Communication method and apparatus

Abstract

The present application discloses a communication method and apparatus. The method comprises: acquiring data and a reference signal; modulating the data on the basis of a first constellation diagram to obtain a modulated symbol, wherein constellation points in the first constellation diagram are respectively in one-to-one correspondence with 2M constellation points in a second constellation diagram; and sending the reference signal and the modulated symbol. A first ratio is related to the average of the amplitudes of 2M constellation points, and the first ratio is the ratio of the energy of each resource element carrying the modulated symbol to the energy of each resource element carrying the reference signal; or the energy of each resource element carrying the modulated symbol is related to the average of the amplitudes of 2M constellation points. In the solution, by extracting some constellation points from the second constellation diagram to form the first constellation diagram, the first constellation diagram can have better sensing performance, and the communication performance of the first constellation diagram shows little difference from that of the second constellation diagram, such that both the sensing performance and the communication performance of signals are taken into account.

Description

A communication method and apparatus

[0001] Cross-reference to related applications

[0002] This application claims priority to Chinese Patent Application No. 202410482364.1, filed on April 22, 2024, entitled "A Communication Method and Apparatus", the entire contents of which are incorporated herein by reference. Technical Field

[0003] This application relates to the field of communication technology, and in particular to a communication method and apparatus. Background Technology

[0004] Integrated sensing and communication (ISAC) is a key application scenario for wireless communication systems. ISAC refers to the ability to simultaneously achieve communication and sensing through wireless signals; therefore, ISAC places high demands on both the communication and sensing capabilities of wireless signals.

[0005] Currently, wireless communication systems support modulation schemes such as quadrature phase shift keying (QPSK), quadrature amplitude modulation (QAM), and 64-QAM, which can achieve relatively good communication transmission rates. However, for sensing applications, modulation schemes such as 16-QAM and 64-QAM are not optimal. For example, when 16-QAM modulation is used for constellation mapping of data in communication, sensing performance is significantly reduced.

[0006] How to reconcile signal sensing performance and communication performance to meet the requirements of ISAC is a technical problem that urgently needs to be solved. Summary of the Invention

[0007] This application provides a communication method and apparatus that takes into account both the sensing and communication performance of modulation and demodulation methods.

[0008] Firstly, a communication method is provided, which can be executed by a first communication device. Unless otherwise specified, the "first communication device" in this application can refer to the first communication device itself (e.g., a network device, a terminal device), a component within the first communication device (e.g., a processor, a chip, or a chip system), or a logic module or software capable of implementing all or part of the functions of the first communication device. The method includes: acquiring data and a reference signal; modulating the data according to a first constellation diagram to obtain modulation symbols; wherein the order of the first constellation diagram is M, where M is a positive integer, and the constellation points of the first constellation diagram correspond one-to-one with the 2^ ... M The second constellation diagram has N points, where N is a positive integer greater than M; it transmits reference signals and modulation symbols; wherein, the first ratio is 2 M The amplitude or power of each constellation point is related to the average value, with the first ratio being the ratio of the energy of each resource element carrying the modulation symbol to the energy of each resource element carrying the reference signal; or, the energy of each resource element carrying the modulation symbol is related to 2 M It is related to the average amplitude or power of each constellation point.

[0009] In this embodiment, a new M-order constellation diagram (such as a first constellation diagram) is constructed by extracting a portion of constellation points from an N-order constellation diagram (such as a second constellation diagram). The amplitude (or power) differences between the extracted constellation points are smaller than those between constellation points in an existing M-order constellation diagram. Therefore, the signal generated based on this new M-order constellation diagram has better sensing performance, and the communication performance of the signal generated based on this new M-order constellation diagram is not significantly different from that of the signal generated based on the original N-order constellation diagram. It is evident that the technical solution of this embodiment can comprehensively consider both the sensing and communication performance of the signal, better meeting the requirements of ISAC.

[0010] Furthermore, the technical solution of this application embodiment also clarifies the power configuration of the modulation symbols generated based on the first constellation diagram (i.e., the energy of each resource element carrying the modulation symbols), ensuring the reliability of communication.

[0011] In one possible design, the energy of each resource element carrying the modulation symbol is 2 M The amplitude of each constellation point is related to the average value, and can include: the transmit power of the modulation symbol = the amplitude of the modulation symbol at the constellation point in the second constellation diagram / 2. M The average amplitude of each constellation point. Or, the energy of each resource element carrying the modulation symbol and 2 M The average power of each constellation point is related and can include: the transmit power of the modulation symbol = the power of the modulation symbol at the corresponding constellation point in the second constellation diagram / 2. MThe average power of each constellation point. Through the above design method, the first constellation diagram can meet the power (or amplitude) normalization requirement, thereby making the power offset between the data (or modulation symbol) and the reference signal compatible with the power offset in the existing protocol. No changes need to be made to the demodulation logic of the receiver, and the solution has strong applicability.

[0012] In one possible design, the first ratio is 2 M The average amplitude of each constellation point is related, and can include: First ratio = Second ratio - 2 M The average amplitude of the constellation points. Or, the first ratio with 2 M The power average of each constellation point is related, and can include: First ratio = Second ratio - 2 M The average power of each constellation point.

[0013] By redefining the power offset between the modulation symbol (or data) and the reference signal through the above design, the receiver can clearly define the power relationship between the modulation symbol (or data) and the reference signal, so as to facilitate the demodulation of data by the receiver and ensure the reliability of communication.

[0014] In one possible design, a first constellation diagram can also be determined based on a candidate parameter set; wherein the candidate parameter set includes at least one of the following: a first parameter set, wherein the parameters in the first parameter set are the Euclidean distances between constellation points in the constellation diagram; and a second parameter set, wherein the parameters in the second parameter set are any one of the following: the amplitude of each constellation point in the constellation diagram, the imaginary part and the real part of each constellation point in the constellation diagram, and the transmit power of the modulation symbol corresponding to each constellation point in the constellation diagram.

[0015] In this design approach, determining the first constellation diagram based on the candidate parameter set can improve the design flexibility of the first constellation diagram.

[0016] In one possible design, the minimum Euclidean distance between constellation points in the first constellation map is the maximum value among multiple Euclidean distances; wherein, the multiple Euclidean distances are the minimum Euclidean distances between constellation points corresponding to multiple constellation maps, and each constellation map in the multiple constellation maps is determined based on a set of candidate parameters.

[0017] This can further improve the communication performance of signals generated based on the first constellation diagram.

[0018] In one possible design, the candidate parameter set includes multiple parameter values.

[0019] In one possible design, the candidate parameter set includes one or more numerical ranges.

[0020] Of course, the above two designs are just some examples of candidate parameter set implementations, and are not limited to these in practice.

[0021] In one possible design, the first constellation diagram is one of multiple constellation diagrams, where the order of the multiple constellation diagrams is M. Correspondingly, the method may also include: sending or receiving indication information used to determine the first constellation diagram.

[0022] In this way, the constellation diagrams used by both ends of the signal transmission and reception (such as the first communication device and the second communication device) can be unified, thereby ensuring the reliability of communication.

[0023] Secondly, a communication method is provided, which can be executed by a second communication device. Unless otherwise specified, the "second communication device" in this application can refer to the second communication device itself (e.g., a terminal device, a network device), a component within the second communication device (e.g., a processor, a chip, or a chip system), or a logic module or software capable of implementing all or part of the functions of the second communication device. The method includes: receiving a wireless signal, the wireless signal including modulation symbols and a reference signal; determining the reference signal from the wireless signal; demodulating the modulation symbols according to the reference signal and a ratio; and demapping the modulation symbols using a first constellation diagram to obtain data. Wherein, the order of the first constellation diagram is M, where M is a positive integer, and the constellation points of the first constellation diagram correspond one-to-one with the 2^ ... M The second constellation diagram has N points, and the modulation order is N, where N is a positive integer greater than M. The scale is the first scale, and the first scale is 2... M The amplitude or power of each constellation point is related to the average value, with the first ratio being the ratio of the energy of each resource element carrying the modulation symbol to the energy of each resource element carrying the reference signal; or, the ratio being the second ratio, where the energy of each resource element carrying the modulation symbol is related to 2... M It is related to the average amplitude or power of each constellation point.

[0024] In one possible design, the energy of each resource element carrying the modulation symbol is 2 M The amplitude (or power) of each constellation point is related to the average value, including: the transmit power of the modulation symbol = the amplitude (or power) of the modulation symbol at the constellation point in the second constellation diagram / 2. M The average amplitude (or power) of each constellation point.

[0025] In one possible design, the first ratio is 2 M The average amplitude (or power) of each constellation point is related to the following: First proportion = Second proportion - 2 M The average amplitude (or power) of each constellation point.

[0026] In one possible design, the method may further include: determining a first constellation diagram based on a candidate parameter set; wherein the candidate parameter set includes at least one of the following: a first parameter set, wherein the parameters in the first parameter set are the Euclidean distances between constellation points in the constellation diagram; and a second parameter set, wherein the parameters in the second parameter set are any one of the following: the amplitude of each constellation point in the constellation diagram, the imaginary part and the real part of each constellation point in the constellation diagram, and the transmit power of the modulation symbol corresponding to each constellation point in the constellation diagram.

