Communication method, apparatus, and system

Abstract

A communication method, an apparatus, and a system, which are applied to an HBF architecture. The method comprises: a terminal device determines and sends channel state information (CSI) corresponding to P reference signals, the P reference signals being in one-to-one correspondence with P reference signal resources, each reference signal resource among the P reference signal resources corresponding to one component carrier (CC) among Q CCs in a frequency domain, P being a positive integer less than or equal to Q, and Q being an integer greater than or equal to 2. According to the technical solution provided by the present application, for the same analog beam, CSI corresponding to a plurality of CCs is reported as much as possible, such that a network device can perform resource scheduling with respect to the plurality of CCs for a terminal device, thereby improving performance of the entire network, and improving terminal device experience.

Description

A communication method, apparatus and system

[0001] The present application claims priority to the Chinese patent application No. 202410687624.9, filed on May 29, 2024, and entitled "A communication method, apparatus and system", the content of which is incorporated herein by reference in its entirety. TECHNICAL FIELD

[0002] The present application relates to the field of communication technology, and more particularly, to a communication method, apparatus and system. BACKGROUND

[0003] In a communication system of a higher frequency band, a base station (and a terminal device of a part of the frequency band) usually uses a large-scale array antenna to counteract the path loss caused by the increase of the frequency band through a higher array gain to improve the coverage capability. For example, through a hybrid beamforming (HBF) technology, the energy of a transmission signal can be limited within a specific beam direction to achieve a higher antenna array gain.

[0004] Exemplarily, a network device can send a reference signal through one beam on multiple component carriers (CCs) at one time, and send a reference signal through another beam on the multiple CCs at another time, i.e., a time division transmission manner. For the multiple CCs, the channel state information (CSI) corresponding to different beams is usually fed back independently. For example, a terminal device usually feeds back the reference signal with the strongest signal received on each CC, and thus the beam with the strongest signal reported by the terminal device for different CCs can be different. In other words, the network device can not obtain the CSI on multiple CCs corresponding to a certain beam, so as to fail to schedule the multiple CCs at the same time, resulting in poor network performance. SUMMARY

[0005] The present application provides a communication method, apparatus and system to improve the network transmission performance.

[0006] In a first aspect, a communication method is provided. The method can be performed by a first apparatus. In the absence of a special description, the "first apparatus" in the present application can refer to the first apparatus itself (e.g., a terminal device), a component (e.g., a communication module, a processor, a circuit, a chip, or a chip system, etc.) in the first apparatus, or a logic module or software capable of realizing all or part of the functions of the first apparatus.

[0007] The method comprises: determining channel state information (CSI) corresponding to P reference signals, wherein the P reference signals correspond to P reference signal resources one by one, each of the P reference signal resources corresponds to one of Q component carriers (CCs) in the frequency domain, P is a positive integer less than or equal to Q, and Q is an integer greater than or equal to 2; and transmitting the CSI.

[0008] Alternatively, P reference signals are received on P reference signal resources, each of the P reference signal resources corresponds to one of Q CCs in the frequency domain; channel measurement is performed based on the P reference signals to obtain measurement results; and the measurement results are transmitted. In this case, the reception of the P reference signals on the P reference signal resources corresponds one by one, that is, each reference signal resource in the plurality of reference signal resources can be used to transmit one reference signal, and therefore the terminal device can receive a plurality of reference signals on the plurality of reference signal resources and perform channel measurement based on the plurality of reference signals.

[0009] Alternatively, Q reference signals are received on Q reference signal resources, each of the Q reference signal resources corresponds to one of Q CCs in the frequency domain; channel measurement is performed based on the Q reference signals to obtain measurement results; and the measurement results are transmitted.

[0010] Optionally, the value of Q can be determined based on a bandwidth supported by the terminal device or a size of an allocated channel bandwidth, for example, the terminal device supports a bandwidth of 100 MHz, and the bandwidth of a CC is 25 MHz, so Q=4; the value of Q can also be determined according to a channel bandwidth configuration or defined by a standard, for example, the network device configures Q=4, and the size of the bandwidth of each CC is 25 MHz.

[0011] It should be noted that the channel state information (CSI) corresponding to the P reference signals in the implementation mode is for one beam, that is, in the case of multiple CCs corresponding to one beam, the terminal device reports the measurement results corresponding to the P reference signals. Similarly, in the case of multiple CCs corresponding to multiple beams, the terminal device reports the measurement results corresponding to the P reference signals for each beam.

[0012] Based on the above scheme, for the same beam, the terminal device can determine the channel measurement results corresponding to the P CCs and report them to the network device, and the network device can perform resource scheduling based on the measurement results of the P CCs under the beam, that is, the P CCs can be scheduled to the same terminal device at the same time, or different terminal devices on the P CCs can be served at the same time, thereby improving the overall network performance and the experience of the terminal device. In addition, since the P CCs can be scheduled at the same time, the resources on different CCs can be utilized, which is beneficial to improving the resource utilization rate.

[0013] In some implementations, the value of P can satisfy: P≥Q / 2; or, P≥2; or, 2≤P≤Q; or, P≤R; or, P≥R / 2; or, P≥R / 4, where R represents the maximum number of CSI supported by the terminal device for reporting. Alternatively, the range of the value of P can be combined, for example, the value of P can satisfy: R≥P≥Q / 2, or, R≥P≥2. Alternatively, the values of Q and R can be the same or different, for example, Q≤R, or, R≤Q, which is not limited in the present application. For example, when Q=4, the value of P can be any of the following: 2, 3, or 4; for another example, R=5, Q=3, the value of P can be any of the following: 2 or 3; for another example, R=6, Q=6, the value of P can be any of the following: 2, 3, 4, 5 or 6.

[0014] Alternatively, the value of P depends on the capability of the terminal device, for example, the terminal device sends indication information #1 to the network device, the indication information #1 indicates that the maximum number of CSI supported by the terminal device for reporting is R, and correspondingly, the network device can configure the value of P based on the indication information #1. It can be understood that the value of P is as close as possible to the value of Q, which is beneficial to the scheduling and utilization of frequency domain resources, but it also requires higher hardware requirements and capabilities of the terminal device.

[0015] Based on the above scheme, by setting the value of P, the value of P is as close as possible to the value of Q, so that the network device can schedule as many CCs as possible for the terminal device to use for the same beam, improve the utilization of frequency domain resources, and guarantee the network performance.

[0016] In some implementations, the method further comprises: receiving first information, the first information being used to indicate the value of P.

[0017] Based on the above scheme, the terminal device can receive the first information from the network device, determine the number of reference signals to be measured, and then calculate the measurement results of the corresponding number of reference signals, and report the measurement results. This way can realize targeted measurement and reporting, and improve communication efficiency.

[0018] In some implementations, the method further comprises: determining the value of P according to a buffer status report (BSR) and / or channel measurement result; wherein the BSR and / or channel measurement result are associated with the P reference signals.

[0019] Based on the above scheme, the terminal device can autonomously determine the number of reference signals to be measured according to the BSR and / or channel measurement results, and then calculate the measurement results of the corresponding number of reference signals and report the measurement results. This way can realize targeted measurement and reporting, improving communication efficiency.

[0020] In some implementations, the method further includes: receiving fifth information, the fifth information being used to indicate a reporting number M of channel state information reference signal resource indicators (CRIs) corresponding to one CC; one CRI corresponding to one beam, M being an integer less than or equal to K, K being the number of beams, or in other words, K being the number of all CRIs corresponding to one CC, K being an integer greater than or equal to 2. For example, M takes any of the following values: 1, 2, 4, 6, or K.

[0021] That is, when M = 1, the terminal device reports the CSI corresponding to the P reference signals corresponding to one beam; when M is greater than or equal to 2, it means that the terminal device reports the CSI corresponding to the P reference signals corresponding to each of the M beams.

[0022] It can be understood that there are K beams, one CRI corresponding to one beam, indicating that M CRIs are reported, which means that the channel information corresponding to M beams is reported. For the case where K is greater than 1, this implementation is suitable for a multi-beam scenario, that is, the network device transmits reference signals through Q CCs corresponding to K beams, and indicates that the channel information corresponding to M beams is fed back for each CC, that is, the terminal device reports M CSI for each CC. Optionally, the channel quality corresponding to the M beams reported by the terminal device is higher than the channel quality corresponding to the other K-M beams.

[0023] Based on the above scheme, the terminal device can receive the fifth information from the network device and determine the reporting number of CRIs corresponding to one CC, that is, the terminal device can determine the reporting number of CSI corresponding to each CC based on the fifth information. Further, the terminal device can receive reference signals on the M reference signal resources corresponding to each CC, measure the M reference signals and obtain measurement results, and then report the measurement results corresponding to the M reference signals to the network device; or the terminal device can receive reference signals on multiple reference signal resources corresponding to each CC, measure the multiple reference signals and obtain measurement results, and then select the measurement results corresponding to the top M reference signals with better channel quality from the multiple measurement results according to the channel quality and the fifth information.

[0024] In some implementations, the P reference signal resources correspond to P contiguous CCs in the Q CCs in the frequency domain one by one.

[0025] Based on the above scheme, for the same beam, the terminal device measures the reference signals on the P contiguous CCs and reports the corresponding measurement results, which not only makes the terminal hardware implementation simple, but also is beneficial to the network device to simultaneously schedule the resources of the P CCs to serve the terminal device, which not only improves the spectrum utilization efficiency, but also improves the user experience. This method can be applied to terminal devices that only support contiguous carrier aggregation, that is, the terminal device can only support multiple contiguous CCs on the same frequency band or multiple contiguous CCs on multiple adjacent frequency bands.

[0026] Optionally, the terminal device can report the CSI corresponding to at least P reference signals. That is, for the Q CCs corresponding to each beam, the terminal device can select P to Q CCs for measurement and reporting, so that the network device can schedule as many CCs corresponding to a beam as possible to improve the frequency domain resource utilization.

[0027] In some implementations, the network device can send reference signals to the terminal device through K beams, and the terminal device can determine the number M of CRIs (corresponding beams) to be reported, M being a positive integer less than or equal to K. Considering that there are Q CCs, the terminal device can at most measure and report the measurement results corresponding to M*Q reference signals, and due to the constraint of P, the terminal device can at least measure and report the measurement results corresponding to P*M reference signals. Whether to measure and report one or more reference signals in M*Q-M*P reference signals can be determined by the terminal device itself, and the present application does not limit it. Therefore, after channel measurement, the terminal device can at least report the measurement results corresponding to P reference signals received by each of the M beams to the network device.

[0028] As an example, the network device can send indication information to the terminal device, which indicates that for each beam (or each CRI), the terminal device can at least report the measurement results corresponding to M*Q reference signals, or in other words, the indication information indicates that the terminal device reports the measurement results corresponding to P1 reference signals, where P1 is a positive integer greater than or equal to P and less than or equal to Q. In other words, for the M CRIs to be reported, the indication information indicates that the terminal device reports the measurement results corresponding to P1*M reference signals. Therefore, the terminal device can determine the measurement results corresponding to P1 reference signals corresponding to each of the M CRIs and feed back to the network device.

[0029] In some implementations, the P reference signal resources belong to a first resource group, the first resource group corresponds to a first sending mode, and the first sending mode is used to represent that the digital weight and / or the analog weight corresponding to the P reference signals are the same.

[0030] It can be understood that the first resource group corresponds to a first beam, and the first sending mode corresponds to the first beam, that is, the multiple reference signals carried by the multiple reference signal resources in the first resource group are sent through the first beam, or in other words, are sent using the first sending mode.

[0031] In this application, the multiple reference signal resources can be grouped into a reference signal resource group, or in other words, the multiple reference signal resources belong to a reference signal resource group, and each reference signal resource in the reference signal resource group corresponds to one of the multiple CCs in the frequency domain, that is, each reference signal resource in the reference signal resource group belongs to, or in other words, comes from one CC in the frequency domain. In other words, the multiple reference signal resources in the reference signal resource group can correspond to the multiple CCs, or in other words, the multiple reference signal resources in the reference signal resource group come from different CCs. One possible case is that each CC corresponds to one reference signal resource in the reference signal resource group, or in other words, the multiple CCs correspond to the multiple reference signal resources in the reference signal resource group, or in other words, different reference signal resources in the reference signal resource group correspond to different CCs. Another possible case is that each CC corresponds to multiple reference signal resources in the reference signal resource group. It is not difficult to see that the reference signal resource group is configured for the multiple CCs, and therefore the reference signal resource group can be referred to as a cross-CC configuration.

[0032] Based on the above scheme, by configuring one or more reference signal resource groups for the multiple CCs, the reference signals can be transmitted through the resources in the one or more reference signal resource groups, and the terminal device can perform channel measurement and feedback based on the reference signals on the reference signal resources in the one or more reference signal resource groups. Or in other words, the reference signals are sent on the reference signal resources in one reference signal resource group through one beam (i.e., corresponding to the first sending mode), so that the terminal device can preferentially measure the same reference signal resource group (analog beam), and then feed back the measurement results of one or more reference signal resource groups (analog beams) associated with multiple CCs to the network device. In this way, although the network device can only time-divisionally schedule the beams, since the measurement results of multiple CCs under the same beam (or sending mode), that is, the CSI of multiple CCs, can be obtained, the network device can perform resource scheduling based on more comprehensive CSI (or in other words, CSI with a larger bandwidth), which not only improves the spectrum utilization efficiency, but also improves the user experience.

[0033] In some implementations, the method further includes receiving third information, the third information being used to indicate the first resource group.

[0034] Exemplarily, the terminal device receives reference signals on multiple reference signal resources, the multiple reference signal resources belonging to one or more reference signal resource groups, each reference signal resource group including multiple reference signal resources corresponding to multiple CCs; performs channel measurement based on the reference signals received on the multiple reference signal resources of each reference signal resource group to obtain measurement results corresponding to each reference signal resource group; and transmits the measurement results corresponding to each reference signal resource group.

[0035] Optionally, the terminal device can perform reporting of one measurement result based on the reference signals received on the multiple reference signal resources in each reference signal resource group, or perform reporting of one measurement result based on the reference signals received on the multiple reference signal resources in multiple reference signal resource groups.

[0036] In some implementations, the third information includes at least one of a group identity of the first resource group, indexes of the Q CCs, or indexes of the P reference signal resources.

[0037] Based on the above scheme, by carrying at least one of a group identity (ID) or a group identifier (ID) of the first resource group, indexes of the Q CCs, or indexes of the P reference signal resources in the third information, the network device can indicate the multiple reference signal resources in each reference signal resource group by indicating the reference signal resource group to which each reference signal resource belongs. Therefore, the terminal device can determine which reference signal resources belong to a reference signal resource group based on the group identity indicated in the configuration information of each reference signal resource, reference signal resources with the same group identity belong to one reference signal resource group, and reference signal resources with different group identities belong to different reference signal resource groups. The network device does not have to indicate the IDs of the multiple reference signal resources included in each reference signal resource group and the indexes of the corresponding CCs, thereby reducing signaling overhead.

