Communication method and apparatus

Abstract

The present application provides a communication method and a communication apparatus. The method comprises: receiving a first reference signal and a second reference signal on a first uplink transmission resource, wherein the first reference signal is from a first user equipment, the second reference signal is from a second user equipment, and the first user equipment and the second user equipment belong to a first group of user equipment; sending first information on the basis of the first reference signal and the second reference signal, wherein the first information is used for instructing the first user equipment to send a third reference signal on a second uplink transmission resource, the first uplink transmission resource is located in a first time portion, the second uplink transmission resource is located in a second time portion, and the first time portion and the second time portion are located in a first time period; and receiving the third reference signal on the second uplink transmission resource.

Description

Communication method and device

[0001] This application claims priority to the Chinese patent application filed with the State Intellectual Property Office of China on January 30, 2024, with application number 202410132993.1 and application name “A Communication Method and Device”, the entire contents of which are incorporated by reference into this application. Technical Field

[0002] The present application relates to the field of communications, and in particular to a communication method and a communication device. Background Art

[0003] When multiple user equipment (UE) in a region need to obtain the same information, a single base station (BS) would face significant pressure to simultaneously transmit information to multiple UEs using unicast. This is especially true when UE services have high latency and reliability requirements, making it impossible to achieve highly reliable transmission for all UEs. Given that UEs in the same region typically have consistent information requests, the same information can be sent to all UEs via multicast, improving resource utilization efficiency.

[0004] In a multicast scenario, multiple UEs need to use reference signals to assess channel quality and perform beam management. The reference signals for each UE are independently configured. As the number of UEs in the group increases, the overhead of reference signal resources becomes too large, resulting in fewer resources for data transmission and reduced resource utilization efficiency of the system.

[0005] How to reduce the overhead of reference signal resources and improve resource utilization efficiency in multicast scenarios is an urgent problem to be solved. Summary of the Invention

[0006] The present application provides a communication method and a communication device, which design group-granular reference signal resources based on multicast characteristics, reduce the overhead of multicast reference signal resources, and improve resource utilization efficiency.

[0007] In a first aspect, a communication method is provided, which can be executed by a network device, or by a module (eg, a chip or circuit) of the network device, without limitation.

[0008] The method may include: receiving a first reference signal and a second reference signal on a first uplink transmission resource, the first reference signal coming from a first user equipment, the second reference signal coming from a second user equipment, and the first user equipment and the second user equipment belonging to a first group of user equipment; sending first information based on the first reference signal and the second reference signal, the first information instructing the first user equipment to send a third reference signal on a second uplink transmission resource, the first uplink transmission resource being located in a first time portion, the second uplink transmission resource being located in a second time portion, and the first time portion and the second time portion being located in a first time period; and receiving the third reference signal on the second uplink transmission resource.

[0009] With the above solution, the reference signal reported by the first group of user equipments can be used to determine whether the first user equipment alone reports a reference signal, thereby eliminating the need for all user equipments to report a reference signal on the second uplink transmission resource, thereby reducing resource consumption.

[0010] In combination with the first aspect, in some implementations of the first aspect, sending the first information includes: sending the first information to a first group of user equipment, the first information includes a first field, and the first field indicates identification information of the first user equipment.

[0011] With the above solution, the first information is sent to the first group of user equipments in a multicast manner, so that the first group of user equipments can determine whether they need to send a reference signal on the second uplink transmission resource according to the identification information in the first information.

[0012] In combination with the first aspect, in some implementations of the first aspect, the method also includes: receiving a fourth reference signal on the first uplink transmission resource, the fourth reference signal coming from a third user device, and the third user device belonging to the first group of user devices; sending first information according to the first reference signal and the second reference signal, including: sending the first information according to the first reference signal, the second reference signal, and the fourth reference signal.

[0013] In combination with the first aspect, in some implementations of the first aspect, the method further includes: sending fourth information based on the first reference signal, the second reference signal and the fourth reference signal, the fourth information instructing the third user equipment to send a fifth reference signal on the second uplink transmission resource; and also receiving the fifth reference signal on the second uplink transmission resource.

[0014] With the above solution, it is possible to determine that some of the user equipments in the first group report reference signals on the second uplink transmission resource based on the reference signals reported by the first group of user equipments, thereby eliminating the need for all user equipments to report reference signals on the second uplink transmission resource, thereby reducing resource consumption.

[0015] In combination with the first aspect, in some implementations of the first aspect, the fourth information includes a second field, and the second field indicates identification information of the third user equipment.

[0016] In combination with the first aspect, in some implementations of the first aspect, the first time period includes a first cycle.

[0017] Through the above scheme, the first group of user equipment can periodically send reference signals to the network device and the network device determines the user equipment that needs to report the reference signal separately, wherein the first time part where the first uplink transmission resource is located and the second time part where the second uplink transmission resource is located together constitute the first period.

[0018] In combination with the first aspect, in some implementations of the first aspect, the method also includes: receiving a sixth reference signal and a seventh reference signal on a third uplink transmission resource, the sixth reference signal coming from a first user device, and the seventh reference signal coming from a second user device; sending second information based on the sixth reference signal and the seventh reference signal, the second information instructing the second user device to send an eighth reference signal on a fourth uplink transmission resource, the third uplink transmission resource being located in a third time portion, the fourth uplink transmission resource being located in a fourth time portion, and the third time portion and the fourth time portion being located in a second time period; receiving the eighth reference signal on the fourth uplink transmission resource.

[0019] With the above solution, the user equipment that needs to send the reference signal on the second uplink transmission resource can be re-determined based on the reference signal reported again by the first group of user equipments.

[0020] In combination with the first aspect, in some implementations of the first aspect, the method further includes: sending third information to the first user equipment, where the third information instructs the first user equipment to stop sending a third reference signal on the second uplink transmission resource.

[0021] With the above solution, it is possible to determine that the first user equipment no longer needs to send a reference signal separately through the reference signal reported again by the first group of user equipments, thereby instructing the first user equipment to cancel sending the reference signal on the second uplink transmission resource.

[0022] In combination with the first aspect, in some implementations of the first aspect, the method also includes: receiving a sixth reference signal and a seventh reference signal on a third uplink transmission resource, the sixth reference signal coming from a first user device, and the seventh reference signal coming from a second user device; sending second information based on the sixth reference signal and the seventh reference signal, the second information instructing the first user device to send an eighth reference signal on a fourth uplink transmission resource, the third uplink transmission resource being located in a third time portion, the fourth uplink transmission resource being located in a fourth time portion, and the third time portion and the fourth time portion being located in a second time period; receiving the eighth reference signal on the fourth uplink transmission resource.

[0023] With the above solution, the user equipment that needs to send a reference signal separately can be re-determined based on the reference signal reported again by the first group of user equipments.

[0024] In combination with the first aspect, in some implementations of the first aspect, the method also includes: receiving a ninth reference signal on a third uplink transmission resource, the ninth reference signal coming from a third user device, and the third user device belonging to the first group of user devices; sending second information according to the sixth reference signal and the seventh reference signal, including: sending the second information according to the sixth reference signal, the seventh reference signal, and the ninth reference signal.

[0025] In combination with the first aspect, in some implementations of the first aspect, the method further includes: sending fifth information based on the sixth reference signal, the seventh reference signal and the ninth reference signal, the fifth information instructing the third user equipment to send a tenth reference signal on the fourth uplink transmission resource; and also receiving the tenth reference signal on the fourth uplink transmission resource.

[0026] In combination with the first aspect, in some implementations of the first aspect, the second time period includes a second cycle.

[0027] Through the above scheme, the first group of user equipment can periodically send reference signals to the network device and the network device determines the user equipment that needs to report the reference signal separately, wherein the third time part in which the third uplink transmission resource is located and the fourth time part in which the fourth uplink transmission resource is located together constitute the second period.

[0028] In combination with the first aspect, in some implementations of the first aspect, the method also includes: sending resource configuration information of the second uplink transmission resource to the first group of terminal devices, the resource configuration information of the second uplink transmission resource is used to determine one or more of the starting time slot of the second uplink transmission resource, the sending period of the reference signal on the second uplink transmission resource, and the number of sending times of the reference signal on the second uplink transmission resource.

[0029] In combination with the first aspect, in some implementations of the first aspect, the resource configuration information of the second uplink transmission resource includes a third field, and the third field indicates the offset between the start time slot of the second uplink transmission resource and the end time slot of the first uplink transmission resource.

[0030] In combination with the first aspect, in some implementations of the first aspect, the resource configuration information of the second uplink transmission resource includes a fourth field, and the fourth field indicates a starting time slot of the second uplink transmission resource.

[0031] In combination with the first aspect, in some implementations of the first aspect, the resource configuration information of the second uplink transmission resource includes a fifth field, and the fifth field indicates the number of times the reference signal is sent on the second uplink transmission resource.

[0032] In combination with the first aspect, in some implementations of the first aspect, the method also includes: sending resource configuration information of the fourth uplink transmission resource to the first group of terminal devices, the resource configuration information of the fourth uplink transmission resource is used to determine one or more of the starting time slot of the fourth uplink transmission resource, the sending period of the reference signal on the fourth uplink transmission resource, and the number of sending times of the reference signal on the fourth uplink transmission resource.

[0033] In combination with the first aspect, in some implementations of the first aspect, the resource configuration information of the fourth uplink transmission resource includes a field indicating an offset between a start time slot of the fourth uplink transmission resource and an end time slot of the third uplink transmission resource.

[0034] In combination with the first aspect, in some implementations of the first aspect, the resource configuration information of the fourth uplink transmission resource includes a field indicating a starting time slot of the fourth uplink transmission resource.

[0035] With reference to the first aspect, in some implementations of the first aspect, the resource configuration information of the fourth uplink transmission resource includes a field indicating the number of times the reference signal is sent on the fourth uplink transmission resource.

[0036] In combination with the first aspect, in some implementations of the first aspect, when the first time period is a first cycle and the second time period is a second cycle, the offset between the start time slot of the fourth uplink transmission resource and the end time slot of the third uplink transmission resource indicated by the resource configuration information of the fourth uplink transmission resource is equal to the offset between the start time slot of the second uplink transmission resource and the end time slot of the first uplink transmission resource.