[0027] In one possible design, the minimum Euclidean distance between constellation points in the first constellation map is the maximum value among multiple Euclidean distances; wherein, the multiple Euclidean distances are the minimum Euclidean distances between constellation points corresponding to multiple constellation maps, and each constellation map in the multiple constellation maps is determined based on a set of candidate parameters.

[0028] In one possible design, the candidate parameter set includes multiple parameter values; or, the candidate parameter set includes one or more numerical ranges.

[0029] In one possible design, the first constellation diagram is one of multiple constellation diagrams, where the order of the multiple constellation diagrams is M; the method may also include: receiving or sending indication information, the indication information being used to determine the first constellation diagram.

[0030] For the beneficial effects of the above design methods, please refer to the beneficial effects of the corresponding designs in the first aspect, without limitation.

[0031] Thirdly, a communication device is provided, the device comprising modules, units, or technical means for implementing the method described in the first aspect or any possible design of the first aspect.

[0032] For example, the apparatus may include:

[0033] The processing module is used to acquire data and reference signals; modulate the data according to the first constellation diagram to obtain modulation symbols; wherein, the order of the first constellation diagram is M, where M is a positive integer, and the constellation points of the first constellation diagram correspond one-to-one with the 2nd constellation diagram. M The second constellation has N points, and the modulation order of the second constellation diagram is N, where N is a positive integer greater than M;

[0034] The transceiver module is used to transmit reference signals and modulation symbols; wherein, the first ratio is proportional to 2. M The amplitude or power of each constellation point is related to the average value, with the first ratio being the ratio of the energy of each resource element carrying the modulation symbol to the energy of each resource element carrying the reference signal; or, the energy of each resource element carrying the modulation symbol is related to 2 M It is related to the average amplitude or power of each constellation point.

[0035] Fourthly, a communication device is provided, the device comprising modules, units, or technical means for implementing the method described in the second aspect or any possible design of the second aspect.

[0036] For example, the apparatus may include:

[0037] The transceiver module is used to receive wireless signals, which include modulation symbols and reference signals.

[0038] The processing module is used to determine the reference signal from the wireless signal; demodulate the modulation symbols according to the reference signal and the ratio; and demap the modulation symbols using a first constellation diagram to obtain data. The first constellation diagram has an order of M, where M is a positive integer, and each constellation point in the first constellation diagram corresponds one-to-one with a point in the second constellation diagram. M The second constellation diagram has N points, and the modulation order is N, where N is a positive integer greater than M. The scale is the first scale, and the first scale is 2... M The amplitude or power of each constellation point is related to the average value, with the first ratio being the ratio of the energy of each resource element carrying the modulation symbol to the energy of each resource element carrying the reference signal; or, the ratio being the second ratio, where the energy of each resource element carrying the modulation symbol is related to 2... M It is related to the average amplitude or power of each constellation point.

[0039] Fifthly, a communication device is provided, the device including a processor and an interface circuit electrically coupled to the processor, the processor causing the method described in the first aspect or any possible design of the first aspect to be executed via logic circuitry or execution code instructions, or causing the method described in the second aspect or any possible design of the second aspect to be executed.

[0040] A sixth aspect provides a communication device, comprising: at least one processor; and a communication interface communicatively connected to the at least one processor; wherein the at least one processor executes instructions stored in a memory, causing the communication device to perform, via the communication interface, the method described in the first aspect or any possible design of the first aspect, or the method described in the second aspect or any possible design of the second aspect.

[0041] A seventh aspect provides a computer-readable storage medium storing a computer program or instructions that, when executed, cause the method described in the first aspect or any possible design of the first aspect to be performed, or cause the method described in the second aspect or any possible design of the second aspect to be performed.

[0042] Eighthly, a computer program product is provided, including instructions that, when run on a computer, cause the method described in the first aspect or any possible design of the first aspect to be executed, or cause the method described in the second aspect or any possible design of the second aspect to be executed.

[0043] Ninth aspect, a communication system is provided, including a first communication device and a second communication device, the first communication device being configured to perform the method as described in the first aspect or any possible design of the first aspect, and the second communication device being configured to perform the method as described in the second aspect or any possible design of the second aspect.

[0044] For the specific designs and beneficial effects of the third to ninth aspects mentioned above, please refer to the corresponding designs and beneficial effects in the first and second aspects. Attached Figure Description

[0045] Figure 1 shows a schematic diagram of simulation experimental data for different modulation methods;

[0046] Figure 2 is a schematic diagram of the 16-QAM constellation;

[0047] Figure 3 is a schematic diagram of a communication system provided in this application;

[0048] Figure 4 is a schematic diagram of a satellite communication system provided in this application;

[0049] Figure 5 is a schematic diagram of a satellite link communication system provided in this application;

[0050] Figure 6A is a schematic diagram of a wireless communication system provided in this application;

[0051] Figure 6B is a schematic diagram of a wireless communication system provided in this application;

[0052] Figure 7 is a flowchart of a communication method provided in this application;

[0053] Figures 8A and 8B are schematic diagrams of simulation experimental data of the modulation method provided in the embodiments of this application;

[0054] Figure 9 is an example of the second constellation chart;

[0055] Figure 10 is a schematic diagram of the structure of a communication device provided in an embodiment of this application;

[0056] Figure 11 is a schematic diagram of another communication device provided in an embodiment of this application;

[0057] Figure 12 is a schematic diagram of another communication device provided in an embodiment of this application. Detailed Implementation

[0058] To facilitate understanding of the technical solutions provided in the embodiments of this application, some terms mentioned in the embodiments of this application will be explained and described below.

[0059] 1) In the embodiments of this application, "multiple" refers to two or more. "And / or" describes the relationship between related objects, indicating that three relationships can exist. For example, A and / or B can represent: A alone, A and B simultaneously, or B alone. The character " / " generally indicates that the preceding and following related objects have an "or" relationship. Furthermore, it should be understood that although the terms "first," "second," etc., may be used to describe objects in the embodiments of this invention, these objects should not be limited to these terms. These terms are only used to distinguish the objects from each other.

[0060] The terms "comprising" and "having," and any variations thereof, used in the description of the embodiments of this application, are intended to cover non-exclusive inclusion. 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 may optionally include other steps or units not listed, or may optionally include other steps or units inherent to these processes, methods, products, or devices. It should be noted that in the embodiments of this application, words such as "exemplary" or "for example" are used to indicate examples, illustrations, or descriptions. Any embodiment or design described as "exemplary" or "for example" in the embodiments of this application should not be construed as preferred or advantageous over other embodiments or designs. Specifically, the use of words such as "exemplary" or "for example" is intended to present the relevant concepts in a specific manner.

[0061] 2) Integrated sensing and communication (ISAC).

[0062] ISAC refers to the ability to simultaneously communicate and sense via wireless signals. Communication capability refers to the ability to transmit information, such as signal transmission rate and anti-interference capability. Sensing capability refers to the ability to sense the surrounding environment, the speed of moving objects, and distances via wireless signals. Traditional sensing technology for this is radar.

[0063] In practice, signals can achieve better transmission rates or superior sensing performance through different modulation methods. For example, the modulation methods can be quadrature phase shift keying (QPSK), quadrature amplitude modulation (QAM), or 64-QAM.

[0064] 3) Quadrature amplitude modulation (QAM).

[0065] QAM can achieve both amplitude and phase modulation. It is a method of encoding digital information on wireless, wired, or optical transmission links. QAM encoding has the advantages of high bandwidth utilization, strong noise resistance, high frequency utilization, and can have any number of discrete digital levels. This modulation technology can be applied to high-speed data transmission systems, digital microwave communication, wireless communication, etc.

[0066] Understandably, when transmitting and receiving devices communicate, a high transmission rate is required (which can be understood as high spectral efficiency or maximizing communication effectiveness), while the transmitting device needs superior sensing performance (such as high detection accuracy of target objects) for sensing. QPSK offers superior sensing performance but a lower transmission rate, while 64-QAM offers a higher transmission rate but poorer sensing performance.

[0067] For example, simulation experiments can be used to more intuitively determine the sensing performance of different modulation methods, as shown in Figure 1. The horizontal axis represents the signal-to-noise ratio (SNR), and the vertical axis represents the root mean square error (RMSE). As can be seen from Figure 1, the QPSK modulation method has the best sensing performance. However, for 16-QAM and 64-QAM, the sensing performance is significantly lower than that of QPSK.

[0068] 4) 16-QAM

[0069] The fifth generation (5G) mobile communication system uses a 16-QAM constellation diagram to transmit (or carry) 4 bits of information. The 16-QAM constellation diagram can be shown in Figure 2 below.

[0070] The 16-QAM modulation constellation diagram consists of 16 constellation points, with 4 constellation points in each quadrant. The mapping relationship between the bit values ​​of the information and the constellation points is shown in Table 1 below:

[0071] Table 1 Mapping Relationships of 16-QAM

[0072] As mentioned above, modulation methods such as 16-QAM and 64-QAM offer superior communication performance but suffer from poor sensing performance. To address this technical problem, embodiments of this application provide a communication method and apparatus that can improve sensing performance while ensuring communication performance, thereby meeting the requirements of ISAC.