[0038] That is, the third information explicitly indicates the identities of the reference signal resources corresponding to the Q CCs in the first resource group, and each CC and its corresponding reference signal resource can be regarded as a pairing relationship, that is, the third information includes an indication of the pairing relationship between the multiple CCs and the multiple reference signal resources.

[0039] In some implementations, the method further includes receiving fourth information, the fourth information being used to indicate multiple resource groups associated with the Q CCs, the multiple resource groups including the first resource group.

[0040] It should be understood that the plurality of reference signal resources included in each reference signal resource group correspond to the Q CCs. Since the plurality of reference signal resources in each reference signal resource group correspond to the plurality of CCs, the measurement result corresponding to each reference signal resource group is also a measurement result corresponding to the plurality of CCs.

[0041] Based on the above scheme, the network device can configure one or more reference signal resource groups for the terminal device through signaling, each reference signal resource group including a plurality of reference signal resources, corresponding to the Q CCs. Each time the network device transmits a reference signal through a reference signal resource group, a measurement result corresponding to each of the plurality of CCs can be obtained, and more comprehensive CSI can be provided for resource scheduling, thereby facilitating improvement of the overall network performance. Even if the network device can only schedule one beam at the same time, the same beam can be scheduled for the plurality of CCs for which CSI has been obtained, thereby facilitating improvement of the terminal device experience. In addition, since the same beam can be scheduled for the plurality of CCs, resources on different CCs can also be utilized at different times, thereby enabling full utilization of limited frequency spectrum resources and facilitating improvement of resource utilization.

[0042] In some implementations, the P reference signal resources satisfy one or more of the following: the P reference signal resources have the same identifier; optionally, at least two of the P reference signals correspond to different CCs and / or different time units, that is, at least two of the P reference signals are transmitted on different CCs of different time units, for example, reference signal #1 and reference signal #2 have the same identifier or index, wherein reference signal #1 is transmitted on CC #0 corresponding to t1, and reference signal #2 is transmitted on CC #1 corresponding to t2; or, the P reference signal resources correspond to the same time unit; or, the P reference signal resources corresponding to different CCs have... They have the same ordering; in other words, the P reference signal resources corresponding to the P CCs are in the same ordering position. For example, the P reference signal resources correspond to the same permutation number on the P CCs, such as each of the P reference signal resources being the second reference signal resource on a CC. Alternatively, the P reference signal resources have the same ordering (i.e., arrangement order), or for the Q CCs, they are paired sequentially according to the ascending index of the reference signal resources (considered as a resource group). Or, the P reference signal resources have the same ordering in the configuration information of their respective CCs. The configuration information of a CC includes the identifiers of one or more reference signal resources configured for that CC. Alternatively, multiple CCs corresponding to different beams can correspond to multiple reference signal resources, meaning each CC has multiple reference signal resources under different beams. Therefore, reference signal resources belonging to the same permutation order on multiple CCs can be paired and considered as a resource group. That is, the P reference signal resources can be reference signal resources in the same permutation order position on the P CCs, for example, the P reference signal resources are the third reference signal resource in each of the P CCs.

[0043] In other words, the plurality of reference signal resources in the reference signal resource group satisfy one or more of the following: the plurality of reference signal resources have the same identifier; the plurality of reference signal resources have the same time domain resources; or the plurality of reference signal resources are ordered in the configuration information of their respective CCs.

[0044] It should be noted that the reference signal resources are configured for each CC, and the identifier of the reference signal resources is uniform on one CC, not across multiple CCs. That is to say, reference signal resources with different identifiers on the same CC correspond to different resources in the time domain and / or frequency domain; reference signal resources with the same identifier on the same CC have the same resources in both the time and frequency domains; reference signal resources with the same identifier may exist on different CCs, but the resources corresponding to the same identifier in the time and / or frequency domains on different CCs are not necessarily the same.

[0045] In some cases, reference signal resources with the same identifier on different CCs correspond to the same location in the time domain. In this case, multiple signal resources in the reference signal resource group may simultaneously satisfy the conditions of having the same identifier and the same time domain resources.

[0046] In some cases, reference signal resources with the same identifier on different CCs may also be located in the same position in the configuration information of multiple CCs. In this case, multiple signal resources in the reference signal resource group can simultaneously satisfy the following conditions: they have the same identifier and are ordered in the same order in the configuration information of multiple CCs.

[0047] In some cases, reference signal resources that are ordered the same in the configuration information of multiple CCs also have the same position in the time domain. In this case, multiple signal resources in the reference signal resource group can simultaneously satisfy the following conditions: they have the same time domain resources and are ordered the same in the configuration information of multiple CCs.

[0048] In some cases, reference signal resources with the same identifier and the same time domain configuration are ordered in the configuration information of multiple CCs. In this case, multiple reference signal resources in the reference signal resource group can simultaneously satisfy the following conditions: having the same identifier and the same time domain resources, and being ordered in the configuration information of multiple CCs.

[0049] Among the rules listed above, which one or more of the reference signal resources in each reference signal resource group specifically satisfy can be predefined by the protocol or configured by the network device; this application does not limit this. This is analogous to the network device implicitly indicating multiple reference signal resources in each reference signal resource group through third-party information configuring the reference signal resources of each CC, thereby saving signaling overhead.

[0050] In some implementations, the method further includes: receiving second information, the second information being used to indicate multiple CC groups, wherein each CC group includes at least one CC from Q CCs, and the CCs contained in any two CC groups are different from each other; wherein the P reference signal resources are associated with at least one CC group from the multiple CC groups, that is, multiple CCs under the same beam can be divided into multiple CC groups, and the CSI corresponding to the P reference signals reported by the terminal device is obtained by measuring the P reference signals carried on at least one CC group.

[0051] Optionally, the determination of multiple CC groups, and the CCs contained in each CC group, can be predefined or preconfigured, or can be indicated by the network device through signaling, such as second information. This application does not limit this.

[0052] In other words, Q CCs can be divided into multiple CC groups. Terminal devices can measure reference signals and report CSI at the CC group level, which facilitates network devices to schedule resources within the same CC group to terminal devices and improves user experience.

[0053] Based on the above scheme, Q CCs are divided into multiple CC groups, that is, each CC group includes at least one CC. This allows terminal devices to measure and report reference signals corresponding to one or more CC groups at the CC group granularity. This helps network devices to schedule resources to terminal devices based on CC groups, thereby improving resource utilization and enhancing user experience.

[0054] In some implementations, each of the multiple reference signals transmitted through multiple reference signal resources in a reference signal resource group corresponds to a port group. In other words, one reference signal corresponds to one port group; that is, one reference signal is transmitted through one port group.

[0055] Since the reference signals transmitted by multiple reference signal resources in the same reference signal resource group correspond to the same port group, this reference signal resource group can also be said to correspond to the same port group (or the same transmission method).

[0056] In some implementations, transmitting CSI includes transmitting CSI corresponding to P reference signals on P of the Q CCs, with each of the P reference signals corresponding to a one-to-one correspondence with one of the P CCs.

[0057] Based on the above scheme, the terminal device can measure and report the corresponding measurement results on P of the Q CCs. The measurement result transmitted on each CC is obtained based on the reference signal received on that CC. In other words, the measurement results corresponding to each CC are transmitted by the reporting resources corresponding to each CC. This implementation method is applicable to situations where the uplink and downlink bandwidths are symmetrical, that is, the terminal device supports multiple CCs in both uplink and downlink.

[0058] In some implementations, transmitting CSI includes transmitting the CSI corresponding to P reference signals on the first CC of Q CCs, where the first CC is a subset of the Q CCs.

[0059] Based on the above scheme, the terminal device can feed back measurement results across CCs. The measurement results corresponding to the P CCs can be transmitted through the reporting resource corresponding to one of the CCs. This implementation method is applicable to situations where the uplink and downlink bandwidths of the terminal device are asymmetrical, i.e., the terminal device supports multiple CCs downlink but only one CC uplink.

[0060] In some implementations, CSI includes channel quality information, and the method further includes: transmitting sorting information of the channel quality information corresponding to P reference signals. Exemplarily, the channel quality information includes at least one of the following: reference signal received power (RSRP), reference signal received quality (RSRQ), or channel quality indicator (CQI).

[0061] Optionally, the sequencing information and CSI can be carried in the same signaling or in different signaling, and can be sent simultaneously or separately. Optionally, the sequencing information can be carried in the CSI. This application does not limit this.

[0062] Secondly, a communication method is provided. This method can be executed by a second device. Unless otherwise specified, the "second device" in this application can refer to the second device itself (e.g., a network device), a component in the second device (e.g., a communication module, processor, circuit, chip, or chip system), or a logic module or software that can implement all or part of the functions of the second device.

[0063] The method includes: receiving channel state information (CSI) corresponding to P reference signals, wherein the P reference signals correspond one-to-one with P reference signal resources, and each of the P reference signal resources corresponds to one of the Q component carriers (CC) in the frequency domain, where P is a positive integer less than or equal to Q, and Q is an integer greater than or equal to 2.

[0064] Alternatively, P reference signals are transmitted on P reference signal resources, and each of the P reference signal resources corresponds to one of the Q CCs in the frequency domain; the measurement results are obtained by channel measurement based on the P reference signals.

[0065] Based on the above scheme, for the same beam, network devices receive channel measurement results from multiple control points (CCs) corresponding to terminal devices. Resource scheduling can be performed based on these measurement results; that is, multiple CCs can be simultaneously scheduled to the same terminal device, or services can be provided to different terminal devices on multiple CCs simultaneously. This improves overall network performance and enhances the user experience for terminal devices. Furthermore, since multiple CCs can be scheduled simultaneously, resources on different CCs can be utilized, thus improving resource utilization.

[0066] In some implementations, the value of P can satisfy: P≥Q / 2; or, P≥2; or, 2≤P≤Q; or, P≤R; or, P≥R / 2; or, P≥R / 4, where R represents the maximum number of CSIs that the terminal device can report.

[0067] In some implementations, the method further includes sending a first message, which indicates the value of P.

[0068] In some implementations, the method further includes: sending fifth information, which indicates the number M of Channel State Information Reference Signal Resource Indicators (CRIs) reported for a CC; one CRI corresponds to one beam, M is an integer less than or equal to K, and K is the number of beams, or in other words, K is the total number of CRIs corresponding to a CC, and K is an integer greater than or equal to 2. For example, the value of M can be any of the following: 1, 2, 4, 6, or K.

[0069] In some implementations, the P reference signal resources correspond one-to-one with the P consecutive CCs in the Q CCs in the frequency domain.

[0070] In some implementations, P reference signal resources belong to a first resource group, the first resource group corresponds to a first transmission mode, and the first transmission mode is used to characterize that the digital weights and / or analog weights corresponding to the P reference signals are the same.

[0071] In some implementations, the method further includes sending a third message, which is used to instruct the first resource group.

[0072] In some implementations, the third information includes at least one of the following: the group identifier of the first resource group, the indexes of Q CCs, or the indexes of P reference signal resources.

[0073] In some implementations, the P reference signal resources satisfy one or more of the following: the P reference signal resources have the same identifier; the P reference signal resources correspond to the same time unit; or, the P reference signal resources are ordered in the configuration information of their respective CCs; wherein, the configuration information of the CC includes the identifiers of one or more reference signal resources configured for the CC.

[0074] In some implementations, the method further includes sending a fourth message, which indicates multiple resource groups associated with Q CCs, including a first resource group.

[0075] In some implementations, the method further includes sending a second message indicating a plurality of CC groups, wherein each CC group includes at least one CC from Q CCs, and any two CC groups contain different CCs.

[0076] In some implementations, receiving the CSI corresponding to P reference signals includes: receiving the CSI corresponding to P reference signals on P of the Q CCs, where the CSI corresponding to the P reference signals corresponds one-to-one with the P CCs.

[0077] In some implementations, receiving the CSI corresponding to P reference signals includes: transmitting the CSI corresponding to P reference signals on the first CC of Q CCs, where the first CC is a subset of the Q CCs.

[0078] In some implementations, receiving the CSI corresponding to P reference signals includes: receiving sorting information of the channel quality information corresponding to the P reference signals, wherein the channel quality information includes at least one of the following: Reference Signal Received Quality (RSRP), Reference Signal Received Quality (RSRQ), or Channel Quality Indicator (CQI).

[0079] The beneficial effects of the second aspect and some implementations thereof can be referred to the relevant descriptions in the first aspect, and will not be repeated here.

[0080] Thirdly, a communication device is provided, which has the functions of the first aspect above. For example, the communication device includes modules, units or means corresponding to the operations involved in the first aspect above. The modules, units or means can be implemented by software, or by hardware, or by a combination of software and hardware.

[0081] The communication device can be a terminal device, or a module or unit (e.g., a chip, a chip system, or a circuit) in the terminal device that corresponds to each of the methods, operations, steps, or actions described in the first aspect above, or a device that can be used in conjunction with the terminal device.

[0082] In one possible implementation, the communication device includes a transceiver unit (or communication module) and a processing unit (or processing module) connected to the transceiver unit.

[0083] For example, the processing unit is used to determine the channel state information (CSI) corresponding to P reference signals, wherein the P reference signals correspond one-to-one with P reference signal resources, and each of the P reference signal resources corresponds to one of the Q component carriers (CC) in the frequency domain, where P is a positive integer less than or equal to Q and Q is an integer greater than or equal to 2; the transceiver unit is used to transmit the CSI.

[0084] The transceiver unit can perform the receiving and transmitting processes in the first aspect described above, and the processing unit can perform other processes in the first aspect described above besides receiving and transmitting.

[0085] In one possible design, in some implementations, the value of P can satisfy: P≥Q / 2; or, P≥2; or, 2≤P≤Q; or, P≤R; or, P≥R / 2; or, P≥R / 4, where R represents the maximum number of CSIs that the terminal device can report.

[0086] In one possible design, the transceiver unit is also used to receive first information, which indicates the value of P.

[0087] In one possible design, the processing unit is further configured to determine the value of P based on the buffer status report (BSR) and / or channel measurement results; wherein the BSR and / or channel measurement results are associated with P reference signals.

[0088] In one possible design, the transceiver unit is also used to receive fifth information, which indicates the number M of Channel State Information Reference Signal Resource Indicators (CRIs) reported for a CC; one CRI corresponds to one beam, M is an integer less than or equal to K, and K is the number of beams, or in other words, K is the total number of CRIs corresponding to a CC, and K is an integer greater than or equal to 2. For example, M can take any of the following values: 1, 2, 4, 6, or K, where K is the total number of CRIs corresponding to a CC.

[0089] In one possible design, the P reference signal resources correspond one-to-one with the P consecutive CCs in the Q CCs in the frequency domain.