[0037] With reference to the first aspect, in some implementations of the first aspect, the number of times the reference signal is sent on the second uplink transmission resource is equal to the number of times the reference signal is sent on the fourth uplink transmission resource.

[0038] In a second aspect, a communication method is provided, which may be executed by a first user device, or may be executed by a module (eg, a chip or circuit) of the first user device, without limitation.

[0039] The method may include: sending a first reference signal on a first uplink transmission resource; receiving first information, the first information instructing a first user equipment to send a third reference signal on a second uplink transmission resource, the first information being determined based on the first reference signal and a second reference signal sent by a second user equipment, the first user equipment and the second user equipment belonging to a first group of user equipment, the first uplink transmission resource being located in a first time portion, the second uplink transmission resource being located in a second time portion, and the first time portion and the second time portion being located in a first time period; sending the third reference signal on the second uplink transmission resource.

[0040] With the above solution, the reference signal reported by the first group of user equipments can be used to determine whether the first user equipment reports a reference signal on the second uplink transmission resource, thereby eliminating the need for all user equipments to report a reference signal on the second uplink transmission resource, thereby reducing resource consumption.

[0041] In combination with the second aspect, in some implementations of the second aspect, the first information includes a first field, and the first field indicates identification information of the first user equipment.

[0042] With the above solution, the first information is sent to the first group of user equipments in a multicast manner, so that the first user equipments can determine that they need to send a reference signal on the second uplink transmission resource according to the identification information in the first information.

[0043] In combination with the second aspect, in some implementations of the second aspect, the first information is also determined based on a fourth reference signal sent by a third user equipment, and the third user equipment belongs to the first group of user equipments.

[0044] In combination with the second aspect, in some implementations of the second aspect, the first information further includes a second field, and the second field indicates identification information of the third user equipment.

[0045] In combination with the second aspect, in some implementations of the second aspect, the first time period includes a first cycle.

[0046] Through the above scheme, the first group of user equipment can periodically send reference signals to the network device and the network device determines the user equipment that needs to report the reference signal separately, wherein the first time part where the first uplink transmission resource is located and the second time part where the second uplink transmission resource is located together constitute the first period.

[0047] In combination with the second aspect, in some implementations of the second aspect, the method also includes: sending a sixth reference signal on a third uplink transmission resource; receiving second information, the second information instructing the second user equipment to send an eighth reference signal on a fourth uplink transmission resource, the second information being determined based on the sixth reference signal and the seventh reference signal sent by the second user equipment, the third uplink transmission resource being located in a third time portion, the fourth uplink transmission resource being located in a fourth time portion, and the third time portion and the fourth time portion being located in a second time period.

[0048] In combination with the second aspect, in some implementations of the second aspect, the method further includes: sending a sixth reference signal on a third uplink transmission resource; receiving third information, the third information instructing the first user equipment to stop sending the third reference signal on the second uplink transmission resource.

[0049] In combination with the second aspect, in some implementations of the second aspect, the second time period includes a second cycle.

[0050] Through the above scheme, the first group of user equipment can periodically send reference signals to the network device and the network device determines the user equipment that needs to report the reference signal separately, wherein the third time part in which the third uplink transmission resource is located and the fourth time part in which the fourth uplink transmission resource is located together constitute the second period.

[0051] In combination with the second aspect, in some implementations of the second aspect, the method also includes: receiving resource configuration information of the second uplink transmission resource, the resource configuration information of the second uplink transmission resource is used to determine one or more of the starting time slot of the second uplink transmission resource, the sending period of the reference signal on the second uplink transmission resource, and the number of sending times of the reference signal on the second uplink transmission resource.

[0052] In combination with the second aspect, in some implementations of the second aspect, the resource configuration information of the second uplink transmission resource includes a third field, and the third field indicates the offset between the start time slot of the second uplink transmission resource and the end time slot of the first uplink transmission resource.

[0053] In combination with the second aspect, in some implementations of the second aspect, the resource configuration information of the second uplink transmission resource includes a fourth field, and the fourth field indicates a starting time slot of the second uplink transmission resource.

[0054] In combination with the second aspect, in some implementations of the second aspect, the resource configuration information of the second uplink transmission resource includes a fifth field, and the fifth field indicates the number of times the reference signal is sent on the second uplink transmission resource.

[0055] In combination with the second aspect, in some implementations of the second aspect, the method also includes: receiving resource configuration information of a fourth uplink transmission resource, the resource configuration information of the fourth uplink transmission resource being used to determine one or more of the starting time slot of the fourth uplink transmission resource, the sending period of the reference signal on the fourth uplink transmission resource, and the number of sending times of the reference signal on the fourth uplink transmission resource.

[0056] In combination with the second aspect, in some implementations of the second aspect, the resource configuration information of the fourth uplink transmission resource includes a field indicating an offset between a start time slot of the fourth uplink transmission resource and an end time slot of the third uplink transmission resource.

[0057] In combination with the second aspect, in some implementations of the second aspect, the resource configuration information of the fourth uplink transmission resource includes a field indicating a starting time slot of the fourth uplink transmission resource.

[0058] In combination with the second aspect, in some implementations of the second aspect, the resource configuration information of the fourth uplink transmission resource includes a field indicating the number of times the reference signal is sent on the fourth uplink transmission resource.

[0059] In combination with the second aspect, in some implementations of the second aspect, when the first time period is a first cycle and the second time period is a second cycle, the offset between the start time slot of the fourth uplink transmission resource and the end time slot of the third uplink transmission resource indicated by the resource configuration information of the fourth uplink transmission resource is equal to the offset between the start time slot of the second uplink transmission resource and the end time slot of the first uplink transmission resource.

[0060] With reference to the first aspect, in some implementations of the first aspect, the number of times the reference signal is sent on the second uplink transmission resource is equal to the number of times the reference signal is sent on the fourth uplink transmission resource.

[0061] In combination with the second aspect, in some implementations of the second aspect, the method also includes: determining the starting time slot of the second uplink transmission resource, there is a first offset between the starting time slot and the first time slot, and the first time slot is the time slot in which one of the user devices in the first group of user devices sends a reference signal on the first uplink transmission resource.

[0062] In combination with the second aspect, in some implementations of the second aspect, the method also includes: determining the starting time slot of the fourth uplink transmission resource, there is a second offset between the starting time slot and the second time slot, and the second time slot is the time slot in which one of the user devices in the first group of user devices sends a reference signal on the third uplink transmission resource.

[0063] In combination with the second aspect, in some implementations of the second aspect, the method further includes: stopping sending the third reference signal on the second uplink transmission resource.

[0064] In combination with the second aspect, in some implementations of the second aspect, the method further includes: when the number of times the third reference signal is sent is equal to the number of times the reference signal is sent on the second uplink transmission resource, stopping sending the third reference signal on the second uplink transmission resource.

[0065] In combination with the second aspect, in some implementations of the second aspect, the method further includes: when the number of times the eighth reference signal is sent is equal to the number of times the reference signal is sent on the fourth uplink transmission resource, stopping sending the eighth reference signal on the fourth uplink transmission resource.

[0066] In combination with the second aspect, in some implementations of the second aspect, the method further includes: when the number of times the sixth reference signal is sent is equal to the number of times the reference signal is sent on the fourth uplink transmission resource, stopping sending the sixth reference signal on the fourth uplink transmission resource.

[0067] According to a third aspect, a wireless communication device is provided, comprising modules or units for executing the method according to the first aspect or any possible implementation of the first aspect.

[0068] In a fourth aspect, a wireless communication device is provided, comprising modules or units for executing the method in the second aspect or any possible implementation of the second aspect.

[0069] In a fifth aspect, a communication device is provided, comprising a processor coupled to a memory, and configured to execute the method of any possible implementation of the first aspect. In one possible implementation, the memory is included in the communication device. In another possible implementation, the communication device further comprises a communication interface, and the processor is coupled to the communication interface.

[0070] In one implementation, the communication device is a network device. When the communication device is a network device, the communication interface may be a transceiver or an input / output interface. In one possible implementation, the transceiver may be a transceiver circuit. In one possible implementation, the input / output interface may be an input / output circuit.

[0071] In another implementation, the communication device is a chip or a chip system. When the communication device is a chip or a chip system, the communication interface can be an input / output interface, interface circuit, output circuit, input circuit, pin, or related circuit on the chip or chip system. The processor can also be embodied as a processing circuit or a logic circuit.

[0072] In a sixth aspect, a communication device is provided, comprising a processor coupled to a memory, and configured to execute the method of any possible implementation of the second aspect. In one possible implementation, the memory is included in the communication device. In another possible implementation, the communication device further comprises a communication interface, and the processor is coupled to the communication interface.

[0073] In one implementation, the communication device is a first user equipment. When the communication device is the first user equipment, the communication interface may be a transceiver or an input / output interface. In one possible implementation, the transceiver may be a transceiver circuit. In one possible implementation, the input / output interface may be an input / output circuit.

[0074] In another implementation, the communication device is a chip or a chip system. When the communication device is a chip or a chip system, the communication interface can be an input / output interface, interface circuit, output circuit, input circuit, pin, or related circuit on the chip or chip system. The processor can also be embodied as a processing circuit or a logic circuit.

[0075] In a seventh aspect, a communication device is provided, comprising: an input circuit, an output circuit, and a processing circuit. The processing circuit is configured to receive a signal via the input circuit and transmit a signal via the output circuit, so that the method of any of the first and second aspects, and any possible implementation of the aforementioned aspects, is implemented.

[0076] In a specific implementation, the communication device may be a chip, the input circuit may be an input pin, the output circuit may be an output pin, and the processing circuit may be a transistor, a gate circuit, a trigger, or various logic circuits. The input signal received by the input circuit may be, for example, but not limited to, received and input by a receiver, and the signal output by the output circuit may be, for example, but not limited to, output to a transmitter and transmitted by the transmitter. The input circuit and the output circuit may be different circuits or the same circuit, in which case the circuit functions as an input circuit and an output circuit at different times. The embodiments of the present application do not limit the specific implementation of the processor and various circuits.

