, wherein the chip or chip system includes a processing circuit configured to execute the method described in accordance with the first and second aspects, and the optional implementations of the first and second aspects.

[0068] It is understandable that the above-mentioned communication devices, receiving devices, transmitting devices, communication systems, storage media, program products, computer programs, chips, or chip systems are all used to perform the methods proposed in the embodiments of the present disclosure. Therefore, the beneficial effects that can be achieved can refer to the beneficial effects of the corresponding methods and will not be repeated here.

[0069] The embodiments of the present disclosure are not exhaustive and are merely illustrative of some embodiments, and are not intended to be a specific limitation on the scope of protection of the present disclosure. In the absence of contradiction, each step in a certain embodiment can be implemented as an independent embodiment, and the steps can be arbitrarily combined. For example, a solution after removing some steps in a certain embodiment can also be implemented as an independent embodiment, and the order of the steps in a certain embodiment can be arbitrarily exchanged. In addition, the optional implementation methods in a certain embodiment can be arbitrarily combined; in addition, the embodiments can be arbitrarily combined. For example, some or all steps of different embodiments can be arbitrarily combined, and a certain embodiment can be arbitrarily combined with the optional implementation methods of other embodiments.

[0070] In each embodiment of the present disclosure, unless otherwise specified or provided for by logic, the terms and / or descriptions between the embodiments are consistent and can be referenced by each other. The technical features in different embodiments can be combined to form a new embodiment based on their inherent logical relationships.

[0071] The terms used in the embodiments of the present disclosure are only for the purpose of describing specific embodiments and are not intended to limit the present disclosure.

[0072] In the embodiments of the present disclosure, unless otherwise specified, elements expressed in the singular, such as "a", "an", "the", "above", "said", "the", "the", etc., may mean "one and only one", or "one or more", "at least one", etc. For example, when using articles such as "a", "an", "the" in English in translation, the noun following the article may be understood as a singular expression or a plural expression.

[0073] In the embodiments of the present disclosure, “plurality” refers to two or more.

[0074] In some embodiments, the terms "at least one," "one or more," "a plurality of," "multiple," etc. may be used interchangeably.

[0075] In some embodiments, descriptions such as "at least one of A and B," "A and / or B," "A in one case, B in another case," or "in response to one case A, in response to another case B" may include the following technical solutions depending on the situation: in some embodiments, A (A is executed independently of B); in some embodiments, B (B is executed independently of A); in some embodiments, execution is selected from A and B (A and B are selectively executed); and in some embodiments, A and B (both A and B are executed). The above is also applicable when there are more branches such as A, B, and C.

[0076] In some embodiments, "A or B" and other descriptions may include the following technical solutions depending on the situation: in some embodiments, A (A is executed independently of B); in some embodiments, B (B is executed independently of A); in some embodiments, execution is selected from A and B (A and B are selectively executed). The above is also applicable when there are more branches such as A, B, C, etc.

[0077] The prefixes such as "first" and "second" in the embodiments of the present disclosure are only used to distinguish different description objects and do not constitute any restriction on the position, order, priority, quantity or content of the description objects. For the statement of the description object, please refer to the description in the context of the claims or embodiments, and no unnecessary restriction should be constituted due to the use of prefixes. For example, if the description object is a "field", the ordinal number before the "field" in the "first field" and the "second field" does not limit the position or order between the "fields". "First" and "second" do not limit whether the "fields" they modify are in the same message, nor do they limit the order of the "first field" and the "second field". For another example, if the description object is a "level", the ordinal number before the "level" in the "first level" and the "second level" does not limit the priority between the "levels". For another example, the number of description objects is not limited by the ordinal number and can be one or more. Taking "first device" as an example, the number of "devices" can be one or more. In addition, the objects modified by different prefixes can be the same or different. For example, if the description object is "device", then the "first device" and the "second device" can be the same device or different devices, and their types can be the same or different; for another example, if the description object is "information", then the "first information" and the "second information" can be the same information or different information, and their contents can be the same or different.

[0078] In some embodiments, “including A,” “comprising A,” “used to indicate A,” and “carrying A” can be interpreted as directly carrying A or indirectly indicating A.

[0079] In some embodiments, terms such as "in response to...", "in response to determining...", "in the case of...", "at the time of...", "when...", "if...", "if...", etc. can be used interchangeably.

[0080] In some embodiments, terms such as "greater than", "greater than or equal to", "not less than", "more than", "more than or equal to", "not less than", "higher than", "higher than or equal to", "not less than", and "above" can be replaced with each other, and terms such as "less than", "less than or equal to", "not greater than", "less than", "less than or equal to", "not more than", "lower than", "lower than or equal to", "not higher than", and "below" can be replaced with each other.

[0081] In some embodiments, devices and equipment can be interpreted as physical or virtual, and their names are not limited to the names recorded in the embodiments. In some cases, they can also be understood as "equipment", "device", "circuit", "network element", "node", "function", "unit", "section", "system", "network", "chip", "chip system", "entity", "subject", etc.

[0082] In some embodiments, "network" can be interpreted as devices included in the network, such as access network equipment, core network equipment, etc.

[0083] In some embodiments, "access network device (AN device)" may also be referred to as "radio access network device (RAN device)", "base station (BS)", "radio base station", "fixed station", and in some embodiments may also be understood as "node", "access point", "transmission point (TP)", "reception point (RP)", "transmission and / or reception point (TRP)" "panel", "antenna panel", "antenna array", "cell", "macro cell", "small cell", "femto cell", "pico cell", "sector", "cell group", "serving cell", "carrier", "component carrier", "bandwidth part (BWP)", etc.

[0084] In some embodiments, "terminal" or "terminal device" may be referred to as "user equipment (UE)", "user terminal" "mobile station (MS)", "mobile terminal (MT)", subscriber station, mobile unit, subscriber unit, wireless unit, remote unit, mobile device, wireless device, wireless communication device, remote device, mobile subscriber station, access terminal, mobile terminal, wireless terminal, remote terminal, handset, user agent, mobile client, client, etc.

[0085] In some embodiments, obtaining data, information, etc. may comply with the laws and regulations of the country where the data is obtained.

[0086] In some embodiments, data, information, etc. may be obtained with the user's consent.

[0087] In addition, each element, each row, or each column in the table of the embodiment of the present disclosure can be implemented as an independent embodiment, and the combination of any elements, any rows, and any columns can also be implemented as an independent embodiment.