[0090] In one possible design, P reference signal resources belong to a first resource group, the first resource group corresponds to a first transmission mode, and the first transmission mode is used to characterize that the digital weights and / or analog weights corresponding to the P reference signals are the same.

[0091] In one possible design, the transceiver unit is also used to receive third information, which is used to instruct the first resource group.

[0092] In one possible design, the P reference signal resources satisfy one or more of the following: the P reference signal resources have the same identifier; the P reference signal resources correspond to the same time unit; or, the P reference signal resources are ordered in the configuration information of their respective CCs; wherein the configuration information of the CC includes the identifiers of one or more reference signal resources configured for the CC.

[0093] In one possible design, the transceiver unit is also used to receive fourth information, which indicates multiple resource groups associated with Q CCs, including a first resource group.

[0094] In one possible design, the transceiver unit is also used to receive second information, which indicates a plurality of CC groups, wherein each of the plurality of CC groups includes at least one CC from Q CCs, and any two CC groups contain different CCs.

[0095] In one possible design, the transceiver unit is also used to transmit CSI, including: transmitting CSI corresponding to P reference signals on P of the Q CCs, wherein the CSI corresponding to the P reference signals corresponds one-to-one with the P CCs.

[0096] In one possible design, the transceiver unit is also used to transmit CSI, including: transmitting CSI corresponding to P reference signals on the first CC of Q CCs, where the first CC is a subset of the Q CCs.

[0097] In one possible design, the transceiver unit is also used to transmit sorting information of channel quality information corresponding to P reference signals, wherein the channel quality information includes at least one of the following: Reference Signal Received Quality (RSRP), Reference Signal Received Quality (RSRQ), or Channel Quality Indicator (CQI).

[0098] Fourthly, a communication device is provided, which has the functions of the second aspect above. For example, the communication device includes modules, units or means corresponding to the operations involved in the second aspect above. The modules, units or means can be implemented by software, or by hardware, or by a combination of software and hardware.

[0099] The communication device can be a network device, or a module or unit (e.g., a chip, a chip system, or a circuit) in the network device that corresponds to each of the methods, operations, steps, or actions described in the second aspect above, or a device that can be used in conjunction with the network device.

[0100] In one possible implementation, the communication device includes a transceiver unit (or communication module) and a processing unit (or processing module) connected to the transceiver unit.

[0101] For example, the transceiver unit is used to receive channel state information (CSI) corresponding to P reference signals, wherein the P reference signals correspond one-to-one with P reference signal resources, and each of the P reference signal resources corresponds to one of the Q component carriers (CC) in the frequency domain, where P is a positive integer less than or equal to Q, and Q is an integer greater than or equal to 2.

[0102] The transceiver unit can perform the receiving and sending processes in the second aspect described above, and the processing unit of the communication device can perform other processes in the second aspect described above besides receiving and sending.

[0103] In one possible design, in some implementations, the value of P can satisfy: P≥Q / 2; or, P≥2; or, 2≤P≤Q; or, P≤R; or, P≥R / 2; or, P≥R / 4, where R represents the maximum number of CSIs that the terminal device can report.

[0104] In one possible design, the transceiver unit is also used to send first information, which indicates the value of P.

[0105] In one possible design, the transceiver unit is also used to transmit fifth information, which indicates the number M of Channel State Information Reference Signal Resource Indicators (CRIs) reported for a CC; one CRI corresponds to one beam, M is an integer less than or equal to K, and K is the number of beams, or, in other words, K is the total number of CRIs corresponding to a CC, and K is an integer greater than or equal to 2. For example, M can take any of the following values: 1, 2, 4, 6, or K, where K is the total number of CRIs corresponding to a CC.

[0106] In one possible design, the P reference signal resources correspond one-to-one with the P consecutive CCs in the Q CCs in the frequency domain.

[0107] In one possible design, P reference signal resources belong to a first resource group, the first resource group corresponds to a first transmission mode, and the first transmission mode is used to characterize that the digital weights and / or analog weights corresponding to the P reference signals are the same.

[0108] In one possible design, the transceiver unit is also used to send third information, which is used to instruct the first resource group.

[0109] In one possible design, the third information includes at least one of the following: the group identifier of the first resource group, the indexes of Q CCs, or the indexes of P reference signal resources.

[0110] In one possible design, the P reference signal resources satisfy one or more of the following: the P reference signal resources have the same identifier; the P reference signal resources correspond to the same time unit; or, the P reference signal resources are ordered in the configuration information of their respective CCs; wherein the configuration information of the CC includes the identifiers of one or more reference signal resources configured for the CC.

[0111] In one possible design, the transceiver unit is also used to send a fourth message, which indicates multiple resource groups associated with Q CCs, including a first resource group.

[0112] In one possible design, the transceiver unit is also used to transmit second information, which indicates a plurality of CC groups, wherein each of the plurality of CC groups includes at least one of Q CCs, and any two CC groups contain different CCs.

[0113] In one possible design, the transceiver unit is also used to receive CSIs corresponding to P reference signals, including: receiving CSIs corresponding to P reference signals on P of the Q CCs, wherein the CSIs corresponding to the P reference signals correspond one-to-one with the P CCs.

[0114] In one possible design, the transceiver unit is also used to receive CSIs corresponding to P reference signals, including: transmitting the CSIs corresponding to P reference signals on the first CC of Q CCs, where the first CC is a subset of the Q CCs.

[0115] In one possible design, the transceiver unit is further used to receive the method corresponding to P reference signals, which further includes: receiving sorting information of channel quality information corresponding to P reference signals, wherein the channel quality information includes at least one of the following: Reference Signal Received Quality (RSRP), Reference Signal Received Quality (RSRQ), or Channel Quality Indicator (CQI).

[0116] Fifthly, a communication device is provided. This communication device may be either the first or second device described above. The communication device includes a transceiver, a processor, and a memory. The processor controls the transceiver to transmit and receive signals, the memory stores a computer program, and the processor retrieves and runs the computer program from the memory, causing the communication device to perform the method in any possible implementation of either the first or second aspect described above.

[0117] Optionally, there may be one or more processors and one or more memories.

[0118] Alternatively, the memory can be integrated with the processor, or the memory can be set up separately from the processor.

[0119] Optionally, the communication device may also include a transceiver, including a transmitter and / or a receiver.

[0120] A sixth aspect provides a communication device comprising a memory and one or more processors. The memory stores part or all of a computer program or instructions necessary for implementing the functions described in the first or second aspect. The one or more processors are executable to carry out the computer program or instructions, which, when executed, cause the communication device to implement the methods in any possible design or implementation of the first or second aspect.

[0121] In one possible design, the communication device may further include an interface circuit, wherein the processor is used to communicate with other devices or components through the interface circuit.

[0122] In one possible design, the communication device may also include the memory.

[0123] The aforementioned communication device may be a terminal device, or a communication module in a terminal device, or a chip in a terminal device that is responsible for communication functions, such as a modem chip (also known as a baseband chip), or a system-on-chip (SoC) chip or system-in-a-package (SIP) chip that includes a modem module.

[0124] The aforementioned communication device may be a network device, or a communication module in a network device, or a circuit or chip in a network device responsible for communication functions, or a functional module in a network device capable of calling and executing programs.

[0125] In a seventh aspect, a communication system is provided. The communication system includes a first device and / or a second device, wherein the first device is configured to perform the method in any possible implementation of the first aspect, and the second device is configured to perform the method in any possible implementation of the second aspect.

[0126] For example, the first or second device may be a terminal device, or a chip or circuit in the terminal device, or a functional module in the terminal device capable of calling and executing a program; or, the first or second device may be a network device, or a chip or circuit in the network device, or a central unit (CU) or distributed unit (DU) in the network device, or a functional module in the network device capable of calling and executing a program.

[0127] Eighthly, a computer-readable storage medium is provided. This computer-readable storage medium stores computer program code or instructions to cause the method in any possible implementation of the first or second aspect to be executed, for example, when a computer reads and executes the computer program code or instructions, causing the method in any possible implementation of the first or second aspect to be implemented.

[0128] A ninth aspect provides a computer program product. The computer program product includes computer program code or instructions to cause the method in any possible implementation of the first or second aspect to be implemented. For example, when a computer reads and executes the computer program product, the method in any possible implementation of the first or second aspect is implemented.

[0129] In a tenth aspect, a computer program is provided. When the computer program is run, it causes the method in any of the possible implementations of the first or second aspect to be implemented.

[0130] It should be understood that the beneficial effects of the third to tenth aspects mentioned above can be referred to the first or second aspects mentioned above and any possible implementation thereof, which will not be elaborated here. Attached Figure Description

[0131] Figure 1 is a schematic diagram of a communication system applicable to this application;

[0132] Figure 2 shows a schematic diagram of a component carrier CC structure;

[0133] Figure 3 shows a schematic diagram of how antenna alignment and beamforming are implemented;

[0134] Figure 4 shows a schematic diagram of channel measurement and reporting between network devices and terminal devices;

[0135] Figure 5 illustrates the transmission of channel state information reference signal (CSI-RS) and the reporting of measurement results on different CCs;

[0136] Figure 6 is a schematic flowchart of a communication method provided in an embodiment of this application;

[0137] Figure 7 is a schematic diagram of CC grouping and the determination of P reference signals provided in an embodiment of this application;

[0138] Figure 8 is a schematic diagram of the representation of the CSI-RS resource group provided in the embodiments of this application;

[0139] Figures 9 and 10 are schematic diagrams of sending CSI-RS and reporting measurement results on different CCs provided in the embodiments of this application;

[0140] Figure 11 is a schematic block diagram of a communication device provided in an embodiment of this application;

[0141] Figure 12 is a schematic block diagram of another communication device provided in an embodiment of this application;

[0142] Figure 13 is a schematic block diagram of a chip system provided in an embodiment of this application;

[0143] Figure 14 is a schematic block diagram of another chip system provided in an embodiment of this application. Detailed Implementation

[0144] To facilitate understanding of the embodiments provided in this application, the following points are first explained:

[0145] 1) In this application, unless otherwise specified or in case of logical conflict, the terms and / or descriptions of different embodiments are consistent and can be referenced by each other. The technical features of different embodiments can be combined to form new embodiments according to their inherent logical relationship.

[0146] 2) In this application, "at least one" means one or more, and "more than one" means two or more. "And / or" describes the relationship between related objects, indicating that three relationships can exist. For example, A and / or B can mean: A exists alone, A and B exist simultaneously, or B exists alone, where A and B can be singular or plural. In the textual description of this application, the character " / " generally indicates that the preceding and following related objects are in an "or" relationship. "At least one of the following" or similar expressions refer to any combination of these items, including any combination of single or plural items. For example, at least one of a, b, and c can mean: a, or, b, or, c, or, a and b, or, a and c, or, b and c, or, a, b, and c. Here, a, b, and c can each be single or multiple.

[0147] 3) In this application, the terms "first," "second," and various numerical designations (e.g., #1, #2, etc.) indicate distinctions made for ease of description and are not intended to limit the scope of the embodiments of this application. For example, they may distinguish different messages, rather than describing a specific order or sequence. It should be understood that such descriptions can be interchanged where appropriate to describe solutions other than those in the embodiments of this application.

[0148] 4) In this application, descriptions such as “when…”, “under the circumstances of…” and “if” all refer to the fact that the device will make corresponding processing under certain objective circumstances. They are not time limits, nor do they require the device to make a judgment action when it is implemented, nor do they mean that there are other limitations.

[0149] 5) In this application, "instruction" or "for instruction" can include both direct and indirect instruction. When describing an instruction as being used to instruct A, it may include whether the instruction directly instructs A or indirectly instructs A, but does not necessarily mean that the instruction carries A.

[0150] The indication methods involved in the embodiments of this application should be understood to cover various methods that enable the party to be indicated to obtain the information to be indicated. The information to be indicated can be sent as a whole or divided into multiple sub-information and sent separately. Moreover, the sending period and / or sending time of these sub-information can be the same or different. This application does not limit the sending method, for example.

[0151] The "instruction information" in the embodiments of this application can be an explicit instruction, that is, a direct instruction through signaling, or an instruction obtained by combining other rules or parameters with the parameters indicated by the signaling, or by deduction. It can also be an implicit instruction, that is, an instruction obtained based on rules or relationships, or based on other parameters, or by deduction. This application does not specifically limit it in this regard.

[0152] 6) In this application, the terms "message," "information," "signal," or "information element (IE)" can be used interchangeably. No limitation is placed on the name of the message or information, as long as it achieves the corresponding function. "Communication" can also be described as "communication," "information transmission," "data processing," etc. "Transmission" includes both "sending" and "receiving." "Transmission" can be described as "output."

[0153] "Sending information to XX (device)" can be understood as the destination of the information being that device. This can include sending information directly or indirectly to that device. "Receiving information from XX (device), or receiving information from XX (device)" can be understood as the source of the information being that device. This can include receiving information directly or indirectly from that device. Information may undergo necessary processing between the source and destination, such as format changes, but the destination can understand the valid information from the source. Similar expressions in this application can be understood in a similar way, and will not be repeated here. Furthermore, "sending" can also be understood as the "output" of the chip interface, and "receiving" can also be understood as the "input" of the chip interface. In other words, "sending" or "receiving" can occur between devices, for example, between network devices and terminal devices via an air interface. "Sending" or "receiving" can also occur within a device, for example, between components, modules, chips, software modules, or hardware modules within the device via a bus, wiring, or interface.

[0154] 7) In this application, when comparing A and B, the description "when A is greater than or equal to B, execute method A; when A is less than or equal to B, execute method B" can be implemented in a way that is either "when A is greater than or equal to B, execute method A; or when A is less than B, execute method B" or "when A is greater than B, execute method A; or when A is less than or equal to B, execute method B". This application does not limit the implementation in this way. For ease of description, the implementation provided in this application will be illustrated using "when A is greater than or equal to B, execute method A; or when A is less than B, execute method B" as an example.

[0155] 8) In this application, the words "exemplarily," "for example," etc., are used to indicate examples, illustrations, or descriptions. Any embodiment or design scheme described as an "example" in this application should not be construed as being more preferred or advantageous than other embodiments or design schemes. Specifically, the use of the word "example" is intended to present concepts in a concrete manner. In the embodiments of this application, "of," "corresponding, relevant," and "corresponding" may sometimes be used interchangeably, and it should be noted that their intended meanings are consistent unless their distinction is emphasized.

[0156] (9) In this application, ID can be an abbreviation of any one of identifier, indication, indicator, index, identity, or identification. Unless otherwise specified, identifier, indication, indicator, index, identity, or identification can be used interchangeably.

[0157] The technical solutions in this application will now be described with reference to the accompanying drawings.