[0077] In an eighth aspect, a processing device is provided, comprising a processor and a memory. The processor is configured to read instructions stored in the memory and receive signals via a receiver and transmit signals via a transmitter to execute the method of any one of the first and second aspects, and any possible implementation of the aforementioned aspects.

[0078] In a possible implementation, there are one or more processors and one or more memories.

[0079] In a possible implementation, the memory may be integrated with the processor, or the memory may be provided separately from the processor.

[0080] In the specific implementation process, the memory can be a non-transitory memory, such as a read-only memory (ROM), which can be integrated with the processor on the same chip or can be set on different chips. The embodiments of the present application do not limit the type of memory and the setting method of the memory and the processor.

[0081] It should be understood that related data interaction processes, such as sending indication information, can be the process of outputting indication information from the processor, and receiving capability information can be the process of receiving input capability information from the processor. Specifically, the output data of the processing can be output to the transmitter, and the input data received by the processor can come from the receiver. The transmitter and receiver can be collectively referred to as a transceiver.

[0082] The processor in the above aspects can be a chip, which can be implemented by hardware or software. When implemented by hardware, the processor can be a logic circuit, an integrated circuit, etc.; when implemented by software, the processor can be a general-purpose processor, which is implemented by reading the software code stored in the memory. The memory can be integrated in the processor or located outside the processor and exist independently.

[0083] In the ninth aspect, a computer program product is provided, which includes: a computer program (also referred to as code, or instructions), which, when run, enables a computer to execute any one of the first to second aspects, as well as any possible implementation method of the above aspects.

[0084] In the tenth aspect, a computer-readable storage medium is provided, which stores a computer program (also referred to as code, or instructions). When the computer program is run on a computer, the computer executes any one of the first to second aspects above, as well as any possible implementation of the above aspects.

[0085] In the eleventh aspect, a chip system is provided, comprising a memory and a processor, wherein the memory is used to store a computer program, and the processor is used to call and run the computer program from the memory, so that a communication device equipped with the chip system executes any one of the first to second aspects above, as well as a method in any possible implementation of the above aspects.

[0086] Among them, the chip system may include an input circuit or interface for sending information or data, and an output circuit or interface for receiving information or data.

[0087] In a twelfth aspect, a communication system is provided, comprising at least one of the aforementioned network device, a first user device, a second user device, and a third user device. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0088] FIG1 is a schematic diagram of an example of a communication system to which the present application is applied.

[0089] FIG2 is a schematic flowchart of a communication method provided in an embodiment of the present application.

[0090] FIG3 is a schematic diagram of a resource configuration provided in an embodiment of the present application.

[0091] FIG4 is a schematic diagram of a resource configuration provided in an embodiment of the present application.

[0092] FIG5 is a schematic diagram of a resource configuration provided in an embodiment of the present application.

[0093] FIG6 is a schematic diagram of a resource configuration provided in an embodiment of the present application.

[0094] FIG7 is a schematic diagram of a resource configuration provided in an embodiment of the present application.

[0095] FIG8 is a schematic block diagram of a communication device provided in an embodiment of the present application.

[0096] FIG9 is a schematic block diagram of a communication device provided in an embodiment of the present application. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0097] The technical solution in this application will be described below with reference to the accompanying drawings.

[0098] The technical solutions of the embodiments of the present application can be applied to various communication systems, such as: long term evolution (LTE) system, LTE frequency division duplex (FDD) system, LTE time division duplex (TDD) system, universal mobile telecommunication system (UMTS), worldwide interoperability for microwave access (WiMAX) communication system, fifth generation (5G) system or new radio (NR) and future communication systems, vehicle-to-other devices (V2X), where V2X may include vehicle to network (V2N), vehicle to vehicle (V2V), vehicle to infrastructure (V2I), vehicle to pedestrian (V2P), etc., long term evolution-vehicle (LTE-V), Internet of Vehicles, machine type communication (MTC), Internet of Things (IoT), etc. things, IoT), long term evolution-machine (LTE-M), machine to machine (M2M), etc.

[0099] For example, FIG1 is a schematic diagram of a communication system applicable to an embodiment of the present application. As shown in FIG1 , the communication system includes a radio access network (RAN) 100 and a core network (CN) 200. The RAN 100 includes at least one RAN node (such as 110a and 110b, collectively referred to as 110) and at least one terminal device (such as 120a-120j, collectively referred to as 120). The RAN 100 may also include other RAN nodes, such as wireless relay devices and / or wireless backhaul devices (not shown in FIG1 ). The terminal device 120 is connected to the RAN node 110 wirelessly. The RAN node 110 is connected to the core network 200 wirelessly or by wire. The core network device in the core network 200 and the RAN node 110 in the RAN 100 may be different physical devices, or they may be the same physical device that integrates the core network logical functions and the radio access network logical functions.

[0100] The RAN 100 may be a 3GPP-related cellular system, such as a 4G or 5G mobile communication system, or a future-oriented evolutionary system (such as a 6G mobile communication system). The RAN 100 may also be an open access network (O-RAN or ORAN), a cloud RAN (CRAN), or a wireless fidelity (WiFi) system. The RAN 100 may also be a communication system that integrates two or more of the above systems.

[0101] RAN node 110, sometimes also referred to as access network equipment, RAN entity, or access node, constitutes part of a communication system and facilitates wireless access for terminal devices. Multiple RAN nodes 110 in the communication system can be of the same type or different types. In some scenarios, the roles of RAN node 110 and terminal device 120 are relative. For example, network element 120i can be a helicopter or drone configured as a mobile base station. For terminal device 120j accessing RAN 100 via network element 120i, network element 120i is a base station; however, for base station 110a, network element 120i is a terminal device. RAN node 110 and terminal 120 are sometimes referred to as communication devices. For example, network elements 110a and 110b can be understood as communication devices with base station functionality, and network elements 120a-120j can be understood as communication devices with terminal functionality.

[0102] In one possible scenario, a RAN node may be a base station (BS), an eNodeB, an access point (AP), a Transmitter Relay (TRP), a gNB, a next-generation base station in a 6G mobile communication system, a base station in a future mobile communication system, or an access node in a WiFi system. A RAN node may be a macro base station (such as 110a in Figure 1 ), a micro base station or an indoor station (such as 110b in Figure 1 ), a relay node or a donor node, or a wireless controller in a CRAN scenario.

[0103] Optionally, the RAN node may also be a server, a wearable device, a vehicle or an on-board device, etc. For example, the access network device in the V2X technology may be a road-side unit (RSU) or a base station. All or part of the functions of the RAN node in this application may also be implemented by software functions running on hardware, or by virtualization functions instantiated on a platform (such as a cloud platform). The RAN node in this application may also be a logical node, a logical module or software that can implement all or part of the functions of the RAN node.

[0104] In another possible scenario, multiple RAN nodes collaborate to assist terminal devices in achieving wireless access, and different RAN nodes respectively implement part of the functions of the base station. For example, the RAN node can be a centralized unit (CU), a distributed unit (DU), a CU-control plane (CP), a CU-user plane (UP), or a radio unit (RU). The CU and DU can be set separately, or they can be included in the same network element, such as a baseband unit (BBU). The RU can be included in a radio frequency device or radio frequency unit, such as a remote radio unit (RRU), an active antenna unit (AAU), or a remote radio head (RRH).

[0105] In different communication systems, CU (or CU-CP and CU-UP), DU or RU may also have different names, but those skilled in the art can understand their meanings. For example, in the ORAN system, CU may also be called O-CU (Open CU), DU may also be called O-DU, CU-CP may also be called O-CU-CP, CU-UP may also be called O-CU-UP, and RU may also be called O-RU. For the convenience of description, this application uses CU, CU-CP, CU-UP, DU and RU as examples for description. Any unit of CU (or CU-CP, CU-UP), DU and RU in this application can be implemented by a software module, a hardware module, or a combination of a software module and a hardware module.

[0106] It should be understood that the number of each device in the above-mentioned communication system is only for illustration and is not limited thereto. In actual applications, the communication system may further include more terminal devices, more RAN devices, and other devices.

[0107] It should be understood that Figure 1 is a simplified schematic diagram for ease of understanding, and the communication system may also include a larger number of network devices or terminal devices. In addition, the embodiments of the present application may be applicable to any communication scenario in which a transmitting device and a receiving device communicate with each other.

