Communication method and apparatus

Abstract

The present application provides a communication method and apparatus, which can distinguish between demodulation reference signals (DMRSs) of communication devices that multiplex the same time domain resource, thereby facilitating channel estimation. The method comprises: a first communication device receiving first configuration information, and on the basis of the first configuration information, sending at least one group of demodulation reference signals (DMRSs) on a first time domain resource, wherein the first configuration information is used for configuring the number N of slots occupied by each group of DMRSs in the at least one group of DMRSs on the first time domain resource, the first time domain resource is used for data transmission of M communication devices, and the first communication device is included in the M communication devices, M being an integer greater than 1, N being a positive integer, and the value of N being less than the number of slots in the first time domain resource.

Description

Communication method and device

[0001] CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

[0002] This application claims priority to the Chinese patent application filed with the State Intellectual Property Office of the People's Republic of China on April 3, 2024, with application number 202410408788.3 and application name "A Communication Method and Device", the entire contents of which are incorporated by reference into this application. Technical Field

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

[0004] Orthogonal cover code (OCC)-based physical uplink shared channel (PUSCH) transmission refers to the transmission of the same data modulated by the OCC sequence by a terminal device over multiple time slots, multiple orthogonal frequency division multiplexing (OFDM) symbols, or multiple resource elements (REs) in the same slot. The OCC sequence enables multiple terminal devices to repeatedly transmit data on the same time domain resources.

[0005] Currently, the demodulation reference signal DMRS is configured at the cell level, that is, the same DMRS is configured for all terminal devices in the entire cell; and DMRS is carried on PUSCH transmission. When the OCC sequence is used to enable multiple terminal devices to multiplex the same time domain resources, the DMRSs of multiple terminal devices cannot be distinguished, resulting in the inability to perform DMRS-based channel estimation. Summary of the Invention

[0006] The present application provides a communication method and apparatus, which can distinguish demodulation reference signals (DMRSs) of communication devices that multiplex the same time domain resources, thereby ensuring normal channel estimation.

[0007] In a first aspect, the present application provides a communication method, including: a first communication device receives first configuration information, the first configuration information being used to configure the number N of time slots occupied by each group of DMRS in at least one group of demodulation reference signals DMRS on a first time domain resource, the first time domain resource being used for data transmission of M communication devices; wherein the first communication device is included in the M communication devices, M is an integer greater than 1, N is a positive integer, and the value of N is less than the number of time slots of the first time domain resource; and the first communication device sends the at least one group of DMRS on the first time domain resource according to the first configuration information.

[0008] In the above design, different communication devices use different DMRS distribution patterns on the same time domain resources, which can distinguish the DMRSs of multiple communication devices that multiplex the same time domain resources, thereby ensuring normal channel estimation.

[0009] In one possible design, a difference in indexes of starting time slots respectively occupied by two consecutive groups of DMRSs in the at least one group of DMRSs on the first time domain resource is determined based on the product of M and N. Such a design can achieve sparse distribution of DMRSs and facilitate distinguishing DMRSs of multiple communication devices that multiplex the same time domain resources.

[0010] In one possible design, the first configuration information includes the value of M and first indication information; wherein, when the first indication information takes the first value, the first indication information indicates that the value of N is 1; or, when the first indication information takes the second value, the first indication information indicates that the value of N is 2. Such a design uses a simple indication to simplify the configuration of the values ​​of M and N, thereby reducing signaling overhead.

[0011] In one possible design, the first configuration information includes the value of M and second indication information, wherein the second indication information indicates the index difference K of the time slots occupied by each two DMRSs in the first P DMRSs in the at least one group of DMRSs on the first time domain resource; wherein P is an integer greater than or equal to 2, and K is an integer; when K is equal to M, the value of N is 1; or, when K is less than M, the value of N is P, and the index difference of the time slots occupied by each two DMRSs in each group of DMRSs on the first time domain resource is K. Through such a design, the flexibility of the configuration of the value of N can be increased to adapt to different communication scenarios.

[0012] In one possible design, the first configuration information includes the value of M and the value of N. Such a design helps the first communication device quickly acquire a DMRS distribution pattern on the first time domain resource.

[0013] In one possible design, the value of M is equal to the length of a first orthogonal sequence, where the first orthogonal sequence is a sequence used to modulate data transmitted based on the first time domain resource. The starting time slot occupied by a first group of DMRSs in the at least one group of DMRSs in the first time domain resource is determined based on an index of the first orthogonal sequence. For example, the first orthogonal sequence may be an OCC. In such a design, the configuration of the orthogonal sequence for multiplexing the modulated data simplifies the configuration of the starting time slot occupied by the DMRS distribution pattern, thereby reducing signaling overhead.

[0014] In one possible design, the value of M is less than the length of a first orthogonal sequence, where the first orthogonal sequence is a sequence used to modulate data transmitted based on the first time domain resource. The method further includes: the first communications device receiving third indication information, where the third indication information is used to indicate a starting time slot occupied by a first group of DMRSs in the at least one group of DMRSs in the first time domain resource. This design facilitates the first communications device to quickly determine the time slot position occupied by the DMRS in the first time domain resource, thereby improving DMRS transmission efficiency.

[0015] In one possible design, the length of the first orthogonal sequence is greater than a length threshold. Through such a design, the first aspect and the above possible designs can be adapted to specific communication scenarios.

[0016] In a second aspect, an embodiment of the present application provides a communication method, including:

[0017] The second communication device sends first configuration information to the first communication device, where the first configuration information is used to configure the number N of time slots occupied by each group of at least one group of demodulation reference signals DMRS on the first time domain resource, and the first time domain resource is used for data transmission of M communication devices; wherein the first communication device is included in the M communication devices, M is an integer greater than 1, and N is a positive integer; and the second communication device receives the at least one group of DMRS from the first communication device through the first time domain resource.

[0018] In one possible design, the index difference between the starting time slots respectively occupied by two consecutive groups of DMRS in the at least one group of DMRS on the first time domain resource is the M.

[0019] In one possible design, the first configuration information includes the value of M and first indication information; wherein, when the first indication information takes the first value, the first indication information indicates that the value of N is 1; or, when the first indication information takes the second value, the first indication information indicates that the value of N is 2.

[0020] In one possible design, the first configuration information includes the value of M and second indication information, and the second indication information indicates the index difference K of the time slots occupied by each two DMRSs in the first P DMRSs in the at least one group of DMRSs on the first time domain resource; wherein, P is an integer greater than or equal to 2, and K is an integer; when K is equal to M, the value of N is 1; or, when K is less than M, the value of N is P, and the index difference of the time slots occupied by each two DMRSs in each group of DMRSs on the first time domain resource is K.

[0021] In one possible design, the first configuration information includes the value of M and the value of N.

[0022] In one possible design, the value of M is equal to the length of a first orthogonal sequence, and the first orthogonal sequence is a sequence used to modulate data transmitted based on the first time domain resource; wherein, the starting time slot occupied by the first group of DMRS in the at least one group of DMRS in the first time domain resource is determined based on the index of the first orthogonal sequence.

[0023] In one possible design, the value of M is less than the length of a first orthogonal sequence, and the first orthogonal sequence is a sequence used to modulate data transmitted based on the first time domain resource; the method also includes: the second communication device sends third indication information to the first communication device, and the third indication information is used to indicate the starting time slot occupied by the first group of DMRS in the at least one group of DMRS in the first time domain resource.

[0024] In one possible design, the length of the first orthogonal sequence is greater than a length threshold.

[0025] In a third aspect, the present application provides a communication device, which may be a first communication device, or a device, module, or chip in the first communication device, or a device that can be used in combination with the first communication device. In one design, the communication device may include a module that corresponds one-to-one to the method / operation / step / action described in the first aspect, and the module may be a hardware circuit, or software, or a combination of a hardware circuit and software. In one design, the communication device may include a processing module and a communication module, and the communication module includes a sending unit and a receiving unit. Optionally, the processing module may also be replaced by the description of the processing unit.

[0026] A communication module, configured to receive first configuration information, wherein the first configuration information is used to configure the number of time slots N occupied by each group of DMRS in at least one group of demodulation reference signals (DMRS) on a first time domain resource, wherein the first time domain resource is used for data transmission of M communication devices; wherein the first communication device is included in the M communication devices, the M is an integer greater than 1, the N is a positive integer, and the value of N is less than the number of time slots of the first time domain resource.

[0027] A processing module is configured to send the at least one group of DMRSs on the first time domain resources through a communication module according to the first configuration information.

[0028] In one possible design, the index difference between the starting time slots respectively occupied by two consecutive groups of DMRS in the at least one group of DMRS on the first time domain resources is determined based on the product of the M and the N.

[0029] In one possible design, the first configuration information includes the value of M and first indication information; wherein, when the first indication information takes the first value, the first indication information indicates that the value of N is 1; or, when the first indication information takes the second value, the first indication information indicates that the value of N is 2.