[0158] The technical solutions in this application embodiment can be applied to various communication systems, such as: Long Term Evolution (LTE) systems, LTE Frequency Division Duplex (FDD) systems, LTE Time Division Duplex (TDD) systems, and 5G (5G) systems. th It can also be applied to wireless local area network (WLAN), wireless fidelity (Wi-Fi) systems, device-to-device (D2D) communication, vehicle-to-everything (V2X) communication, machine-to-machine (M2M) communication, machine-type communication (MTC), and Internet of Things (IoT) communication systems.

[0159] In a communication system, a device can send signals to or receive signals from another device. These signals may include reference signals, information, signaling, or data. In this application, "device" can be replaced by an entity, network entity, communication equipment, communication module, node, communication node, apparatus, etc.

[0160] The communication systems and service scenarios described in the embodiments of this application are for the purpose of more clearly illustrating the technical solutions of the embodiments of this application, and do 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 service scenarios, the technical solutions provided in the embodiments of this application are also applicable to similar technical problems.

[0161] Figure 1 is a schematic diagram of a communication system provided in an embodiment of this application. As shown in Figure 1, the communication system 10 includes a radio access network (RAN) 100 and a core network (CN) 200. RAN 100 includes at least one RAN node (110a and 110b in Figure 1, collectively referred to as 110) and at least one terminal device (120a-120j in Figure 1, collectively referred to as 120). RAN 100 may also include other RAN nodes, such as wireless relay devices and / or wireless backhaul devices (not shown in Figure 1). Terminal device 120 is wirelessly connected to RAN node 110. RAN node 110 is wirelessly or wired connected to CN 200. The core network device in CN 200 and RAN node 110 in RAN 100 can be different physical devices, or they can be the same physical device integrating core network logical functions and radio access network logical functions.

[0162] RAN 100 can be used for the third-generation partner program (3 rd Cellular systems related to the Generation Partnership Project (3GPP), such as fourth-generation (4G) cellular systems. th RAN 100 can be a 4G mobile communication system, a 5G mobile communication system, or a future-oriented evolution system. RAN 100 can also be an open RAN (O-RAN or ORAN), a cloud radio access network (CRAN), or a wireless fidelity (Wi-Fi or WiFi) system. RAN 100 can also be a communication system that integrates two or more of the above systems.

[0163] RAN node 110, sometimes also referred to as access network equipment, RAN entity, or access node, constitutes part of the communication system and is used to help terminal devices achieve wireless access. Multiple RAN nodes 110 in this communication system can be of the same type or different types. In some scenarios, the roles of RAN node 110 and terminal device 120 are relative. For example, network element 120i in Figure 1 can be a helicopter or drone, which can be configured as a mobile base station. For terminal devices 120j accessing RAN 100 through network element 120i, network element 120i is a base station; but for base station 110a, network element 120i is a terminal device. RAN node 110 and terminal device 120 are sometimes both referred to as communication devices. For example, network elements 110a and 110b in Figure 1 can be understood as communication devices with base station functions, and network elements 120a-120j can be understood as communication devices with terminal device functions.

[0164] In one possible scenario, the RAN node can be a base station (BS), an evolved NodeB (eNodeB), an access point (AP), a transmission reception point or transmit / receive point (TRP), a NodeB (gNB) in a future communication network, a base station in a mobile communication system, or an access node in a WiFi system. The RAN node can be a macro base station (as shown in Figure 1, 110a), a micro base station or indoor station (as shown in Figure 1, 110b), a relay node or donor node, or a radio controller in a CRAN scenario. Optionally, the RAN node can also be a server, wearable device, vehicle, or in-vehicle equipment. For example, the access network equipment in vehicle-to-everything (V2X) technology can be a roadside unit (RSU). All or part of the functions of the RAN node in this application can also be implemented through software functions running on hardware, or through virtualization functions instantiated on a platform (e.g., a cloud platform). The RAN node can also be equipped with communication modules, circuits, or chips that perform corresponding communication functions. The RAN node can also be configured with program instructions for performing corresponding communication functions, as well as corresponding program instructions. The RAN node in this application can also be a logical node, logical module, or software capable of implementing all or part of the RAN node's functions.

[0165] In another possible scenario, multiple RAN nodes collaborate to assist terminal devices in achieving wireless access, with different RAN nodes each implementing a portion of the base station's functions. For example, RAN nodes can be central units (CUs), distributed units (DUs), CU-control planes (CU-CPs), CU-user planes (CU-UPs), or radio units (RUs), etc. CUs and DUs can be configured separately or included in the same network element, such as a baseband unit (BBU). RUs can be included in radio equipment or radio units, such as remote radio units (RRUs), active antenna units (AAUs), or remote radio heads (RRHs).

[0166] In different systems, CU (including open CU-CP (O-CU-CP) and open CU-UP (O-CU-UP), DU, or RU may have different names, but those skilled in the art will understand their meaning. For example, in an ORAN system, CU can also be called an open central unit (O-CU), DU can also be called an open distributed unit (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 an open radio unit (O-RU). For ease of description, this application uses CU, CU-CP, CU-UP, DU, and RU as examples. Any of the units among CU (or CU-CP, CU-UP), DU, and RU in this application can be implemented through software modules, hardware modules, or a combination of software and hardware modules.

[0167] The CU and DU can be configured according to the protocol layer functions of the wireless network they implement. For example, the CU can be configured to implement the functions of the Packet Data Convergence Protocol (PDCP) layer and above (such as the Radio Resource Control (RRC) layer and / or the Service Data Adaptation Protocol (SDAP) layer); the DU can be configured to implement the functions of the protocol layers below the PDCP layer (such as the Radio Link Control (RLC) layer, the Medium Access Control (MAC) layer, and / or the Physical (PHY) layer). Alternatively, the CU can be configured to implement the functions of the protocol layers above the PDCP layer (such as the RRC and / or SDAP layers), and the DU can be configured to implement the functions of the protocol layers below the PDCP layer (such as the RLC, MAC, and / or PHY layers).

[0168] When a CU includes CU-CP and CU-UP, CU-CP is used to implement the control plane functions of the CU, and CU-UP is used to implement the user plane functions of the CU. For example, when a CU is configured to implement the functions of the PDCP layer, RRC layer, and SDAP layer, CU-CP is used to implement the RRC layer functions and the control plane functions of the PDCP layer, and CU-UP is used to implement the SDAP layer functions and the user plane functions of the PDCP layer.

[0169] The CU-CP can interact with network elements in the core network used to implement control plane functions. These network elements can be access and mobility function (AMF) network elements, such as the AMF network element in a 5G system. The AMF network element is responsible for mobility management in the mobile network, such as terminal device location updates, terminal device registration with the network, and terminal device handover.

[0170] CU-UP can interact with network elements in the core network used to implement user plane functions. These network elements, such as the user plane function (UPF) network elements in a 5G system, are responsible for forwarding and receiving data in terminal devices.

[0171] The above CU and DU configurations are merely examples for ease of understanding; the functions of the CU and DU can be configured as needed. For instance, the CU or DU can be configured to have more protocol layer functions, or to have only some protocol layer processing functions. For example, some RLC layer functions and protocol layer functions above the RLC layer can be placed in the CU, while the remaining RLC layer functions and protocol layer functions below the RLC layer can be placed in the DU. Furthermore, the functions of the CU or DU can be divided according to service type or other system requirements, such as by latency. Functions that require low latency can be placed in the DU, while functions that do not require low latency can be placed in the CU.

[0172] DU and RU can cooperate to implement the functions of the PHY layer. A DU can be connected to one or more RUs. The functions of DU and RU can be configured in various ways depending on the design. For example, a DU can be configured to implement baseband functions, and an RU can be configured to implement mid-RF functions. Another example is that a DU can be configured to implement higher-level functions in the PHY layer, and an RU can be configured to implement lower-level functions in the PHY layer, or to implement both lower-level and RF functions. Higher-level functions in the physical layer can include a portion of the physical layer's functions that are closer to the MAC layer, while lower-level functions in the physical layer can include another portion of the physical layer's functions that are closer to the mid-RF side.

[0173] Terminal device 120 can be a device or module that accesses the aforementioned communication system and has corresponding communication functions. Terminal device can also be called terminal equipment, user equipment (UE), mobile station, or mobile terminal device, etc. Terminal device can be widely used in various scenarios, such as device-to-device (D2D), vehicle-to-everything (V2X) communication, machine-type communication (MTC), Internet of Things (IoT), virtual reality, augmented reality, industrial control, autonomous driving, telemedicine, smart grid, smart furniture, smart office, smart wearables, smart transportation, smart cities, etc. Terminal device can be a mobile phone, tablet computer, computer with wireless transceiver function, wearable device, vehicle, drone, helicopter, airplane, ship, robot, robotic arm, smart home device, transportation vehicle with wireless communication function, communication module, etc. The embodiments of this application do not limit the device form of the terminal device. Terminal device typically contains a communication module, circuit, or chip that performs the corresponding communication function. The terminal device can also be configured with program instructions for performing the corresponding communication function.

[0174] For example, the terminal device in this application embodiment may be a mobile phone, a personal digital assistant (PDA) computer, a laptop computer, a tablet computer, a drone, a computer with wireless transceiver capabilities, a machine-type communication (MTC) terminal device, a virtual reality (VR) terminal device, an augmented reality (AR) terminal device, an internet of things (IoT) terminal device, a wireless terminal device in industrial control, a wireless terminal device in self-driving, a wireless terminal device in remote medical care, a wireless terminal device in a smart grid, a wireless terminal device in transportation safety, a wireless terminal device in a smart city, a wireless terminal device in a smart home (such as game consoles, smart TVs, smart speakers, smart refrigerators, and fitness equipment), a transport vehicle with wireless communication capabilities, a communication module, or a roadside unit (RSU) with terminal device capabilities.

[0175] RAN 100 and terminal device 120 can be deployed on land, including indoors or outdoors, handheld or vehicle-mounted; they can also be deployed on water; and they can also be deployed in the air on aircraft, balloons, and satellites. The embodiments of this application do not limit the scenarios in which RAN 100 and terminal device 120 are located.

[0176] CN 200 can be a 5G core network, an evolved 5G core network, or a future communication network. Taking a 5G core network as an example, CN 200 includes AMF network elements responsible for mobility management and access management services; Session Management Function (SMF) network elements responsible for session management; User Plane Function (UPF) network elements responsible for user plane packet routing and forwarding and quality of service (QoS) control; and Policy Control Function (PCF) network elements. These core network elements can work independently or be combined to implement certain control functions; for example, AMF, SMF, and PCF can be combined into a single core network device.

[0177] Optionally, CN 200 and / or RAN 100 can be connected to the Internet 300 for information exchange.

[0178] It should be understood that the above naming is defined solely for the purpose of distinguishing different functions and should not constitute any limitation on this application. This application does not preclude the possibility of using other naming conventions in 5G networks and other future networks. For example, in future communication networks, some or all of the above-mentioned network elements may use the terminology from 5G, or they may use other names, etc.

[0179] It is understood that Figure 1 is merely an example provided for ease of understanding and does not constitute a limitation on the scope of protection of this application. The communication method provided in the embodiments of this application may also involve network elements not shown in Figure 1, and of course, the communication method provided in the embodiments of this application may also include only some of the network elements shown in Figure 1.

[0180] To facilitate understanding of the embodiments of this application, the terms or technologies involved in this application will be briefly explained first.

[0181] 1. Time-domain unit and frequency-domain unit;

[0182] Data or information can be carried using time-frequency resources.

[0183] In the time domain, time-domain resources can include one or more time-domain units (or, may also be called time units). For example, a time-domain unit can be a radio frame (RF), a subframe, a frame, a half-subframe or half-frame, a slot, a mini-slot, a partial slot, or an orthogonal frequency division multiplexing (OFDM) symbol.

[0184] In the frequency domain, frequency domain resources can include one or more frequency domain units. For example, a frequency domain unit can be a resource element (RE), a resource block (RB), a subchannel, a resource pool, bandwidth, bandwidth part (BWP), component carrier (CC), a channel, or an interlaced RB, etc.

[0185] 2. Component carrier (CC);

[0186] A CC corresponds to a serving cell or a carrier. A network device can schedule one or more CCs for a terminal device. In this article, transmitting or receiving signals on a CC means transmitting or receiving signals on the frequency band corresponding to that CC. A terminal device on a CC can be understood as a terminal device that uses the frequency band corresponding to that CC for communication, or in other words, a terminal device located in the serving cell corresponding to that CC.

[0187] Figure 2 shows a schematic diagram of a component carrier (CC). In current communication systems, the transmittable frequency domain resources are defined on the CC. As shown in Figure 2, the middle part of the CC contains available frequency domain resources, such as 21 redundancy blocks (RBs). The shaded areas are the activated RBs, allowing transceivers to exchange information on the resources corresponding to these shaded areas. The CC is flanked by guard bands (GBs), which separate it from carriers in other frequency bands to prevent interference between adjacent channels. Optionally, the bandwidth of the GBs on both sides can be the same or different. Furthermore, the RBs containing the guard bands (GBs) at the edges of the CC are unusable.

[0188] 3. Antenna port;

[0189] An antenna port is a logical concept; there is no direct correspondence between an antenna port and a physical antenna. An antenna port is typically associated with a reference signal, and its meaning can be understood as a transmit / receive interface on the channel through which the reference signal passes. In low-frequency systems, an antenna port may correspond to one or more antenna elements that jointly transmit the reference signal; the receiver can treat them as a whole without distinguishing between individual elements. In high-frequency systems, an antenna port may correspond to a beam; similarly, the receiver only needs to treat this beam as an interface and does not need to distinguish between individual elements.

[0190] In this embodiment of the application, the antenna port that transmits the analog beam (which may be referred to as the beam for short) may be called an analog antenna port, an antenna port, a port, or a CSI-RS port.

[0191] In this embodiment, the set of multiple antenna ports can be referred to as a port group. For example, multiple digital ports of a base station can be grouped to form multiple port groups. As another example (especially in a hybrid digital-analog beamforming architecture), a port group can be multiple digital ports corresponding to the same analog beam, simply referred to as a port group or a digital-analog port group; or, a port group can be a set of digital ports corresponding to multiple analog beams, simply referred to as a port group or a digital-analog port group. Alternatively, multiple digital ports of the same analog beam can be divided into multiple subsets, each subset being called a port group or a digital-analog port group.

[0192] 4. Beam;

[0193] A beam is a communication resource. Beams can be wide, narrow, or other types. The technology used to form beams is called beamforming. Beamforming refers to adjusting the amplitude and / or phase of a signal so that the radiated signal through an antenna array has a certain directionality, enabling higher antenna array gain. The main lobe of the antenna array's radiation pattern can be called the beam.

[0194] For example, beamforming technologies include digital beamforming (DBF), analog beamforming (ABF), and hybrid digital-analog beamforming (HBF). In beamforming, the signal is filtered by a spatial domain transmission filter to achieve amplitude and / or phase adjustment. Different spatial domain transmission filters using different spatial filtering parameters can achieve beams in different directions. In the embodiments of this application, the spatial filtering parameters can be replaced by beams, or the spatial filtering parameters can be replaced by spatial domain transmission filters. The spatial domain transmission filter can also be called a spatial filter.