[0088] FIG1A is a schematic diagram illustrating the architecture of a communication system according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. As shown in FIG1A , communication system 110 includes a transmitting device 1101 and a receiving device 1102. Transmitting device 1101 may be a terminal or a network device. Receiving device 1102 may be a terminal or a network device. In some embodiments, transmitting device 1101 is a network device, and receiving device 1102 is a terminal, but the present invention is not limited thereto.

[0089] FIG1B is a schematic diagram of the architecture of a communication system according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. As shown in FIG1B , the communication system 120 includes a terminal 1201 and a network device 1202. The network device 1202 includes, for example, an access network device. The terminal 1201 can communicate with the network device 1202 via a physical uplink control channel (PUCCH) and / or a physical uplink shared channel (PUSCH). For example, the terminal 1201 can provide feedback of first information to the network device 1202 via the PUCCH or PUSCH.

[0090] In some embodiments, the terminal includes, for example, a mobile phone, a wearable device, an Internet of Things device, a car with communication function, a smart car, a tablet computer, a computer with wireless transceiver function, a virtual reality (VR) terminal device, an augmented reality (AR) terminal device, a wireless terminal device in industrial control, a wireless terminal device in self-driving, a wireless terminal device in remote medical surgery, a wireless terminal device in a smart grid, a wireless terminal device in transportation safety, a wireless terminal device in a smart city, and at least one of a wireless terminal device in a smart home, but is not limited thereto.

[0091] In some embodiments, the access network device is, for example, a node or device that accesses a terminal to a wireless network. The access network device may include an evolved NodeB (eNB), a next generation evolved NodeB (ng-eNB), a next generation NodeB (gNB), a node B (NB), a home node B (HNB), a home evolved nodeB (HeNB), a wireless backhaul device, a radio network controller (RNC), a base station controller (BSC), a base transceiver station (BTS), a base band unit (BBU), a mobile switching center, a base station in a 6G communication system, an open base station (Open RAN), a cloud base station (Cloud RAN), a base station in other communication systems, and at least one of an access node in a Wi-Fi system, but is not limited thereto.

[0092] In some embodiments, the technical solution of the present disclosure can be applied to the Open RAN architecture. In this case, the interfaces between or within the access network devices involved in the embodiments of the present disclosure can be transformed into internal interfaces of the Open RAN, and the processes and information interactions between these internal interfaces can be implemented through software or programs.

[0093] In some embodiments, the access network device can be composed of a centralized unit (CU) and a distributed unit (DU), where the CU can also be called a control unit. The CU-DU structure can be used to split the protocol layer of the access network device, with the functions of some protocol layers centrally controlled by the CU, and the functions of the remaining part or all of the protocol layers distributed in the DU, which is centrally controlled by the CU, but is not limited to this.

[0094] It can be understood that the communication system described in the embodiment of the present disclosure is for the purpose of more clearly illustrating the technical solution of the embodiment of the present disclosure, and does not constitute a limitation on the technical solution proposed in the embodiment of the present disclosure. Ordinary technicians in this field can know that with the evolution of the system architecture and the emergence of new business scenarios, the technical solution proposed in the embodiment of the present disclosure is also applicable to similar technical problems.

[0095] The following embodiments of the present disclosure can be applied to the communication system 110 shown in FIG1A or a portion thereof, and can be applied to the communication system 120 shown in FIG1B or a portion thereof, but are not limited thereto. The entities shown in FIG1A and FIG1B are examples. The communication system may include all or part of the entities in FIG1A or FIG1B, or may include other entities other than those in FIG1A and FIG1B. The number and form of each entity are arbitrary. Each entity can be physical or virtual. The connection relationship between the entities is an example. The entities can be connected or disconnected. The connection can be in any manner, and can be direct or indirect, and can be wired or wireless.

[0096] The embodiments of the present disclosure may be applied to Long Term Evolution (LTE), LTE-Advanced (LTE-A), LTE-Beyond (LTE-B), SUPER 3G, IMT-Advanced, 4th generation mobile communication system (4G), 5th generation mobile communication system (5G), 5G New Radio (NR), Future Radio Access (FRA), New-Radio Access Technology (RAT), New Radio (NR), New Radio Access (NX), Future Generation Radio Access (FX), Global System for Mobile Communications (GSM (registered trademark)), CDMA2000, Ultra Mobile Broadband (UMB), IEEE 802.11 (Wi-Fi (registered trademark)), IEEE 802.16 (WiMAX (registered trademark)), IEEE 802.17 (WiMAX (registered trademark)), IEEE 802.18 (WiMAX (registered trademark)), IEEE 802.19 (WiMAX (registered trademark)), IEEE 802.20 (WiMAX (registered trademark)), IEEE 802.21 (WiMAX (registered trademark)), IEEE 802.22 (WiMAX (registered trademark)), IEEE 802.23 (WiMAX (registered trademark)), IEEE 802.24 (WiMAX (registered trademark)), IEEE 802.25 (WiMAX (registered trademark)), IEEE 802.26 (WiMAX (registered trademark)), IEEE 802.27 (WiMAX (registered trademark)), IEEE 802.28 (WiMAX (registered trademark)), IEEE 802.29 (WiMAX (registered trademark)), IEEE 802.30 (WiMAX (registered trademark)), IEEE 802.31 (WiMAX (registered trademark)), IEEE 802.32 (WiMAX (registered trademark)), IEEE 802.33 (WiMAX (registered trademark)), 802.20, Ultra-WideBand (UWB), Bluetooth (registered trademark), Public Land Mobile Network (PLMN) networks, Device-to-Device (D2D) systems, Machine-to-Machine (M2M) systems, Internet of Things (IoT) systems, Vehicle-to-Everything (V2X), systems utilizing other communication methods, and next-generation systems based on and extending these methods. Furthermore, multiple systems may be combined (for example, a combination of LTE or LTE-A with 5G).

[0097] Currently, mid- and low-frequency spectrum resources are already extremely crowded. To meet the demand for ever-increasing data rates, exploration has begun for higher-frequency spectrum resources, such as millimeter wave and terahertz bands. High-frequency transmission is subject to greater transmission attenuation, especially due to severe absorption by water molecules and oxygen in the air. Therefore, the transmission distance and coverage of high-frequency transmission are very limited.

[0098] On the one hand, higher frequencies mean shorter wavelengths. Compared to medium and low-frequency spectrum, more antennas can be deployed with the same aperture size, such as large-scale antennas or very large-scale antennas. On the other hand, large-scale antennas can have greater beamforming gain, which can effectively compensate for severe transmission losses, thereby expanding coverage and transmission distance. Therefore, high-frequency transmission and large-scale antenna technology are a pair of complementary technologies. As a combination of the two, high-frequency massive multiple input multiple output (MIMO) technology has good prospects. It is worth noting that high-frequency massive MIMO will lead to the hardening of wireless channels, which are mainly based on line-of-sight (LoS) propagation.