[0030] In one possible design, the first configuration information includes the value of M and second indication information, and the second indication information indicates the index difference K of the time slots occupied by each two DMRSs in the first P DMRSs in the at least one group of DMRSs on the first time domain resource; wherein, P is an integer greater than or equal to 2, and K is an integer; when K is equal to M, the value of N is 1; or, when K is less than M, the value of N is P, and the index difference of the time slots occupied by each two DMRSs in each group of DMRSs on the first time domain resource is K.

[0031] In one possible design, the first configuration information includes the value of M and the value of N.

[0032] In one possible design, the value of M is equal to the length of a first orthogonal sequence, where the first orthogonal sequence is a sequence used to modulate data transmitted based on the first time domain resource. A starting time slot occupied by a first group of DMRSs in the at least one group of DMRSs in the first time domain resource is determined based on an index of the first orthogonal sequence. For example, the first orthogonal sequence may be an OCC.

[0033] In one possible design, the value of M is less than the length of a first orthogonal sequence, and the first orthogonal sequence is a sequence used to modulate data transmitted based on the first time domain resource; the method also includes: the first communication device receives third indication information, and the third indication information is used to indicate the starting time slot occupied by the first group of DMRS in the at least one group of DMRS in the first time domain resource.

[0034] In one possible design, the length of the first orthogonal sequence is greater than a length threshold.

[0035] In a fourth aspect, the present application provides a communication device, which may be a second communication device, or a device, module or chip in the second communication device, or a device that can be used in combination with the second communication device. In one design, the communication device may include a module that performs the method / operation / step / action described in the second aspect, and the module may be a hardware circuit, or software, or a combination of a hardware circuit and software. In one design, the communication device may include a processing module and a communication module, and the communication module includes a sending unit and a receiving unit. Optionally, the processing module may also be replaced by the description of the processing unit.

[0036] A processing module is used to send first configuration information to a first communication device through a communication module, where the first configuration information is used to configure the number N of time slots occupied by each group of DMRS in at least one group of demodulation reference signals (DMRS) on the first time domain resource, and the first time domain resource is used for data transmission of M communication devices; wherein the first communication device is included in the M communication devices, M is an integer greater than 1, and N is a positive integer.

[0037] The communication module is configured to receive the at least one set of DMRS from the first communication device via the first time domain resources.

[0038] In one possible design, the index difference between the starting time slots respectively occupied by two consecutive groups of DMRS in the at least one group of DMRS on the first time domain resource is the M.

[0039] In one possible design, the first configuration information includes the value of M and first indication information; wherein, when the first indication information takes the first value, the first indication information indicates that the value of N is 1; or, when the first indication information takes the second value, the first indication information indicates that the value of N is 2.

[0040] In one possible design, the first configuration information includes the value of M and second indication information, and the second indication information indicates the index difference K of the time slots occupied by each two DMRSs in the first P DMRSs in the at least one group of DMRSs on the first time domain resource; wherein, P is an integer greater than or equal to 2, and K is an integer; when K is equal to M, the value of N is 1; or, when K is less than M, the value of N is P, and the index difference of the time slots occupied by each two DMRSs in each group of DMRSs on the first time domain resource is K.

[0041] In one possible design, the first configuration information includes the value of M and the value of N.

[0042] In one possible design, the value of M is equal to the length of a first orthogonal sequence, and the first orthogonal sequence is a sequence used to modulate data transmitted based on the first time domain resource; wherein, the starting time slot occupied by the first group of DMRS in the at least one group of DMRS in the first time domain resource is determined based on the index of the first orthogonal sequence.

[0043] In one possible design, the value of M is less than the length of the first orthogonal sequence, and the first orthogonal sequence is a sequence used to modulate data transmitted based on the first time domain resource; the processing module is also used to send third indication information to the first communication device through the communication module, and the third indication information is used to indicate the starting time slot occupied by the first group of DMRS in the at least one group of DMRS in the first time domain resource.

[0044] In one possible design, the length of the first orthogonal sequence is greater than a length threshold.

[0045] In a fifth aspect, the present application provides a communication device comprising at least one processor and a memory; the memory is used to store computer programs or instructions, and when the device is running, the at least one processor executes the computer program or instructions to enable the communication device to perform the method as described in the first aspect or the various embodiments of the first aspect, or to perform the method as described in the second aspect or the various embodiments of the second aspect.

[0046] In a sixth aspect, the present application provides another communication device, comprising: a logic circuit and an input / output interface; wherein the input / output interface can be understood as an interface circuit, and the logic circuit can be used to run code instructions to execute the method of the above-mentioned first aspect or each embodiment of the first aspect, or to execute the method of the above-mentioned second aspect or each embodiment of the second aspect.

[0047] In the seventh aspect, the present application also provides a computer-readable storage medium, which stores computer-readable instructions. When the computer-readable instructions are run on a computer, the computer executes the method in the first aspect or any possible design of the first aspect, or executes the method in the second aspect or any possible design of the second aspect.

[0048] In an eighth aspect, the present application provides a computer program product comprising instructions, which, when executed on a computer, enables the computer to execute the method of the above-mentioned first aspect or each embodiment of the first aspect, or execute the method of the above-mentioned second aspect or each embodiment of the second aspect.

[0049] In a ninth aspect, the present application provides a chip system, comprising a processor and further comprising a memory, for implementing the method described in the first aspect or any possible design of the first aspect, or executing the method described in the second aspect or any possible design of the second aspect. The chip system may be composed of a chip, or may include a chip and other discrete components.

[0050] In the tenth aspect, the present application provides a communication system, which includes a terminal device and a satellite, and the communication system is used to execute the method described in the above-mentioned first aspect or any possible design of the first aspect, or to execute the method in the above-mentioned second aspect or any possible design of the second aspect.

[0051] For the technical effects that can be achieved in the above-mentioned second to tenth aspects, please refer to the description of the technical effects that can be achieved in the above-mentioned first aspect or the corresponding possible design schemes in the first aspect, and this application will not repeat them here. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0052] FIG1 is a schematic diagram of the architecture of a wireless communication system;

[0053] FIG2 is a schematic diagram of the architecture of a non-terrestrial communication system;

[0054] FIG3 is a schematic diagram of the architecture of a 5G satellite communication system;

[0055] FIG4A is a schematic diagram of PUSCH transmission based on an OCC sequence;

[0056] FIG4B is a schematic diagram of another PUSCH transmission based on an OCC sequence;

[0057] FIG5A is a schematic diagram of a demodulation reference signal and data transmission based on the same OCC;

[0058] FIG5B is a schematic diagram of a signal-to-noise ratio-block error rate curve;

[0059] FIG6 is a flow chart of a communication method in an embodiment of the present application;

[0060] 7A to 7D are schematic diagrams of DMRS pattern distribution according to an embodiment of the present application;

[0061] 8A and 8B are schematic diagrams of DMRS pattern distribution according to an embodiment of the present application;

[0062] FIG9 is another schematic diagram of a signal-to-noise ratio-block error rate curve;

[0063] FIG10 is a schematic diagram of a structure of a communication device according to an embodiment of the present application;

[0064] FIG11 is one of the structural diagrams of the communication device in the embodiment of the present application. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0065] In order to make the purpose, technical solutions and advantages of the embodiments of the present application clearer, the embodiments of the present application will be further described in detail below with reference to the accompanying drawings.

[0066] The following embodiments of the present application involve at least one (item), which indicates one (item) or more (items). More (items) means two

[0067] (item) or two or more (items). "And / or" describes the association relationship of associated objects, indicating that three relationships may exist. For example, A and / or B can represent three situations: A exists alone, A and B exist at the same time, and B exists alone. The character " / " generally indicates that the previous and next associated objects are in an "or" relationship. In addition, it should be understood that although the terms first, second, etc. may be used to describe each object in the embodiments of the present application, these objects should not be limited to these terms. These terms are only used to distinguish each object from each other.

[0068] The terms "including" and "having" and any variations thereof mentioned in the following description of the embodiments of the present application are intended to cover non-exclusive inclusions. For example, a process, method, system, product or device that includes a series of steps or units is not limited to the listed steps or units, but optionally includes other steps or units that are not listed, or optionally includes other steps or units that are inherent to these processes, methods, products or devices. It should be noted that, in the embodiments of the present application, words such as "exemplary" or "for example" are used to indicate examples, illustrations or descriptions. Any method or design described as "exemplary" or "for example" in the embodiments of the present application should not be interpreted as being more preferred or more advantageous than other methods or designs. Specifically, the use of words such as "exemplary" or "for example" is intended to present related concepts in a concrete way.

[0069] The technical solutions provided in this application can be applied to various wireless communication systems, such as: fifth generation (5G) or new radio (NR) systems, long term evolution (LTE) systems, LTE frequency division duplex (FDD) systems, LTE time division duplex (TDD) systems, wireless local area networks (WLAN) systems, satellite communication systems, future communication systems, such as sixth generation (6G) mobile communication systems, or integrated systems of multiple systems. The technical solutions provided in this application can also be applied to device to device (D2D) communication, vehicle-to-everything (V2X) communication, machine to machine (M2M) communication, machine type communication (MTC), Internet of Things (IoT) communication, narrowband IoT (NB-IoT) communication or other communication scenarios.