[0195] A transmit beam can refer to the distribution of signal strength in different directions in space after a signal is transmitted through an antenna, while a receive beam can refer to the distribution of signal strength in different directions in space of a wireless signal received from an antenna. It can be understood that one or more antenna ports forming a beam can be considered as a set of antenna ports or a group of antenna ports. A beam can include one or more antenna ports used to transmit reference signals, data channels, control channels, or probe signals, etc. For ease of description, the following text will uniformly refer to a beam formed by one antenna port, and the one or more digital ports forming the beam as a port group. In protocols, beams can be represented by spatial domain filters, transmission methods, or transmission modes. In practical communication systems, beams can be characterized by resources (or signals, reference signals, port groups).

[0196] Figure 3 illustrates a schematic diagram of the implementation of antenna alignment and beamforming. As shown in Figure 3(a), during signal transmission / reception, digital (channel, RF unit, or antenna port) j can digitally weight the signal w. j (For example, sub-band digital weighting, where different weights w are used for different frequency bands f) j (f) The analog (channel, or phase shifter) can only perform analog weighting. j (Alternatively, full-band analog weighting, i.e., the same weight w is used across the entire frequency band.) j By combining digital and analog weighting, a beam is formed that converges in a specific direction in space.

[0197] In one implementation, multiple digital channels are digitally weighted in the same way across the entire frequency band, which is similar to the effect of analog beamforming (ABF).

[0198] In another implementation, the digital channel (or digital weighting) can be divided into multiple levels. The first level performs the same digital weighting across the entire frequency band, and the second level performs weighting of sub-bands. The effect is equivalent to hybrid beamforming (HBF).

[0199] As shown in Figure 3(b), the digital channels are uniformly divided into K1 groups (K1 is a positive integer) (or, K1 subarrays, K1 port groups), with each group (or subarray, port group) containing the same number of digital channels, for example, K2 (K2 is a positive integer). Digital beamforming and analog beamforming can be considered as two-stage beamforming. The first-stage beamforming is considered as analog beamforming, and the weight of the first-stage beamforming is W0 = [W 0,0 W 0,1 …W 0,K2-1The K2 elements correspond to K2 digital channels. The weights for the first-stage beamforming are broadband, and each group uses the same first-stage weight, W0. The second-stage beamforming is considered digital beamforming, and its weights are W1 = [W 1,0 W 1,1 …W 0,K1-1 In this matrix, K1 elements correspond one-to-one with K1 digital channels. The weights for the second-level beamforming are sub-band weights, and the second-level weights differ between different groups (or subarrays, port groups), meaning the weight matrix corresponding to each digital channel is... or in, This represents the Kronecker product, as shown in the figure. This represents the weighting vector corresponding to the analog beam (or the first-level weights). It can be seen that different weighting vectors correspond to different beam directions. Therefore, network devices can adjust the beam direction by adjusting the weighting vectors. For ease of description, in this embodiment, "transmission method" is used to characterize digital weighting and / or analog weighting, that is, different transmission methods correspond to different digital or analog weights (combinations).

[0200] 5. Reference signal;

[0201] Reference signals can be used for channel measurement, channel estimation, or beam quality detection.

[0202] Uplink reference signals may include, for example, channel sounding reference signals (SRS), physical uplink control channel-demodulation reference signals (PUCCH-DMRS), physical uplink shared channel-demodulation reference signals (PUSCH-DMRS), DMRS, phase tracking reference signals (PTRS), and uplink positioning reference signals (such as positioning SRS or SRS for positioning).

[0203] Downlink reference signals may include: synchronization signal / physical broadcast channel block (SS / PBCH block, abbreviated as SSB), physical downlink control channel-DMRS (PDCCH-DMRS), physical downlink share channel-DMRS (PDSCH-DMRS), DMRS, PTRS, CSI-RS, cell reference signal (CRS), tracking reference signal (TRS), positioning reference signal (positioning RS), etc.

[0204] A specific application scenario is illustrated below: In FDD communication, since uplink and downlink channels lack reciprocity or cannot guarantee reciprocity, network devices typically send CSI-RS to terminal devices. The terminal devices measure the downlink channel CSI based on the received CSI-RS and feed it back to the network device. The network device can then use this CSI to determine the resources, modulation and coding scheme (MCS), and precoding configurations for scheduling the downlink data channel of the terminal device.

[0205] For example, CSI may include at least one of the following: precoding matrix indicator (PMI), CQI, rank indicator (RI), layer indicator (LI), RSRP, CRI, SS / PBCH block resource indicator (SSBRI), etc. The specific quantities in the CSI that the terminal device feeds back can be determined according to the configuration, as described in "CSI-ReportConfig" below.

[0206] 6. Reference Signal Resources: This can be used to configure the transmission attributes of reference signals, such as time-frequency resource location, port mapping relationships, power factors, and scrambling codes. For details, please refer to the 3rd Generation Partnership Project (3GPP). rdThe relevant sections on reference signal resources in 3GPP technical specifications (TS) 38.211 and 38.331 specify that transmitting equipment can transmit reference signals based on reference signal resources, and receiving equipment can receive reference signals based on reference signal resources.

[0207] 7. Reference Signal Configuration: Reference signal configuration can be divided into two parts: reference signal resource configuration and reference signal reporting configuration. The following section uses CSI-RS configuration as an example.

[0208] The two most important parts of the CSI-RS configuration are "CSI-ReportConfig" and "CSI-ResourceConfig". "CSI-ReportConfig" and "CSI-ResourceConfig" are names used for ease of description only; other names may be used. This application does not impose any restrictions on their use.

[0209] The "CSI-ReportConfig" configuration allows you to set parameters related to CSI reporting, such as "Report Configuration Id," "Report Configuration Type," and "Report Quantity." "ReportConfigId" identifies a "CSI-ReportConfig," meaning one "ReportConfigId" corresponds to one "CSI-ReportConfig." "ReportConfigType" configures the reporting type, which can be periodic, semi-continuous, or aperiodic. "ReportQuantity" configures the reported information, including metrics such as CRI, PMI, RI, LI, CQI, RSRP, RSRQ, signal-to-noise ratio (SNR), and signal-to-interference-noise ratio (SINR). Different configurations allow you to report different information.

[0210] The "CSI-ResourceConfig" variable can be used to configure information related to CSI-RS resources, such as the "CSI Resource Configuration Id" and the CSI-RS resources used for measurement. The "CSI-ResourceConfigId" is an identifier for the "CSI Resource Configuration," used to identify that "CSI-ResourceConfig," and can be associated with "CSI-ReportConfig." The CSI-RS resources used for measurement in this application are primarily non-zero power (NZP) CSI-RS resources.

[0211] For example, each terminal device can be configured with one or more NZP CSI-RS resource sets through the high-level parameters "NZP-CSI-RS-Resource", "CSI-ResourceConfig", and "NZP-CSI-RS Resource Set (NZP-CSI-RS-ResourceSet)". Each NZP CSI-RS resource set includes K (K≥1) NZP CSI-RS resources. Each NZP CSI-RS resource can be identified by an "NZP-CSI-RS Resource Identifier (nzp-CSI-RS-ResourceId)".

[0212] 8. Precoding and codebook;

[0213] In a Multiple Input Multiple Output (MIMO) communication system, the mathematical expression for communication is y = Hx + n, where y is the received signal, H is the MIMO channel, x is the transmitted signal, and n is noise. In a communication system with multiple antennas, the signals from multiple transmit antennas can be superimposed on any one receive antenna. Therefore, the method of transmitting signals at the transmitter affects the system performance, and recovering the transmitted signal at the receiver is often complex. In this context, precoding is used to reduce system overhead and maximize the system capacity of MIMO, while also reducing the complexity of eliminating inter-channel interference at the receiver. In this case, the mathematical expression is y = HPx + n, where P is the precoding matrix (or vector). To simplify implementation complexity, P can be selected from a predefined set of matrices (or vectors), called the codebook; this method is also known as the codebook-based transmission method. If the transmitter has all the information in H, P can be obtained at the transmitter itself; this method is also known as the non-codebook (NCB) transmission method.

[0214] The codebook includes PMI indices and precoding matrices, with each PMI corresponding to a precoding matrix. The corresponding precoding matrix can be determined based on the PMIs fed back from the CSI. For example, in type I codebook feedback, the precoding matrix corresponding to one transport layer and one subband to be fed back can be represented as W = W1W2, where W has a dimension of P. CSI-RS ×N3, W1 is a wideband precoding matrix with dimension P. CSI-RS ×2L, W2 is the subband precoding matrix with a dimension of 2L×N3. P CSI-RS N3 represents the number of CSI-RS ports, N3 represents the number of subbands or PMIs, and L represents the number of transmitted data streams. PMIs can specifically include feedback to precoding matrices for different transport layers and subbands.

[0215] The above description of the terminology is for ease of understanding only and does not limit the scope of protection of the embodiments of this application.

[0216] In the HBF architecture, when network devices use analog beamforming or hybrid beamforming, one reference signal resource (such as CSI-RS resource, which can be simply referred to as a resource) corresponds to one analog beam. One reference signal resource is used to transmit one reference signal, and these resources are transmitted in time division using different beams. Network devices can communicate with terminal devices through different analog beams. Although signal quality is better only when the analog beams are aligned with the communication target, when the analog beams are wide, the same terminal device can be served through multiple analog beams. Therefore, reporting channel information corresponding to multiple analog beams (or multiple reference signals) by the terminal device increases the probability of users being scheduled, thereby improving transmission performance.

[0217] Figure 4 illustrates a schematic diagram of channel measurement and reporting between a network device and a terminal device. As shown in Figure 4(a), the network device serves different terminal devices (e.g., UE1-UE4) through multiple beams (i.e., analog beams). For example, there are beams 0, 1, and 2, which cover (or serve) UE3 and UE4, UE2 and UE3, and UE1 and UE2, respectively. As shown in Figure 4(b), with K analog beams, the network device can send CSI-RS resource #0 to CSI-RS resource #(K-1) in a time-division manner. Correspondingly, the terminal device performs CSI measurement and reporting for each of the K CSI-RS resources, meaning the number of reported CSIs is positively correlated with the number of CSI-RS resources. Optionally, the terminal device calculates the CSI separately for each CSI-RS resource (without recombining port measurements across resources). It can measure and / or report only the channel information corresponding to a portion of the beams (especially PMI), for example, reporting the CSI corresponding to a portion of K beams. Alternatively, assuming each CSI-RS resource has several antenna ports, the terminal device can perform joint measurements on multiple CSI-RS resources to obtain channels corresponding to a larger number of antenna ports or more resources (or simulated beams), and then report the CSI. For example, if there are 4 CSI-RS resources, each with 32 antenna ports, joint measurement can obtain channels for 128 antenna ports; or, measuring multiple resources can obtain more channel information. After obtaining the Channel State Information (CSI), the network device can determine scheduling information, including one or more of the following: MCS, RB resource allocation, transmit beams, and receive beams, improving the beam-matching channel accuracy, thereby improving communication rate and efficiency. Optionally, CSI can be carried in uplink control information (UCI) and transmitted via PUCCH or PUSCH.

[0218] When network devices use analog beamforming or hybrid beamforming, they can only schedule beams in a time-division manner.

[0219] Figure 5 illustrates a schematic diagram of a network device transmitting reference signals (e.g., CSI-RS) on multiple CCs. As shown in Figure 5, at time t0, the network device transmits CSI-RS on CCs #0, #1, #2, and #3 using beam #0; at time t1, it transmits CSI-RS on CCs #0 to #3 using beam #1; at time t2, it transmits CSI-RS on CCs #0 to #3 using beam #2; and at time t3, it transmits CSI-RS on CCs #0 to #3 using beam #3. When performing channel measurements and feedback, terminal devices typically feed back the strongest beam for each CC. For example, if the strongest beam in the signal received by the terminal device on CC#0 is beam #0, then the CSI-RS corresponding to beam #0 is measured and the CSI is reported. If the strongest beam in the signal received by the terminal device on CC#1 is beam #1, then the CSI-RS corresponding to beam #1 is measured and the CSI is reported. If the strongest beam in the signal received by the terminal device on CC#2 is beam #2, then the CSI-RS corresponding to beam #2 is measured and the CSI is reported. If the strongest beam in the signal received by the terminal device on CC#3 is beam #3, then the CSI-RS corresponding to beam #3 is measured and the CSI is reported.

[0220] As can be seen, the CSI feedback from the terminal device for each beam may be incomplete. For example, the CSI feedback for beam #0 is the CSI corresponding to CC #0, the CSI feedback for beam #1 is the CSI corresponding to CC #1, the CSI feedback for beam #2 is the CSI corresponding to CC #2, and the CSI feedback for beam #3 is the CSI corresponding to CC #3. Therefore, when the network device schedules beam #0, since the obtained CSI includes the CSI on CC #0 but not the CSI on CC #1, CC #2, and CC #3, among these four CCs, beam #0 can only be scheduled to CC #0. That is, the terminal device on CC #0 can receive the signal transmitted by the network device using beam #0, while the terminal devices on CC #1, CC #2, and CC #3 cannot receive the signal transmitted by the network device using beam #0. In other words, during the period when the network device is transmitting signals using beam #0, the terminal devices on CC #1, CC #2, and CC #3 cannot receive the signal. Similarly, among the four CCs, when a network device schedules beam #1, it can only schedule it for CC #1; when a network device schedules beam #2, it can only schedule it for CC #2; and when a network device schedules beam #3, it can only schedule it for CC #3. A network device cannot schedule beams for terminal devices on multiple CCs simultaneously.

[0221] In summary, because network devices do not obtain the CSI of each beam across multiple CCs, they cannot simultaneously schedule a beam to multiple CCs, or in other words, network devices cannot schedule at full bandwidth. This affects the overall network performance and impairs the user experience of terminal devices.

[0222] To address the aforementioned technical problems, this application provides a communication method and apparatus to improve network transmission performance.

[0223] The communication method provided by the embodiments of this application will be described in detail below with reference to the accompanying drawings, and can be applied to the communication system shown in Figure 1 above. It should be understood that the embodiments of this application can be applied to scenarios where the sending end and the receiving end communicate.

[0224] It should also be understood that the embodiments shown below do not particularly limit the specific structure of the execution subject of the method provided in the embodiments of this application, as long as it is possible to communicate according to the method provided in the embodiments of this application by running the code or program that records the method provided in the embodiments of this application. For example, the method provided in the embodiments of this application can be executed by a first device and a second device. Unless otherwise specified, the "first device" in this application can refer to the first device itself (e.g., a terminal device), or a component in the first device (e.g., a communication module, processor, circuit, chip (such as a modem chip, also known as a baseband chip, or a SoC chip or SIP chip containing a modem core), or a chip system, etc.), or it can be a logic module or software that can implement all or part of the functions of the first device. In this application, "second device" may refer to the second device itself (e.g., network equipment), or a component in the second device (e.g., a communication module, processor, circuit, chip (such as a modem chip, also known as a baseband chip, or a system-on-a-chip (SoC) chip containing a modem core, or a system-in-package (SIP) chip), or a chip system, or a logic module or software that can implement all or part of the functions of the second device.