[0073] The technical solutions of this application embodiment can be used in various communication systems, such as 3rd generation partnership project (3GPP) communication systems, for example, fourth generation (4G), long term evolution (LTE), 5G, new radio (NR), or LTE and 5G hybrid networking systems, or non-terrestrial network (NTN) systems, or 6th generation (6G) and other mobile communication systems evolved after 5G, vehicle to everything (V2X) systems, or device-to-device (D2D) communication systems, machine-to-machine (M2M) communication systems, Internet of Things (IoT), narrow band Internet of Things (NB-IoT), other next-generation communication systems, integrated sensing and communication systems, satellite communication systems, etc. The communication system can also be a non-3GPP communication system, such as a wireless local area network (WLAN) system like Wireless Fidelity (Wi-Fi), without restriction.

[0074] The technical solutions of this application can be applied to various communication scenarios, such as sensing, downlink synchronization, and channel estimation.

[0075] The communication systems and scenarios applicable to this application described above are merely illustrative examples, and the communication systems and scenarios applicable to this application are not limited thereto. The above description does not impose any limitation on the solution of this application.

[0076] As exemplarily shown in Figure 3, this is a schematic diagram of the structure of a communication system provided in this application. The communication system may include a first communication device and a second communication device.

[0077] Among them, the communication system can perform certain functions, such as synchronization, channel estimation, or sensing.

[0078] Unless otherwise specified, the first communication device in Figure 3 can refer to the first communication device itself, a component within the first communication device (e.g., a processor, chip, or chip system), or a logic module or software that implements all or part of the functions of the first communication device. The first communication device can be a network device or a terminal device, without limitation.

[0079] Unless otherwise specified, the second communication device in Figure 3 can refer to the second communication device itself, a component within the second communication device (e.g., a processor, chip, or chip system), or a logic module or software that implements all or part of the functions of the second communication device. The second communication device can be a network device or a terminal device, without limitation.

[0080] In this embodiment, the terminal device may be located within the beam / cell coverage area of ​​the network device, and the network device may provide communication services to the terminal device.

[0081] In this application embodiment, the terminal device may be a device with wireless transceiver capabilities or a chip or chip system that can be installed on the device. It allows users to access the network and is used to provide voice and / or data connectivity to users. The terminal device may also be referred to as user equipment (UE), subscriber unit, terminal, mobile station (MS), or mobile terminal (MT), etc.

[0082] Optionally, the terminal device in this application embodiment can be a user-side device used to implement wireless communication functions, such as a terminal or a chip that can be used in the terminal. The terminal can be a user equipment (UE), access terminal, terminal unit, terminal station, mobile station, mobile station, remote station, remote terminal, mobile device, wireless communication device, terminal agent, or terminal apparatus in a 5G network or a public land mobile network (PLMN) evolved from 5G. Access terminals can be cellular phones, cordless phones, session initiation protocol (SIP) phones, wireless local loop (WLL) stations, personal digital assistants (PDAs), handheld devices with wireless communication capabilities, computing devices or other processing devices connected to a wireless modem, in-vehicle devices, drones, robots, point-of-sale (POS) machines, customer-premises equipment (CPE) or wearable devices, virtual reality (VR) terminal devices, augmented reality (AR) terminal devices, wireless terminals in industrial control, wireless terminals in self-driving, wireless terminals in remote medical care, wireless terminals in smart grids, wireless terminals in transportation safety, wireless terminals in smart cities, wireless terminals in smart homes, etc. Alternatively, the terminal can be a communication-enabled terminal in IoT, such as a terminal in V2X (e.g., vehicle-to-everything (V2X) communication, a terminal in D2D communication, or a terminal in M2M communication. The terminal can be mobile or fixed.

[0083] In this application embodiment, the network device can be any device deployed in the access network capable of wireless communication with terminal devices. It can also be a chip or chip system that can be configured in the aforementioned device, a logical node or logical module, or a function implemented in software. It can be used to implement functions such as wireless physical control, resource scheduling and wireless resource management, wireless access control, and mobility management. Specifically, the network device can be a device that supports wired access or a device that supports wireless access.

[0084] Optionally, the network device in this application embodiment is a device that connects a terminal device to a wireless network. The network device may be a node in a radio access network (RAN), or it may be a base station, and may be referred to as a radio access network node (or device).

[0085] For example, network equipment may include evolved NodeBs (or eNBs or e-NodeBs) in LTE systems or enhanced LTE (LTE-A) systems, such as traditional macro base stations (eNBs) and micro base stations (eNBs) in heterogeneous network scenarios. Alternatively, it may include next-generation node Bs (gNBs) in NR systems. Alternatively, it may include transmission reception points (TRPs), home base stations (e.g., home evolved NodeBs, or home Node Bs, HNBs), base band units (BBUs), base band pools, or Wi-Fi access points (APs). Alternatively, it may include base stations in an NTN, which can be deployed on flight platforms or satellites. In an NTN, network equipment can act as a Layer 1 (L1) relay, a base station, or an integrated access and backhaul (IAB) node. Alternatively, network devices can be devices that implement base station functions in IoT, such as drone communication, V2X, D2D, or machine-to-machine (M2M) communication.

[0086] Network equipment can also be modules or units capable of performing some of the functions of a base station. For example, network equipment can be a central unit (CU), a distributed unit (DU), a CU-control plane (CP), a CU-user plane (UP), or a radio unit (RU). CUs and DUs can be set up separately or included in the same network element, such as a baseband unit (BBU). RUs can be included in radio frequency equipment or radio frequency units, such as remote radio units (RRUs), active antenna units (AAUs), or remote radio heads (RRHs).

[0087] In different systems, CU (or CU-CP and CU-UP), DU, or RU may have different names, but those skilled in the art will understand their meaning. For example, a network device can be a network device or a module of a network device in an Open Radio Access Network (ORAN) system. In an ORAN system, CU can also be called open (O)-CU, DU can also be called O-DU, CU-CP can also be called O-CU-CP, CU-UP can also be called O-CU-UP, and RU can also be called O-RU. Any of the units among CU (or CU-CP, CU-UP), DU, and RU in this application can be implemented through a software module, a hardware module, or a combination of a software module and a hardware module.

[0088] Optionally, the base station in this application embodiment may include various forms of base stations, such as: macro base station, micro base station (also known as small station), relay station, access point, home base station, TRP, transmitting point (TP), or mobile switching center, etc. This application embodiment does not specifically limit these.

[0089] Based on the above description of network devices and terminal devices, this application proposes several possible application scenarios:

[0090] One possible application scenario is a satellite communication system (such as communication between a satellite and a terminal device), as shown in Figure 4. The network equipment can be a satellite base station, and the terminal device can be a smartphone, smartwatch, tablet, or other similar device. The satellite base station can provide communication services to the terminal device; that is, the satellite base station transmits downlink data to the terminal device, and the terminal device transmits uplink data to the satellite base station.

[0091] One possible application scenario is a traditional inter-satellite link communication system (i.e., communication between satellites (e.g., satellite 1 and satellite 2)), as shown in Figure 5. This system can be divided into two main parts: an acquisition pointing and tracking (APT) subsystem and a communication subsystem. The communication subsystem includes a communication module and transceiver antennas, while the APT subsystem includes an APT module and an APT transmit / receive module. The communication subsystem is the core of the inter-satellite communication system, primarily responsible for the transmission of information between satellites. The APT subsystem is responsible for acquisition, pointing, and tracking between satellites. For acquisition, the APT subsystem can determine the direction of arrival of the incident signal; for pointing, the APT subsystem can adjust the transmitted wave to aim at the receiving direction; for tracking, the APT subsystem can continuously adjust the pointing and tracking throughout the communication process.

[0092] One possible application scenario is wireless communication systems such as cellular communication, as shown in Figure 6A below. The network device can be a base station, as shown in Figure 6A(a). One base station can serve multiple terminal devices. Correspondingly, as shown in Figure 6A(b), one terminal device can communicate with multiple base stations.

[0093] One possible application scenario is wireless communication systems such as wireless local area networks (WLANs). As shown in Figure 6B, the network device can be an access point (AP). As shown in Figure 6B(a), one AP can serve multiple terminal devices. Correspondingly, as shown in Figure 6B(b), one terminal device can communicate with multiple APs.

[0094] It should be noted that the communication system described in the embodiments of this application is for the purpose of more clearly illustrating the technical solutions of the embodiments of this application, and does not constitute a limitation on the technical solutions provided in the embodiments of this application. As those skilled in the art will know, with the evolution of network architecture and the emergence of new business scenarios, the technical solutions provided in the embodiments of this application are also applicable to similar technical problems.

[0095] The communication method provided in the embodiments of this application will now be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings. It is understood that in the embodiments of this application, the first communication device or the second communication device may execute some or all of the steps in the embodiments of this application. These steps or operations are merely examples, and the embodiments of this application may also execute other operations or variations thereof. Furthermore, the steps may be executed in different orders as presented in the embodiments of this application, and it is not necessary to execute all the operations in the embodiments of this application.