[0070] A network element in a communication system can send a signal to another network element or receive a signal from another network element. The signal may include information, signaling, or data, etc. The network element can also be replaced by an entity, a network entity, a device, a communication device, a communication module, a node, a communication node, etc. The present disclosure uses the network element as an example for description. For example, the communication system may include at least one terminal device and at least one network device. The network device can send a downlink signal to the terminal device, and / or the terminal device can send an uplink signal to the network device. In addition, it can be understood that if the communication system includes multiple terminal devices, the multiple terminal devices can also send signals to each other, that is, the signal sending network element and the signal receiving network element can both be terminal devices.

[0071] Referring to FIG1 , FIG1 is a simplified schematic diagram of a wireless communication system provided by the present disclosure. As shown in FIG1 , the wireless communication system includes a wireless access network 100. The wireless access network 100 may be a next-generation (e.g., 6G or higher) wireless access network, or a traditional (e.g., 5G, 4G, 3G, or 2G) wireless access network. One or more communication devices (120a-120j, collectively referred to as 120) may be connected to each other or to one or more network devices (110a, 110b, collectively referred to as 110) in the wireless access network 100. Optionally, FIG1 is only a schematic diagram, and the wireless communication system may also include other devices, such as core network devices, wireless relay devices, and / or wireless backhaul devices, which are not shown in FIG1 .

[0072] Optionally, in actual applications, the wireless communication system may include multiple network devices (also called access network devices) or multiple communication devices. A network device may serve one or more communication devices simultaneously. A communication device may also access one or more network devices simultaneously. This disclosure does not limit the number of communication devices and network devices included in the wireless communication system.

[0073] The network device may be an entity on the network side for transmitting or receiving signals. The network device may be an access device for a communication device to access the wireless communication system in a wireless manner, such as a base station. The base station can broadly cover the following various names, or be replaced with the following names, such as: NodeB, evolved NodeB (eNB), next generation NodeB (gNB), access network equipment in open radio access network (O-RAN), relay station, access point, transmission point (TRP), transmitting point (TP), master station MeNB, secondary station SeNB, multi-standard radio (MSR) node, home base station, network controller, access node, radio node, access point (AP), transmission node, transceiver node, baseband unit (BBU), remote radio unit (RRU), active antenna unit (AAU), radio head (RRH), central unit (CU), distributed unit (DU), radio unit (RU), centralized unit control plane (CU-CP) node, centralized unit user plane (CU-UP) node, positioning node, etc. The base station can be a macro base station, a micro base station, a relay node, a donor node or the like, or a combination thereof. The network device can also refer to a communication module, a modem or a chip for being arranged in the aforementioned device or apparatus. The network device can also be a mobile switching center and a device to device (Device-to-Device, D2D), vehicle-to-everything (V2X), a device that performs the base station function in machine-to-machine (M2M) communications, a network side device in a 6G network, a device that performs the base station function in future communication systems, etc. The network device can support networks with the same or different access technologies. The embodiments of the present disclosure do not limit the specific technology and specific device form adopted by the network device.

[0074] Network devices can be fixed or mobile. For example, base stations 110a and 110b are stationary and are responsible for wireless transmission and reception in one or more cells from communication device 120. The helicopter or drone 120i shown in Figure 1 can be configured to act as a mobile base station, and one or more cells can move according to the location of the mobile base station 120i. In other examples, the helicopter or drone (120i) can be configured to act as a communication device communicating with base station 110b.

[0075] In the present disclosure, the communication device used to implement the above-mentioned network access function can be a network device, a network device with partial network access functions, or a device capable of supporting the implementation of the network access function, such as a chip system, a hardware circuit, a software module, or a hardware circuit and a software module. The device can be installed in the network device or used in conjunction with the network device. In the method of the present disclosure, the communication device used to implement the network device function is described as an example of a network device.

[0076] A communication device can be an entity on the user side that is used to receive or transmit signals, such as a mobile phone. A communication device can be used to connect people, objects, and machines. A communication device can communicate with one or more core networks through network devices. Communication devices include handheld devices with wireless connection capabilities, other processing devices connected to a wireless modem, or vehicle-mounted devices. A communication device can be a portable, pocket-sized, handheld, computer-built-in, or vehicle-mounted mobile device. The communication device 120 can be widely used in various scenarios, such as cellular communication, device-to-device (D2D), vehicle-to-everything (V2X), end-to-end (P2P), machine-to-machine (M2M), machine-type communication (MTC), Internet of Things (IoT), virtual reality (VR), augmented reality (AR), industrial control, autonomous driving, telemedicine, smart grids, smart furniture, smart offices, smart wearables, smart transportation, smart cities, drones, robots, remote sensing, passive sensing, positioning, navigation and tracking, autonomous delivery and mobility, etc. Some examples of the communication device 120 include: user equipment (UE) of the 3GPP standard, fixed equipment, mobile equipment, handheld equipment, wearable equipment, cellular phones, smart phones, session initiation protocol (SIP) phones, laptops, personal computers, smart books, vehicles, satellites, global positioning system (GPS) devices, target tracking equipment, drones, helicopters, aircraft, ships, remote control equipment, smart home devices, industrial equipment, personal communication service (PCS) phones, wireless local loop (WLL) stations, personal digital assistants (PDAs), wireless network cameras, tablet computers, handheld computers, mobile internet devices (MIDs), wearable devices such as smart watches, virtual reality (VR) devices, augmented reality (AR) devices, wireless terminals in industrial control, terminals in vehicle networking systems, wireless terminals in self-driving cars, wireless terminals in smart grids, wireless terminals in transportation safety, and smart cities. The communication device 120 may be a wireless device in the above scenarios or a device configured in a wireless device, such as a communication module, modem, or chip in the above devices.A communication device may also be referred to as a terminal, terminal device, user equipment (UE), mobile station (MS), mobile terminal (MT), etc. A communication device may also be a communication device in a future wireless communication system. A communication device may be used in a dedicated network device or a general-purpose device. The embodiments of this disclosure do not limit the specific technology or specific device form used by the communication device.

[0077] Alternatively, a communication device can act as a dispatching entity, providing sidelink signals between UEs in V2X, D2D, or P2P scenarios. As shown in Figure 1 , a cell phone 120 a and a car 120 b communicate with each other using sidelink signals. Cell phone 120 a and a smart home device 120 e communicate with each other without relaying the communication signals through base station 110 b.

[0078] In the present disclosure, a communication device for realizing the functions of a communication device may be a terminal device, or a terminal device having some of the functions of the above communication devices, or a device capable of supporting the functions of the above communication devices, such as a chip system, which may be installed in the terminal device or used in combination with the terminal device. In the present disclosure, a chip system may be composed of a chip, or may include a chip and other discrete devices. In the technical solution provided in the present disclosure, the communication device is described as a terminal device or UE as an example.

[0079] Based on the description of the terrestrial communication system architecture shown in Figure 1, an example of a non-terrestrial network (NTN) communication system applicable to the embodiments of the present application is provided. NTNs include nodes such as satellite networks, high-altitude platforms, and drones. They offer significant advantages, including global coverage, long-distance transmission, flexible networking, convenient deployment, and freedom from geographical restrictions. They have been widely used in a variety of fields, including maritime communications, positioning and navigation, disaster relief, scientific experiments, video broadcasting, and Earth observation. Ground-based 5G networks and satellite networks integrate, leveraging their strengths and weaknesses to form a seamless, integrated global communication network covering land, sea, air, space, and ground, meeting the diverse service needs of users everywhere. In the embodiments of the present application, NTN communication uses satellite communication as an example, or rather, the NTN communication system uses a satellite system as an example. As shown in Figure 2, the NTN communication system includes a satellite 201 and a terminal device 202. The explanation of terminal device 202 can refer to the description of terminal devices 101 to 106 above. Satellite 201 can also be referred to as a high-altitude platform, a high-altitude aircraft, or a satellite base station. Considering the NTN communication system in relation to the terrestrial network communication system, satellite 201 can be considered as one or more network devices within the terrestrial network communication system architecture. Satellite 201 provides communication services to terminal device 202 and can also connect to core network equipment. The structure and functions of network device 202 can also be referenced to the above description of network device 202. The communication method between satellite 201 and terminal device 202 can also be referenced to the description in FIG1 . This description will not be repeated here. The solutions in the embodiments of this application can also be applied directly to terrestrial communication networks, or after minor modifications as would be appreciated by those skilled in the art, and will not be further described here.