[0108] A network device is a network-side device with wireless transceiver functions. A network device may be a device in a radio access network (RAN) that provides wireless communication functions for terminal devices, and is called a RAN device. For example, the network device may be a base station, an evolved NodeB (eNodeB), a next-generation NodeB (gNB) in a 5G mobile communication system, a base station that has been subsequently evolved by 3GPP, a transmission reception point (TRP), an access node in a WiFi system, a wireless relay node, a wireless backhaul node, etc. In communication systems using different radio access technologies (RAT), the names of devices with base station functions may be different. For example, in an LTE system, it may be called an eNB or eNodeB, and in a 5G system or NR system, it may be called a gNB. This application does not limit the specific name of the base station. The network device may include one or more co-located or non-co-located transmission and reception points. For another example, the network device may include at least one of the following items: one or more centralized units (CU), one or more distributed units (DU), and one or more radio units (RU). In different systems, CU (or CU-CP and CU-UP), DU or RU may also have different names, but those skilled in the art can understand their meanings. For example, the radio access network may also be an open radio access network (O-RAN) architecture. In the ORAN system, CU may also be called O-CU (open CU), DU may also be called O-DU, CU-CP may also be called O-CU-CP, CU-UP may also be called O-CU-UP, and RU may also be called O-RU. Any of the CU (or CU-CP, CU-UP), DU and RU in this application may be implemented by a software module, a hardware module, or a combination of a software module and a hardware module. Exemplarily, the functions of the CU may be implemented by one entity or different entities. For example, the functions of the CU are further divided, that is, the control plane and the user plane are separated and implemented through different entities, namely the control plane CU entity (i.e., CU-CP entity) and the user plane CU entity (i.e., CU-UP entity). The CU-CP entity and the CU-UP entity can be coupled with the DU to jointly complete the functions of the access network device.For example, the CU is responsible for processing non-real-time protocols and services, implementing the functions of the radio resource control (RRC) and packet data convergence protocol (PDCP) layers. The DU is responsible for processing physical layer protocols and real-time services, implementing the functions of the radio link control (RLC), media access control (MAC), and physical (PHY) layers. In this way, some functions of the wireless access network device can be implemented through multiple network function entities. These network function entities can be network elements in hardware devices, software functions running on dedicated hardware, or virtualized functions instantiated on a platform (for example, a cloud platform). The network device may also include an active antenna unit (AAU). The AAU implements some physical layer processing functions, RF processing, and related functions of the active antenna. Since RRC layer information will eventually become PHY layer information, or be converted from PHY layer information, in this architecture, high-layer signaling, such as RRC layer signaling, can also be considered to be sent by the DU, or by the DU+AAU. It can be understood that the network device can be a device including one or more of a CU node, a DU node, and an AAU node. In addition, the CU can be divided into a network device in the access network (radio access network, RAN), or the CU can be divided into a network device in the core network (core network, CN), and this application does not limit this. For example, in the vehicle to everything (V2X) technology, the access network device can be a road side unit (RSU). The multiple access network devices in the communication system can be base stations of the same type or different types. The base station can communicate with the terminal device or communicate with the terminal device through a relay station. In an embodiment of the present application, the device for realizing the function of the network device can be the network device itself, or it can be a device that can support the network device to realize the function, such as a chip system or a combination device or component that can realize the function of the access network device, and the device can be installed in the network device. In an embodiment of the present application, the chip system can be composed of chips, or it can include chips and other discrete devices.

[0109] A terminal device is a user-side device with wireless transceiver capabilities. It can be a fixed device, mobile device, handheld device (such as a mobile phone), wearable device, in-vehicle device, or a wireless device built into any of the above devices (such as a communication module, modem, or chip system). Terminal devices are used to connect people, objects, and machines, and can be used in a wide range of scenarios, such as cellular communications, device-to-device (D2D) communications, vehicle-to-everything (V2X) communications, machine-to-machine / machine-type communications (M2M / MTC) communications, the Internet of Things (IoT), virtual reality (VR), augmented reality (AR), industrial control, self-driving, remote medical care, smart grids, smart furniture, smart offices, smart wearables, smart transportation, smart cities, drones, robots, and other scenarios. Exemplarily, the terminal device can be a handheld terminal in cellular communication, a communication device in D2D, an IoT device in MTC, a surveillance camera in intelligent transportation and smart cities, or a communication device on a drone, etc. The terminal device may sometimes be referred to as user equipment (UE), user terminal, user device, user unit, user station, terminal, access terminal, access station, UE station, remote station, mobile device or wireless communication device, etc. The terminal device may also be a terminal device in an IoT system. IoT is an important part of the future development of information technology. Its main technical feature is to connect objects to the network through communication technology, thereby realizing an intelligent network of human-machine interconnection and object-to-object interconnection. In an embodiment of the present application, IoT technology can achieve massive connections, deep coverage, and terminal power saving through, for example, narrowband (NB) technology. In an embodiment of the present application, the device for realizing the function of the terminal device may be a terminal device, or a device that can support the terminal device to realize the function, such as a chip system or a combination device or component that can realize the function of the terminal device. The device can be installed in the terminal device.

[0110] The network equipment and terminal devices can be deployed on land, including indoors or outdoors, handheld or vehicle-mounted; they can also be deployed on water; they can also be deployed in the air on aircraft, balloons, and satellites. The embodiments of this application do not limit the scenarios in which the network equipment and terminal devices are located.

[0111] For example, the communication system 100 may further include an application function (AF) network element, which is a control plane network function provided by the operator network and is used to provide application layer information; the communication system 100 may further include a session management function (SMF) network element, which is a control plane network function provided by the operator network. In the embodiment of the present application, when the communication system 100 includes the AF network element and the SMF network element, the AF can send service-related information to the network device via the SMF.

[0112] The following introduces the technical problems to be solved by this application and the technical solutions adopted.

[0113] In scenarios where multiple user equipment (UE) in a region need to obtain the same information, for example, in autonomous vehicles, since the vehicle relies on its own single-vehicle perception and cannot obtain blind spot information, such as in scenarios such as ghosting or extreme weather, fully reliable autonomous driving cannot be achieved. To address this issue, it is possible to consider using a cellular system to send roadside perception radar information to the vehicle, or to consider using an integrated base station with telemetry to directly send perception information to the vehicle, thereby improving the reliability of single-vehicle perception.

[0114] However, given the high data rate of roadside perception radar (>30Mbps), vehicles face very high latency and reliability requirements. Therefore, using unicast to simultaneously transmit perception information to multiple vehicles on the road places significant pressure on a single base station, making it impossible to achieve highly reliable transmission for all vehicles. Given this, given that vehicles in the same area have consistent requests for roadside perception information, the same set of roadside perception information can be sent to all vehicles. Consequently, multicast can be used to simultaneously serve multiple vehicles, improving resource utilization efficiency. As shown in the figure below, different vehicles can be assigned to different groups, all of which share the same set of roadside perception information.

[0115] When using multicast to transmit roadside sensing information to multiple vehicles, the base station can use reference signals not only to assess uplink (downlink) channel quality but also to manage uplink beams, including beam training and beam switching. However, in multicast scenarios, reference signals are independently configured for each UE. As the number of UEs in a group increases, the reference signal resource overhead becomes excessive, reducing resources available for data transmission and lowering system resource utilization efficiency.

[0116] In response to the above problems, the present application proposes a communication method. Compared with the prior art which requires configuring reference signal resources and sending reference signals separately for each UE in the group, the present application configures reference signal resources for all UEs in the group together. Moreover, after all UEs report the reference signal once, all UEs do not need to continue to send reference signals. Instead, one or more specific UEs in the group are selected to continue sending reference signals, thereby reducing the overhead of reference signal resources and improving resource utilization efficiency.

[0117] The following describes the communication method, communication device, and system according to the embodiments of the present application in conjunction with the accompanying drawings.

[0118] For ease of understanding and explanation, the following describes the perception method of the embodiment of the present application by taking the interaction between the network device and the user device as an example, but this should not constitute any limitation on the execution subject of the communication method of the embodiment of the present application. For example, the method performed by the network device can also be performed by a module of the network device (such as a circuit, a chip or a chip system, etc.), and can also be implemented by a logical node, a logical module or software that can realize all or part of the functions of the network device. The method performed by the user device can also be performed by a module of the user device (such as a circuit, a chip or a chip system, etc.), and can also be implemented by a logical node, a logical module or software that can realize all or part of the functions of the user device.

[0119] Illustratively, FIG2 shows a communication method 200 provided by the present application, which method 200 includes at least a portion of the method shown in FIG2 .

[0120] S201: A first group of user equipments sends a reference signal to a network device on a first uplink transmission resource.

[0121] S202, the network device determines, based on the reference signal sent by the first group of user equipment on the first uplink transmission resource, part of the user equipment in the first group that needs to send a reference signal on the second uplink transmission resource, and sends first information instructing the first user equipment to send a reference signal on the second uplink transmission resource.

[0122] S203: The first user equipment sends a reference signal to the network device on the second uplink transmission resource.

[0123] S204: The first group of user equipments sends a reference signal to the network device on the third uplink transmission resource.

[0124] S205, the network device determines, based on the reference signal sent by the first group of user equipment on the third uplink transmission resource, part of the user equipment in the first group of user equipment that needs to send a reference signal on the fourth uplink transmission resource, and sends second information, where the second information instructs the first user equipment or the second user equipment to send a reference signal on the fourth uplink transmission resource.

[0125] S206: The second user equipment sends a reference signal to the network device on a fourth uplink transmission resource.

[0126] S207: The first group of user equipment obtains resource configuration information.

[0127] Steps S201 to S207 are described in detail below.

[0128] In S201, a first group of user equipments sends a reference signal to a network device on a first uplink transmission resource. Correspondingly, the network device receives the reference signal sent by the first group of user equipments.

[0129] It should be understood that in this step, the network device can obtain the reference signal sent by the first group of user equipment to determine some user equipment that need to send reference signals on the second uplink transmission resource. Optionally, the reference signal is a sounding reference signal (SRS).

[0130] The first group of user equipment includes a first user equipment and a second user equipment. The first group of user equipment is a group of user equipment that needs to obtain the same information in a multicast scenario.

[0131] The first group of user equipment sends a reference signal to the network device on the first uplink transmission resource, including: the first user equipment sends a first reference signal to the network device on the first uplink transmission resource, and the second user equipment sends a second reference signal to the network device on the first uplink transmission resource; correspondingly, the network device receives the first reference signal and the second reference signal on the first uplink transmission resource.

[0132] It should be understood that the purpose of the first group of user equipment sending the reference signal to the network device is to enable the network device to know the status of each user equipment in the first group of user equipment (such as channel quality, beam quality, etc.).

[0133] Optionally, the first group of user equipment further includes a third user equipment, and the third user equipment also sends a fourth reference signal to the network device on the first uplink transmission resource; correspondingly, the network device receives the fourth reference signal on the first uplink transmission resource.

[0134] Optionally, the first group of user equipment also includes other user equipment, and the other user equipment also sends reference signals to the network device on the first uplink transmission resource; correspondingly, the network device receives the reference signals sent by the other user equipment on the first uplink transmission resource.

[0135] In S202, the network device determines, based on the reference signal sent by the first group of user equipment on the first uplink transmission resource, a portion of user equipment in the first group of user equipment that needs to send a reference signal on the second uplink transmission resource, and sends first information instructing the first user equipment to send a reference signal on the second uplink transmission resource.