[0096] Figure 7 shows a flowchart of a communication method provided in this application. The communication method is illustrated using the interaction between a first communication device and a second communication device as an example. Unless otherwise specified, the "first communication device" in this application can refer to the first communication device itself (e.g., a network device, a terminal device), a component within the first communication device (e.g., a processor, a chip, or a chip system), or a logic module or software capable of implementing all or part of the functions of the first communication device. Similarly, the "second communication device" can refer to the second communication device itself (e.g., a network device, a terminal device), a component within the second communication device (e.g., a processor, a chip, or a chip system), or a logic module or software capable of implementing all or part of the functions of the second communication device. The communication method includes the following steps:

[0097] S101, The first communication device acquires data and reference signals.

[0098] The data refers to the data to be transmitted. The reference signal can be, for example, at least one of the following: Demodulation Reference Signal (DMRS or DM-RS), Phase Tracking Reference Signal (PTRS), Tracking Reference Signal (TRS), or Channel State Information-Reference Signal (CSI-RS). This article primarily uses DMRS as an example. It is understandable that the name DMRS can vary in different communication systems.

[0099] Optionally, the first communication device acquires data, which may be the encoded bits (or codewords) output by the encoder.

[0100] Optionally, the first communication device acquires the reference signal, or it may generate the reference signal.

[0101] S102. The first communication device modulates the data according to the first constellation diagram to obtain modulation symbols.

[0102] In this diagram, the order of the first constellation is M, where M is a positive integer. Each constellation point in the first constellation corresponds one-to-one with a point in the second constellation. M The second constellation diagram has N points, and the modulation order of the second constellation diagram is N, where N is a positive integer greater than M.

[0103] The constellation points in the first constellation map correspond one-to-one with the 2 points in the second constellation map. M The constellation points can be understood as the constellation points in the first constellation chart being derived from the 2 points in the second constellation chart.M Each constellation point is determined one-to-one. In other words, the constellation points of the first constellation diagram in this embodiment are determined based on constellation points selected (or truncated) from other constellation diagrams of higher order than the first constellation diagram. In some embodiments, the constellation diagram (such as the first constellation diagram) constructed by selecting a portion of constellation points from a higher-order QAM constellation diagram can be called a pruned quadrature amplitude modulation (P-QAM) constellation diagram, or Pruned-2. M -QAM constellation diagram (represented by selecting constellation points in a higher-order QAM constellation diagram) M -QAM constellation chart).

[0104] It is understood that the second constellation diagram in this application embodiment can be an existing constellation diagram, such as a constellation diagram specified by the protocol (such as a 16-QAM constellation diagram, a 64-QAM constellation diagram, etc.), or it can be a virtual constellation diagram (or a custom constellation diagram, or a constellation diagram not specified by the protocol). This application embodiment does not impose any restrictions.

[0105] S103, The first communication device transmits reference signals and modulation symbols.

[0106] The first communication device described herein transmitting reference signals and modulation symbols can refer to inputting reference signals and modulation symbols into the next processing node (such as time-domain resource mapping or transform-domain coding), or it can refer to transmitting reference signals and modulation symbols wirelessly over an air interface, without limitation.

[0107] In a communication system, when the transmit power offset (hereinafter referred to as "power") between the modulation symbol and the DMRS is known, the receiver can perform data demodulation (such as determining the modulation symbol from the radio signal) based on the received DMRS and the offset. It is understood that the modulation symbol can be mapped to data; therefore, in some embodiments, the power of the modulation symbol can also be described as the power of the data, and the power offset between the modulation symbol and the DMRS can also be described as the power offset between the data and the DMRS.

[0108] Since the modulation symbols are obtained by modulating data using a constellation diagram, i.e., by mapping data to constellation points in the constellation diagram, in some embodiments, the power of the modulation symbols can also be described as the power of the constellation points in the constellation diagram. Furthermore, since the power of the modulation symbols (or the power of the constellation points) is determined by the amplitude of the corresponding constellation points in the constellation diagram, in some embodiments, the power of the constellation points and the amplitude of the constellation points can be interchanged.

[0109] It can be understood that modulation symbols are transmitted on radio resources, and the power of a modulation symbol is essentially the power of the radio resources that carry (or use to transmit) the modulation symbol. Similarly, the power of DMRS is essentially the power of the radio resources that carry the DMRS.

[0110] In one implementation, the power referred to herein can specifically be the energy per resource element (EPRE), such as the energy per resource element (EPRE) for carrying data, modulation symbols, or DMRS.

[0111] The power offset between data and DMRS can be the ratio between the data's EPRE and the EPRE of the reference signal. For example, in downlink transmission scenarios, the power offset between data and DMRS can specifically be the ratio of the EPRE of the physical downlink shared channel (PDSCH) to the EPRE of the DMRS. Similarly, in uplink transmission scenarios, the power offset between data and DMRS can specifically be the ratio of the EPRE of the physical uplink shared channel (PUSCH) to the EPRE of the DMRS.

[0112] For example, Table 2 provides an example of the power offset between the data and the DMRS:

[0113] Power offset between Table 2 data and DMRS

[0114] It is understandable that modulation symbols and data correspond to each other; therefore, the power offset between data and DMRS in Table 2 can also be understood as the power offset between modulation symbols and DMRS. The power offset between data and DMRS in Table 2 is the ratio between the EPR of the data and the EPR of the DMRS. The DMRS code domain multiplexing (CDM) group number in Table 2, which does not contain data, indicates the DMRS port. The DMRS configuration type can be found in the column indicating the symbol used to configure the DMRS.

[0115] The prerequisite for satisfying the power offset shown in Table 2 is that the constellation diagram used for the modulation data satisfies power (or amplitude) normalization. Power (or amplitude) normalization means that the average power (or average amplitude) of all constellation points in the constellation diagram is 1.

[0116] Taking a 64-QAM constellation diagram as an example, as shown in Figure 4, the amplitudes (or power) of the horizontal and vertical axes in the constellation diagram are ±1, ±3, ±5, and ±7, respectively. The average amplitude (or average power) of all constellation points is 42. When normalizing, the amplitude (or power) of each constellation point is divided by 42, which makes the average amplitude (or average power) of all constellation points equal to 1. The corresponding horizontal or vertical amplitude of the constellation point is then divided by... Therefore, the constellation points for 64-QAM are defined in 3GPP as follows: Here, b(i) maps to the i-th bit in the constellation point data, and j is the imaginary sign.

[0117] Specifically, in the embodiments of this application, when using the first constellation diagram to modulate data, it is also necessary to consider the power ratio between the data and the DMRS in order to ensure the reliability of receiver data demodulation.

[0118] In one possible design, the constellation points in the first constellation diagram satisfy the amplitude (or power) normalization requirement.

[0119] Specifically, if we select 2 from the second constellation chart M One constellation point cannot directly satisfy the amplitude or power normalization requirement. For example, the second constellation diagram satisfies the amplitude or power normalization requirement, but the 2 points extracted from the second constellation diagram... M The average amplitude or average power of the constellation points may be greater than or less than 1. Of course, the actual second constellation diagram may not meet the amplitude or power normalization requirements. Therefore, the selected 2... M Each constellation point performs amplitude or power normalization operations.

[0120] In this case, the EPRE carrying the modulation symbol and 2 M The amplitude of each constellation point is related to the average value. For example, if the first communication device transmits modulation symbols at a first power and a reference signal at a second power, the ratio of the first power to the second power is related to 2. M The magnitude of the amplitude of each constellation point is related to the average value.

[0121] For example, the power of the modulation symbol = the amplitude of the modulation symbol corresponding to the constellation point in the second constellation diagram / 2 M The average amplitude of the two constellation points. Specifically, for the selected 2... M Performing amplitude or power normalization operations on each constellation point can include: determining the selected 2... M The average amplitude (or average power) of each constellation point, for example, is α; the amplitude (or power) of each selected constellation point is divided by this average amplitude (or average power) α, and then used as the constellation point of the second constellation diagram.

[0122] The above design method can make the first constellation diagram meet the power (or amplitude) normalization requirements, thereby making the power offset between the data (or modulation symbol) and the reference signal (such as DMRS) compatible with the power offset in the existing protocol. No changes need to be made to the demodulation logic of the receiver, and the solution has strong applicability.

[0123] In another possible design, the constellation points in the first constellation diagram do not meet the amplitude or power normalization requirements.

[0124] Specifically, if we select 2 from the second constellation chart M If two constellation points cannot directly meet the amplitude or power normalization requirements, then the selected 2 M The constellation points are directly used as the constellation points of the first constellation diagram. However, in this case, the power offset between the modulation symbol (or data) and the reference signal (such as DMRS) needs to be redefined.

[0125] For example, the first ratio is 2 M The average amplitude of each constellation point is related to the first ratio, which is the ratio of the EPRE carrying (or used for transmission) the modulation symbol to the EPRE carrying the reference signal (i.e., the power offset between the modulation symbol (or data) and the DMRS).