[0080] Taking 5G as an example, a 5G satellite communication system architecture is shown in Figure 3. Ground-based terminal devices access the network via the 5G new air interface. 5G base stations are deployed on satellites and connected to the ground core network via wireless links. Wireless links also exist between satellites, enabling signaling exchanges and user data transmission between base stations. The devices and interfaces in Figure 3 are described below:

[0081] 5G core network: This network handles services such as user access control, mobility management, session management, user security authentication, and billing. It consists of multiple functional units, divided into control plane and data plane functional entities. The access and mobility management function (AMF) network element is responsible for user access management, security authentication, and mobility management. The user plane function (UPF) network element manages user plane data transmission, traffic statistics, and other functions.

[0082] Ground station: responsible for forwarding signaling and business data between satellite base stations and 5G core network.

[0083] 5G New Air Interface: The wireless link between the terminal and the base station.

[0084] Xn interface: The interface between 5G base stations, mainly used for signaling interactions such as switching.

[0085] NG interface: The interface between the 5G base station and the 5G core network, which mainly interacts with the core network's NAS and other signaling, as well as user business data.

[0086] The following is an explanation of the technical terms involved in the embodiments of the present application. These explanations are intended to make the embodiments of the present application easier to understand and should not be regarded as limiting the scope of protection claimed by the present application.

[0087] (1) Subcarriers and subcarrier spacing

[0088] In an orthogonal frequency division multiplexing (OFDM) system, frequency domain resources are divided into several sub-resources. Each sub-resource in the frequency domain is called a subcarrier, and a subcarrier can also be understood as the minimum granularity of frequency domain resources. The subcarrier spacing refers to the distance between the center positions or peak positions of two adjacent subcarriers in the frequency domain of an OFDM system.

[0089] For NB-IoT, uplink scheduling in the frequency domain can be categorized as single-carrier or multi-carrier scheduling. Multi-carrier scheduling occupies 3, 6, or 12 subcarriers in the frequency domain, while single-carrier scheduling occupies 1 subcarrier. Multi-carrier scheduling only supports a subcarrier spacing of 15 kHz, while single-carrier scheduling supports subcarrier spacings of 15 kHz and 3.75 kHz. The scheduling unit for uplink scheduling in the time domain is called a resource unit (RU). A single-carrier RU occupies 16 time slots. When multi-carrier scheduling occupies 3 subcarriers in the frequency domain, a RU occupies 8 time slots in the time domain. When multi-carrier scheduling occupies 6 subcarriers in the frequency domain, a RU occupies 4 time slots in the time domain. When multi-carrier scheduling occupies 12 subcarriers in the frequency domain, a RU occupies 2 time slots in the time domain.

[0090] (2) Code Division Multiplexing and Orthogonal Cover Code (OCC)

[0091] Code division multiplexing (CDMA) is a technology that enables resource (or channel) sharing by assigning mutually orthogonal codewords to multiple terminal devices with different addresses. Mutually orthogonal codewords can be understood as orthogonal codes, such as orthogonal cover codes (OCCs), where the normalized inner product of any two codewords S and T in a set of codewords is equal to zero.

[0092] Orthogonal cover codes are generally one or more orthogonal sequences. According to different generation methods, orthogonal cover codes can be divided into orthogonal sequences generated based on Walsh code and orthogonal sequences generated based on discrete Fourier transform (DFT) matrix. Among them, the length of the orthogonal sequence generated based on Walsh code is an exponential multiple of 2, denoted as 2 n , n is a positive integer; the length of the orthogonal sequence generated based on the DFT matrix can be any length.

[0093] As an example, the following Table 1 illustrates an OCC of length 2 generated based on Walsh code, Table 2 illustrates an OCC of length 4 generated based on Walsh code, the following Table 3 illustrates an OCC of length 8 generated based on Walsh code, and Table 4 illustrates an OCC of length 3 generated based on DFT matrix.

[0094] Table 1

[0095] Table 2

[0096] Table 3

[0097] Table 4

[0098] (3) PUSCH transmission based on OCC modulation

[0099] In NTN, scheduling resources for different terminal devices are often differentiated through time or frequency division. Excessive data repetitions from a single terminal device can reduce spectral efficiency and resource utilization. Therefore, multiple terminal devices can be considered to share the same resources. Generally speaking, due to the large coverage area of ​​a satellite, terminals within the coverage area may be far apart. Two receive beams can be used to spatially separate their data. However, for two terminals that are closer together, the propagation path between the satellite and the terminal device lacks scatterers, resulting in a strong direct component in the channel. The spatial correlation between the channels from multiple terminal devices to the satellite is extremely high, making it impossible to separate them spatially. Terminal devices that are closer often have similar path losses and link budgets, and the number of repetitions required for data transmission may also be similar. Therefore, OCC modulation can be used to multiplex data from multiple terminal devices using the same time domain resources. This approach is also referred to as PUSCH transmission based on OCC modulation. Furthermore, the same terminal device can transmit the same data modulated using an orthogonal OCC sequence across multiple time slots, multiple OFDM symbols, or multiple REs within the same time slot.

[0100] Different terminal devices use OCC to extend the data repetition. For the case where two terminal devices (such as UE1 and UE2) reuse the same time domain resources to transmit data, two OCCs can be used. The length of the OCC is L. The first OCC can be expressed as {a1,…,aL}, and the second OCC can be expressed as {b1,…,bL}. UE1 uses the first OCC to generate L repetitions of data a1, expressed as {a1*s1,…,aL*s1}, and UE2 uses the second OCC to generate L repetitions of data b1, expressed as {b1*s2,…,bL*s2}. The data of UE1 and UE2 are transmitted on the same time domain resources. The network device side can use the first OCC to parse out UE1's data and use the second OCC to parse out UE2's data.

[0101] The following describes an example of OCC-based PUSCH transmission using FIG. 4A and FIG. 4B .

[0102] As shown in Figure 4A, using the OCC length of 2 shown in Table 1 as an example, the first row of blocks represents UE1's PUSCH transmission. UE1 uses the OCC indexed at 0 ({+1, +1}) in Table 1 to modulate the same data across every two time slots. The second row of blocks represents UE2's PUSCH transmission. UE2 uses the OCC indexed at 1 ({+1, -1}) in Table 1 to modulate the same data across every two time slots. In Figure 4A, each block corresponds to one time slot. UE1 and UE2 transmit four PUSCHs within eight time slots, with each PUSCH repeated twice.

[0103] As shown in Figure 4B , using the OCC length of 4 shown in Table 2 as an example, the first row of blocks represents UE1's PUSCH transmission. UE1 uses the OCC indexed at 0 in Table 2, {+1, +1, +1}, to modulate the same data across every four time slots. The second row of blocks represents UE2's PUSCH transmission. UE2 uses the OCC indexed at 1 in Table 2, {+1, -1, +1, -1}, to modulate the same data across every four time slots. In Figure 4B , each block corresponds to one time slot. UE1 and UE2 transmit two PUSCHs within eight time slots, with each PUSCH repeated four times.

[0104] Furthermore, it is understandable that in the NB-IoT scenario, the above-mentioned PUSCH replacement description is narrowband physical uplink shared channel (narrowband PUSCH, NPUSCH).

[0105] (4) Demodulation Reference Signal (DMRS)

[0106] DMRS is used for channel estimation. In the NB-IoT scenario, DMRS is carried in the NPUSCH time slot. One time slot consists of 7 OFDM symbols, and DMRS occupies the 4th OFDM symbol among the 7 OFDM symbols. DMRS in NB IoT is usually configured at the cell level, that is, the DMRS configuration is the same for terminal devices in the same cell. When OCC is used to allow different UEs to multiplex the same time domain resources to transmit data, the DMRS between these terminal devices cannot be distinguished, resulting in the inability to perform DMRS-based channel estimation.

[0107] Related technologies use an OCC extension method to differentiate DMRS between terminal devices multiplexing the same time domain resources, using both the DMRS and the data in the time slot in which the DMRS resides. As shown in Figure 5A, using an OCC of {w0, w1} as an example, a terminal device modulates the DMRS and data within a time slot using the same element in the OCC. This means that both the DMRS and data within the same time slot are multiplied by the same OCC element. Accordingly, the network device despreads the DMRS in one or more time slots based on the terminal device's corresponding OCC, removes interference from other users, and then performs channel estimation.

[0108] However, when the terminal device sends uplink data, it will perform frequency offset pre-compensation. According to the existing protocol, the residual frequency offset of the data sent by the terminal device must be less than or equal to 0.1ppm of the center carrier frequency, where ppm refers to parts per million (ppm). For example, if the center carrier frequency is 2GHz, 0.1ppm of the center carrier frequency is 200Hz. The phase change caused by the residual frequency offset will affect the orthogonality of the OCC. In the method of using DMRS and the data in the time slot where the DMRS is located for OCC extension, the network device side performs frequency offset estimation and frequency offset compensation based on two consecutive DMRS modulated by the same OCC element to eliminate the phase rotation caused by the residual frequency offset. When the length of the OCC is 2, the index difference between the time slots occupied by the two DMRSs used to estimate the frequency offset is at least 2, or it can also be understood that the time slots occupied by the two DMRSs are at least two time slots apart. Taking 200Hz frequency offset as an example, the phase rotation for different time slot intervals in the 15kHz and 3.75kHz subcarrier scenarios is shown in Table 5 below.