[0099] For a given antenna array (its antenna aperture is denoted as D), its electromagnetic (EM) field can be divided into near field and far field, as shown in Figure 2A. The boundary between the near field and the far field is called the Rayleigh distance, which is 2D 2 / λ. Clearly, the near-field range depends on the antenna aperture D and the wavelength λ. In existing cellular wireless communication systems, user equipment (UE) is mostly located in the far field of the base station's transmit antenna array. As mentioned above, as the carrier frequency increases and / or the antenna array becomes larger, the near-field range will expand. Even if the existing network topology remains unchanged, such as the distance between base stations and the distribution of UEs, currently far-field UEs are likely to become near-field UEs.

[0100] In the far field, the electromagnetic wave received by the UE is a plane wave, and the beam for the UE is a two-dimensional (2D) directional beam pointing to the target UE. For any path in multipath propagation, the time and phase of different antennas (elements) leaving the base station transmitting antenna array are equally spaced, as shown in Figure 2B. Currently, the codebooks of almost all MIMO systems are constructed based on Discrete Fourier Transform (DFT) vectors. For example, the codebook in 4G LTE consists of DFT vectors and their Householder transformed vectors. In 5G NR, the Type 1 codebook consists of DFT vectors and their oversampled versions; the Type 2 codebook uses DFT vectors and their oversampled versions as spatial orthogonal basis vectors (W1), and uses the orthogonal basis and projection coefficients to represent each precoding vector or matrix.

[0101] If the UE is in the near field, the electromagnetic waves received by the UE are spherical waves, and the beam targeting the UE is a three-dimensional (3D) beam surrounding the target UE. For any path in multipath propagation, the time and phase of the different antennas (elements) leaving the base station's transmit antenna array will no longer be equidistant, as shown in Figure 2B. When the UE is in the near field, as described above, for any path in multipath propagation, the time and phase of the transmission from the base station's transmit antenna array will no longer be equidistant, which means that the codebook constructed based on the DFT vector will no longer be suitable for near-field UEs.

[0102] As mentioned above, if the UE is located in the near field, some existing system designs for the far field will no longer be applicable. To solve the above problem, in some implementations, a large-scale antenna array or a very large-scale antenna array is divided into multiple sub-arrays, and the UE is located in the far field of the sub-array. In this way, all existing far-field system designs can be reused. The problem with the above implementation is that the method of dividing a large-scale antenna array or a very large-scale antenna array into multiple sub-arrays is generally static or semi-static, and does not take into account the specific location of the near-field UE in the near field, lacking flexibility. In other words, the sub-arrays used to transmit data to different near-field UEs are of the same size. Obviously, this is bound to lead to a decline in system performance.

[0103] FIG3 is an interactive diagram of a communication method according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. As shown in FIG3 , the embodiment of the present disclosure relates to a communication method, and the method includes:

[0104] Step S3101: The transmitting device sends second information to the receiving device.

[0105] In some embodiments, the second information is used by a receiving device to determine at least one first antenna port in a first port set. The first port set is a set of antenna ports configured by a transmitting device. Optionally, the antenna port may be a channel state information reference signal (CSI-RS) port configured by the transmitting device, or may be another antenna port, which is not limited in the embodiments of the present disclosure. Optionally, the receiving device receives the second information.

[0106] In some embodiments, the name of the second information is not limited, and it can be, for example, "configuration information", "port reporting configuration", etc.

[0107] In some embodiments, the second information includes at least one of the following:

[0108] The number of ports M, where M is an integer greater than or equal to 1;

[0109] The first power threshold Δp.

[0110] In some embodiments, the second information is carried in at least one of the following:

[0111] Radio resource control (RRC);

[0112] Medium access control (MAC) control element (CE);

[0113] Downlink control information (DCI).

[0114] In some embodiments, step S3101 is optional. For example, the second information may be predefined by the communication protocol. For example, the number of ports M and / or the first power threshold Δp may be predefined by the communication protocol. For example, the number of ports M and / or the first power threshold Δp may be default values.

[0115] Step S3102: The transmitting device sends third information to the receiving device.

[0116] In some embodiments, the third information is used to indicate multiple third port sets, each third port set is a subset of the first port set. In a possible implementation, the intersection of one third port set and another third port set may be an empty set, or the intersection of one third port set and another third port set may not be an empty set, or one third port set is a subset of another third port set. For example, the antenna ports included in the third port set #1 may be port #0 to port #7, the antenna ports included in the third port set #2 may be port #0 to port #4, and the antenna ports included in the third port set #3 may be port #7 to port #10. Optionally, the receiving device receives the third information.

[0117] In some embodiments, the third information is used by the receiving device to send the first information. Specifically, the multiple third port sets indicated by the third information are used to determine the second port set, and the receiving device sends the first information to the sending device based on the second port set, for example, the first information includes an index of the second port set.

[0118] In some embodiments, the name of the third port set is not limited, and it may be, for example, a "candidate port set".

[0119] In some embodiments, the third information may be carried in at least one of the following: RRC; MAC CE; DCI. The second information and the third information may be carried in the same information / message / signaling, or in different information / messages / signaling.

[0120] In some embodiments, step S3102 is an optional step. For example, the third information may be predefined by the communication protocol, or the receiving device may not need the third information.

[0121] Step S3103: The receiving device sends first information to the sending device.

[0122] In some embodiments, the first information is used to indicate at least one first antenna port in the first port set, and the at least one first antenna port is used by the transmitting device to determine the port to be used for transmission to the receiving device, that is, used as a reference for the port to be used by the transmitting device to transmit to the receiving device. Optionally, the transmitting device receives the first information.

[0123] In some embodiments, the name of the first antenna port is not limited, and it can be, for example, "favorable port", "valid port", etc. The name of the first information is also not limited, and it can be, for example, "port indication information", "favorable port indicator (FPI)", "valid port indicator (VPI)", etc.

[0124] In some embodiments, the receiving device determines at least one first antenna port in the first port set based on the second information. The at least one first antenna port may include some antenna ports in the first port set, or include all antenna ports in the first port set. Optionally, the at least one first antenna port may include antenna ports in the first port set that meet preset conditions. As an example, the at least one first antenna port includes an antenna port with greater receive power in the first port set, but is not limited to this. The at least one first antenna port may include antenna ports in the first port set that meet other conditions.