[0126] For example, the first ratio = the second ratio - 2 M The average amplitude α of each constellation point. The second ratio is the power offset between the modulation symbol (or data) and the DMRS when using a constellation diagram that meets power or amplitude normalization requirements, or the second ratio is a preset power offset between the modulation symbol (or data) and the DMRS.

[0127] Taking the example given in Table 2 as the second ratio, the first ratio can be specifically shown in Table 3:

[0128] Table 3 shows the power offset between the data and DMRS.

[0129] Where α is the selected 2 M The average amplitude (or power) of each constellation point.

[0130] By redefining the power offset between the modulation symbol (or data) and the reference signal through the above design, the receiver can clearly define the power relationship between the modulation symbol (or data) and the reference signal, so as to facilitate the demodulation of data by the receiver and ensure the reliability of communication.

[0131] The communication methods executed from the signal transmitting side have been introduced above. The communication methods executed from the signal receiving side will be introduced below.

[0132] S104. The second communication device receives a wireless signal, which includes modulation symbols and a reference signal.

[0133] For information on modulation symbols and reference signals, please refer to the relevant content above; it will not be repeated here.

[0134] S105, The second communication device determines the reference signal from the wireless signal; and demodulates the modulation symbol according to the reference signal and the proportional modulation symbol.

[0135] S106. The second communication device uses the first constellation diagram to demap the modulation symbols and obtain data.

[0136] In this diagram, the order of the first constellation is M, where M is a positive integer. Each constellation point in the first constellation corresponds one-to-one with a point in the second constellation. M The second constellation diagram has N points, and the modulation order of the second constellation diagram is N, where N is a positive integer greater than M.

[0137] In S106, the ratio used is the first ratio, and the first ratio is 2 M The average amplitude of each constellation point is related to the first ratio, which is the ratio of the energy of each resource element carrying the modulation symbol to the energy of each resource element carrying the reference signal, for example, the first ratio is the ratio shown in Table 3. Alternatively, the ratio used in S106 is the second ratio, where the energy of each resource element carrying the modulation symbol is related to 2 M The average amplitude of each constellation point is related, for example, the second ratio is the ratio shown in Table 2.

[0138] For information on the first constellation chart, the second constellation chart, the first scale, the second scale, etc., please refer to the relevant content above, and it will not be repeated here.

[0139] In the above scheme, a new M-order constellation diagram (such as the first constellation diagram) is constructed by extracting a portion of constellation points from an N-order constellation diagram (such as the second constellation diagram). The amplitude differences between the extracted constellation points are smaller than those between constellation points in the existing M-order constellation diagram. Therefore, the signal generated based on the new M-order constellation diagram has better sensing performance, and the communication performance of the signal generated based on the new M-order constellation diagram is not significantly different from that of the signal generated based on the original N-order constellation diagram. It is evident that the technical solution of this application can comprehensively consider both the sensing and communication performance of the signal, better meeting the requirements of ISAC. Furthermore, the power configuration of the modulation symbols generated based on the first constellation diagram (i.e., the energy of each resource element carrying the modulation symbol) is clarified, ensuring the reliability of communication.

[0140] Here are some simulation data: As shown in Figure 8A, the sensing performance of the Pruned-16-QAM constellation diagram is improved by more than 2dB compared to the 16-QAM constellation diagram, approaching the sensing performance of the QPSK constellation diagram. As shown in Figure 8B, the communication performance of the Pruned-16-QAM constellation diagram is reduced by about 0.4dB compared to the 16-QAM constellation diagram, which is acceptable compared to the sensing gain.

[0141] In one possible design, the first and second constellation diagrams are QAM constellation diagrams. This ensures that the signal generated based on the first constellation diagram has better communication performance.

[0142] In one possible design, when the first communication device modulates data according to the first constellation diagram, it uses a Gray mapping method to map the data bits to constellation points in the first constellation diagram (or, in other words, to the modulation symbols corresponding to the constellation points in the first constellation diagram). Using Gray mapping can reduce the error rate of the signal at the receiver, further improving communication performance.

[0143] In one possible design, the first communication device can determine a first constellation diagram based on a set of candidate parameters. Specifically, at least one parameter is selected from a second set of parameters, and the parameters of the constellation points in the first constellation diagram are determined based on the selected parameter, for example, the selected parameter is used as the parameter of the constellation points in the first constellation diagram.

[0144] In specific implementations, the parameter types in the candidate parameter set can be implemented in various ways. For example, the candidate parameter set may include at least one of the following:

[0145] 1) First parameter set: The parameters in the first parameter set are the Euclidean distances between constellation points in the constellation graph.

[0146] Different Euclidean distances can determine different constellation diagrams. Based on a second set of parameters, the first communication device can determine the Euclidean distances between constellation points in the first constellation diagram. Specifically, at least one Euclidean distance is selected from the second set of parameters, and the selected Euclidean distances are used to determine the Euclidean distances between constellation points in the first constellation diagram; for example, the selected Euclidean distances are used as the Euclidean distances between constellation points in the first constellation diagram.

[0147] Optionally, the Euclidean distance in the first parameter set is the minimum Euclidean distance between constellation points in the constellation graph, and the minimum Euclidean distance between constellation points in the first constellation graph is one of the parameters in the first parameter set.

[0148] 2) Second parameter set, the parameters in the second parameter set are any of the following: the amplitude of each constellation point in the constellation diagram, the imaginary part and real part of each constellation point in the constellation diagram, and the power of the modulation symbol corresponding to each constellation point in the constellation diagram.

[0149] When the second parameter set includes amplitude, the first communication device can determine the amplitude of each constellation point in the first constellation diagram based on the second parameter set. Specifically, at least one amplitude is selected from the second parameter set, and the amplitude of the constellation point in the first constellation diagram is determined based on the selected amplitude; for example, the selected amplitude is used as the amplitude of the constellation point in the first constellation diagram.

[0150] When the second parameter set includes imaginary and real values, the first communication device can determine the imaginary and real values ​​of each constellation point in the first constellation diagram based on the second parameter set. Specifically, at least one imaginary value and at least one real value are selected from the second parameter set, and the imaginary and real values ​​of the constellation points in the first constellation diagram are determined based on the selected at least one imaginary value and at least one real value. For example, the selected at least one imaginary value and at least one real value are used as the imaginary and real values ​​of the constellation points in the first constellation diagram, respectively.

[0151] When the second parameter set includes power, the first communication device can determine the power of the modulation symbol corresponding to each constellation point in the first constellation diagram based on the second parameter set. Specifically, at least one power is selected from the second parameter set, and the power of the modulation symbol corresponding to the constellation point in the first constellation diagram is determined based on the selected power. For example, the selected power can be used as the power of the modulation symbol corresponding to the constellation point in the first constellation diagram.

[0152] In some embodiments, the second parameter set can be further divided into multiple parameter sets, for example, into the following three parameter sets: a parameter set including the amplitude of the constellation points, a parameter set including the imaginary and real values ​​of the constellation points, and a parameter set including the power of the modulation symbol corresponding to the constellation points.

[0153] It should be understood that the above two examples are only examples, and the parameter types in the actual parameter set are not limited to these.

[0154] In some embodiments, all possible parameter values ​​in the candidate parameter set can determine multiple constellation points. The constellation diagram formed by these multiple constellation points may or may not meet the power or amplitude normalization requirements. Optionally, the above-mentioned second constellation diagram can be formed by these multiple constellation points.

[0155] Furthermore, the constellation points determined based on the candidate parameter set (i.e., the constellation points corresponding to the parameters selected from the candidate parameter set) may or may not meet the power or amplitude normalization requirements, without any restrictions.

[0156] In practice, the parameters in the candidate parameter set can take many forms. Two possible forms are given below:

[0157] 1) The candidate parameter set includes multiple parameter values. The first communication device can select a parameter value from the multiple parameter values ​​and determine the first constellation diagram based on the selected parameter value (or use the selected parameter value as the parameter value of the first constellation diagram).

[0158] 2) The candidate parameter set includes one or more numerical ranges. The first communication device can select parameter values ​​from the one or more numerical ranges and determine the first constellation diagram based on the selected parameter values ​​(or use the selected parameter values ​​as the parameter values ​​of the first constellation diagram).

[0159] It is understandable that when there are multiple candidate parameter sets, the above two forms can coexist. For example, the first parameter set is a numerical range, and the second parameter set is multiple parameter values.

[0160] Of course, the above two are just examples, and the actual representation of parameters in the candidate parameter set is not limited to these.

[0161] In one possible implementation, the minimum Euclidean distance between constellation points in the first constellation graph is the maximum value among multiple Euclidean distances; wherein, the multiple Euclidean distances are the minimum Euclidean distances between constellation points corresponding to multiple constellation graphs, and each constellation graph is determined based on a candidate parameter set. In other words, when multiple constellation graphs can be determined based on the candidate parameter set, the first constellation graph is the one with the largest minimum Euclidean distance among these multiple constellation graphs.

[0162] For example, the minimum Euclidean distance between constellation points in the first constellation diagram is the minimum value in the first parameter set mentioned above.