[0109] Table 5

[0110] Wherein, pi represents pi. It can be seen from Table 5 that for a subcarrier spacing of 3.75kHz, when the subcarrier spacing is 3.75kHz and the time slots occupied by the two DMRSs used for spectrum estimation are spaced by 2 time slots, the phase rotation is greater than pi. For the same subcarrier spacing, the longer the OCC length (that is, the time slot spacing), the greater the corresponding phase rotation. Using DMRS together with the data of the time slot where the DMRS is located for OCC extension will lead to inaccurate frequency offset estimation and reduce channel estimation performance. Referring to Figure 5B, taking the signal to interference plus noise ratio (SINR)-block error rate (BLER) curve as an example, it is shown that: under the same SINR, the BLER corresponding to the DMRS modulated by an OCC of length 4 is greater than the BLER corresponding to the DMRS modulated by an OCC of length 2, and the BLER corresponding to the DMRS modulated by an OCC of length 2 is greater than the BLER of the DMRS transmitted by a single terminal device. It can be understood that under the same SINR, the larger the BLER, the worse the corresponding channel estimation performance.

[0111] Based on this, an embodiment of the present application provides a communication method, which can distinguish the DMRSs of multiple communication devices that reuse the same time domain resources by designing different communication devices to use different DMRS distribution patterns on the same time domain resources, thereby ensuring the normal progress of channel estimation.

[0112] FIG6 illustrates a communication method, which mainly takes the interaction process between the first communication device and the second communication device as an example to introduce the DMRS transmission scheme. It can be understood that the first communication device is a sending device or a sending end, and the second communication device is a receiving device or a receiving end. For example, the first communication device is a terminal device, and the second communication device is a network device, and DMRS is transmitted in the air interface; for example, the first communication device is a terminal device, and the second communication device is also a terminal device, and DMRS is transmitted in the side link. Among them, the terminal device and the network device can be network elements in the aforementioned wireless communication system, such as the terminal device and satellite in the NTN, such as the terminal device and satellite in the NB-IoT scenario supported by the NTN, and the embodiments of the present application are not limited to this. The implementation steps included in the method are described in detail below.

[0113] S601: A second communication device sends first configuration information to a first communication device; correspondingly, the first communication device receives the first configuration information from the second communication device.

[0114] The first configuration information is used to configure the number of time slots N occupied by each DMRS group in at least one group of demodulation reference signals (DMRSs) on the first time domain resource, and the first time domain resource is used for data transmission by M communication devices. The first communication device is included in the M communication devices, M is an integer greater than 1, and N is a positive integer. In one possible implementation, the second communication device may send the first configuration information to each of the M communication devices. If the first communication device is any one of the M communication devices, the first communication device may receive the first configuration information from the second communication device.

[0115] In one possible implementation, the second communication device configures M communication devices to repeatedly transmit data on the first time domain resource using different OCCs, where M is less than or equal to the maximum number of multiplexed UEs supported by the first time domain resource. The maximum number of multiplexed UEs is determined based on the length of the OCC. For example, when the OCC length is 4, M is less than or equal to 4.

[0116] Taking each of the M communication devices as a terminal device and the second communication device as a network device as an example, the network device can determine the M terminal devices that reuse the first time domain resources in the following manner: the network device performs terminal pairing based on the residual frequency deviation of all terminal devices in a cell, for example, pairing terminal devices with similar phase changes in the same time period caused by the residual frequency deviation, and configuring the same value of N for the paired terminal devices. It can be understood that terminal pairing can also be understood as grouping terminal devices, and the paired terminal devices can be replaced by the description of the terminal devices in the same group. Furthermore, the network device can select M communication devices from the paired or same group of terminal devices to reuse the same resources to transmit data, and send first configuration information to the M communication devices to configure the same value of N.

[0117] It is understandable that the index difference between the starting time slots respectively occupied by two consecutive DMRS groups in the at least one DMRS group configured by the first configuration information on the first time domain resource is determined based on the product of M and N. For example, the index difference between the starting time slots respectively occupied by the two consecutive DMRS groups on the first time domain resource is equal to M*N. The DMRSs of different communication devices among the M communication devices occupy different time slots on the first time domain resource.

[0118] The information design included in the first configuration information is described in detail below.

[0119] In a first possible design, the first configuration information includes the value of M and first indication information; wherein, when the first indication information takes the first value, the first indication information indicates that the value of N is 1; or, when the first indication information takes the second value, the first indication information indicates that the value of N is 2.

[0120] Optionally, the first indication information may be a flag bit, occupying 1 bit in the first configuration information. The first value is 0 and the second value is 1; or the first value is 1 and the second value is 0. In addition, it can be understood that different values ​​of the first indication information correspond to different types of DMRS configurations, such as when the first indication information takes the first value, the corresponding DMRS configuration type is the first type, and the first type indicates that a group of DMRS occupies 1 time slot in the first time domain resource; or when the first indication information takes the second value, the corresponding DMRS configuration type is the second type, and the second type indicates that a group of DMRS occupies 2 time slots in the first time domain resource.

[0121] Example 11: M is configured as 4 and N is configured as 1 in the first configuration information, indicating that each DMRS in at least one group of DMRS is configured to occupy 1 time slot on the first time domain resource, and 4 communication devices transmit data on the first time domain resource. Two consecutive groups of DMRS of each of the 4 communication devices can be understood as 2 consecutive DMRSs, and the index difference between the time slots occupied by the 2 consecutive DMRSs on the first time domain resource is 4, or alternatively described as the time slots occupied by the 2 consecutive DMRSs on the first time domain resource are separated by 4 time slots. As shown in Figure 7A, the DRMS ​​of the same communication device are represented by the same pattern. Assuming that the first time domain resource includes 8 time slots, the DMRS of each of the 4 communication devices occupies 2 time slots out of 8 time slots, and the index difference between the 2 time slots is 4.

[0122] Example 12: M is configured as 3 and N is configured as 1 in the first configuration information, indicating that each DMRS in at least one group of DMRS is configured to occupy one time slot on the first time domain resource, and three communication devices transmit data on the first time domain resource. Two consecutive groups of DMRS for each of the three communication devices can be understood as two consecutive DMRSs, and the index difference between the time slots occupied by the two consecutive DMRSs on the first time domain resource is 3, or alternatively described as the time slots occupied by the two consecutive DMRSs on the first time domain resource are separated by three time slots. As shown in Figure 7B, the DRMS ​​of the same communication device are represented by the same pattern. Assuming that the first time domain resource includes 6 time slots, the DMRS of each of the three communication devices occupies 2 time slots out of 6 time slots, and the index difference between the two time slots is 3.

[0123] In Example 13, the first configuration information configures M as 3 and N as 1, indicating that each DMRS group in at least one group of DMRSs is configured to occupy one time slot on the first time domain resource, and that three communication devices transmit data on the first time domain resource. Two consecutive DMRS groups for each of the three communication devices can be understood as two consecutive DMRSs, with the index difference between the time slots occupied by the two consecutive DMRSs on the first time domain resource being 3, or alternatively described as the time slots occupied by the two consecutive DMRSs on the first time domain resource being separated by three time slots. As shown in FIG7C , the DMRSs of the same communication device are represented by the same pattern. Assuming that the first time domain resource includes eight time slots, the DMRSs of two of the three communication devices occupy three time slots out of the eight time slots, with the index difference between every two time slots in the three time slots being 3, and the DMRS of one of the three communication devices occupies two time slots out of the eight time slots, with the index difference between the two time slots being 3.

[0124] In Example 14, the first configuration information configures M to be 2 and N to be 2, indicating that each of at least one group of DMRSs is configured to occupy two time slots on the first time domain resource, and that two communication devices transmit data on the first time domain resource. The index difference between the starting time slots occupied by two consecutive groups of DMRSs on the first time domain resource for each of the two communication devices is 4, or alternatively, the starting time slots occupied by the two consecutive groups of DMRSs on the first time domain resource are separated by 4 time slots. As shown in Figure 7D, the DRMSs of the same communication device are represented by the same pattern. Assuming that the first time domain resource includes 8 time slots, each of the two communication devices transmits two groups of DMRSs, each of the two groups of DMRSs occupies two time slots out of the 8 time slots, and the index difference between the starting time slots occupied by the two groups of DMRSs on the first time domain resource is 4.

[0125] Optionally, the first possible design described above can be applied to NB-IoT scenarios. When the subcarrier spacing is 15kHz and M is 4, the first indication information in the first configuration information can be a first value, that is, the value of N is 1. Taking Table 5 as an example, such a design can make the maximum phase rotation caused by the frequency offset 0.72pi, without affecting the frequency offset estimation. Optionally, it can also be stipulated in the protocol that: when the network device sends the first configuration information to M terminal devices with a subcarrier of 15kHz, the value of the first indication information included in the first configuration information is the first value; and when the network device sends the first configuration information to M terminal devices with a subcarrier of 3.75kHz, the value of the first indication information included in the first configuration information is the second value.