[0125] For ease of description, the received power of each antenna port in the first port set is hereinafter referred to as the first received power, that is, each antenna port in the first port set corresponds to a first received power. In some embodiments, the received power of each antenna port may be an average received power. Optionally, the average received power may be the average received energy of the antenna port on each reference signal resource element (RE), that is, EPRE (energy per resource element). Taking the antenna port as a CSI-RS port as an example, the received power of a CSI-RS port is the average received power of the CSI-RS port. Optionally, the average received power of the CSI-RS port may be the average received energy of the CSI-RS port on each CSI-RS RE, that is, EPRE.

[0126] In some embodiments, the at least one first antenna port includes at least one of the following:

[0127] M antenna ports with the largest first received power in the first port set;

[0128] The antenna port in the first port set has an absolute value of the difference between the second received power and the first received power less than or equal to the first power threshold, and the second received power is the maximum value of the first received powers corresponding to all antenna ports in the first port set.

[0129] In some embodiments, the name of the first power threshold is not limited, and it is, for example, "power offset threshold". The first power threshold is used to indicate the maximum tolerance of power imbalance between antenna ports. Optionally, the units of the first received power and the second received power can be watts (W), milliwatts (mW), decibel watts (dBW), or decibel milliwatts (dBmW). The difference between the second received power and the first received power can be the difference between the linear power values ​​(in W or mW), or the difference between the logarithmic values ​​of the power (in dBW or dBmW), that is, the logarithmic value of the ratio of the linear power values ​​(in decibels (dB)). Accordingly, the unit of the first power threshold can be W, mW, dBW, dBmW, or dB.

[0130] In some embodiments, the at least one first antenna port is denoted as S={i|p max -p i ≤△p}, where p i is the first received power of the antenna port indexed by i in the first port set, obtained by the receiving device measuring the reference signal (such as CSI-RS) configured by the transmitting device, and p max is the second received power, p max=max i∈P p i , P is the first port set configured on the sending device.

[0131] In some embodiments, the second information includes the number of ports M, and the at least one first antenna port includes M antenna ports with the largest first receiving power in the first port set.

[0132] In some embodiments, the second information includes a first power threshold Δp, and the at least one first antenna port includes all (or part of) antenna ports in the first port set whose absolute value of the difference between the second received power and the first received power is less than or equal to Δp.

[0133] In some embodiments, the second information includes the number of ports M and the first power threshold △p, and the at least one first antenna port includes M antenna ports in the first port set whose absolute value of the difference between the second receiving power and the first receiving power is less than or equal to △p.

[0134] In some embodiments, the first information includes at least one of the following:

[0135] an index of a first antenna port;

[0136] An index of a second port set, where the second port set is a subset of the first port set, and the first antenna port is included in the second port set.

[0137] The receiving device may send one of the following to the transmitting device: (a) an index of each first antenna port; (b) an index of a second port set, where all or some of the first antenna ports are included in the second port set; or (c) an index of some of the first antenna ports and an index of the second port set, where another portion of the first antenna ports are included in the second port set. By sending the index of the second port set, the antenna port indication overhead can be reduced. For example, for item (b), the first antenna port can be indicated using three bits.

[0138] In some embodiments, the second port set may be determined according to multiple third port sets predefined by a protocol or indicated by a transmitting device. For example, the second port set is a third port set including the first antenna port.

[0139] In some embodiments, the transmission channel of the first information may be a PUSCH or a PUCCH, that is, the first information may be carried on the PUSCH or the PUCCH. The first information sent by the receiving device to the transmitting device may be periodic, aperiodic, or semi-persistent.

[0140] According to the above embodiment, the receiving device can select a part of the antenna ports suitable for the receiving device in the first port set as the first antenna port, and notify the transmitting device of the first antenna port. The transmitting device can determine the port used for transmission to the receiving device based on the first antenna port, instead of directly using all antenna ports for transmission. When the receiving device is located in the near field of the transmitting antenna array of the transmitting device, the transmitting device can form a virtual small antenna array for the receiving device based on this part of the antenna ports suitable for the receiving device. The receiving device is in the far field of the virtual small antenna array, so the existing system design for the far field can continue to be used.

[0141] According to an optional embodiment, the at least one first antenna port determined by the receiving device may include the M antenna ports with the largest first received power in the first port set, and / or the antenna ports in the first port set whose absolute value of the difference between the second received power and the first received power does not exceed the first power threshold. On the one hand, from a global perspective, power efficiency and energy efficiency can be improved. On the other hand, when the receiving device is located in the far field of the transmitting antenna array of the transmitting device, the difference between the first received power of each antenna port in the first port set measured by the receiving device in the far field is small, so the first antenna port may include all antenna ports in the first port set. Therefore, the embodiment of the present disclosure is compatible with far-field and near-field receiving devices.

[0142] In some embodiments, the names of information, etc. are not limited to the names described in the embodiments, and terms such as "information", "message", "signal", "signaling", "report", "configuration", "indication", "instruction", "command", "channel", "parameter", "domain", "field", "symbol", "symbol", "codeword", "codebook", "codeword", "codepoint", "bit", "data", "program", and "chip" can be used interchangeably.

[0143] In some embodiments, the terms "codebook," "codeword," and "precoding matrix" may be used interchangeably. For example, a codebook may be a collection of one or more codewords / precoding matrices.

[0144] In some embodiments, the terms "downlink control information (DCI)", "downlink (DL) assignment", "DL DCI", "uplink (UL) grant", "UL DCI" and the like may be used interchangeably.

[0145] In some embodiments, the terms "physical uplink shared channel (PUSCH)", "UL data", etc. can be used interchangeably.

[0146] In some embodiments, "obtain", "get", "get", "receive", "transmit", "bidirectional transmission", "send and / or receive" can be interchangeable, and can be interpreted as receiving from other entities, obtaining from protocols, obtaining from higher layers, obtaining by self-processing, autonomous implementation, etc.

[0147] In some embodiments, terms such as "send", "transmit", "report", "download", "transmit", "bidirectional transmission", "send and / or receive" can be used interchangeably.

[0148] In some embodiments, terms such as "certain", "preset", "preset", "setting", "indicated", "a certain", "any", and "first" can be interchangeable. "Specific A", "preset A", "preset A", "setting A", "indicated A", "a certain A", "any A", and "first A" can be interpreted as A pre-specified in a protocol, etc., or as A obtained through setting, configuration, or indication, etc., or as specific A, a certain A, any A, or first A, etc., but not limited to this.