[0225] Figure 6 is a flowchart illustrating a communication method provided in an embodiment of this application. As shown in Figure 6, the method 600 includes the following steps.

[0226] S610, the first device (e.g., terminal equipment) determines the CSI corresponding to the P reference signals.

[0227] Among them, there is a one-to-one correspondence between P reference signals and P reference signal resources. Each of the P reference signal resources corresponds to one of the Q component carriers CC in the frequency domain. P is a positive integer less than or equal to Q, and Q is an integer greater than or equal to 2.

[0228] In this context, each of the P reference signal resources corresponds to one of the Q component carriers CC in the frequency domain, which can be understood as: each of the P reference signal resources corresponds one-to-one with one of the P CCs.

[0229] Optionally, P is an integer greater than or equal to 2. In this application, the number of P refers to each beam, that is, the terminal device can measure at least P reference signals for each beam and feed back the measurement results corresponding to at least P reference signals.

[0230] Optionally, the Q CCs can be adjacent. For example, the Q CCs can be Q CCs that are consecutive in the frequency domain. The Q CCs can be located in the same frequency band or belong to different frequency bands. A frequency band can also be called a frequency range, which refers to a set of frequencies used for wireless communication.

[0231] Optionally, the P CCs can be P consecutive CCs from the Q CCs, making the terminal device hardware easier to implement.

[0232] Optionally, the value of Q can be determined based on the bandwidth supported by the terminal device or the allocated channel bandwidth. For example, if the terminal device supports a bandwidth of 100MHz and the bandwidth of CC is 25MHz, then Q = 4. The value of Q can also be determined according to the channel bandwidth configuration or defined by the standard. For example, the network device is configured with Q = 4, and the bandwidth of each CC is 25MHz.

[0233] It should be understood that the CSI corresponding to P reference signals refers to the channel measurement results obtained by the terminal device after receiving P reference signals from the network device on the reference signal resources and measuring the P reference signals. These channel measurement results include the CSI. Optionally, the CSI is carried in the CSI Report. The CSI can be one or more, for example, P CSIs, meaning each of the P CSIs corresponds one-to-one with a P reference signal; that is, the terminal device independently reports the channel measurement results corresponding to the P reference signals. Alternatively, it can be a single CSI, meaning one CSI corresponds to P reference signals; that is, the terminal device jointly reports the channel measurement results corresponding to the P reference signals.

[0234] Optionally, this application does not limit the number of reference signals measured by the terminal device, as long as the number of reference signals measured is greater than or equal to P. For example, the terminal device may receive and measure all reference signals sent by the network device, measure all reference signals, and select P CSIs from the corresponding channel measurement results for reporting; or, the terminal device may select P reference signals from multiple reference signals for measurement to obtain P channel measurement results, and then report the P channel measurement results; or, the terminal device may receive and measure P reference signals in a time-division manner and report the corresponding P channel measurement results.

[0235] It should also be understood that the correspondence between each of the P reference signal resources and one of the Q component carriers (CCs) in the frequency domain means that each reference signal resource belongs to (or comes from) one CC in the frequency domain. It should be noted that the correspondence between each reference signal resource and one CC does not mean that each CC corresponds to one reference signal resource. Each CC can also correspond to multiple reference signal resources, or in other words, each CC can correspond to one or more reference signal resources. This means that there is a one-to-one correspondence between the P reference signal resources and the P CCs in the Q CCs in the frequency domain.

[0236] The following examples illustrate the values ​​of P and Q and how they are determined.

[0237] For example, the value of P can be predefined or preconfigured, or it can be indicated by the network through signaling.

[0238] For example, the value of P can satisfy: P≥Q / 2; or, the value of P can satisfy: P≥Q / 2; or, P≥2; or, 2≤P≤Q; or, P≤R; or, P≥R / 2; or, P≥R / 4, where R represents the maximum number of CSIs that the terminal device can report. Optionally, the above ranges of P values ​​can be combined, for example, the value of P can satisfy: R≥P≥Q / 2, or, R≥P≥2. Optionally, the values ​​of Q and R can be the same or different, for example, Q≤R, or, R≤Q, which is not limited in this application. For example, when Q=4, the value of P can be any of the following: 2, 3, or 4; as another example, R=5, Q=3, the value of P can be any of the following: 2 or 3; as yet another example, R=6, Q=6, the value of P can be any of the following: 2, 3, 4, 5, or 6.

[0239] Optionally, the value of P depends on the capabilities of the terminal device. For example, the terminal device sends indication information #1 to the network device, which indicates that the maximum number of CSIs that the terminal device can report is R. Correspondingly, the network device can configure the value of P for the terminal device based on the indication information #1.

[0240] In one implementation, the network device sends first information to the terminal device, which indicates the value of P. Accordingly, the terminal device receives the first information from the network device and determines the CSI corresponding to the P reference signals to be reported.

[0241] In another implementation, the terminal device determines the value of P based on the buffer status report (BSR) and / or channel measurement results. The BSR and / or channel measurement results are associated with P reference signals. The BSR indicates how much data (or the size of the buffered data, or the number of bytes occupied by the buffered data) is currently in the uplink buffer.

[0242] For example, a terminal device can measure multiple received reference signals to obtain measurement results, and then select P measurement results with higher channel quality for reporting. As another example, the terminal determines the CSI corresponding to the P reference signals to be reported based on the size of the buffered data. It can be understood that the larger the buffered data, the larger the reported P, which is beneficial for quickly transmitting data and improving frequency resource utilization.

[0243] In this application, channel quality can typically be characterized by the values ​​of RSRP, RSRQ, or CQI. For ease of description, CQI can be chosen to characterize the channel quality corresponding to different reference signals. CQI includes wideband CQI and subband CQI. Comparison of different CQIs can typically include the following implementations: comparing the magnitude of the wideband CQI; or comparing the sum of the subband CQIs corresponding to CRI; or comparing the average value of the subband CQIs corresponding to CRI. For example, if any one or more of the following conditions are met: wideband CQI#1 > wideband CQI#2, or the sum of the subband CQIs corresponding to CRI#1 > the sum of the subband CQIs corresponding to CRI#2, or the average value of the subband CQIs corresponding to CRI#1 > the average value of the subband CQIs corresponding to CRI#2, then it can be understood that CQI#1 > CQI#2, meaning that the channel quality corresponding to CQI#1 is higher than that corresponding to CQI#2, and vice versa.

[0244] For example, the value of Q can be predefined or preconfigured, or it can be indicated by the network through signaling.

[0245] For example, the value of Q can satisfy: Q = 2P; or, the value of Q can be any of the following: 2, 4, 6, 8, 12, 16, 24, or 32, etc.

[0246] Optionally, the value of Q depends on the capabilities of the terminal device. For example, the terminal device sends indication information #2 to the network device, indicating that the terminal device supports Q CCs, meaning the terminal device supports transmitting and / or receiving signals on Q CCs. Optionally, the terminal device can report the specific values ​​of one or more supported Qs, or it can report the maximum number of supported CCs. Alternatively, the terminal device can also report the CCs supported for uplink and / or downlink respectively, for example, supporting multiple CCs #0 and CC #2 for downlink, while only supporting CC #1 for uplink.

[0247] In one implementation, the network device sends indication information #3 to the terminal device, which indicates the value of Q. Accordingly, the terminal device receives indication information #3 from the network device and determines the number of CCs.

[0248] Optionally, Q CCs can be divided into Z groups, so the terminal device can report CSI in a targeted manner at the CC group level.

[0249] For example, the value of Z can be 2, 4, 6, or 8.

[0250] For example, the value of Z, and / or the number of CCs contained in each group, can be predefined or preconfigured, or can be indicated by the network device through signaling, and can be one or more, which is not limited in this application.

[0251] For example, each CC group contains the same number of CCs, or at least two CC groups contain different numbers of CCs. For example, Q = 8, which are CCs #0 to CCs #7, and Z = 4, which are CC groups #0 to CC groups #3. CC group #0 can include {CCs #0, CCs #1}, CC group #1 can include {CCs #2, CCs #3}, CC group #3 can include {CCs #4, CCs #5}, and CC group #4 can include {CCs #6, CCs #7}, that is, each CC group contains the same number of CCs; or, CC group #0 can include {CCs #0}, CC group #1 can include {CCs #1, CCs #2}, CC group #2 can include {CCs #3, CCs #4, CCs #5}, and CC group #4 can include {CCs #6, CCs #7}, that is, each CC group can contain different numbers of CCs.

[0252] In one implementation, the network device sends second information to the terminal device, which indicates multiple CC groups (e.g., Z groups), such as CC group #0, CC group #1, ..., CC group #Z-1. Accordingly, the terminal device receives the second information from the network device, determines the multiple CC groups based on the second information, and then reports the CSI corresponding to one or more CC groups. Each CC group includes at least one CC from Q CCs, and the CCs contained in any two CC groups are distinct.

[0253] In one implementation, the network device sends indication information #4 to the terminal device. This indication information #4 indicates information about the CCs (e.g., CC indices or identifiers) contained in at least one CC group. For example, CC group #0 includes {CC#0, CC#1, ..., CC#k}, CC group #1 includes {CC#k+1, CC#k+2, ..., CC#2k+1}, and so on. Correspondingly, the terminal device receives the indication information #4 from the network device and reports the CSI corresponding to at least one CC group based on the indication information #4. Each CC group in the at least one CC group includes at least one CC from Q CCs, and the CCs contained in any two CC groups are distinct.

[0254] Optionally, the determination of multiple CC groups, and the CCs (or the number of CCs) contained in each CC group, can be predefined or preconfigured, or can be indicated by the network device through signaling, such as second information; this application does not limit this. Optionally, the CSI corresponding to which CC group(s) the terminal device reports can be determined by the terminal device based on the channel measurement results, such as reporting the channel measurement results of the CC group with better channel quality; this application does not limit this.

[0255] In other words, Q CCs can be divided into multiple CC groups. Terminal devices can measure reference signals and report CSI at the CC group level, which facilitates network devices to schedule resources within the same CC group to terminal devices and improves user experience.

[0256] Optionally, the P reference signals in step S610 can correspond to at least one of the Z groups. For example, if P=2 and Z=4, the CSI corresponding to the two reference signals determined by the terminal device can be obtained by measuring the reference signal on any one of the CC groups #0 to #3. The specific CC group measured can be predefined or indicated by signaling. As another example, if P=4 and Z=4, the CSI corresponding to the four reference signals determined by the terminal device can be obtained by measuring the reference signals on two of the CC groups #0 to #3. The specific two CC groups measured can be predefined or indicated by signaling.

[0257] It should be noted that the terminal device ultimately reports channel measurement results corresponding to one or more resource groups corresponding to multiple CCs at the resource group (or beam) granularity; or, at the CC group granularity, it reports channel measurement results corresponding to one or more CC groups. This can be predefined or preconfigured, or it can be indicated by the network device through signaling; this application does not limit this. If multiple CCs corresponding to multiple reference signal resources in a resource group belong to different CC groups, and some resource groups in the different CC groups do not need to be reported, then in this case, the CSI corresponding to the multiple reference signal resources may not need to be reported.

[0258] Figure 7 is a schematic diagram of CC grouping and the determination of P reference signals provided in an embodiment of this application. As shown in Figure 7, assuming Q = 6, representing CC#0 to CC#5, and Z = 3, representing CC group #0 to CC group #2, where CC group #0 includes {CC#0, CC#1}, CC group #1 includes {CC#2, CC#3}, and CC group #3 includes {CC#4, CC#5}, if P = 4, it means that the terminal device reports the CSI corresponding to 4 reference signals. For example, the terminal device can measure the CSI corresponding to 3 CC groups and select the CSI corresponding to the two CC groups with better channel quality for reporting. Optionally, the terminal device can also feed back the identifier or index of the corresponding CC group. Alternatively, the terminal device can measure the reference signals corresponding to the first two CC groups received in time division and report the measurement results corresponding to these two CC groups. Alternatively, the network device can send instruction information #5 to the terminal device, which instructs the terminal device to report the CSI corresponding to CC group #0 and CC group #2. In this case, the terminal device can only measure the reference signals corresponding to CC group #0 and CC group #2 and report the measured CSI to the network device. At this time, the terminal device does not need to report the CC group identifier or index separately.

[0259] It should be noted that in the example in Figure 7 above, each CC group contains the same number of CCs. This is merely an example for ease of understanding. Optionally, CC group #0 may include CC#0 to CC#2, CC group #1 may include CC#3, and CC group #2 may include CC#4 and CC#5. Assuming P=4, the terminal device can measure the reference signals corresponding to CC group #0 and CC group #1 and report the measurement results. This implementation is illustrated by associating one reference signal resource with one CC corresponding to the same time unit. This is for illustrative purposes only and does not exclude other schemes, such as associating multiple reference signal resources with one CC corresponding to the same time unit.

[0260] Optionally, the network device can send reference signals to the terminal device via K beams, and the terminal device can determine the number M of CRIs (corresponding beams) to be reported, where M is a positive integer less than or equal to K. Considering the existence of Q CCs, the terminal device can measure and report measurement results corresponding to at most M*Q reference signals. Due to the constraint of P, the terminal device can measure and report measurement results corresponding to at least P*M reference signals. Whether to measure and report one or more of the M*QM*P reference signals can be determined by the terminal device itself, and this application does not impose any limitations on this. Therefore, after performing channel measurements, the terminal device can report at least the measurement results corresponding to P reference signals received by each of the M beams to the network device.

[0261] Optionally, the network device can send indication information to the terminal device, indicating that for each beam, the terminal device can report measurement results corresponding to at least M*Q reference signals, or in other words, the indication information instructs the terminal device to report measurement results corresponding to P1 reference signals, where P1 is a positive integer greater than or equal to P and less than or equal to Q. In other words, for the M CRIs to be reported, the indication information instructs the terminal device to report measurement results corresponding to P1*M reference signals. Therefore, the terminal device can determine the measurement results corresponding to P1 reference signals for each of the M CRIs and feed them back to the network device.

[0262] The following examples illustrate the values ​​and determination methods of M and K.

[0263] For example, the values ​​of M and K can be predefined or preconfigured, or they can be indicated by the network through signaling.

[0264] In one implementation, the network device sends a fifth piece of information to the terminal device, which indicates the number M of CRIs to be reported for a given CC. Correspondingly, after receiving the fifth piece of information from the network device, the terminal device can determine the number of CRIs that need to be reported for that CC.