[0126] In a second possible design, the first configuration information includes the value of M and second indication information, and the second indication information indicates the index difference K of the time slots occupied by each two DMRSs in the first P DMRSs in the at least one group of DMRSs on the first time domain resource; wherein, P is an integer greater than or equal to 2, and K is an integer; when K is equal to M, the value of N is 1; or, when K is less than M, the value of N is P, and the index difference of the time slots occupied by each two DMRSs in each group of DMRSs on the first time domain resource is K.

[0127] Example 21: The first configuration information configures M as 4, P as 2, K as 4, and N as 1, indicating that each DMRS in at least one group of DMRS is configured to occupy one time slot on the first time domain resource, and four communication devices transmit data on the first time domain resource. Two consecutive groups of DMRS for each of the four communication devices can be understood as two consecutive DMRSs, and the index difference between the time slots occupied by the two consecutive DMRSs on the first time domain resource is 4, or alternatively described as the time slots occupied by the two consecutive DMRSs on the first time domain resource are separated by 4 time slots. As shown in Figure 7A, the DRMS ​​of the same communication device are represented by the same pattern. Assuming that the first time domain resource includes 8 time slots, the DMRS of each of the four communication devices occupies 2 time slots out of the 8 time slots, and the index difference between the two time slots is 4.

[0128] In addition, M and K can also take other identical values, N is 1. For example, the first configuration information configures M to be 3, K to be 3, and N to be 1. The situation can be understood by referring to Examples 12 and 13, and this embodiment of the present application will not elaborate on this.

[0129] In Example 22, the first configuration information configures M to be 2, P to be 2, K to be 1, and N to be 2, indicating that each DMRS group in at least one DMRS group is configured to occupy two time slots on the first time domain resource, the index difference between the two time slots is 1, and the two communication devices transmit data on the first time domain resource. The index difference between the starting time slots occupied by two consecutive DMRS groups on the first time domain resource for each of the two communication devices is 4, or alternatively, the starting time slots occupied by the two consecutive DMRS groups on the first time domain resource are separated by 4 time slots. As shown in Figure 7D, the DMRSs of the same communication device are represented by the same pattern. Assuming that the first time domain resource includes 8 time slots, each of the two communication devices transmits two DMRS groups, each of the two DMRS groups occupies two time slots out of the 8 time slots, the index difference between the two time slots is 1, and the index difference between the starting time slots occupied by the two DMRS groups on the first time domain resource is 4.

[0130] In Example 23, the first configuration information configures M as 2, P as 3, K as 1, and N as 3, indicating that each DMRS group in at least one DMRS group is configured to occupy 3 time slots on the first time domain resource, the index difference between every two consecutive time slots in the 3 time slots is 1, and two communication devices transmit data on the first time domain resource. The index difference between the starting time slots occupied by two consecutive DMRS groups on the first time domain resource for each of the two communication devices is 6, or alternatively, the starting time slots occupied by the two consecutive DMRS groups on the first time domain resource are separated by 6 time slots. As shown in Figure 8A, the DMRSs of the same communication device are represented by the same pattern. Assuming that the first time domain resource includes 12 time slots, each of the two communication devices transmits two DMRS groups, each of the two DMRS groups occupies 3 time slots in the 12 time slots, the index difference between every two time slots in the 3 time slots is 1, and the index difference between the starting time slots occupied by the two DMRS groups on the first time domain resource is 6.

[0131] In Example 24, the first configuration information configures M to be 4, P to be 2, K to be 2, and N to be 2, indicating that each DMRS group in at least one DMRS group is configured to occupy two time slots on the first time domain resource, the index difference between the two consecutive time slots is 2, and two communication devices transmit data on the first time domain resource. The index difference between the starting time slots occupied by two consecutive DMRS groups on each of the two communication devices on the first time domain resource is 8, or alternatively, the starting time slots occupied by the two consecutive DMRS groups on the first time domain resource are separated by 8 time slots. As shown in Figure 8B, the DMRSs of the same communication device are represented by the same pattern. Assuming that the first time domain resource includes 16 time slots, each of the four communication devices transmits two DMRS groups, each of the two DMRS groups occupies two time slots out of the 16 time slots, the index difference between the two time slots is 2, and the index difference between the starting time slots occupied by the two DMRS groups on the first time domain resource is 8.

[0132] Optionally, the second possible design described above can be applied to NB-IoT scenarios. When the subcarrier spacing is 3.75kHz, it is necessary to use the DMRS on two consecutive time slots for frequency offset estimation, that is, the index difference K of the time slots occupied by two consecutive DMRS configured in the first configuration information is 1. Taking Table 5 as an example, in this case, the phase rotation is 0.75*pi, which does not affect the frequency offset estimation. Therefore, it can be stipulated in the protocol that the value of K configured in the first configuration information sent by the network device to M terminal devices with a subcarrier of 3.75kHz is 1; and the K in the first configuration information sent by the network device to M terminal devices with a subcarrier of 15kHz can be any positive integer.

[0133] In a third possible design, the first configuration information may directly include the value of M and the value of N.

[0134] In addition, optionally, the second communication device may also send third indication information to the first communication device, where the third indication information is used to indicate the starting time slot occupied by the first group of DMRS in at least one group of DMRS in the first configuration information on the first time domain resource. For example, the third indication information may include the index of the starting time slot. The second communication device may carry the third indication information in the first configuration information, or the second communication device may separately send signaling including the third indication information to the first communication device, which is not limited in this embodiment of the present application. By designing the third indication information, the first communication device can quickly determine the index of one or more time slots occupied by the DMRS on the first time domain resource.

[0135] S602: The first communication device sends the at least one group of DMRS in the first time domain resources according to the first configuration information.

[0136] Corresponding to the design of the first configuration information described in S601, the first communication device can parse the information included in the first configuration information according to the corresponding design to determine the value of M and the value of N.

[0137] In one possible design, the first communications device determines, based on an index of an orthogonal sequence (e.g., an OCC) used to modulate data, an index of a starting time slot occupied by a first DMRS group in at least one DMRS group on a first time domain resource. For example, the index of the OCC used to modulate data is the same as the index of the starting time slot occupied by the first DMRS group in at least one DMRS group on the first time domain resource. Optionally, such a design may be applied when M is less than or equal to the length of the OCC.

[0138] In this design, the first communication device can determine the partial time slots occupied by the first group of DMRS in at least one group of DMRS on the first time domain resource based on M, N and the index of OCC, and the partial time slots include one or more time slots; then, the first communication device can send DMRS on the partial time slots on the first time domain resource; and send data modulated by OCC in each time slot on the first time domain resource.

[0139] For example, when N is 1, the index S of the partial time slots occupied by the first group of DMRS in at least one group of DMRS on the first time domain resource can be obtained by the following formula: S = I + (i-1) * M, where I indicates the index of the OCC, i takes integers from 1 to W in sequence, W = L / M, and L indicates the number of time slots in the first time domain resource. In combination with the DMRS distribution method shown in 7A, M is 4, N is 1, and the first time domain resource includes 8 time slots, denoted as time slots 0 to time slot 7; W = 8 / 4 = 2, and the values ​​of i include 1 and 2. If the first communication device uses the OCC modulation data in the first row with index 0 in Table 2, then I is equal to 0, and the time slots that the first communication device can occupy on the first time domain resource include time slot 0 and time slot 4; or, if the first communication device uses the OCC modulation data in the second row with index 1 in Table 2, then I is equal to 1, and the time slots that the first communication device can occupy on the first time domain resource include time slot 1 and time slot 5. In conjunction with the DMRS distribution method illustrated in 7B, M is 3, N is 1, and the first time domain resource includes 6 time slots, denoted as time slot 0 to time slot 5; W = 6 / 3 = 2, and the value of i includes 1 and 2. The OCC configured by the second communication device to the first communication device is any one of the first three rows of OCC in Table 3. If the first communication device uses the OCC in the first row indexed by 0 in Table 3 to modulate data, then the time slots that the first communication device can occupy on the first time domain resource include time slot 0 and time slot 3; alternatively, if the first communication device uses the OCC in the second row indexed by 1 in Table 3 to modulate data, then the time slots that the first communication device can occupy on the first time domain resource include time slot 1 and time slot 4.

[0140] For another example, when N is 2, combined with the DMRS distribution method illustrated in FIG7D , M is 2, N is 2, and the first time domain resource includes 8 time slots, denoted as time slots 0 to 7. If the first communications device uses the OCC modulation data in the first row indexed as 0 in Table 1, then I is equal to 0, and the time slots that the first communications device can occupy on the first time domain resource include time slot 0, time slot 1, time slot 4, and time slot 5; alternatively, if the first communications device uses the OCC modulation data in the second row indexed as 1 in Table 1, then the time slots that the first communications device can occupy on the first time domain resource include time slot 2, time slot 3, time slot 6, and time slot 7.