[0163] Alternatively, for example, parameters can be selected from the second parameter set to determine multiple M-order constellation diagrams, with the first constellation diagram being the one with the largest minimum Euclidean distance between constellation points in the multiple M-order constellation diagrams.

[0164] This can further improve the communication performance of signals generated based on the first constellation diagram.

[0165] To better understand the above options, here are a few specific examples:

[0166] Example 1: The candidate parameter set includes multiple power values, which can be preset values. A power value is selected from the candidate parameter set as the power value of the constellation point in the first constellation diagram. Alternatively, the candidate parameter set includes multiple amplitude values, which can be preset values. An amplitude value is selected from the candidate parameter set as the amplitude value of the constellation point in the first constellation diagram.

[0167] It can be understood that the power or amplitude values ​​in the candidate parameter set can be the power or amplitude values ​​before normalization, meaning the constellation diagram formed by all parameters in the candidate parameter set does not meet the power or amplitude normalization requirements, such as a candidate parameter set of [1,3,5,7,9,...]. Alternatively, the power or amplitude values ​​in the candidate parameter set can be the power or amplitude values ​​after normalization, meaning the constellation diagram formed by all parameters in the candidate parameter set meets the power or amplitude normalization requirements, such as a candidate parameter set of... This is a power or amplitude normalization parameter. The power or amplitude value selected from the candidate parameter set may or may not meet the power or amplitude normalization requirements.

[0168] Optionally, the selected parameter values ​​can maximize the minimum Euclidean distance between constellation points in the first constellation diagram. In some embodiments, a series of constellation points can be determined based on a candidate parameter set (such as all power values ​​or amplitude values ​​in the candidate parameter set), and then the determined constellation points can be further selected to choose the constellation points that satisfy the minimum Euclidean distance as the maximum value, which will be used as the constellation points of the first constellation diagram.

[0169] Example 2: The candidate parameter set includes multiple real values ​​and multiple imaginary values. These real and imaginary values ​​can be preset values. Real values ​​are selected from the candidate parameter set as the real values ​​of constellation points in the first constellation diagram, and imaginary values ​​are selected from the candidate parameter set as the imaginary values ​​of constellation points in the first constellation diagram.

[0170] Optionally, the selected parameter values ​​can maximize the minimum Euclidean distance between constellation points in the first constellation diagram. In some embodiments, a series of constellation points can be determined based on a candidate parameter set (such as all real and imaginary values ​​in the candidate parameter set), and then the determined constellation points can be further selected to choose the constellation points that satisfy the minimum Euclidean distance as the maximum value, which will be used as the constellation points of the first constellation diagram.

[0171] Example 3: The candidate parameter set is a power value range determined by a first value and a second value, where the first and second values ​​are the maximum and minimum values ​​in the power value range, respectively. A subset of power values ​​is selected from this power value range as the power values ​​of the constellation points in the first constellation diagram. Alternatively, the candidate parameter set is an amplitude value range determined by a third value and a fourth value, where the third and fourth values ​​are the maximum and minimum values ​​in the amplitude value range, respectively. A subset of amplitude values ​​is selected from this amplitude value range as the amplitude values ​​of the constellation points in the first constellation diagram.

[0172] It is understandable that the power or amplitude values ​​selected from the candidate parameter set may or may not meet the power or amplitude normalization requirements.

[0173] Optionally, the selected parameter values ​​can maximize the minimum Euclidean distance between constellation points in the first constellation diagram. In some embodiments, a series of constellation points can be determined based on a set of candidate parameters (such as all possible candidate parameters in a power value range or an amplitude value range), and then the determined constellation points can be further selected to choose the constellation points that satisfy the minimum Euclidean distance as the maximum value, which will be used as the constellation points of the first constellation diagram.

[0174] Example 4: The candidate parameter set consists of a real part value interval determined by the fifth and sixth values, and an imaginary part value interval determined by the seventh and eighth values. The fifth and sixth values ​​are the maximum and minimum values ​​in the real part value interval, respectively, and the seventh and eighth values ​​are the maximum and minimum values ​​in the imaginary part value interval, respectively. A subset of real values ​​are selected from this real part value interval as the real part values ​​of the constellation points in the first constellation diagram, and a subset of imaginary values ​​are selected from this imaginary part value interval as the imaginary part values ​​of the constellation points in the first constellation diagram.

[0175] It is understandable that the real and imaginary values ​​selected from the candidate parameter set may or may not meet the power or amplitude normalization requirements.

[0176] Optionally, the selected parameter values ​​can maximize the minimum Euclidean distance between constellation points in the first constellation diagram. In some embodiments, a series of constellation points can be determined based on a set of candidate parameters (such as all possible candidate parameters in the intervals of real and imaginary values), and then the determined constellation points can be further selected to choose the constellation points that satisfy the minimum Euclidean distance as the maximum value, which will be used as the constellation points of the first constellation diagram.

[0177] The above design method determines the first constellation diagram based on the candidate parameter set and provides several specific constellation point selection schemes, which improves the design flexibility of the first constellation diagram.

[0178] In one possible design, the second constellation diagram corresponds to 2 in the first constellation diagram. M Each constellation point corresponds to 2 M x constellation points constitute the first constellation point set, which is one of x constellation point sets. Each of the x constellation point sets includes 2 points from the second constellation diagram. M There are x constellation points, where x is a positive integer; the fluctuation value of the first constellation point set is the minimum value among the fluctuation values ​​corresponding to the x constellation point sets.

[0179] In other words, select 2 from the second constellation chart. M There are multiple ways to choose from the constellation points, and each way yields 2... M Each constellation point can form a set of constellation points, corresponding one-to-one with the constellation points in the first constellation diagram. MThe constellation point is the one with the smallest fluctuation value among all possible constellation points.

[0180] In one specific implementation, the fluctuation value corresponding to each constellation point set is determined based on the maximum and minimum distances between the constellation points in each constellation point set and the origin.

[0181] For example, selecting the first constellation point set from the second constellation diagram may include the following steps:

[0182] Step 1: Calculate the distance between each constellation point in a single quadrant (such as the first quadrant) and the origin.

[0183] It is understandable that the distances between the constellation points in the four quadrants and the origin are distributed in the same way. Therefore, calculating the distance between each constellation point in a single quadrant and the origin can be used to extrapolate the distance between each constellation point in each quadrant and the origin.

[0184] Step 2: Classify all constellation points in the second constellation diagram. Group constellation points that are equidistant from the origin into one category. Assume there are n categories in total. Sort the n categories in ascending order of distance, as shown in Table 4.

[0185] Table 4

[0186] Taking N=8 as an example, the second constellation diagram is the 256QAM constellation diagram, as shown in Figure 9, where n is, for example, 32.

[0187] Step 3: Select at least one category from the n categories, where the total number of constellation points contained in the selected category is 2. M Let there be y ways to choose, and each way of choosing corresponds to a set of constellation points. Then, a total of y sets of constellation points can be determined (each set of constellation points includes 2... M (Each constellation point). Calculate the fluctuation value for each constellation point set, such as the variance of the maximum and minimum distances between the constellation points in the set and the origin, as shown in Table 5.

[0188] Table 5

[0189] Step 4: Determine the set with the smallest fluctuation value from the set of y constellation points. This set is the first constellation point set.

[0190] By adopting the above design method, the fluctuation of the distance between the constellation points in the first constellation map and the origin can be reduced, thereby further improving the perception performance of the signal generated based on the first constellation map.

[0191] In one possible design, the first constellation diagram is one of multiple constellation diagrams, where all constellation diagrams have an order of M. The method also includes sending or receiving indication information used to determine the first constellation diagram.

[0192] For example, when the first communication device is a network device and the second communication device is a terminal device, the first communication device can send indication information to the second communication device, enabling the second communication device to determine a first constellation diagram based on the indication information, and then demap the modulation symbols into data based on the first constellation diagram. For instance, when the second communication device is a network device and the first communication device is a terminal device, the first communication device receives indication information from the second communication device, determines the first constellation diagram based on the indication information, and modulates the data based on the first constellation diagram. Of course, the above two examples are merely illustrations, and actual scenarios are not limited to these.

[0193] In one possible implementation, the indication information can directly indicate the first constellation diagram. For example, taking M=4 as an example, if there are 16 possible 4th-order constellation diagrams available in the system, then the indication information can be 4 bits, and the 16 possible values ​​of these 4 bits correspond one-to-one with the 16 possible 4th-order constellation diagrams.

[0194] In another possible implementation, the indication information may indicate parameters of the first constellation diagram, based on which the first constellation diagram can be determined. For example, the indication information may include at least one of the following: amplitude, power, real and imaginary parts, minimum Euclidean distance, etc., of constellation points in the first constellation diagram.

[0195] This design approach allows both the transmitting and receiving ends to use a unified constellation diagram to perform data modulation and demapping, ensuring communication reliability.

[0196] It is understood that the above-described implementation methods can be implemented individually or in combination, without limitation.

[0197] The methods provided by the embodiments of this application have been described above with reference to the accompanying drawings. The apparatus provided by the embodiments of this application will be described below with reference to the accompanying drawings.