[0265] As you can understand, one CRI corresponds to one beam, where M is an integer less than or equal to K, and K is the number of beams. Alternatively, K is the total number of CRIs corresponding to one CC, and K is an integer greater than or equal to 2. For example, M can take any of the following values: 1, 2, 4, 6, or K. That is, when M = 1, the terminal device reports the CSI corresponding to P reference signals of one beam; when M is greater than or equal to 2, it means the terminal device reports the CSI corresponding to P reference signals of each of the M beams.

[0266] For example, M can take any of the following values: 1, 2, 4, 6, or K, where K is the total number of CRIs corresponding to a CC. For instance, K can take the values ​​1, 2, 3, 4, or 8. That is, the network device can send K beams for a CC, each beam corresponding to one or more CSI-RS resources, which in turn corresponds to one or more CRIs. The terminal device can determine the number of beams reported for a CC based on the fifth information, i.e., M is less than or equal to K.

[0267] In one implementation, the number of reference signal resources (or CRIs) and / or the number of reported CRIs can differ across different CCs. For example, on the c-th CC, the total number of CRIs is Kc, and the number of reported CRIs is Mc. The following explanation assumes that Kc and Mc are the same across all CCs; similar approaches can be extended to more general scenarios. For instance, K can be the maximum or minimum value of each Kc, and M can be the maximum or minimum value of each Mc.

[0268] Optionally, the relationship between P and M can satisfy: P = M / 2; or, the value of P can satisfy: P = M.

[0269] Alternatively, the relationship between Q and M can satisfy: Q = M.

[0270] In other words, the number P of reference signals determined and reported by the terminal device can be equal to the number M of CRIs to be reported as indicated by the network device. That is, the terminal device reports the corresponding CSIs for each reference signal as instructed by the network device. Alternatively, the number P of reference signals determined and reported by the terminal device can be less than the number M of CRIs to be reported as indicated by the network device, for example, only half the number. This can depend on the capabilities of the terminal device or the availability of current resources, and can be implemented internally by the terminal device. Furthermore, the terminal device can receive and measure reference signals on the same number of CCs as indicated by the number M of CRIs to be reported by the network device, and then report the corresponding measurement results.

[0271] In one implementation, the network device specifies the M on each CC. R One CRI. The terminal device will M R The CSI information corresponding to each CRI needs to be reported. Furthermore, the M on each CC indicated by the network device... R CRI (or M) R Each CRI corresponds to the same beam. Or, the M on each CC indicated by the network device is exactly the same. R Of the CRIs (or beams), P CRIs (or beams corresponding to P CRIs) are exactly the same.

[0272] Optionally, only when the reporting type is periodic reporting, the M on each CC indicated by the network device. R CRI (or M) R Each CRI corresponds to the same beam. Or, the M on each CC indicated by the network device is exactly the same. R Of the CRIs (or beams), P CRIs (or beams corresponding to P CRIs) are identical. The terminal device will connect the M on each CC or the P CCs. R Report the CSI information corresponding to each CRI.

[0273] Optionally, only when the reporting type is non-periodic reporting, the M on each CC indicated by the network device. R CRI (or M) R Each CRI corresponds to the same beam. Or, the M on each CC indicated by the network device is exactly the same. R Of the CRIs (or beams), P CRIs (or beams corresponding to P CRIs) are identical. The terminal device will connect the M on each CC or the P CCs. R Report the CSI information corresponding to each CRI.

[0274] Optionally, only when the reporting type is semi-persistent reporting, the M on each CC indicated by the network device. R CRI (or M) R Each CRI corresponds to the same beam. Or, the M on each CC indicated by the network device is exactly the same. R Of the CRIs (or beams), P CRIs (or beams corresponding to P CRIs) are identical. The terminal device will connect the M on each CC or the P CCs. R Report the CSI information corresponding to each CRI.

[0275] The following example illustrates the determination of P reference signals; in other words, the terminal device determines the P reference signals to be measured.

[0276] Optionally, the network device can determine whether to configure a reference signal resource group for multiple CCs based on requirements, thereby obtaining the required channel measurement results. For example, the network device sends indication information #6 to the terminal device, which indicates whether to configure a reference signal resource group for multiple CCs. This embodiment of the application operates under the condition that indication information #6 indicates that a reference signal resource group is configured for multiple CCs. The terminal device can determine whether reference signal resources have been configured for multiple CCs based on this indication information #6, and then determine whether to use the method provided in this application to measure and report the channel measurement results corresponding to the reference signals.

[0277] For example, P reference signal resources belong to a reference signal resource group, such as a first resource group. This first resource group corresponds to a first transmission mode, which is used to characterize that the digital weights and / or analog weights corresponding to the P reference signals are the same.

[0278] In this application, the transmission method can be viewed as a form of beamforming, meaning that the beam transmits reference signals using corresponding digital and / or analog weights. Optionally, the transmission method can be replaced by a spatial domain filter or a transmission mode. In this application, multiple reference signals correspond to one transmission method, indicating that these multiple reference signals can be transmitted through a single beam.

[0279] In one implementation, the network device sends third information to the terminal device, the third information indicating a first resource group, which includes P reference signal resources. Accordingly, the terminal device receives the third information from the network device, measures the reference signals received on the P reference signal resources in the first resource group, and reports the corresponding channel measurement results.

[0280] Optionally, the determination of the first resource group can also be predefined or preconfigured, and this application does not limit this. Predefinition can include pre-defined, such as protocol definition, and pre-configuration can be achieved by pre-storing corresponding code, tables, functions, text, strings, or other means that can be used to indicate relevant information in network devices and / or terminal devices. This application does not limit the specific implementation method.

[0281] In this application, the P reference signal resources included in the first resource group can correspond to Q CCs. In other words, the first resource group can correspond to Q CCs, or the first resource group is configured for Q CCs. Each reference signal resource can correspond to one CC.

[0282] It should be noted that the reference signal resource group proposed in this application corresponds to Q CCs, or is configured across CCs. The reference signal resource set mentioned above, however, is configured for each CC, or is not configured across CCs. Therefore, the reference signal resource group and the reference signal resource set are two different concepts, distinguished by different naming conventions in this paper.

[0283] Taking a resource group as an example, when the third information is used to indicate multiple reference signal resources in the first resource group, one implementation is that the third information includes at least one of the following: a group identifier of the first resource group, an index of Q CCs, or an identifier or index of the reference signal resource corresponding to each CC in the first resource group. This application does not limit the specific form of the third information.

[0284] Optionally, the third information is carried in the Channel State Information Report Configuration (CSI-ReportConfig) signaling, or in the Non-Zero Power Channel State Information Reference Signal Resource (NZP-CSI-RS-Resource) signaling, or in the Non-Zero Power Channel State Information Reference Signal Resource Set (NZP-CSI-RS-ResourceSet) signaling.

[0285] In this application, the Q CCs and their corresponding reference signal resources can be regarded as a pairing relationship. Therefore, the third information can also be referred to as an indication of the pairing relationship between the Q CCs and the multiple reference signal resources; or, the third information indicates the pairing relationship between the Q CCs and the multiple reference signal resources; or, the third information is the pairing relationship (or pairing information) between the Q CCs and the multiple reference signal resources.

[0286] It is understandable that pairing relationships or pairing information can be used to indicate beam information, or that reference signal resources (or resource groups) with the same group index on different CCs correspond to the same beam.

[0287] For example, the reference signal resource can be an NZP-CSI-RS resource. Table 1 below illustrates one possible form of this third information in the standard, using Q=4, i.e., the presence of 4 CCs, as an example.

[0288] Table 1

[0289] Here, "SEQUENCE" indicates that the data type is a sequence, and "INTEGER" indicates that the data type is an integer variable. "NEED R" refers to optional fields; for details, please refer to the relevant provisions in 3GPP TS 38.331, which will not be elaborated here.

[0290] It should be noted that "nzp-CSI-RS-ResourceId" is the ID of an NZP CSI-RS resource, used to identify an NZP CSI-RS resource.

[0291] In one implementation, when a network device configures NZP-CSI-RS resources for each CC, the ID of the NZP-CSI-RS resource is uniformly numbered within the configuration information of a CC. In other words, the ID of an NZP-CSI-RS resource is globally unique for a CC. This means that even if they belong to different NZP-CSI-RS resource sets, NZP CSI-RS resources with the same ID on the same CC have identical resources in both the time and frequency domains, while NZP CSI-RS resources with different IDs on the same CC have different resources in the time and / or frequency domains. Conversely, NZP CSI-RS resources with the same ID may exist on different CCs, but the resources corresponding to the same NZP CSI-RS resource with the same ID on different CCs are not necessarily the same in the time and / or frequency domains.

[0292] In one implementation, the ID of an NZP-CSI-RS resource can be uniformly numbered within its respective NZP-CSI-RS resource set. In other words, the ID of an NZP-CSI-RS resource is unique within its NZP-CSI-RS resource set, but not necessarily globally unique for a single CC. In this case, an NZP-CSI-RS resource can be jointly identified by the ID of the NZP-CSI-RS resource set and the ID of the NZP-CSI-RS resource itself. Therefore, another possible form of this third information in the standard is shown in Table 2 below:

[0293] Table 2

[0294] Tables 1 and 2 show the configuration information of NZP-CSI-RS resources. This configuration information configures a reference signal resource group through "CMRGroupingAndPairing". "groupingAndPairingId" represents the group and pairing identifier (ID), which is the group identifier of the reference signal resource group. In one implementation, this group identifier corresponds to the transmit beam of the network device (analog beam, second-level digital beam, or other one or more levels of digital beam). This group identifier can be used to indicate beam information, or to indicate that reference signal resources (or resource groups) with the same group index on different CCs correspond to the same beam.

[0295] As shown in Tables 1 and 2, the “groupingAndPairingId” carries four CCs (as indicated by indices 1 to 4 in the table above) and four NZP-CSI-RS resources (as indicated by IDs 1 to 4 in the table above). This indicates that the four NZP-CSI-RS resources are treated as a group of reference signal resources, corresponding to the four CCs, or that the reference signals on the corresponding reference signal resources of the four CCs are transmitted by the same beam. The four CCs and four NZP-CSI-RS resources shown in Tables 1 and 2 are in one-to-one correspondence, and the reference signal resources corresponding to each CC are associated through the CC's index.

[0296] It should be noted that all the above parameters are optional. The specific number of CCs in each group can be other values. For example, the example above only describes 4 CCs, but in practice, other values ​​can be used. The specific value can be determined based on the network device scheduling or the maximum number (e.g., the number of CCs) that the terminal device can support simultaneously. In addition, each CC can also correspond to another number of NZP-CSI-RS resources. In other words, the number of reference signal resources (4) and the corresponding number of CCs (4) included in each reference signal resource group are just examples, and this application does not limit them.

[0297] In the examples in Tables 1 and 2, the network device can configure the pairing relationship between multiple reference signal resources under each reference signal resource group and Q CCs through third information, explicitly indicating the multiple reference signal resources in each reference signal resource group.

[0298] In one implementation, the third information includes configuration information for each of the multiple reference signal resources. The configuration information for each reference signal resource indicates the group identifier of its respective reference signal resource group, and multiple reference signal resources within the same reference signal resource group correspond to the same group identifier. This third information indicates which reference signal resources belong to the same reference signal resource group by indicating the group identifier of the reference signal resource group to which each reference signal resource belongs, without needing to individually indicate each of the multiple reference signal resources and their corresponding CCs within each reference signal resource group.

[0299] It should be understood that the third information includes the configuration information of each of the plurality of reference signal resources, or it can be replaced by information carrying the configuration information of each of the plurality of reference signal resources; or, the third information indicates the configuration information of each of the plurality of reference signal resources; or, the third information is the configuration information of the plurality of reference signal resources. This application does not limit the specific form of the third information.

[0300] Table 3 below shows one possible form of the third information in the standard:

[0301] Table 3

[0302] Table 3 uses "groupingAndPairingId" to indicate the group identifier of the reference signal resource group to which an NZP-CSI-RS resource belongs. Network devices can indicate the group identifier of the reference signal resource group to which each NZP-CSI-RS resource belongs. After receiving the configuration information of each NZP-CSI-RS resource, the terminal device can determine that NZP-CSI-RS resources with the same group identifier belong to the same reference signal resource group based on the group identifier of the reference signal resource group to which each NZP-CSI-RS resource belongs. In one implementation, this group identifier corresponds to the transmit beam of the network device (analog beam, second-level digital beam, or other one or more levels of digital beam). It can be understood that this group identifier can be used to indicate beam information, or that reference signal resources (or resource groups) with the same group index on different CCs correspond to the same beam. Therefore, compared to the implementation methods shown in Tables 1 and 2 above, the method in Table 3, which indicates multiple reference signal resources in each reference signal resource group by indicating the group identifier of the reference signal resource group to which the reference signal resource belongs, has less signaling overhead.

[0303] The third information shown above, in conjunction with Tables 1 to 3, can be carried in the signaling used to configure NZP-CSI-RS-Resource. This signaling can be, for example, an RRC message, and the third information can be, for example, a parameter in the information element "NZP-CSI-RS-Resource". However, this is only one possible design and should not be construed as limiting this application in any way.

[0304] In one implementation, the third information can also be carried in the signaling used to configure the NZP-CSI-RS-ResourceSet, such as an RRC message, and the third information can be a parameter in the information element "NZP-CSI-RS-ResourceSet".

[0305] Table 4 below shows another possible form of the third information in the standard:

[0306] Table 4

[0307] Unlike Tables 1 and 2, Table 4 shows the CMR grouping and pairing configuration by first displaying multiple CCs corresponding to a reference signal resource group in sequence, and then displaying multiple reference signals in the reference signal resource group in sequence according to the order of the multiple CCs. The number of reference signal resources corresponding to each CC can be predefined. For example, if one CC is paired with one reference signal resource, then the CC in the first position (i.e., "CarrierIndex1") is paired with the NZP-CSI-RS resource in the first position (i.e., "nzp-CSI-RS-ResourceId1"), the CC in the second position (i.e., "CarrierIndex2") is paired with the NZP-CSI-RS resource in the second position (i.e., "nzp-CSI-RS-ResourceId2"), and so on, to obtain the correspondence between four CCs and four NZP-CSI-RS resources.

[0308] Furthermore, for each reference signal resource group, the pairing relationship between multiple CCs and multiple reference signal resources can be indicated as shown in Table 4. Although not shown in Table 4, those skilled in the art can obtain more CMR grouping and pairing configurations based on the examples in Table 4.

[0309] It is understandable that pairing relationships or pairing information can be used to indicate beam information, or that reference signal resources (or resource groups) with the same group index on different CCs correspond to the same beam.

[0310] Table 5 below shows another possible form of the third information in the standard. The difference between this implementation and Tables 1 to 4 above is that the third information is carried in CSI-ReportConfig.