[0141] In another possible design, if the first communications device receives third indication information from the second communications device, the starting time slot indicated in the third indication information is determined as the starting time slot occupied by the first DMRS group in the at least one DMRS group on the first time domain resource. Optionally, such a design can be used when M is less than the length of the OCC.

[0142] In this design, the first communication device can determine the partial time slots occupied by the first group of DMRS in at least one group of DMRS on the first time domain resource based on M, N and the index of the starting time slot indicated in the third indication information, and the partial time slots include one or more time slots; and then send DMRS on the partial time slots on the first time domain resource; and send data modulated by OCC in each time slot on the first time domain resource.

[0143] For example, in combination with the DMRS distribution method illustrated in 7C, M is 3, N is 1, and the first time domain resource includes 8 time slots, which are recorded as time slots 0 to time slot 5. If the index of the starting time slot indicated in the third indication information is 0, the time slots that the first communication device can occupy on the first time domain resource include time slot 0, time slot 3, and time slot 6; or, if the index of the starting time slot indicated in the third indication information is 1, the time slots that the first communication device can occupy on the first time domain resource include time slot 1, time slot 4, and time slot 7; or, if the index of the starting time slot indicated in the third indication information is 2, the time slots that the first communication device can occupy on the first time domain resource include time slot 2 and time slot 5.

[0144] The above-mentioned communication method provided in the embodiment of the present application can be applied to a scenario where multiple communication devices reuse the same time domain resources to send data. By configuring different occupied time slots for the DMRS of different communication devices on the same time domain resources, that is, configuring a sparse DMRS distribution pattern, it is possible to easily distinguish the DMRS sent by different communication devices on the receiving side, thereby performing channel estimation.

[0145] In addition, when configuring a sparse DMRS pattern, taking into account the phase shift caused by frequency offset estimation, pairing multiple communication devices, and configuring the same DMRS pattern for each paired communication device helps improve channel estimation performance. Referring to Figure 9, taking an OCC length of 4 used to modulate data as an example, it is shown that, under the same SINR, the BLER corresponding to DMRS modulation using an OCC length of 4 is greater than the BLER corresponding to DMRS transmission using a sparse DMRS pattern. Furthermore, the BLER corresponding to DMRS transmission using a sparse DMRS pattern is close to the BLER of DMRS transmission from a single terminal device.

[0146] In addition, in a possible design, the communication method described in FIG6 and the related technology using DMRS and the data in the time slot where the DMRS is located to perform OCC extension can be combined and applied. For example, a length threshold of an orthogonal sequence is predefined or preconfigured. When the number M of communication devices that multiplex the first time domain resource is less than or equal to the length threshold, the first communication device can use DMRS and the data in the time slot where the DMRS is located to perform OCC extension, and send OCC-modulated data and DMRS on each time slot of the first time domain resource; when the number M of communication devices that multiplex the first time domain resource is greater than the length threshold, the first communication device can send DMRS on part of the time slots of the first time domain resource based on a sparse DMRS distribution pattern according to the communication method described in FIG6, and send OCC-modulated data on each time slot of the first time domain resource. Optionally, when applied to the NB-IoT scenario, the aforementioned length threshold can be set to 2.

[0147] Based on the same concept, referring to FIG10 , an embodiment of the present application provides a communication apparatus 1000, which includes a processing module 1001 and a communication module 1002. The communication apparatus 1000 may be a first communication device, or a communication apparatus applied to or used in conjunction with a first communication device, capable of implementing a communication method executed on the first communication device side; alternatively, the communication apparatus 1000 may be a second communication device, or a communication apparatus applied to or used in conjunction with a second communication device, capable of implementing a communication method executed on the second communication device side.

[0148] 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 on the first communication device side or the second communication device side in the above method. The device in the communication module that implements the receiving function can be considered a receiving unit, and the device in the communication module that implements the sending function can be considered a sending unit. That is, the communication module includes a receiving unit and a sending unit.

[0149] When the communication apparatus 1000 is applied to a first communication device, the processing module 1001 can be used to implement the processing functions of the first communication device in the embodiment shown in FIG6 , and the communication module 1002 can be used to implement the transceiver functions of the first communication device in the embodiment shown in FIG6 . Alternatively, the communication apparatus can be understood with reference to the third aspect and possible designs of the third aspect in the Summary of the Invention.

[0150] When the communication device 1000 is applied to a second communication device, the processing module 1001 can be used to implement the processing functions of the second communication device in the embodiment shown in FIG6 , and the communication module 1002 can be used to implement the transceiver functions of the second communication device in the embodiment shown in FIG6 . Alternatively, the communication device can also be understood with reference to the fourth aspect and possible designs of the fourth aspect in the Summary of the Invention.

[0151] In addition, it should be noted that the aforementioned communication module and / or processing module can be implemented through virtual modules, for example, the processing module can be implemented through a software functional unit or a virtual device, and the communication module can be implemented through a software function or a virtual device. Alternatively, the processing module or the communication module can also be implemented through a physical device. For example, if the communication device is implemented using a chip / chip circuit, the communication module can be an input / output circuit and / or a communication interface that performs input operations (corresponding to the aforementioned receiving operations) and output operations (corresponding to the aforementioned sending operations); the processing module is an integrated processor, microprocessor, or integrated circuit.

[0152] The division of modules in the embodiments of the present application is illustrative and is merely a logical functional division. In actual implementation, other division methods may be used. Furthermore, the functional modules in the various embodiments of the present application may be integrated into a single processor, or may exist physically separately, or two or more modules may be integrated into a single module. The aforementioned integrated modules may be implemented in the form of hardware or software functional modules.

[0153] Based on the same technical concept, the embodiment of the present application further provides a communication device 1100. For example, the communication device 1100 can be a chip or a chip system. Optionally, in the embodiment of the present application, the chip system can be composed of a chip, or can include a chip and other discrete devices.

[0154] The communication device 1100 can be used to implement the functions of any network element in the communication system described in the aforementioned embodiments. The communication device 1100 may include at least one processor 1110, which is coupled to a memory. Optionally, the memory may be located within the communication device, the memory may be integrated with the processor, or the memory may be located outside the communication device. For example, the communication device 1100 may also include at least one memory 1120. The memory 1120 stores the necessary computer programs, computer programs or instructions and / or data for implementing any of the aforementioned embodiments; the processor 1110 may execute the computer program stored in the memory 1120 to complete the method in any of the aforementioned embodiments.

[0155] The communication device 1100 may also include a communication interface 1130, through which the communication device 1100 can exchange information with other devices. Exemplarily, the communication interface 1130 may be a transceiver, a circuit, a bus, a module, a pin, or another type of communication interface. When the communication device 1100 is a chip-type device or circuit, the communication interface 1130 in the communication device 1100 may also be an input / output circuit that can input information (or receive information) and output information (or send information). The processor is an integrated processor or microprocessor or integrated circuit or logic circuit, and the processor can determine output information based on input information.

[0156] The coupling in the embodiments of the present application is an indirect coupling or communication connection between devices, units, or modules, which can be electrical, mechanical, or other forms, and is used for information exchange between devices, units, or modules. The processor 1110 may operate in conjunction with the memory 1120 and the communication interface 1130. The specific connection medium between the processor 1110, memory 1120, and communication interface 1130 is not limited in the embodiments of the present application.

[0157] Optionally, referring to FIG11 , the processor 1110, the memory 1120, and the communication interface 1130 are interconnected via a bus 1140. The bus 1140 may be a peripheral component interconnect (PCI) bus or an extended industry standard architecture (EISA) bus, etc. The bus may be classified as an address bus, a data bus, a control bus, etc. For ease of illustration, FIG11 shows only one thick line, but this does not mean that there is only one bus or only one type of bus.

[0158] In the embodiments of the present application, the processor may be a general-purpose processor, a digital signal processor, an application-specific integrated circuit, a field programmable gate array or other programmable logic device, a discrete gate or transistor logic device, or a discrete hardware component, and may implement or execute the methods, steps, and logic block diagrams disclosed in the embodiments of the present application. A general-purpose processor may be a microprocessor or any conventional processor. The steps of the methods disclosed in the embodiments of the present application may be directly implemented as being executed by a hardware processor, or may be executed by a combination of hardware and software modules in the processor.

[0159] In an embodiment of the present application, the memory may be a non-volatile memory, such as a hard disk drive (HDD) or a solid-state drive (SSD), etc., or a volatile memory (volatile memory), such as a random-access memory (RAM). The memory is any other medium that can be used to carry or store a desired program code in the form of an instruction or data structure and can be accessed by a computer, but is not limited thereto. The memory in the embodiment of the present application may also be a circuit or any other device that can implement a storage function, for storing program instructions and / or data.