[0136] For example, the network device determines, based on the first reference signal and the second reference signal sent by the first user equipment and the second user equipment on the first uplink transmission resource, that the channel quality of the first user equipment is poor, thereby determining that the first user equipment needs to send a reference signal on the second uplink transmission resource; and sends first information instructing the first user equipment to send a third reference signal on the second uplink transmission resource. Optionally, the first information may be included in signaling such as downlink control information (DCI) and a MAC control element (MAC CE).

[0137] The following describes a manner in which the network device sends the first information to the first user equipment.

[0138] In one implementation, the network device sends the first information to the first user equipment in a unicast manner. For example, the first information includes an indication field, where the indication field is used to instruct the first user equipment to send the third reference signal on the second uplink transmission resource.

[0139] In another implementation, the network device sends the first information to the first user device via multicast. For example, the network device sends the first information to the first group of user devices, where the first information includes a first field indicating identification information of the first user device (such as an ID of the first user device).

[0140] Optionally, the network device further receives a fourth reference signal sent by the third user equipment on the first uplink transmission resource, and determines the first information according to the first reference signal, the second reference signal, and the fourth reference signal.

[0141] Optionally, in addition to the first user equipment, the network device also determines that the channel quality of a third user equipment is poor, thereby determining that the third user equipment also needs to send a reference signal on the second uplink transmission resource. In this case, the network device also needs to send fourth information, which instructs the third user equipment to send a fifth reference signal on the second uplink transmission resource. Optionally, the fourth information may be included in signaling such as downlink control information (DCI) and a MAC control element (MAC CE).

[0142] The following describes how the network device sends the fourth information.

[0143] In one implementation, the network device sends the fourth information to the third user equipment in a unicast manner. For example, the fourth information includes an indication field, and the indication field is used to instruct the third user equipment to send a fifth reference signal on the second uplink transmission resource.

[0144] In another implementation, the network device sends the fourth information to the third user equipment via multicast. For example, the network device sends the fourth information to the first group of user equipment, where the fourth information includes a sixth field indicating identification information of the third user equipment (e.g., an ID of the third user equipment). Optionally, the first information and the fourth information may be included in the same multicast signaling.

[0145] Optionally, the network device further determines that other user equipments in the first group of user equipments also need to send reference signals on the second uplink transmission resource, so that the network device can instruct the other user equipments to send reference signals in a unicast or multicast manner.

[0146] It should be understood that only some of the user equipments in the first group need to send reference signals on the second uplink transmission resource, which greatly saves the second uplink transmission resource overhead.

[0147] Through the above method, second uplink transmission resources are configured for the first group of user equipment. These second uplink transmission resources are only used by a portion of the user equipment in the first group specified by the network device for transmitting reference signals, rather than for all user equipment. Compared to the prior art, which requires all user equipment to be configured with reference signal resources, the amount of second uplink transmission resources is reduced, thereby improving resource utilization.

[0148] In S203, the first user equipment sends a reference signal to the network device on the second uplink transmission resource.

[0149] It should be understood that after receiving the first information, the first user equipment sends a third reference signal to the network device on the second uplink transmission resource.

[0150] Optionally, after receiving the fourth information, the third user equipment also sends a fifth reference signal to the network device on the second uplink transmission resource.

[0151] Optionally, other user equipments in the first group of user equipments may also send reference signals to the network device on the second uplink transmission resource after receiving an instruction from the network device.

[0152] Optionally, as shown in FIG3 , the first user equipment may transmit a third reference signal on the second uplink transmission resource according to a certain transmission period t and a certain number of transmissions N. The transmission period t and the number of transmissions N are determined according to resource configuration information of the second uplink transmission resource. The configuration information of the second uplink transmission resource is used to determine one or more of the starting time slot of the second uplink transmission resource, the transmission period t, and the number of transmissions N. The method for the first user equipment to obtain the resource configuration information of the second uplink transmission resource may refer to step S207 below.

[0153] Optionally, after the first user equipment sends the third reference signal a number of times reaching the sending number N, it may stop sending the third reference signal.

[0154] Optionally, the first user equipment may stop sending the third reference signal after receiving third information sent by the network device, where the third information instructs the first user equipment to stop sending the third reference signal on the second uplink transmission resource.

[0155] In S204, the first group of user equipments sends a reference signal to the network device on the third uplink transmission resource.

[0156] In the method described in steps S201 to S203 above, all user equipment in the first group upload reference signals, so that the network device determines that some of the user equipment in the first group transmit reference signals independently. This process may be referred to as a first time period, wherein the first uplink transmission resource is within a first time portion of the first time period, and the second uplink transmission resource is within a second time portion of the first time period. It should be understood that the state of each user equipment in the first group may change over time.

[0157] Therefore, after a period of time in which the first group of user devices transmits reference signals to the network device on the first uplink transmission resource, the first group of user devices needs to upload all reference signals again, i.e., transmit reference signals to the network device on the third uplink transmission resource, so that the network device can obtain the changed status (such as channel quality, beam quality, etc.) of each user device in the first group of user devices and re-determine the user devices that need to transmit reference signals separately. It should be understood that the above-mentioned period of time can be a preset time length (for example, referred to as a first preset duration), and the unit of the first preset duration can be time slots, milliseconds, etc., which is not limited in this application.

[0158] The first group of user equipment sends a reference signal to the network device on a third uplink transmission resource, including: the first user equipment sends a sixth reference signal to the network device on the third uplink transmission resource, and the second user equipment sends a seventh reference signal to the network device on the third uplink transmission resource; and correspondingly, the network device receives the sixth reference signal and the seventh reference signal on the third uplink transmission resource. The third uplink transmission resource is located in a third time portion of the second time period.

[0159] Optionally, the first group of user equipments may periodically send reference signals to the network device and the network device may determine the user equipments that need to report reference signals separately. In this case, the first time period includes a first cycle and the second time period includes a second cycle.

[0160] Optionally, the first group of user equipment also includes a third user equipment, and the third user equipment also sends a ninth reference signal to the network device on the third uplink transmission resource; correspondingly, the network device receives the ninth reference signal on the third uplink transmission resource.

[0161] Optionally, the first group of user equipment also includes other user equipment, and the other user equipment also sends reference signals to the network equipment respectively on the third uplink transmission resource; correspondingly, the network equipment receives the reference signals sent respectively by the other user equipment on the third uplink transmission resource.

[0162] In S205, the network device determines, based on the reference signal sent by the first group of user equipment on the third uplink transmission resource, a portion of user equipment in the first group of user equipment that needs to send a reference signal on the fourth uplink transmission resource, and sends second information, where the second information instructs the first user equipment or the second user equipment to send a reference signal on the fourth uplink transmission resource.

[0163] The fourth uplink transmission resource is located in the fourth time portion of the second time period.

[0164] For example, the network device determines that the channel quality of the first user device is poor based on the sixth reference signal and the seventh reference signal sent by the first user device and the second user device on the third uplink transmission resource, thereby determining that the first user device needs to send a reference signal on the third uplink transmission resource; and sends second information, which instructs the first user device to send an eighth reference signal on the fourth uplink transmission resource.

[0165] For another example, the network device determines that the channel quality of the second user device is poor based on the sixth reference signal and the seventh reference signal sent by the first user device and the second user device on the third uplink transmission resource, and thus determines that the second user device needs to send a reference signal on the third uplink transmission resource; and sends second information, the second information instructing the second user device to send an eighth reference signal on the fourth uplink transmission resource. In this case, the first user device no longer needs to send a reference signal separately. Optionally, the network device can send third information to the first user device, the third information instructing the first user device to stop sending the third reference signal on the second uplink transmission resource, or, when the second information is carried in multicast signaling, the second information does not include the identification information of the first user device; correspondingly, after receiving the third information or the second information, the first user device stops sending the third reference signal on the second uplink transmission resource.

[0166] Optionally, the second information may be included in signaling such as downlink control information (Downlink Control Information, DCI), MAC control element (MAC Control Element, MAC CE), etc.

[0167] It should be understood that the network device may send the second information to the first user equipment or the second user equipment in a unicast or multicast manner. For details, reference may be made to the manner in which the network device sends the first information in step S202.

[0168] Optionally, the network device further receives a ninth reference signal sent by the third user equipment on the third uplink transmission resource, and determines the second information according to the sixth reference signal, the seventh reference signal, and the ninth reference signal.

[0169] Optionally, in addition to the first user equipment or the second network equipment, the network equipment further determines that the channel quality of the third user equipment is poor, thereby determining that the third user equipment also needs to send a reference signal on the fourth uplink transmission resource. In this case, the network equipment also needs to send fifth information, which instructs the third user equipment to send a tenth reference signal on the fourth uplink transmission resource. Optionally, the fifth information may be included in signaling such as downlink control information (DCI) and a MAC control element (MAC CE).

[0170] It should be understood that the network device may send the fifth information to the third user equipment in a unicast or multicast manner. For details, reference may be made to the manner in which the network device sends the fourth information in step S202.

[0171] Optionally, the network device further determines that other user equipments in the first group of user equipments also need to send reference signals on the fourth uplink transmission resource, so that the network device can instruct the other user equipments to send reference signals in a unicast or multicast manner.

[0172] The network device can determine, based on the reference signals reported by the first group of user equipments, that some of the user equipments report reference signals individually, thereby eliminating the need for all user equipments to report reference signals, thereby reducing resource consumption.

[0173] It should be understood that after a period of time, the first group of user equipments may all report reference signals again, and the network device may determine a new portion of user equipments that need to upload reference signals.

[0174] In S206, the second user equipment sends a reference signal to the network device on the fourth uplink transmission resource.

[0175] Alternatively, the first user equipment sends a reference signal to the network device on the fourth uplink transmission resource.

[0176] Alternatively, the third user equipment sends a reference signal to the network device on a fourth uplink transmission resource.

[0177] Alternatively, one or more other user equipments in the first group of user equipments send a reference signal to the network device on the fourth uplink transmission resource.

[0178] In S207 , the first group of user equipment obtains resource configuration information.