[0198] This application provides a communication device 200, which may be, for example, a satellite, a base station, a terminal, or an access point, or a chip inside a satellite, base station, terminal, or access point. The device 200 includes modules, units, or means that perform the method steps described in the above method embodiments. These functions, units, or means can be implemented in software, hardware, or by hardware executing corresponding software.

[0199] For example, referring to FIG10, the device 200 may include a processing module 201 and a transceiver module 202. The transceiver module 202 may include only a sending module, only a receiving module, or both a sending module and a receiving module, without limitation.

[0200] When device 200 is located in the first communication device:

[0201] Processing module 201 is used to acquire data and reference signals; modulate the data according to the first constellation diagram to obtain modulation symbols; wherein, the order of the first constellation diagram is M, where M is a positive integer, and the constellation points of the first constellation diagram correspond one-to-one with the 2 in the second constellation diagram. M The second constellation has N points, and the modulation order of the second constellation diagram is N, where N is a positive integer greater than M;

[0202] Transceiver module 202 is used to transmit reference signals and modulation symbols;

[0203] Among them, the first ratio is 2 M The amplitude or power of each constellation point is related to the average value, with the first ratio being the ratio of the energy of each resource element carrying the modulation symbol to the energy of each resource element carrying the reference signal; or, the energy of each resource element carrying the modulation symbol is related to 2 M It is related to the average amplitude or power of each constellation point.

[0204] In one possible design, the energy of each resource element carrying the modulation symbol is 2 M The amplitude (or power) of each constellation point is related to the average value, and can include: Transmit power of the modulation symbol = Amplitude (or power) of the modulation symbol at the corresponding constellation point in the second constellation diagram / 2 M The average amplitude (or power) of each constellation point.

[0205] In one possible design, the first ratio is 2 M The average amplitude (or power) of each constellation point is related, and can include: First ratio = Second ratio - 2 M The average amplitude (or power) of each constellation point.

[0206] In one possible design, the processing module 201 can also be used to: determine a first constellation diagram based on a candidate parameter set; wherein the candidate parameter set includes at least one of the following: a first parameter set, wherein the parameters in the first parameter set are the Euclidean distances between constellation points in the constellation diagram; and a second parameter set, wherein the parameters in the second parameter set are any one of the following: the amplitude of each constellation point in the constellation diagram, the imaginary part and the real part of each constellation point in the constellation diagram, and the transmit power of the modulation symbol corresponding to each constellation point in the constellation diagram.

[0207] In one possible design, the minimum Euclidean distance between constellation points in the first constellation map is the maximum value among multiple Euclidean distances; wherein, the multiple Euclidean distances are the minimum Euclidean distances between constellation points corresponding to multiple constellation maps, and each constellation map in the multiple constellation maps is determined based on a set of candidate parameters.

[0208] In one possible design, the candidate parameter set includes multiple parameter values.

[0209] In one possible design, the candidate parameter set includes one or more numerical ranges.

[0210] In one possible design, the first constellation diagram is one of multiple constellation diagrams, where the order of the multiple constellation diagrams is M; the transceiver module 202 can also be used to: send or receive indication information, the indication information being used to determine the first constellation diagram.

[0211] When device 200 is located in the second communication device:

[0212] Transceiver module 202 is used to receive wireless signals, which include modulation symbols and reference signals;

[0213] The processing module 201 is used to determine the reference signal from the wireless signal; demodulate the modulation symbol according to the reference signal and the ratio; and demap the modulation symbol using the first constellation diagram to obtain data.

[0214] In this diagram, the order of the first constellation is M, where M is a positive integer. Each constellation point in the first constellation corresponds one-to-one with a point in the second constellation. M The second constellation diagram has N points, and the modulation order of the second constellation diagram is N, where N is a positive integer greater than M.

[0215] Among them, the ratio is the first ratio, and the first ratio is 2 M The amplitude or power of each constellation point is related to the average value, with the first ratio being the ratio of the energy of each resource element carrying the modulation symbol to the energy of each resource element carrying the reference signal; or, the ratio being the second ratio, where the energy of each resource element carrying the modulation symbol is related to 2... M It is related to the average amplitude or power of each constellation point.

[0216] In one possible design, the energy of each resource element carrying the modulation symbol is 2 M The amplitude (or power) of each constellation point is related to the average value, and can include: Transmit power of the modulation symbol = Amplitude (or power) of the modulation symbol at the corresponding constellation point in the second constellation diagram / 2 M The average amplitude (or power) of each constellation point.

[0217] In one possible design, the first ratio is 2 M The average amplitude (or power) of each constellation point is related, and can include: First ratio = Second ratio - 2 M The average amplitude (or power) of each constellation point.

[0218] In one possible design, the processing module 201 can also be used to: determine a first constellation diagram based on a candidate parameter set; wherein the candidate parameter set includes at least one of the following: a first parameter set, wherein the parameters in the first parameter set are the Euclidean distances between constellation points in the constellation diagram; and a second parameter set, wherein the parameters in the second parameter set are any one of the following: the amplitude of each constellation point in the constellation diagram, the imaginary part and the real part of each constellation point in the constellation diagram, and the transmit power of the modulation symbol corresponding to each constellation point in the constellation diagram.

[0219] In one possible design, the minimum Euclidean distance between constellation points in the first constellation map is the maximum value among multiple Euclidean distances; wherein, the multiple Euclidean distances are the minimum Euclidean distances between constellation points corresponding to multiple constellation maps, and each constellation map in the multiple constellation maps is determined based on a set of candidate parameters.

[0220] In one possible design, the candidate parameter set includes multiple parameter values.

[0221] In one possible design, the candidate parameter set includes one or more numerical ranges.

[0222] In one possible design, the first constellation diagram is one of multiple constellation diagrams, where the order of the multiple constellation diagrams is M; the transceiver module 202 can also be used to: receive or send indication information, the indication information being used to determine the first constellation diagram.

[0223] It should be understood that all relevant content of each step involved in the above method embodiments can be referenced from the functional description of the corresponding functional module, and will not be repeated here.

[0224] Based on the same technical concept, referring to Figure 11, this application embodiment also provides a communication device 300, including:

[0225] At least one processor 301; and a communication interface 303 communicatively connected to the at least one processor 301; the at least one processor 301 executes instructions stored in the memory 302, causing the device to perform the method steps in the above method embodiments through the communication interface 303. The communication interface 303 can be used to perform the functions of the transceiver module 202, and the processor 301 can be used to perform the functions of the processing module 201.

[0226] Optionally, the memory 302 is located outside the device 300.

[0227] Optionally, the device 300 includes the memory 302, which is connected to the at least one processor 301 and stores instructions executable by the at least one processor 301. Figure 11 shows, with dashed lines, that the memory 302 is optional for the device 300.

[0228] The processor 301 and the memory 302 can be coupled through an interface circuit or integrated together; no restriction is imposed here.

[0229] This application embodiment does not limit the specific connection medium between the processor 301, memory 302, and communication interface 303. In this application embodiment, the processor 301, memory 302, and communication interface 303 are connected via a bus 304 in Figure 11. The bus is represented by a thick line in Figure 11. The connection methods between other components are only for illustrative purposes and are not intended to be limiting. The bus can be divided into address bus, data bus, control bus, etc. For ease of illustration, only one thick line is used in Figure 11, but this does not mean that there is only one bus or one type of bus.

[0230] This application embodiment does not limit the specific connection medium between the processor 301, memory 302, and communication interface 303. In this application embodiment, the processor 301, memory 302, and communication interface 303 are connected via a bus 304 in Figure 11. The bus is represented by a thick line in Figure 11. The connection methods between other components are only for illustrative purposes and are not intended to be limiting. The bus can be divided into address bus, data bus, control bus, etc. For ease of illustration, only one thick line is used in Figure 11, but this does not mean that there is only one bus or one type of bus.

[0231] Based on the same technical concept, this application also provides a communication device 400. Referring to FIG12, the communication device 400 includes a processor 401 and an interface circuit 402. The interface circuit 402 is electrically coupled to the processor 401. The processor 401 executes the method steps in the above method embodiments through logic circuits or executable code instructions. Optionally, the communication device 400 also includes a memory. The interface circuit 402 can be used to execute the functions of the transceiver module 202, and the processor 401 can be used to execute the functions of the processing module 201.

[0232] It should be understood that the processor mentioned in the embodiments of this application can be implemented in hardware or software. When implemented in hardware, the processor can be a logic circuit, integrated circuit, etc. When implemented in software, the processor can be a general-purpose processor, implemented by reading software code stored in memory.

[0233] For example, the processor can be a Central Processing Unit (CPU), or other general-purpose processors, digital signal processors (DSPs), application-specific integrated circuits (ASICs), field-programmable gate arrays (FPGAs), or other programmable logic devices, discrete gate or transistor logic devices, discrete hardware components, etc. A general-purpose processor can be a microprocessor or any conventional processor.