[0149] The communication method involved in the embodiments of the present disclosure may include at least one of steps S3101 to S3103. For example, step S3101 may be implemented as an independent embodiment, step S3102 may be implemented as an independent embodiment, step S3103 may be implemented as an independent embodiment, step S3101 + step S3103 may be implemented as an independent embodiment, and step S3102 + step S3103 may be implemented as independent embodiments, but the present invention is not limited thereto.

[0150] In some embodiments, step S3101 and step S3102 may be executed in an interchanged order or simultaneously.

[0151] In some embodiments, step S3101 and step S3102 are optional, and one or more of these steps may be omitted or replaced in different embodiments.

[0152] FIG4A is a flow chart of a communication method according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. As shown in FIG4A , the embodiment of the present disclosure relates to a communication method, which is applied to a receiving device, such as a terminal, and includes:

[0153] Step S4101: Obtain second information.

[0154] The optional implementation of step S4101 can refer to the optional implementation of step S3101 in Figure 3 and other related parts in the embodiment involved in Figure 3, which will not be repeated here.

[0155] In some embodiments, the receiving device receives the second information sent by the sending device, but is not limited thereto and may also receive the second information sent by other entities.

[0156] In some embodiments, the receiving device obtains second information specified by the protocol.

[0157] In some embodiments, the receiving device obtains the second information from an upper layer(s).

[0158] In some embodiments, the receiving device performs processing to obtain the second information.

[0159] In some embodiments, step S4101 is an optional step.

[0160] Step S4102: Obtain third information.

[0161] The optional implementation of step S4102 can refer to the optional implementation of step S3102 in Figure 3 and other related parts in the embodiment involved in Figure 3, which will not be repeated here.

[0162] In some embodiments, the receiving device receives the third information sent by the sending device, but is not limited thereto and may also receive the third information sent by other entities.

[0163] In some embodiments, the receiving device obtains third information specified by the protocol.

[0164] In some embodiments, the receiving device obtains the third information from upper layer(s).

[0165] In some embodiments, the receiving device performs processing to obtain the third information.

[0166] In some embodiments, step S4102 is an optional step. Step S4101 and step S4102 can be performed in an interchangeable order or simultaneously.

[0167] Step S4103: Send the first information.

[0168] The optional implementation of step S4103 can refer to the optional implementation of step S3103 in Figure 3 and other related parts in the embodiment involved in Figure 3, which will not be repeated here.

[0169] FIG4B is a flow chart of a communication method according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. As shown in FIG4B , the embodiment of the present disclosure relates to a communication method, which is applied to a receiving device, such as a terminal, and includes:

[0170] Step S4201: Obtain second information.

[0171] Optional implementations of step S4201 can be found in step S3101 of FIG. 3 , optional implementations of step S4101 of FIG. 4A , and other related parts in the embodiments involved in FIG. 3 and FIG. 4A , which will not be described in detail here.

[0172] In some embodiments, step S4201 is an optional step.

[0173] Step S4202: Send the first information.

[0174] The optional implementation of step S4202 can refer to the optional implementation of step S3103 in Figure 3 and other related parts in the embodiment involved in Figure 3, which will not be repeated here.

[0175] In some embodiments, the receiving device determines at least one first antenna port in the first port set based on the second information.

[0176] In some embodiments, the first information may include an index of each first antenna port.

[0177] FIG4C is a flow chart of a communication method according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. As shown in FIG4C , the embodiment of the present disclosure relates to a communication method, which is applied to a receiving device, such as a terminal, and includes:

[0178] Step S4301: Obtain third information.

[0179] The optional implementation of step S4301 can refer to step S3102 in Figure 3, the optional implementation of step S4102 in Figure 4A, and other related parts in the embodiments involved in Figures 3 and 4A, which will not be repeated here.

[0180] In some embodiments, the third information is used to indicate a plurality of third port sets, each of which is a subset of the first port set. The plurality of third port sets are used to determine the second port set.

[0181] In some embodiments, step S4301 is an optional step.

[0182] Step S4302: Send the first information.

[0183] The optional implementation of step S4302 can refer to the optional implementation of step S3103 in Figure 3 and other related parts in the embodiment involved in Figure 3, which will not be repeated here.

[0184] In some embodiments, the receiving device may obtain at least one of the number of ports M and the first power threshold Δp, and determine at least one first antenna port in the first port set based on the at least one of the number of ports M and the first power threshold Δp. Optionally, the at least one of the number of ports M and the first power threshold Δp may be obtained based on the second information, or may be specified by a protocol, or may be a default value.

[0185] In some embodiments, the first information includes at least one of the following:

[0186] an index of a first antenna port;

[0187] An index of a second port set, where the second port set is a subset of the first port set, and the first antenna port is included in the second port set.

[0188] In some embodiments, the receiving device may determine a third port set including the first antenna port as the second port set.

[0189] FIG4D is a flow chart of a communication method according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. As shown in FIG4D , the embodiment of the present disclosure relates to a communication method, which is applied to a receiving device, such as a terminal, and includes:

[0190] Step S4401: Send the first information.

[0191] The optional implementation of step S4401 can refer to the optional implementation of step S3103 in Figure 3 and other related parts in the embodiment involved in Figure 3, which will not be repeated here.

[0192] FIG5A is a flow chart of a communication method according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. As shown in FIG5A , the embodiment of the present disclosure relates to a communication method, which is applied to a sending end device, such as a network device, and the method includes:

[0193] Step S5101: Send the second information.

[0194] The optional implementation of step S5101 can refer to the optional implementation of step S3101 in Figure 3 and other related parts in the embodiment involved in Figure 3, which will not be repeated here.

[0195] In some embodiments, step S5101 is an optional step.

[0196] Step S5102: Send the third information.

[0197] The optional implementation of step S5102 can refer to the optional implementation of step S3102 in Figure 3 and other related parts in the embodiment involved in Figure 3, which will not be repeated here.

[0198] In some embodiments, step S5102 is an optional step.

[0199] Step S5103: Receive first information.

[0200] The optional implementation of step S5103 can refer to the optional implementation of step S3103 in Figure 3 and other related parts in the embodiment involved in Figure 3, which will not be repeated here.

[0201] FIG5B is a flow chart of a communication method according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. As shown in FIG5B , the embodiment of the present disclosure relates to a communication method, which is applied to a sending end device, such as a network device, and the method includes:

[0202] Step S5201: Send the second information.

[0203] The optional implementation of step S5201 can refer to the optional implementation of step S3101 in Figure 3 and other related parts in the embodiment involved in Figure 3, which will not be repeated here.