[0179] Optionally, the resource configuration information is pre-configured, or carried in multicast signaling sent by the network device (such as signaling carrying the first information), which is not limited in this application. For example, the network device sends resource configuration information to the first group of user devices, and correspondingly, the first group of user devices receives the resource configuration information.

[0180] It should be understood that the network device may send resource configuration information of the first uplink transmission resource, the second uplink transmission resource, the third uplink transmission resource and / or the fourth uplink transmission resource to the first group of user equipments.

[0181] The following description is made by taking an example where the network device sends the resource configuration information of the second uplink transmission resource to the first group of user equipments.

[0182] It should be noted that the network device may send the resource configuration information of the second uplink transmission resource to the first group of user equipment at any time before S203, and this application does not limit this.

[0183] The resource configuration information of the second uplink transmission resource is used to determine one or more of the starting time slot of the second uplink transmission resource, the sending period t of sending the reference signal on the second uplink transmission resource, and the number of times N of sending the reference signal on the second uplink transmission resource.

[0184] Optionally, as shown in FIG4 , the resource configuration information of the second uplink transmission resource includes a third field, which indicates an offset between a starting time slot of the second uplink transmission resource and an ending time slot of the first uplink transmission resource. Thus, the user equipment can determine the starting time slot of the second uplink transmission resource based on the offset and the starting time slot of the first uplink transmission resource.

[0185] Optionally, the resource configuration information of the second uplink transmission resource includes a fourth field, and the fourth field indicates a starting time slot of the second uplink transmission resource.

[0186] Optionally, the resource configuration information of the second uplink transmission resource includes a fifth field, and the fifth field indicates the number of transmission times.

[0187] With the above method, the network device can determine that some of the user equipments in the first group report reference signals separately based on the reference signals reported by the user equipments, thereby eliminating the need for all user equipments to report reference signals, thereby reducing resource consumption.

[0188] The above method 200 can also be explained through the following description. It should be understood that the solution introduced below is equivalent to the method 200.

[0189] In step S201, the first group of user equipment transmits a reference signal to the network device on a first uplink transmission resource. After a first preset duration, in step S204, the first group of user equipment transmits a reference signal to the network device on a third uplink transmission resource. It will be appreciated that both the first uplink transmission resource and the third uplink transmission resource are resources used for all of the first group of user equipment to upload reference signals. Therefore, this application defines the set of resources used for all of the user equipment in the group to upload reference signals as a first uplink transmission resource set.

[0190] It should be understood that the first uplink transmission resource set includes the first uplink transmission resource and the third uplink transmission resource. Optionally, when the first uplink transmission resource set is periodically configured, the first preset duration can be regarded as the period T for all the first group of user equipment in the first uplink transmission resource set to upload reference signals.

[0191] The reference signal sent on the first uplink transmission resource set can be called a first type of reference signal. It should be understood that the first type of reference signal includes a first reference signal sent by the first user equipment on the first uplink transmission resource, a second reference signal sent by the second user equipment on the first uplink transmission resource, a sixth reference signal sent by the first user equipment on the third uplink transmission resource, and a seventh reference signal sent by the second user equipment on the third uplink transmission resource, etc.

[0192] In steps S203 and S206, the user equipment designated by the network equipment transmits a reference signal to the network equipment on the second uplink transmission resource and the fourth uplink transmission resource, respectively. It will be understood that the second uplink transmission resource and the fourth uplink transmission resource are both resources used by some user equipment designated by the network equipment in the first group of user equipment to upload reference signals. Therefore, this application defines the set of resources used by some user equipment designated by the network equipment in the group to upload reference signals as the second uplink transmission resource set.

[0193] It should be understood that the second uplink transmission resource set includes the second uplink transmission resource and the fourth uplink transmission resource.

[0194] The reference signal sent on the second uplink transmission resource set can be called a second-type reference signal. It should be understood that the second-type reference signal includes the third reference signal sent by the first user equipment on the second uplink transmission resource, the eighth reference signal sent by the first user equipment or the second user equipment on the fourth uplink transmission resource, etc.

[0195] In the above method, the process in which all user devices in the group send reference signals and the network device instructs some user devices to send reference signals can be regarded as a communication process provided by this application. The communication process can be represented by a time period. When the process is performed periodically, the time period can also be represented by a period.

[0196] For example, the first group of user devices all upload reference signals on the first uplink transmission resource, and according to the instructions of the network device, some of the user devices upload reference signals on the second uplink transmission resource. This process can be regarded as the first time period; thereafter, the first group of user devices all upload reference signals on the third uplink transmission resource, and according to the instructions of the network device, some of the user devices upload reference signals on the fourth uplink transmission resource. This process can be regarded as the second time period.

[0197] It should be understood that in the first time period, the first uplink transmission resource is located in the first time portion, the second uplink transmission resource is located in the second time portion, and in the second time period, the third uplink transmission resource is located in the third time portion, and the fourth uplink transmission resource is located in the fourth time portion.

[0198] Therefore, in the first time period, the above method can also be expressed as:

[0199] M user devices in a first group of user devices send M first-type reference signals to a network device in a first uplink transmission resource set, where each first-type reference signal comes from one user device, and the first uplink transmission resource set includes a first uplink transmission resource, which is located in a first time portion of a first time period; the network device determines and sends first information based on the M first-type reference signals, where the first information instructs L user devices in the M user devices to send second-type reference signals on a second uplink transmission resource set, where M is greater than L, and the second uplink transmission resource set includes a second uplink transmission resource, which is located in a second time portion of the first time period; the L user devices receive the second-type reference signals on the second uplink transmission resource set.

[0200] It should be understood that this representation method is also applicable to the second time period. In this case, the first uplink transmission resource set also includes a third uplink transmission resource, and the third uplink transmission resource is located in the third time part of the second time period; the second uplink transmission resource set also includes a fourth uplink transmission resource, and the fourth uplink transmission resource is located in the fourth time part of the second time period.

[0201] Based on the above introduction, the network device may send resource configuration information to the user equipment based on the resource set, that is, the network device may send resource configuration information of the first uplink transmission resource set and the second uplink resource set to the first group of user equipments.

[0202] In one implementation, as shown in FIG5 , the communication process is periodically configured. The resource configuration information is used to determine one or more of the following information: a period T for the first group of user equipment in the first uplink transmission resource set to transmit the first type of reference signal, a period t for the user equipment in the second uplink transmission resource set to transmit the second type of reference signal, and a number N of times the user equipment in the second uplink transmission resource set transmits the second type of reference signal.

[0203] The parameters T, t, and N may be specified separately, or several of them may be specified and then the other parameters may be determined through a certain relationship.

[0204] For example, the above parameters can be determined by the following relationship: T = (N + k) * t, or T = N * t + k, or or or (where k is any integer greater than or equal to 0). For example, if k=5, t=3, and N=4, T can be obtained by calculation, that is, T=(4+5)*3=27; for another example, if T=27, t=3, and k=5, N can be obtained by calculation, that is, Alternatively, the number of transmissions N is not obtained by calculation or indication, and the user equipment sending the reference signal is deactivated through the third information in step S203; or, the user equipment sending the reference signal is replaced through the second information in step S205.

[0205] In one implementation, as shown in Figure 6, the communication process is semi-statically configured. The resource configuration information is used to determine one or more of the following information: the period T for the first group of user equipment in the first uplink transmission resource set to transmit the first type of reference signal, the period t for the user equipment in the second uplink transmission resource set to transmit the second type of reference signal, and the number of times N that the user equipment in the second uplink transmission resource set transmits the second type of reference signal. The difference between Figure 5 and Figure 6 is that in the semi-static configuration scenario, the network device activates and deactivates the communication process through MAC CE signaling.

[0206] In one implementation, as shown in FIG7 , the communication process is configured aperiodically. The resource configuration information is used to determine one or more of the following information: the number of times the communication process is performed, the time interval between each time period (such as a first preset duration), the starting time slot of the first uplink transmission resource set in each time period (such as the starting time slot of the first uplink transmission resource, the starting time slot of the third uplink transmission resource (which can be determined by a time offset with the first uplink transmission resource)), the period t at which the user equipment in the second uplink transmission resource set transmits the second type of reference signal in each time period, and the number of times N that the user equipment in the second uplink transmission resource set transmits the second type of reference signal.

[0207] The communication method embodiment of the present application is described in detail above in conjunction with Figures 1 to 7 . The communication device embodiment of the present application will be described in detail below in conjunction with Figures 8 to 9 . It should be understood that the description of the device embodiment corresponds to the description of the method embodiment. Therefore, for portions not described in detail, reference can be made to the above method embodiment.

[0208] FIG8 is a schematic diagram of a communication device provided in accordance with an embodiment of the present application. As shown in FIG8 , a communication device 800 includes a processing module 810 and a communication module 820. The communication device 800 may be a user device, or a communication device applied to a user device or used in conjunction with a user device and capable of implementing a method executed by the user device, such as a chip, a chip system, or a circuit; or the communication device 800 may be a network device, or a communication device applied to a network device or used in conjunction with a network device and capable of implementing a method executed by the network device, such as a chip, a chip system, or a circuit;

[0209] The communication module may also be referred to as a transceiver module, transceiver, transceiver, or transceiver device. The processing module may also be referred to as a processor, processing board, processing unit, or processing device. Optionally, the communication module is used to perform the sending and receiving operations of the user equipment and network equipment in the above method. The device used to implement the receiving function in the communication module can be considered a receiving unit, and the device used to implement the sending function in the communication module can be considered a sending unit. That is, the communication module includes a receiving unit and a sending unit.

[0210] When the communication device 800 is applied to a user equipment, the processing module 810 may be used to implement the processing function of the user equipment in the above embodiments, and the communication module 820 may be used to implement the transceiver function of the user equipment in the above embodiments.

[0211] When the communication device 800 is applied to a network device, the processing module 810 may be used to implement the processing functions of the network device in the above embodiments, and the communication module 820 may be used to implement the transceiver functions of the user equipment in the above embodiments.