[0234] It should be understood that the memory mentioned in the embodiments of this application can be volatile memory or non-volatile memory, or may include both volatile and non-volatile memory. The non-volatile memory can be read-only memory (ROM), programmable read-only memory (PROM), erasable programmable read-only memory (EPROM), electrically erasable programmable read-only memory (EEPROM), or flash memory. The volatile memory can be random access memory (RAM), which is used as an external cache. By way of example, but not limitation, many forms of RAM are available, such as Static RAM (SRAM), Dynamic RAM (DRAM), Synchronous DRAM (SDRAM), Double Data Rate Synchronous DRAM (DDR SDRAM), Enhanced Synchronous DRAM (ESDRAM), Synchlink DRAM (SLDRAM), and Direct Rambus RAM (DR RAM).

[0235] It should be noted that when the processor is a general-purpose processor, DSP, ASIC, FPGA, or other programmable logic device, discrete gate or transistor logic device, or discrete hardware component, the memory (storage module) can be integrated into the processor.

[0236] It should be noted that the memories described herein are intended to include, but are not limited to, these and any other suitable types of memories.

[0237] Based on the same technical concept, embodiments of this application also provide a computer-readable storage medium, including a program or instructions, which, when run on a computer, cause the methods in the above method embodiments to be executed.

[0238] Based on the same technical concept, embodiments of this application also provide a computer program product, including instructions that, when run on a computer, cause the methods in the above method embodiments to be executed.

[0239] Those skilled in the art will understand that embodiments of this application can be provided as methods, systems, or computer program products. Therefore, this application can take the form of a completely hardware embodiment, a completely software embodiment, or an embodiment combining software and hardware aspects. Furthermore, this application can take the form of a computer program product embodied on one or more computer-usable storage media (including but not limited to disk storage, CD-ROM, optical storage, etc.) containing computer-usable program code.

[0240] This application is described with reference to flowchart illustrations and / or block diagrams of methods, apparatus (systems), and computer program products according to this application. It should be understood that each block of the flowchart illustrations and / or block diagrams, and combinations of blocks in the flowchart illustrations and / or block diagrams, can be implemented by computer program instructions. These computer program instructions can be provided to a processor of a general-purpose computer, special-purpose computer, embedded processor, or other programmable data processing apparatus to produce a machine, such that the instructions, which execute via the processor of the computer or other programmable data processing apparatus, create means for implementing the functions specified in one or more blocks of the flowchart illustrations and / or one or more blocks of the block diagrams.

[0241] These computer program instructions may also be stored in a computer-readable storage medium that can direct a computer or other programmable data processing device to function in a particular manner, such that the instructions stored in the computer-readable storage medium produce an article of manufacture including instruction means that implement the functions specified in one or more flowcharts and / or one or more block diagrams.

[0242] These computer program instructions may also be loaded onto a computer or other programmable data processing apparatus to cause a series of operational steps to be performed on the computer or other programmable apparatus to produce a computer-implemented process, such that the instructions, which execute on the computer or other programmable apparatus, provide steps for implementing the functions specified in one or more flowcharts and / or one or more block diagrams.

Claims

1. A communication method, characterized in that, include: Acquire data and reference signals; The data is modulated according to the first constellation diagram to obtain modulation symbols; wherein, the order of the first constellation diagram is M, where M is a positive integer, and the constellation points of the first constellation diagram correspond one-to-one with the 2 in the second constellation diagram. M There are 1 constellation point, and the modulation order of the second constellation diagram is N, where N is a positive integer greater than M; Transmit the reference signal and the modulation symbol; Wherein, the first ratio is related to the 2 M The first ratio is related to the average amplitude or power of the constellation points, where the first ratio is the ratio of the energy of each resource element carrying the modulation symbol to the energy of each resource element carrying the reference signal; or, the energy of each resource element carrying the modulation symbol is related to the average amplitude or power of the two constellation points. M It is related to the average amplitude or power of each constellation point.

2. The method as described in claim 1, characterized in that, The energy of each resource element carrying the modulation symbol and the 2 M The average power of each constellation point is related to: The transmission power of the modulation symbol = the power of the constellation point corresponding to the modulation symbol in the second constellation diagram / 2 M The average power of each constellation point.

3. The method as described in claim 1, characterized in that, The first ratio and the 2 M The average power of each constellation point is related to: First ratio = Second ratio - 2 M The average power of each constellation point.

4. The method according to any one of claims 1-3, characterized in that, The description also includes: The first constellation diagram is determined based on the candidate parameter set; The candidate parameter set includes at least one of the following: The first parameter set, wherein the parameters in the first parameter set are the Euclidean distances between constellation points in the constellation diagram; The second parameter set, wherein the parameters in the second parameter set are any one of the following: the amplitude of each constellation point in the constellation diagram, the imaginary and real values ​​of each constellation point in the constellation diagram, and the transmission power of the modulation symbol corresponding to each constellation point in the constellation diagram.

5. The method as described in claim 4, characterized in that, The minimum Euclidean distance between constellation points in the first constellation map is the maximum value among multiple Euclidean distances; wherein, the multiple Euclidean distances are the minimum Euclidean distances between constellation points corresponding to multiple constellation maps, and each constellation map in the multiple constellation maps is determined based on the candidate parameter set.

6. The method as described in claim 4, characterized in that, The candidate parameter set includes multiple parameter values; or, The candidate parameter set includes one or more numerical ranges.

7. The method according to any one of claims 1-6, characterized in that, The first constellation diagram is one of a plurality of constellation diagrams, wherein the order of the plurality of constellation diagrams is M; the method further includes: Sending or receiving indication information, the indication information being used to determine the first constellation diagram.

8. A communication method, characterized in that, include: Receives wireless signals, the wireless signals including modulation symbols and reference signals; The reference signal is determined from the wireless signal; Demodulate the modulation symbol according to the reference signal and the ratio; The modulation symbols are demapped using the first constellation diagram to obtain data; Wherein, the order of the first constellation diagram is M, where M is a positive integer, and the constellation points of the first constellation diagram correspond one-to-one with the 2nd constellation point in the second constellation diagram. M There are 1 constellation point, and the modulation order of the second constellation diagram is N, where N is a positive integer greater than M; The ratio is a first ratio, and the first ratio is related to the 2... M The first ratio is related to the average amplitude or power of each constellation point, where the first ratio is the ratio of the energy of each resource element carrying the modulation symbol to the energy of each resource element carrying the reference signal; or, the ratio is a second ratio, where the energy of each resource element carrying the modulation symbol is related to the average amplitude or power of the 2... M It is related to the average amplitude or power of each constellation point.

9. The method as described in claim 8, characterized in that, The energy of each resource element carrying the modulation symbol and the 2 M The average power of each constellation point is related to: The transmission power of the modulation symbol = the power of the constellation point corresponding to the modulation symbol in the second constellation diagram / 2 M The average power of each constellation point.

10. The method as described in claim 8, characterized in that, The first ratio and the 2 M The average power of each constellation point is related to: First ratio = Second ratio - 2 M The average power of each constellation point.

11. The method according to any one of claims 8-10, characterized in that, The description also includes: The first constellation diagram is determined based on the candidate parameter set; The candidate parameter set includes at least one of the following: The first parameter set, wherein the parameters in the first parameter set are the Euclidean distances between constellation points in the constellation diagram; The second parameter set, wherein the parameters in the second parameter set are any one of the following: the amplitude of each constellation point in the constellation diagram, the imaginary and real values ​​of each constellation point in the constellation diagram, and the transmission power of the modulation symbol corresponding to each constellation point in the constellation diagram.

12. The method as described in claim 11, characterized in that, The minimum Euclidean distance between constellation points in the first constellation map is the maximum value among multiple Euclidean distances; wherein, the multiple Euclidean distances are the minimum Euclidean distances between constellation points corresponding to multiple constellation maps, and each constellation map in the multiple constellation maps is determined based on the candidate parameter set.

13. The method as described in claim 11, characterized in that, The candidate parameter set includes multiple parameter values; or, The candidate parameter set includes one or more numerical ranges.

14. The method according to any one of claims 8-13, characterized in that, The first constellation diagram is one of a plurality of constellation diagrams, wherein the order of the plurality of constellation diagrams is M; the method further includes: Receive or send indication information, which is used to determine the first constellation diagram.

15. A communication device, characterized in that, It includes a processor and an interface circuit, the interface circuit being electrically coupled to the processor, the processor causing the method as described in any one of claims 1-7 to be executed via logic circuitry or execution code instructions, or causing the method as described in any one of claims 8-14 to be executed.

16. A communication device, characterized in that, Includes a processor for running a computer program to cause the communication device to perform the method as described in any one of claims 1-7, or the method as described in any one of claims 8-14.

17. The communication device as claimed in claim 16, characterized in that, The communication device further includes a memory for storing the computer program.

18. A chip, characterized in that, Includes a processor configured to perform the method as described in any one of claims 1-7, or the method as described in any one of claims 8-14.

19. A computer-readable storage medium, characterized in that, The storage medium stores a computer program or instructions that, when executed, cause the method as described in any one of claims 1-7 to be performed, or cause the method as described in any one of claims 8-14 to be performed.

20. A computer program product, characterized in that, Includes instructions that, when executed on a computer, cause the method as described in any one of claims 1-7 to be performed, or cause the method as described in any one of claims 8-14 to be performed.

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