[0204] In some embodiments, step S5201 is an optional step.

[0205] Step S5202: Receive first information.

[0206] The optional implementation of step S5202 can refer to the optional implementation of step S3103 in Figure 3 and other related parts in the embodiment involved in Figure 3, which will not be repeated here.

[0207] FIG5C is a flow chart of a communication method according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. As shown in FIG5C , the embodiment of the present disclosure relates to a communication method, which is applied to a sending end device, such as a network device, and includes:

[0208] Step S5301: Send the third information.

[0209] The optional implementation of step S5301 can refer to the optional implementation of step S3102 in Figure 3 and other related parts in the embodiment involved in Figure 3, which will not be repeated here.

[0210] In some embodiments, step S5301 is an optional step.

[0211] Step S5302: Receive first information.

[0212] The optional implementation of step S5302 can refer to the optional implementation of step S3103 in Figure 3 and other related parts in the embodiment involved in Figure 3, which will not be repeated here.

[0213] FIG5D is a flow chart of a communication method according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. As shown in FIG5D , the embodiment of the present disclosure relates to a communication method, which is applied to a sending end device, such as a network device, and the method includes:

[0214] Step S5401: Receive first information.

[0215] The optional implementation of step S5401 can refer to the optional implementation of step S3103 in Figure 3 and other related parts in the embodiment involved in Figure 3, which will not be repeated here.

[0216] Figure 6 is an interactive diagram of a communication method according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. As shown in Figure 6, the embodiment of the present disclosure relates to a communication method, which includes:

[0217] Step S6101: The receiving device sends first information to the sending device.

[0218] The optional implementation of step S6101 can refer to the optional implementation of step S3103 in Figure 3 and other related parts in the embodiment involved in Figure 3, which will not be repeated here.

[0219] Figure 7 is an interactive diagram of a communication method according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. As shown in Figure 7, the embodiment of the present disclosure relates to a communication method, which includes:

[0220] Step S7101: The base station sends configuration information to the terminal.

[0221] In some embodiments, the configuration information is used by the base station to configure the terminal to report the first antenna port.

[0222] In some embodiments, the configuration information is used by the base station to configure at least one of the number of ports M and the first power threshold Δp. The unit of the first power threshold may be W, mW, dBW, dBmW, or dB.

[0223] In some embodiments, the above configuration information can be sent through at least one signaling of RRC, MAC CE, and DCI.

[0224] Step S7102: The terminal determines at least one first antenna port.

[0225] The terminal determines at least one first antenna port according to the configuration information. Optionally, the at least one first antenna port includes at least one of the following:

[0226] M antenna ports with the largest receiving power in the first port set;

[0227] The antenna ports in the first port set have an absolute value of a difference between the received power and the maximum received power that is less than or equal to the first power threshold. The maximum received power is the maximum value of the received powers corresponding to all antenna ports in the first port set.

[0228] Optionally, the antenna port refers to a CSI-RS port configured by the base station. Accordingly, the first port set refers to a set of CSI-RS ports configured by the base station.

[0229] Optionally, the received power of the antenna port is the average received power or average received energy (EPRE) of the corresponding CSI-RS port.

[0230] Step S7103: The terminal sends first information to the base station.

[0231] In some embodiments, the first information includes at least one of the following:

[0232] an index of a first antenna port;

[0233] An index of a second port set, where the second port set is a subset of the first port set, and the first antenna port is included in the second port set.

[0234] Optionally, the terminal determines the second port set from multiple candidate port sets, for example, selects a candidate port set including the first antenna port from the multiple candidate port sets as the second port set.

[0235] Optionally, the mapping relationship (table) between multiple candidate port sets and their indexes may be statically or semi-statically configured by the base station, or predefined by a protocol.

[0236] The first information feedback may be periodic, aperiodic, or semi-persistent. The feedback channel may be PUSCH or PUCCH.

[0237] In the embodiments of the present disclosure, some or all of the steps and their optional implementations may be arbitrarily combined with some or all of the steps in other embodiments, or may be arbitrarily combined with the optional implementations of other embodiments.

[0238] Figure 8 is a schematic diagram illustrating an application scenario of a communication method according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. As shown in Figure 8, the base station is equipped with a very large-scale antenna array, corresponding to 32 transceiver units (TXRUs), and the base station configures 32 CSI-RS ports for each UE.

[0239] For UE1, the base station also configures it with a port number M=4. UE1 measures 32 CSI-RS ports and selects M=4 antenna ports with the largest receiving power, numbered 0, 1, 2, 3, that is, S1={0, 1, 2, 3}, and reports the number of each antenna port included in S1 to the base station through PUCCH or PUSCH, or reports the number of the second port set corresponding to S1 to the base station through PUCCH or PUSCH.

[0240] For UE2 and UE3, the base station also configures a first power threshold Δp = 3dB. UE2 measures the 32 CSI-RS ports and selects the six ports with the highest received power and an absolute difference from the maximum received power less than Δp. These ports are numbered 26, 27, 28, 29, 30, and 31, respectively. This means S2 = {26, 27, 28, 29, 30, 31}. UE2 then reports the number of each antenna port included in S2 to the base station via the PUCCH or PUSCH, or reports the number of the second port set corresponding to S2 to the base station via the PUCCH or PUSCH. Similarly, UE3 measures the 32 CSI-RS ports and selects the 7 ports with the maximum received power and the absolute value of the difference with the maximum received power is less than △p. They are numbered as follows: 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, that is, S3 = {12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18}, and reports the number of each antenna port included in S3 to the base station through PUCCH or PUSCH, or reports the number of the second port set corresponding to S3 to the base station through PUCCH or PUSCH.

[0241] According to the embodiments of the present disclosure, a method for selecting and reporting UE antenna ports is proposed. For a near-field UE, the base station can form a virtual small antenna array for the UE using a subset of antenna ports that are most suitable for the UE. Since the UE is in the far field of this virtual small antenna array, existing far-field system designs can continue to be used. Furthermore, as a special case, a far-field UE will select all antenna ports. Therefore, the embodiments of the present disclosure are compatible with both far-field and near-field UEs.

[0242] The embodiments of the present disclosure further provide an apparatus for implementing any of the above methods. For example, an apparatus is provided, comprising units or modules for implementing each step performed by a terminal in any of the above methods. For another example, another apparatus is provided, comprising units or modules for implementing each step performed by a network device (e.g., an access network device, a core network function node, a core network device, etc.) in any of the above methods.