[0160] In one possible implementation, the communication device 1100 can be applied to a first communication device. Specifically, the communication device 1100 can be a first communication device, or a device that can support the first communication device and implement the functions of the first communication device in any of the above-mentioned embodiments. The memory 1120 stores a computer program (or instruction) and / or data that implements the functions of the first communication device in any of the above-mentioned embodiments. The processor 1111 can execute the computer program stored in the memory 1120 to complete the method performed by the first communication device in any of the above-mentioned embodiments. Applied to the first communication device, the communication interface in the communication device 1100 can be used to interact with the second communication device, send information to the second communication device, or receive information from the second communication device.

[0161] In another possible implementation, the communication device 1100 can be applied to a second communication device. Specifically, the communication device 1100 can be a second communication device, or a device that can support the second communication device and implement the functions of the second communication device in any of the above-mentioned embodiments. The memory 1120 stores a computer program (or instruction) and / or data that implements the functions of the second communication device in any of the above-mentioned embodiments. The processor 1111 can execute the computer program stored in the memory 1120 to complete the method performed by the second communication device in any of the above-mentioned embodiments. Applied to the second communication device, the communication interface in the communication device 1100 can be used to interact with the first communication device, send information to the first communication device, or receive information from the first communication device.

[0162] Since the communication apparatus 1100 provided in this embodiment can be applied to a first communication device to perform the method performed by the first communication device, or applied to a second communication device to perform the method performed by the second communication device, the technical effects that can be achieved can be referred to the above method examples and will not be described in detail here.

[0163] Based on the above embodiments, an embodiment of the present application provides a communication system, including a first communication device and a second communication device, wherein the first communication device and the second communication device can implement the method provided in the embodiment shown in Figure 6.

[0164] The technical solutions provided in the embodiments of the present application can be implemented in whole or in part by software, hardware, firmware, or any combination thereof. When implemented using software, they can be implemented in whole or in part in the form of a computer program product. The computer program product includes one or more computer instructions. When the computer program instructions are loaded and executed on a computer, the processes or functions described in the embodiments of the present application are generated in whole or in part. The computer can be a general-purpose computer, a special-purpose computer, a computer network, a second communication device, a first communication device, or other programmable device. The computer instructions can be stored in a computer-readable storage medium or transmitted from one computer-readable storage medium to another computer-readable storage medium. For example, the computer instructions can be transmitted from one website, computer, server, or data center to another website, computer, server, or data center via a wired (e.g., coaxial cable, optical fiber, digital subscriber line (DSL)) or wireless (e.g., infrared, wireless, microwave, etc.) method. The computer-readable storage medium can be any available medium that can be accessed by a computer or a data storage device such as a server or data center that includes one or more available media integrated therein. The available medium may be a magnetic medium (eg, a floppy disk, a hard disk, a magnetic tape), an optical medium (eg, a digital video disc (DVD)), or a semiconductor medium.

[0165] In the embodiments of the present application, under the premise that there is no logical contradiction, the embodiments may reference each other, for example, the methods and / or terms between method embodiments may reference each other, for example, the functions and / or terms between device embodiments may reference each other, for example, the functions and / or terms between device embodiments and method embodiments may reference each other.

[0166] Obviously, those skilled in the art may make various changes and modifications to the embodiments of the present application without departing from the scope of the embodiments of the present application. Thus, if these modifications and variations of the embodiments of the present application fall within the scope of the claims of the embodiments of the present application and their equivalents, the embodiments of the present application are intended to include these modifications and variations.

Claims

1. A communication method, characterized in that: Applied to a first communication device, comprising: Receive first configuration information, where the first configuration information is used to configure the number N of time slots occupied by each group of at least one demodulation reference signal (DMRS) on a first time domain resource, where the first time domain resource is used for data transmission of M communication devices; wherein the first communication device is included in the M communication devices, M is an integer greater than 1, N is a positive integer, and the value of N is less than the number of time slots of the first time domain resource; The at least one group of DMRSs is sent on the first time domain resources according to the first configuration information.

2. The method according to claim 1, wherein The index difference between the starting time slots respectively occupied by two consecutive groups of DMRS in the at least one group of DMRS on the first time domain resource is determined based on the product of the M and the N.

3. The method according to claim 1 or 2, wherein: The first configuration information includes the value of M and first indication information; wherein, when the first indication information takes the first value, the first indication information indicates that the value of N is 1; or, when the first indication information takes the second value, the first indication information indicates that the value of N is 2.

4. The method according to claim 1 or 2, wherein: The first configuration information includes the value of M and second indication information, and the second indication information indicates the index difference K of the time slots occupied by each two DMRSs in the first P DMRSs in the at least one group of DMRSs on the first time domain resource; wherein, P is an integer greater than or equal to 2, and K is an integer; when K is equal to M, the value of N is 1; or, when K is less than M, the value of N is P, and the index difference of the time slots occupied by each two DMRSs in each group of DMRSs on the first time domain resource is K.

5. The method according to claim 1 or 2, wherein: The first configuration information includes the value of M and the value of N.

6. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 5, wherein: The value of M is equal to the length of the first orthogonal sequence, and the first orthogonal sequence is a sequence used to modulate data transmitted based on the first time domain resource; wherein, the starting time slot occupied by the first group of DMRS in the at least one group of DMRS in the first time domain resource is determined based on the index of the first orthogonal sequence.

7. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 5, wherein: The value of M is less than the length of a first orthogonal sequence, where the first orthogonal sequence is a sequence used to modulate data transmitted based on the first time domain resource; and the method further includes: Third indication information is received, where the third indication information is used to indicate a starting time slot occupied by a first group of DMRSs in the at least one group of DMRSs in the first time domain resources.

8. The method according to claim 6 or 7, wherein: The length of the first orthogonal sequence is greater than a length threshold.

9. A communication method, characterized in that: Applied to a second communication device, comprising: Sending first configuration information to a first communications device, where the first configuration information is used to configure the number N of time slots occupied by each group of at least one demodulation reference signal (DMRS) on a first time domain resource, where the first time domain resource is used for data transmission of M communications devices; wherein the first communications device is included in the M communications devices, M is an integer greater than 1, and N is a positive integer; The at least one group of DMRSs is received from the first communication device through the first time domain resources.

10. The method according to claim 9, wherein The index difference between the starting time slots respectively occupied by two consecutive groups of DMRS in the at least one group of DMRS on the first time domain resource is the M.

11. The method according to claim 9 or 10, wherein: The first configuration information includes the value of M and first indication information; wherein, when the first indication information takes the first value, the first indication information indicates that the value of N is 1; or, when the first indication information takes the second value, the first indication information indicates that the value of N is 2.

12. The method according to claim 9 or 10, wherein: The first configuration information includes the value of M and second indication information, and the second indication information indicates the index difference K of the time slots occupied by each two DMRSs in the first P DMRSs in the at least one group of DMRSs on the first time domain resource; wherein, P is an integer greater than or equal to 2, and K is an integer; when K is equal to M, the value of N is 1; or, when K is less than M, the value of N is P, and the index difference of the time slots occupied by each two DMRSs in each group of DMRSs on the first time domain resource is K.

13. The method according to claim 9 or 10, wherein: The first configuration information includes the value of M and the value of N.

14. The method according to any one of claims 9 to 13, wherein: The value of M is equal to the length of the first orthogonal sequence, and the first orthogonal sequence is a sequence used to modulate data transmitted based on the first time domain resource; wherein, the starting time slot occupied by the first group of DMRS in the at least one group of DMRS in the first time domain resource is determined based on the index of the first orthogonal sequence.

15. The method according to any one of claims 9 to 13, wherein: The value of M is less than the length of a first orthogonal sequence, where the first orthogonal sequence is a sequence used to modulate data transmitted based on the first time domain resource; and the method further includes: Sending third indication information to the first communication device, where the third indication information is used to indicate a starting time slot occupied by a first group of DMRSs in the at least one group of DMRSs in the first time domain resources.

16. The method according to claim 14 or 15, characterized in that The length of the first orthogonal sequence is greater than a length threshold.

17. A communication device, characterized in that: The method comprises modules for executing the method according to any one of claims 1 to 8.

18. A communication device, characterized in that: The method comprises means for executing the method according to any one of claims 9 to 16.

19. A communication system, characterized in that: The invention comprises a communication device for executing the method according to any one of claims 1 to 8, and a communication device for executing the method according to any one of claims 9 to 16.

20. A communication device, characterized in that: include: A processor, the processor being coupled to a memory, and the processor being configured to call computer program instructions stored in the memory to execute the method according to any one of claims 1 to 16.

21. A computer-readable storage medium, characterized in that The computer-readable storage medium stores instructions, and when the instructions are executed on a computer, the computer is caused to execute the method according to any one of claims 1 to 16.

22. A computer program product, characterized in that The method comprises computer-executable instructions, which, when executed on a computer, cause the computer to execute the method according to any one of claims 1 to 16.

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