[0212] In addition, it should be noted that the aforementioned communication module and / or processing module can be implemented by a virtual module, for example, the processing module can be implemented by a software functional unit or a virtual device, and the communication module can be implemented by a software function or a virtual device. Alternatively, the processing module or the communication module can also be implemented by a physical device, for example, if the device is implemented using a chip / circuit (such as an integrated circuit or a logic circuit, etc.). The communication module can be an input and output circuit and / or a communication interface, performing input operations (corresponding to the aforementioned receiving operations) and output operations (corresponding to the aforementioned sending operations); the processing module is an integrated processor or microprocessor or circuit (such as an integrated circuit or a logic circuit, etc.).

[0213] The division of modules in this application is illustrative and represents only a logical functional division. In actual implementation, other division methods may be used. Furthermore, the functional modules in the examples of this application may be integrated into a single processor, exist physically as separate modules, or two or more modules may be integrated into a single module. The aforementioned integrated modules may be implemented in either hardware or software functional modules.

[0214] Figure 9 is a schematic diagram of another communication device provided in an embodiment of the present application. As shown in Figure 9, communication device 900 can optionally be a chip or a chip system. Optionally, in the present application, the chip system can be composed of a chip or can include a chip and other discrete devices.

[0215] The communication device 900 can be used to implement the functions of any device (e.g., user equipment, network equipment) in the communication system described in the above examples. The communication device 900 may include at least one processor 910. Optionally, the processor 910 is coupled to a memory, and the memory may be located within the device, or the memory may be integrated with the processor, or the memory may be located outside the device. For example, the communication device 900 may also include at least one memory 920. The memory 920 stores the necessary computer programs, computer programs or instructions and / or data for implementing any of the above examples; the processor 910 may execute the computer program stored in the memory 920 to complete the method in any of the above examples.

[0216] The communication device 900 may also include a communication interface 930, through which the communication device 900 can exchange information with other devices. Exemplarily, the communication interface 930 may be a transceiver, a circuit, a bus, a module, a pin, or another type of communication interface. When the communication device 900 is a chip-type device or circuit, the communication interface 930 in the device 900 may also be an input / output circuit that can input information (or receive information) and output information (or send information). The processor 910 is an integrated processor, microprocessor, integrated circuit, or logic circuit, etc. The processor may determine output information based on input information.

[0217] Coupling in this application refers to an indirect coupling or communication connection between devices, units, or modules, which can be electrical, mechanical, or other forms, and is used for information exchange between devices, units, or modules. The processor 910 may operate in conjunction with the memory 920 and the communication interface 930. The specific connection medium between the processor 910, memory 920, and communication interface 930 is not limited in this application.

[0218] Optionally, as shown in FIG9 , the processor 910, the memory 920, and the communication interface 930 are interconnected via a bus 940. Optionally, the bus may include an address bus, a data bus, a control bus, and other types of buses. Furthermore, for ease of illustration, FIG9 shows one bus 940, but this does not mean that there is only one bus or only one type of bus.

[0219] It should be understood that the processors mentioned in the embodiments of the present application may be the following devices or the circuit portions of the following devices used for processing functions: a central processing unit (CPU), other general-purpose processors, digital signal processors (DSP), application-specific integrated circuits (ASIC), field programmable gate arrays (FPGA) or other programmable logic devices, discrete gate or transistor logic devices, discrete hardware components, etc. The general-purpose processor may be a microprocessor or any conventional processor.

[0220] It should also be understood that the memory mentioned in the embodiments of the present application may be a volatile memory and / or a non-volatile memory. Among them, the non-volatile memory may be a read-only memory (ROM), a programmable read-only memory (PROM), an erasable programmable read-only memory (EPROM), an electrically erasable programmable read-only memory (EEPROM), or a flash memory. The volatile memory may be a random access memory (RAM). For example, RAM can be used as an external cache. By way of example and not limitation, RAM includes the following forms: static random access memory (SRAM), dynamic random access memory (DRAM), synchronous dynamic random access memory (SDRAM), double data rate synchronous dynamic random access memory (DDR SDRAM), enhanced synchronous dynamic random access memory (ESDRAM), synchronous link dynamic random access memory (SLDRAM), and direct rambus RAM (DR RAM).

[0221] It should be noted that when the processor is a general-purpose processor, DSP, ASIC, FPGA or other programmable logic device, discrete gate or transistor logic device, discrete hardware component, the memory (storage module) can be integrated into the processor.

[0222] It should also be noted that the memory described herein is intended to comprise, but not be limited to, these and any other suitable types of memory.

[0223] An embodiment of the present application further provides a computer-readable storage medium storing computer instructions for implementing the methods executed by user equipment and network equipment in the above-mentioned method embodiments.

[0224] An embodiment of the present application further provides a computer program product comprising instructions, which, when executed by a computer, implement the methods performed by the user equipment and the network equipment in the above-mentioned method embodiments.

[0225] An embodiment of the present application further provides a communication system, which includes the user equipment and network equipment in the above embodiments.

[0226] The explanation of the relevant contents and beneficial effects of any of the above-mentioned devices can be referred to the corresponding method embodiments provided above and will not be described again here.

[0227] To facilitate understanding of the above embodiments provided in this application, the following points are explained:

[0228] 1) In this application, unless otherwise specified or there is a logical conflict, the terms and / or descriptions between different embodiments are consistent and can be referenced by each other. The technical features in different embodiments can be combined to form new embodiments according to their inherent logical relationships.

[0229] 2) In this application, "at least one" means one or more, and "more" means two or more. "And / or" describes the association relationship of associated objects, indicating that three relationships may exist. For example, A and / or B can mean: A exists alone, A and B exist at the same time, and B exists alone, where A and B can be singular or plural. In the text description of this application, the character " / " generally indicates that the previous and next associated objects are in an "or" relationship. "At least one of the following items" or similar expressions refers to any combination of these items, including any combination of single items or plural items. For example, at least one of a, b and c can mean: a, or b, or c, or a and b, or a and c, or b and c, or a, b and c. Where a, b and c can be single or multiple, respectively.

[0230] 3) The ordinal numbers "first" and "second" mentioned in the embodiments of this application are used to distinguish multiple objects and are not used to limit the size, content, order, timing, priority, or importance of the multiple objects. For example, the first indication information and the second indication information can be the same information or different information, and such names do not indicate differences in the content, size, application scenario, sender / receiver, priority, or importance of the two messages. In addition, the numbering of the steps in the various embodiments introduced in this application is only for distinguishing different steps and is not used to limit the order of the steps.

[0231] 4) In this application, descriptions such as "when...", "in the case of...", and "if" all mean that the device will perform corresponding processing under certain objective circumstances. They do not limit the time, nor do they require the device to perform judgment actions when implementing them, nor do they mean that there are other limitations.

[0232] 5) In this application, "indicate" or "used to indicate" can include being used for direct indication and being used for indirect indication. When describing that a certain indication information is used to indicate A, it can include that the indication information directly indicates A or indirectly indicates A, and does not necessarily mean that the indication information carries A.

[0233] The indication methods involved in the embodiments of this application should be understood to encompass various methods that enable the party to be indicated to obtain information about the information to be indicated. The information to be indicated can be sent as a whole or divided into multiple sub-information and sent separately. The transmission period and / or timing of these sub-information can be the same or different. This application does not limit the transmission method, for example.

[0234] In the embodiments of the present application, the "indication information" may be an explicit indication, i.e., a direct indication via signaling, or may be obtained based on parameters indicated by the signaling, in combination with other rules, other parameters, or by deduction. It may also be an implicit indication, i.e., based on a rule or relationship, or based on other parameters, or by deduction. This application does not impose specific limitations on this.

[0235] 6) The “protocol” referred to in this application may refer to a standard protocol in the field of communications, such as the fourth generation (4G) th generation, 4G) network, fifth generation (5 th generation, 5G) network protocol, NR protocol, 5.5G network protocol, sixth generation (6 th generation, 6G) network protocols and related protocols used in future communication systems, which are not limited in this application.

[0236] 7) In this application, "communication" may also be described as "data transmission", "information transmission", "data processing", etc. "Transmission" includes "sending" and "receiving".

[0237] 8) In this application, "sending information to XX (device)" can be understood as the destination of the information being the device. This can include sending information directly or indirectly to the device. "Receiving information from XX (device)" can be understood as the source of the information being the device, which can include receiving information directly or indirectly from the device. The information may undergo necessary processing between the source and destination, such as format changes, but the destination can still understand the valid information from the source.

[0238] 9) The terms "comprise," "include," and "have," and any variations thereof, are intended to cover non-exclusive inclusions. For example, a process, method, system, product, or apparatus comprising a series of steps or elements is not limited to the listed steps or elements but may optionally include steps or elements not listed, or may optionally include other steps or elements inherent to the process, method, product, or apparatus.

[0239] In various embodiments of the present application, the size of the serial numbers of the above-mentioned processes does not mean the order of execution. The execution order of each process should be determined by its function and internal logic, and should not constitute any limitation on the implementation process of the embodiments of the present application.

[0240] In this application, under the premise of no logical contradiction, the examples can reference each other, for example, the methods and / or terms between method embodiments can reference each other, for example, the functions and / or terms between device embodiments can reference each other, for example, the functions and / or terms between device examples and method examples can reference each other.

[0241] It should be understood that in some of the above embodiments, the devices in the existing network architecture are mainly used as examples for illustrative description, and the specific form of the devices is not limited in the embodiments of the present application. For example, devices that can achieve the same functions in the future are applicable to the embodiments of the present application.

[0242] Those skilled in the art will appreciate that the units and algorithm steps of each example described in conjunction with the embodiments disclosed herein can be implemented in electronic hardware, or a combination of computer software and electronic hardware. Whether these functions are performed in hardware or software depends on the specific application and design constraints of the technical solution. Professional and technical personnel can use different methods to implement the described functions for each specific application, but such implementation should not be considered beyond the scope of this application.

[0243] Those skilled in the art will clearly understand that, for the convenience and brevity of description, the specific working processes of the systems, devices and units described above can refer to the corresponding processes in the aforementioned method embodiments and will not be described again here.