[0243] It should be understood that the division of the various units or modules in the above device is merely a division of logical functions. In actual implementation, they may be fully or partially integrated into a physical entity, or they may be physically separated. In addition, the units or modules in the device may be implemented in the form of a processor calling software: for example, the device includes a processor, the processor is connected to a memory, and the memory stores instructions. The processor calls the instructions stored in the memory to implement any of the above methods or implement the functions of the various units or modules of the above device, wherein the processor is, for example, a general-purpose processor, such as a central processing unit (CPU) or a microprocessor, and the memory is a memory within the device or a memory outside the device. Alternatively, the units or modules in the device can be implemented in the form of hardware circuits, and the functions of some or all of the units or modules can be realized by designing the hardware circuits. The above-mentioned hardware circuits can be understood as one or more processors; for example, in one implementation, the above-mentioned hardware circuit is an application-specific integrated circuit (ASIC), which realizes the functions of some or all of the above units or modules by designing the logical relationship of the components in the circuit; for example, in another implementation, the above-mentioned hardware circuit can be realized by a programmable logic device (PLD). Taking a field programmable gate array (FPGA) as an example, it can include a large number of logic gate circuits, and the connection relationship between the logic gate circuits is configured by configuring the configuration file, thereby realizing the functions of some or all of the above units or modules. All units or modules of the above devices can be realized in the form of software called by the processor, or in the form of hardware circuits, or in part by the form of software called by the processor, and the rest by hardware circuits.

[0244] In the embodiments of the present disclosure, the processor is a circuit with signal processing capabilities. In one implementation, the processor can be a circuit with instruction reading and execution capabilities, such as a central processing unit (CPU), a microprocessor, a graphics processing unit (GPU) (which can be understood as a microprocessor), or a digital signal processor (DSP). In another implementation, the processor can implement certain functions through the logical relationship of the hardware circuit. The logical relationship of the above-mentioned hardware circuit is fixed or reconfigurable. For example, the processor is a hardware circuit implemented by an application-specific integrated circuit (ASIC) or a programmable logic device (PLD), such as an FPGA. In a reconfigurable hardware circuit, the process of the processor loading a configuration document and implementing the hardware circuit configuration can be understood as the process of the processor loading instructions to implement the functions of some or all of the above units or modules. In addition, it can also be a hardware circuit designed for artificial intelligence, which can be understood as an ASIC, such as a neural network processing unit (NPU), a tensor processing unit (TPU), a deep learning processing unit (DPU), etc.

[0245] Figure 9A is a schematic diagram of the structure of the communication device proposed in an embodiment of the present disclosure. As shown in Figure 9A, the communication device 9100 may include: at least one of a transceiver module 9101, a processing module 9102, etc. In some embodiments, the above-mentioned transceiver module is used for the receiving device to send the first information to the transmitting device. Optionally, the above-mentioned transceiver module is used to execute at least one of the communication steps such as sending and / or receiving (such as step S3103, but not limited to this) performed by the receiving device in any of the above methods, which will not be repeated here. Optionally, the above-mentioned processing module is used to execute at least one of the other steps performed by the receiving device in any of the above methods, which will not be repeated here.

[0246] Figure 9B is a schematic diagram of the structure of the communication device proposed in an embodiment of the present disclosure. As shown in Figure 9B, the communication device 9200 may include: at least one of a transceiver module 9201, a processing module 9202, etc. In some embodiments, the above-mentioned transceiver module is used for the transmitting device to receive the first information sent by the receiving device. Optionally, the above-mentioned transceiver module is used to execute at least one of the communication steps such as sending and / or receiving (for example, step S3101, step S3102, but not limited to this) performed by the transmitting device in any of the above methods, which will not be repeated here. Optionally, the above-mentioned processing module is used to execute at least one of the other steps performed by the transmitting device in any of the above methods, which will not be repeated here.

[0247] In some embodiments, the transceiver module may include a transmitting module and / or a receiving module, and the transmitting module and the receiving module may be separate or integrated. Optionally, the transceiver module may be interchangeable with the transceiver.

[0248] In some embodiments, the processing module can be a single module or can include multiple submodules. Optionally, the multiple submodules respectively execute all or part of the steps required to be executed by the processing module. Optionally, the processing module can be interchangeable with the processor.

[0249] Figure 10A is a schematic diagram of the structure of a communication device 10100 proposed in an embodiment of the present disclosure. Communication device 10100 can be a network device (e.g., an access network device), a terminal (e.g., a user equipment), a chip, a chip system, or a processor that supports a network device in implementing any of the above methods, or a chip, a chip system, or a processor that supports a terminal in implementing any of the above methods. Communication device 10100 can be used to implement the methods described in the above method embodiments. For details, please refer to the description of the above method embodiments.

[0250] As shown in FIG10A , a communication device 10100 includes one or more processors 10101. Processor 10101 may be a general-purpose processor or a dedicated processor, for example, a baseband processor or a central processing unit. The baseband processor may be used to process communication protocols and communication data, and the central processing unit may be used to control a communication device (e.g., a base station, a baseband chip, a terminal device, a terminal device chip, a DU or CU, etc.), execute programs, and process program data. The communication device 10100 is used to perform any of the above methods.

[0251] In some embodiments, the communication device 10100 further includes one or more memories 10102 for storing instructions. Optionally, all or part of the memory 10102 may be located outside the communication device 10100.

[0252] In some embodiments, the communication device 10100 further includes one or more transceivers 10103. When the communication device 10100 includes one or more transceivers 10103, the transceiver 10103 performs at least one of the communication steps such as sending and / or receiving in the above method (for example, step S3101, step S3102, and step S3103, but not limited thereto), and the processor 10101 performs at least one of the other steps.

[0253] In some embodiments, a transceiver may include a receiver and / or a transmitter. The receiver and transmitter may be separate or integrated. Optionally, the terms transceiver, transceiver unit, transceiver, and transceiver circuit may be used interchangeably; the terms transmitter, transmitting unit, transmitter, and transmitting circuit may be used interchangeably; and the terms receiver, receiving unit, receiver, and receiving circuit may be used interchangeably.

[0254] In some embodiments, the communication device 10100 may include one or more interface circuits 10104. Optionally, the interface circuit 10104 is connected to the memory 10102. The interface circuit 10104 may be configured to receive signals from the memory 10102 or other devices, or to send signals to the memory 10102 or other devices. For example, the interface circuit 10104 may read instructions stored in the memory 10102 and send the instructions to the processor 10101.

[0255] The communication device 10100 described in the above embodiments may be a network device or a terminal, but the scope of the communication device 10100 described in the present disclosure is not limited thereto, and the structure of the communication device 10100 may not be limited by FIG. 10A. The communication device may be an independent device or may be part of a larger device. For example, the communication device may be: 1) an independent integrated circuit IC, or a chip, or a chip system or subsystem; (2) a collection of one or more ICs, optionally, the above IC collection may also include a storage component for storing data or programs; (3) an ASIC, such as a modem; (4) a module that can be embedded in other devices; (5) a receiver, a terminal device, an intelligent terminal device, a cellular phone, a wireless device, a handheld device, a mobile unit, an in-vehicle device, a network device, a cloud device, an artificial intelligence device, etc.; (6) others, etc.

[0256] 10B is a schematic diagram of the structure of a chip 10200 according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. If the communication device 10100 can be a chip or a chip system, reference can be made to the schematic diagram of the structure of the chip 10200 shown in FIG10B , but the present disclosure is not limited thereto.

[0257] Chip 10200 includes one or more processors 10201, and chip 10200 is used to execute any of the above methods.

[0258] In some embodiments, chip 10200 further includes one or more interface circuits 10202. Optionally, interface circuit 10202 is connected to memory 10203. Interface circuit 10202 can be used to receive signals from memory 10203 or other devices, or to send signals to memory 10203 or other devices. For example, interface circuit 10202 can read instructions stored in memory 10203 and send the instructions to processor 10201.

[0259] In some embodiments, the interface circuit 10202 executes at least one of the communication steps such as sending and / or receiving in the above method (for example, step S3101, step S3102, step S3103, but not limited thereto), and the processor 10201 executes at least one of the other steps.

[0260] In some embodiments, terms such as interface circuit, interface, transceiver pin, and transceiver may be used interchangeably.

[0261] In some embodiments, the chip 10200 further includes one or more memories 10203 for storing instructions. Alternatively, all or part of the memories 10203 may be outside the chip 10200.

[0262] The present disclosure also provides a storage medium having instructions stored thereon. When the instructions are executed on the communication device 10100, the communication device 10100 is caused to execute any of the above methods. Optionally, the storage medium is an electronic storage medium. Optionally, the storage medium is a computer-readable storage medium, but is not limited thereto and may also be a storage medium readable by other devices. Optionally, the storage medium may be a non-transitory storage medium, but is not limited thereto and may also be a transient storage medium.

[0263] The present disclosure also provides a program product, which, when executed by the communication device 10100, enables the communication device 10100 to perform any of the above methods. Optionally, the program product is a computer program product.

[0264] The present disclosure also proposes a computer program, which, when executed on a computer, causes the computer to perform any one of the above methods.

Claims

1. A communication method, characterized in that, The method includes: The receiving device sends first information to the sending device, where the first information is used to indicate at least one first antenna port in a first port set, and the at least one first antenna port is used as a reference for the ports used by the sending device to transmit to the receiving device.

2. The method according to claim 1, characterized in that Each antenna port in the first port set corresponds to a first received power respectively, and the at least one first antenna port includes at least one of the following: The M antenna ports with the largest first received power in the first port set, where M is an integer greater than or equal to 1; The antenna ports in the first port set whose absolute value of the difference between the second received power and the first received power is less than or equal to a first power threshold, and the second received power is the maximum value of the first received powers respectively corresponding to all antenna ports in the first port set.

3. The method according to claim 2, wherein The method further includes: The receiving device obtains second information, where the second information is used for the receiving device to determine the at least one first antenna port; The second information includes at least one of the following: The M; The first power threshold.

4. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 3, characterized in that, The first information includes at least one of the following: The index of the first antenna port; The index of a second port set, where the second port set is a subset of the first port set and the first antenna port is included in the second port set.

5. The method according to claim 4, wherein The method further includes: The receiving device obtains third information, where the third information is used to indicate a plurality of third port sets, and each of the third port sets is a subset of the first port set, and the plurality of third port sets are used to determine the second port set.

6. A communication method, characterized in that, The method includes: The sending device receives the first information sent by the receiving device, where the first information is used to indicate at least one first antenna port in a first port set, and the at least one first antenna port is used as a reference for the ports used by the sending device to transmit to the receiving device.

7. The method according to claim 6, wherein Each antenna port in the first port set corresponds to a first received power respectively, and the at least one first antenna port includes at least one of the following: The M antenna ports with the largest first received power in the first port set, where M is an integer greater than or equal to 1; The antenna ports in the first port set whose absolute value of the difference between the second received power and the first received power is less than or equal to a first power threshold, and the second received power is the maximum value of the first received powers respectively corresponding to all antenna ports in the first port set.

8. The method according to claim 7, wherein The method further includes: The sending device sends second information to the receiving device, where the second information is used for the receiving device to determine the at least one first antenna port; The second information includes at least one of the following: The M; The first power threshold.

9. The method according to any one of claims 6-8, characterized in that The first information includes at least one of the following: The index of the first antenna port; The index of a second port set, where the second port set is a subset of the first port set and the first antenna port is included in the second port set.

10. The method according to claim 9, characterized in that, The method further includes: The sending device sends third information to the receiving device, where the third information is used to indicate a plurality of third port sets, each of the third port sets being a subset of the first port set, and the plurality of third port sets are used to determine the second port set.

11. A communication device, characterized in that, Comprising: a transceiver module, configured to receive, by a receiving device, first information from a sending device, where the first information is used to indicate at least one first antenna port in a first port set, and the at least one first antenna port is a reference for a port used by the sending device to transmit to the receiving device.

12. A communication device, characterized in that, Comprising: a transceiver module, configured to receive, by a sending device, first information from a receiving device, where the first information is used to indicate at least one first antenna port in a first port set, and the at least one first antenna port is a reference for a port used by the sending device to transmit to the receiving device.

13. A receiving-end device, characterized in that, Comprising: one or more processors; Wherein, the receiving device is configured to execute the communication method according to any one of claims 1-5.

14. A transmitting end device, characterized in that, Comprising: one or more processors; Wherein, the sending device is configured to execute the communication method according to any one of claims 6-10.

15. A communication system, characterized in that, Comprising a sending device and a receiving device, wherein the receiving device is configured to implement the communication method according to any one of claims 1-5, and the sending device is configured to implement the communication method according to any one of claims 6-10.

16. A storage medium, wherein the storage medium stores instructions, characterized in that, When the instruction runs on a communication device, the communication device is caused to execute the communication method according to any one of claims 1-5 or 6-10.

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