[0244] In the several embodiments provided in this application, it should be understood that the disclosed systems, devices and methods can be implemented in other ways. For example, the device embodiments described above are merely schematic. For example, the division of the units is merely a logical function division. In actual implementation, there may be other division methods, such as multiple units or components can be combined or integrated into another system, or some features can be ignored or not executed. Another point is that the mutual coupling or direct coupling or communication connection shown or discussed can be through some interfaces, indirect coupling or communication connection of devices or units, which can be electrical, mechanical or other forms.

[0245] The units described as separate components may or may not be physically separate, and the components shown as units may or may not be physical units, that is, they may be located in one place or distributed across multiple network units. Some or all of these units may be selected to achieve the purpose of this embodiment according to actual needs.

[0246] In addition, each functional unit in each embodiment of the present application may be integrated into one processing unit, or each unit may exist physically separately, or two or more units may be integrated into one unit.

[0247] If the functions are implemented in the form of software functional units and sold or used as independent products, they can be stored in a computer-readable storage medium. Based on this understanding, the technical solution of the present application, or the part that contributes to the prior art, or the part of the technical solution, can be embodied in the form of a software product. The computer software product is stored in a storage medium and includes several instructions for enabling a computer device (which can be a personal computer, server, or network device, etc.) to execute all or part of the steps of the method described in each embodiment of the present application. The aforementioned storage medium includes various media that can store program codes, such as a USB flash drive, a mobile hard disk, a ROM, a RAM, a magnetic disk, or an optical disk.

[0248] The above description is merely a specific embodiment of the present application, but the scope of protection of the present application is not limited thereto. Any changes or substitutions that can be easily conceived by a person skilled in the art within the technical scope disclosed in this application should be included in the scope of protection of this application. Therefore, the scope of protection of this application should be based on the scope of protection of the claims.

Claims

1. A communication method, characterized in that: include: Receiving a first reference signal and a second reference signal on a first uplink transmission resource, where the first reference signal comes from a first user equipment, the second reference signal comes from a second user equipment, and the first user equipment and the second user equipment belong to a first group of user equipments; Sending first information according to the first reference signal and the second reference signal, where the first information instructs the first user equipment to send a third reference signal on a second uplink transmission resource, where the first uplink transmission resource is located in a first time portion, the second uplink transmission resource is located in a second time portion, and the first time portion and the second time portion are located in a first time period; The third reference signal is received on the second uplink transmission resource.

2. The method according to claim 1, characterized in that Send the first message, including: The first information is sent to the first group of user equipments, where the first information includes a first field, and the first field indicates identification information of the first user equipment.

3. The method according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that The method further comprises: further receiving a fourth reference signal on the first uplink transmission resource, where the fourth reference signal comes from a third user equipment, and the third user equipment belongs to the first group of user equipments; Sending first information according to the first reference signal and the second reference signal includes: sending the first information according to the first reference signal, the second reference signal, and the fourth reference signal.

4. The method according to claim 3, characterized in that The method further comprises: Sending fourth information according to the first reference signal, the second reference signal, and the fourth reference signal, where the fourth information instructs the third user equipment to send a fifth reference signal on a second uplink transmission resource; The fifth reference signal is also received on the second uplink transmission resource.

5. The method according to claim 4, characterized in that The fourth information includes a second field, and the second field indicates identification information of the third user equipment.

6. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 5, characterized in that The first time period includes a first cycle.

7. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 6, characterized in that The method further comprises: receiving a sixth reference signal and a seventh reference signal on a third uplink transmission resource, where the sixth reference signal comes from the first user equipment and the seventh reference signal comes from the second user equipment; Sending second information according to the sixth reference signal and the seventh reference signal, where the second information instructs the second user equipment to send an eighth reference signal on a fourth uplink transmission resource, where the third uplink transmission resource is located in a third time portion, the fourth uplink transmission resource is located in a fourth time portion, and the third time portion and the fourth time portion are located in a second time period; The eighth reference signal is received on the fourth uplink transmission resource.

8. The method according to claim 7, characterized in that The method further comprises: Sending third information to the first user equipment, where the third information instructs the first user equipment to stop sending a third reference signal on the second uplink transmission resource.

9. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 6, characterized in that The method further comprises: receiving a sixth reference signal and a seventh reference signal on a third uplink transmission resource, where the sixth reference signal comes from the first user equipment and the seventh reference signal comes from the second user equipment; Sending second information according to the sixth reference signal and the seventh reference signal, where the second information instructs the first user equipment to send an eighth reference signal on a fourth uplink transmission resource, where the third uplink transmission resource is located in a third time portion, the fourth uplink transmission resource is located in a fourth time portion, and the third time portion and the fourth time portion are located in a second time period; The eighth reference signal is received on the fourth uplink transmission resource.

10. The method according to any one of claims 7 to 9, characterized in that The method further comprises: further receiving a ninth reference signal on the third uplink transmission resource, where the ninth reference signal comes from a third user equipment, and the third user equipment belongs to the first group of user equipments; Sending second information according to the sixth reference signal and the seventh reference signal includes sending the second information according to the sixth reference signal, the seventh reference signal, and the ninth reference signal.

11. The method according to claim 10, characterized in that The method further comprises: Sending fifth information according to the sixth reference signal, the seventh reference signal, and the ninth reference signal, where the fifth information instructs the third user equipment to send a tenth reference signal on a fourth uplink transmission resource; The tenth reference signal is also received on the fourth uplink transmission resource.

12. The method according to any one of claims 7 to 11, characterized in that The second time period includes a second cycle.

13. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 12, characterized in that The method further comprises: The resource configuration information of the second uplink transmission resource is sent to the first group of terminal devices, and the resource configuration information of the second uplink transmission resource is used to determine one or more of the starting time slot of the second uplink transmission resource, the sending period of the reference signal on the second uplink transmission resource, and the number of sending times of the reference signal on the second uplink transmission resource.

14. The method according to claim 13, wherein: The resource configuration information of the second uplink transmission resource includes a third field, and the third field indicates an offset between a start time slot of the second uplink transmission resource and an end time slot of the first uplink transmission resource.

15. The method according to claim 13, characterized in that The resource configuration information of the second uplink transmission resource includes a fourth field, and the fourth field indicates a starting time slot of the second uplink transmission resource.

16. The method according to any one of claims 13 to 15, characterized in that The resource configuration information of the second uplink transmission resource includes a fifth field, and the fifth field indicates the number of transmission times.

17. A communication method, characterized in that: The method comprises: Sending a first reference signal on a first uplink transmission resource; receiving first information instructing a first user equipment to send a third reference signal on a second uplink transmission resource, where the first information is determined based on the first reference signal and a second reference signal sent by a second user equipment, the first user equipment and the second user equipment belong to a first group of user equipments, the first uplink transmission resource is in a first time portion, the second uplink transmission resource is in a second time portion, and the first time portion and the second time portion are in a first time period; The third reference signal is sent on the second uplink transmission resource.

18. The method according to claim 17, characterized in that The first information includes a first field, where the first field indicates identification information of the first user equipment.

19. The method according to claim 17 or 18, characterized in that The first information is also determined according to a fourth reference signal sent by a third user equipment, and the third user equipment belongs to the first group of user equipments.

20. The method according to claim 19, characterized in that The first information further includes a second field, where the second field indicates identification information of the third user equipment.

21. The method according to any one of claims 17 to 20, characterized in that The first time period includes a first cycle.

22. The method according to any one of claims 17 to 21, characterized in that The method further comprises: Sending a sixth reference signal on a third uplink transmission resource; Receive second information, where the second information instructs the second user equipment to send an eighth reference signal on a fourth uplink transmission resource, where the second information is determined based on the sixth reference signal and a seventh reference signal sent by the second user equipment, the third uplink transmission resource is located in a third time portion, the fourth uplink transmission resource is located in a fourth time portion, and the third time portion and the fourth time portion are located in a second time period.

23. The method according to any one of claims 17 to 21, characterized in that The method further comprises: Sending a sixth reference signal on a third uplink transmission resource; Third information is received, where the third information instructs the first user equipment to stop sending a third reference signal on the second uplink transmission resource.

24. The method according to any one of claims 17 to 23, characterized in that The method further comprises: Receive resource configuration information of the second uplink transmission resource, where the resource configuration information of the second uplink transmission resource is used to determine one or more of a starting time slot of the second uplink transmission resource, a sending period for sending a reference signal on the second uplink transmission resource, and a number of sending times for sending a reference signal on the second uplink transmission resource.

25. The method according to claim 24, characterized in that The resource configuration information of the second uplink transmission resource includes a third field, and the third field indicates an offset between a start time slot of the second uplink transmission resource and an end time slot of the first uplink transmission resource.

26. The method according to claim 24, characterized in that The resource configuration information of the second uplink transmission resource includes a fourth field, and the fourth field indicates a starting time slot of the second uplink transmission resource.

27. The method according to any one of claims 24 to 26, characterized in that The resource configuration information of the second uplink transmission resource includes a fifth field, and the fifth field indicates the number of transmission times.

28. The method according to any one of claims 17 to 24, characterized in that The method further comprises: A starting time slot of the second uplink transmission resource is determined, where there is a first offset between the starting time slot and a first time slot, and the first time slot is a time slot in which a user equipment in the first group of user equipment sends a reference signal on the first uplink transmission resource.

29. The method according to claim 22 or 23, characterized in that The method further comprises: Stop sending the third reference signal on the second uplink transmission resource.

30. The method according to any one of claims 24 to 28, characterized in that The method further comprises: When the number of times the third reference signal is sent is equal to the number of times the third reference signal is sent, stopping sending the third reference signal on the second uplink transmission resource.

31. A communication device, characterized in that: include: A unit for implementing the method of any one of claims 1 to 16; or a unit for implementing the method of any one of claims 17 to 30.

32. A computer-readable storage medium, characterized in that The computer readable storage medium stores a computer program or instruction. When the computer program or instruction is executed, so that the method according to any one of claims 1 to 16 is implemented, or The method according to any one of claims 17 to 30 is implemented.

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