[0311] Table 5

[0312] Based on the CMR grouping and pairing configured by the third information, the terminal device can determine multiple reference signal resources in each reference signal resource group, as well as the CC corresponding to each reference signal resource. This method can be regarded as a display indication of multiple reference signal resources in the reference signal resource group.

[0313] It should be understood that Tables 1 to 5 above use the configuration information of NZP-CSI-RS resources (or, the configuration information of reference signal resources) and the configuration information of NZP-CSI-RS resource sets (or, the configuration information of reference signal resource sets) as examples to illustrate several possible forms of third information. However, this should not constitute any limitation on this application. This application does not limit the specific form of the third information or the specific signaling that carries the third information.

[0314] It is understandable that pairing relationships or pairing information can be used to indicate beam information, or that reference signal resources (or resource groups) with the same group index on different CCs correspond to the same beam.

[0315] Optionally, the network device can configure one or more resource groups for the terminal device, each resource group including multiple reference signal resources corresponding to Q CCs. This third information can be used to indicate the multiple reference signal resources in each of the one or more resource groups.

[0316] For example, the network device sends fourth information to the terminal device, which indicates multiple resource groups associated with Q CCs, including a first resource group. That is, the network device configures multiple resource groups for the multiple CCs, and each resource group includes at least one reference signal resource. Optionally, two resource groups may contain the same reference signal resource.

[0317] Taking a reference signal resource group as an example, when the third information is used to indicate P reference signal resources in the first resource group, one possible implementation is that the third information includes the configuration information of each of the Q CCs, and the multiple reference signal resources in the reference signal resource group are determined based on preset rules. It should be understood that the network device can configure multiple reference signal resources in each reference signal resource group for the terminal device in accordance with the following preset rules.

[0318] For example, P reference signal resources in the same reference signal resource group (which may be referred to as the resource group, such as the first resource group) satisfy one or more of the following rules: the P reference signal resources have the same identifier; the P reference signal resources correspond to the same time unit; or, the P reference signal resources corresponding to different CCs have the same order.

[0319] The rules described above are explained in detail below. As mentioned earlier, the identifier of a reference signal resource is globally unified within the configuration information of a CC; that is, the identifier of each reference signal resource is globally unique within the configuration information of a CC. Therefore:

[0320] In Rule 1, the fact that multiple reference signal resources in a reference signal resource group have the same identifier does not mean that the resources corresponding to these multiple reference signal resources are the same in both the time and frequency domains. Since these multiple reference signal resources come from multiple CCs, the resources corresponding to these multiple reference signal resources in the time and / or frequency domains are not necessarily the same.

[0321] In Rule 2), multiple reference signal resources have the same time domain resources, that is, the multiple reference signal resources correspond to the same position in the time domain. In other words, when the network device sends a reference signal on multiple reference signal resources in the reference signal resource group, the transmission time of the reference signal is the same. Or, when the terminal device receives a reference signal on multiple reference signal resources in the reference signal resource group, the reception time of the reference signal is the same.

[0322] In Rule 3), the P reference signal resources corresponding to different CCs have the same order, which can be understood as: the P reference signal resources corresponding to the P CCs are in the same order position. For example, the P reference signal resources correspond to the same arrangement number on the P CCs. For example, each of the P reference signal resources corresponds to the second reference signal resource on the CC. Or, the P reference signal resources are ordered in the configuration information of their respective CCs. The configuration information of the CC includes the identifier of one or more reference signal resources configured for the CC.

[0323] In other words, multiple reference signal resources in a reference signal resource group can also be reference signal resources with the same order among the reference signal resources configured for multiple CCs. The order referred to here means the position of each signal resource in the configuration information when configuring one or more reference signal resources for a CC. For example, it can be defined according to a preset direction, which can be from the first to the last (or from front to back), or from the last to the first (or from back to front). The same order means that when configuring one or more reference signal resources for multiple CCs respectively using the configuration information of multiple CCs, the multiple reference signal resources in the same reference signal resource group have the same position in the configuration information of the multiple CCs. For example, following a direction from the first to a certain point, the multiple reference signal resources in the same reference signal resource group have the same order in the configuration information of the multiple CCs.

[0324] In this embodiment of the application, multiple reference signal resources in a reference signal resource group can satisfy one or more of the above rules (1) to (3). The terminal device can determine the multiple reference signal resources in the reference signal resource group based on the reference signal resources configured by the network device for each CC, and based on one or more of the above rules.

[0325] Figure 8 is a schematic diagram of the representation of the CSI-RS resource group provided in the embodiments of this application. The horizontal axis represents the time domain (different OFDM symbols, or different time slots, or different subframes), and the vertical axis represents the frequency domain. As shown in Figure 8, multiple CSI-RS resources in the same dashed box are regarded as the same reference signal resource group. In other words, multiple reference signals carried on multiple CSI-RS resources in the same dashed box are transmitted through the same beam (same transmission method).

[0326] As shown in Figure 8(a), the same reference signal resource group consists of multiple reference signal resources with the same resource identifier corresponding to multiple CCs (such as CC#0, CC#1, ..., CC#Q-1). For example, the identifier of multiple CSI-RS resources in this reference signal resource group is CSI-RS resource #0. It can be seen that these multiple CSI-RS resources correspond to different time-domain resources (such as t0, t1, ..., t...). n-1 (and different CCs, i.e., the reference signal resource group satisfies the above rule one).

[0327] As shown in Figure 8(b), the same reference signal resource group consists of multiple reference signal resources with the same time domain resources corresponding to multiple CCs (such as CC#0, CC#1, ..., CC#Q-1). For example, at time t0, the multiple reference signal resources corresponding to multiple CCs form one reference signal resource group (such as CSI-RS resource group #0); at time t1, the multiple reference signal resources corresponding to multiple CCs form one reference signal resource group (such as CSI-RS resource group #2), and so on. n-1 At any given time, multiple reference signal resources corresponding to multiple CCs constitute a reference signal resource group (e.g., CSI-RS resource group #n-1). It can be seen that the multiple reference signal resources within each of these multiple reference signal resource groups can have different identifiers. That is, the reference signal resource group satisfies rule two above.

[0328] As shown in Figure 8(c), the same reference signal resource group consists of multiple reference signal resources corresponding to multiple CCs (such as CC#0, CC#1, ..., CC#Q-1) that have the same resource identifier and the same time domain resources. For example, at time t0, the multiple reference signal resources corresponding to multiple CCs form a reference signal resource group (such as CSI-RS resource group #0), and the identifier of multiple reference signal resources in this reference signal resource group is CSI-RS resource #0; at time t1, the multiple reference signal resources corresponding to multiple CCs form a reference signal resource group (such as CSI-RS resource group #1), and the identifier of multiple reference signal resources in this reference signal resource group is CSI-RS resource #1; and so on, at time t n-1At any given time, multiple reference signal resources corresponding to multiple CCs constitute a reference signal resource group (e.g., CSI-RS resource group #n-1), and the identifiers of multiple reference signal resources in this reference signal resource group are all CSI-RS resource #n-1. That is, this reference signal resource group simultaneously satisfies both rule one and rule two.

[0329] As shown in Figure 8(d), the same reference signal resource group consists of multiple reference signal resources whose resource identifiers are sequentially increased according to multiple CCs (such as CC#0, CC#1, ..., CC#Q-1). In other words, the same reference signal resource group consists of multiple reference signal resources with the same order in the configuration information of their respective CCs. For example, CSI-RS resource group #0 includes CSI-RS resource #s0 and CSI-RS resource #t0, which correspond to CC#0 at time t0 and CC#1 at time t1, respectively; CSI-RS resource group #1 includes CSI-RS resource #s1 and CSI-RS resource #t1, which correspond to CC#0 at time t3 and CC#1 at time t2, respectively; CSI-RS resource group #2 includes CSI-RS resource #s2 and CSI-RS resource #t2, which correspond to CC#0 and CC#1 at time t4, respectively. In other words, the first reference signal resource configured on CC#0 (e.g., CSI-RS resource #s0) and the first reference signal resource configured on CC#1 (e.g., CSI-RS resource #t0) can be considered as a reference signal resource group (e.g., CSI-RS resource group #0); the second reference signal resource configured on CC#0 (e.g., CSI-RS resource #s1) and the second reference signal resource configured on CC#1 (e.g., CSI-RS resource #t1) can be considered as a reference signal resource group (e.g., CSI-RS resource group #1); and the third reference signal resource configured on CC#0 (e.g., CSI-RS resource #s2) and the second reference signal resource configured on CC#1 (e.g., CSI-RS resource #t2) can be considered as a reference signal resource group (e.g., CSI-RS resource group #2). That is, multiple reference signal resources in each reference signal resource group have the same sorting position among the reference signal resources associated with multiple CCs, but the identifiers of multiple reference signal resources in the same reference signal resource group can be different, and the time-domain resources can also be different. In other words, this reference signal resource group satisfies rule three above.

[0330] It should be understood that Figure 8 is merely an example for ease of understanding, and other solutions are not excluded. Optionally, this application does not limit the number of reference signal resource groups associated with multiple CCs, nor does it limit the number of reference signal resources in each reference signal resource group.

[0331] Optionally, the specific rules that multiple reference signal resources in a reference signal resource group satisfy can be predefined or preconfigured, or indicated by the network device through signaling. For example, if the protocol predefines that multiple reference signal resources in the same reference signal resource group satisfy rule (3), then the reference signal resources ranked first in the configuration information of multiple CCs can be grouped into one group, the reference signal resources ranked second in the configuration information of multiple CCs can be grouped into another group, and so on, to obtain one or more reference signal resource groups. As another example, the method further includes: the network device sending indication information #7 to the terminal device, which indicates the rules satisfied by multiple reference signal resources in the reference signal resource group.

[0332] As can be seen, the terminal device can determine one or more reference signal resource groups based on the configuration information of each CC and the aforementioned rules. Therefore, the configuration information of these multiple CCs can also be regarded as an implicit indication of multiple reference signal resources in the reference signal resource group. Since the network device originally needs to configure reference signal resources for each CC, on this basis, indicating the rules satisfied by multiple reference signal resources in the reference signal resource group through protocol predefined rules or indication information #7 can save signaling overhead compared to the former indication method.

[0333] Optionally, the network device may also indicate to the terminal device the number of reference signal resource groups associated with the Q CCs.

[0334] For example, the network device sends indication information #8 to the terminal device, which indicates the number of reference signal resource groups configured for Q CCs.

[0335] In this application, the reference signal resource group is configured across CCs. The reference signals transmitted by multiple reference signal resources in each reference signal resource group correspond to a port group. Therefore, the reference signal resource group and the port group are corresponding. Thus, the indication information #8 is used to indicate the number of reference signal resource groups configured for multiple CCs. It can also be understood that the indication information #8 is used to indicate the number of port groups configured for multiple CCs.

[0336] As an example, the indication information #8 is carried in reference signal configuration information. For instance, when a network device sends indication information #8 to a terminal device, it includes sending reference signal configuration information to the terminal device, which carries the indication information #8, or in other words, the reference signal configuration information includes indication information #8 indicating the number of port groups.

[0337] As mentioned earlier, the reference signal configuration may include two parts: reference signal resource configuration and reference signal reporting configuration. Accordingly, this reference signal configuration information can be used to configure reference signal resources and reference signal reporting. For example, in downlink channel measurement, reference signal resources may include NZP-CSI-RS resources, and reference signal reporting may include CSI reporting. One form of reference signal resource configuration is the NZP-CSI-RS resource configuration information shown above. For details regarding NZP-CSI-RS resources and CSI reporting, please refer to the relevant explanations in the terminology introduction above; further details will not be repeated here.

[0338] In this application, the configuration of reference signal resources may include: the configuration of reference signal port groups (hereinafter referred to as port groups, or reference signal resource groups), the configuration of CCs, etc. The configuration of port groups may include an indication of the number of port groups, and an indication of the port numbers and / or the number of ports included in each port group. Port groups may include: port groups spanning CCs and port groups within the same CC. For example, the number of port groups spanning CCs is K. g The number of port groups within the same CC is K. s The number of CCs is C, K g K s Both C and C are positive integers. For a port group within the same CC, the number of ports in the k-th port group on the c-th CC can be P. CSI-RS,k (c), k = 0, 1, ..., K s -1;c=0,1,…,C-1;P CSI-RS,k (c) is a positive integer. It should be noted that a port group spanning multiple CCs is also a port group corresponding to multiple CCs. Since multiple reference signal resources in each reference signal resource group in this application correspond to multiple CCs, and multiple reference signals transmitted on these multiple reference signal resources correspond to the same port group, this port group is a port group corresponding to multiple CCs, i.e., a port group spanning multiple CCs. A port group within the same CC is different. Since a network device can configure one or more reference signal resource sets for a CC, the reference signals transmitted on the reference signal resources within these one or more reference signal resource sets can correspond to the same port group, which is a port group corresponding to one CC. It should be understood that this application mainly describes port groups spanning multiple CCs. Where there is no conflict, the solutions in this application can also be applied to scenarios with the same CC port group to form more embodiments.

[0339] The port group across CCs corresponds to the reference signal resource group, and its specific configuration can be as follows:

[0340] One possible scenario is that multiple ports within the same port group use the same number of ports when transmitting reference signals on different CCs corresponding to the same reference signal resource group. For example, multiple reference signal resources within the same reference signal resource group may correspond to two CCs, such as CC#0 and CC#1. The reference signals transmitted on these multiple reference signal resources correspond to the same port group, which may include 16 ports. The network device can use 8 ports in this port group to transmit reference signals on CC#0 and use all 16 ports in the port group to transmit reference signals on CC#1.

[0341] Another possible scenario is that multiple ports within the same port group use different numbers of ports when transmitting reference signals on different CCs corresponding to the same reference signal resource group. For example, multiple reference signal resources in the same reference signal resource group may correspond to two CCs, such as CC#0 and CC#1. The reference signals transmitted on these multiple reference signal resources correspond to the same port group, which may include 16 ports. The network device can use all 16 ports in this port group to transmit reference signals on both CC#0 and CC#1. The above 16 ports are merely an example.

[0342] In another implementation, a cross-CC port group can include 8, 32, 48, 64, 96, or 128 ports.

[0343] In another implementation, a port group spanning multiple control groups (CCs) may contain no more than N ports. For example, N could be 128 or 256.

[0344] In another implementation, the number of port groups across CCs (or the number of reference signal resource groups) does not exceed X. For example, X can be 2 or 4.

[0345] Since the embodiments of this application involve port groups spanning multiple control groups (CCs), unless otherwise specified, the port group can be understood as a port group spanning multiple CCs.

[0346] For each cross-CC port group, a port group can include multiple ports, each corresponding to a transmission method, or transmission mode, or transmission beam. Therefore, a reference signal can be said to correspond to a transmission method, transmission mode, or transmission beam. The transmission method represents digital weighting (or digital weighted components) and / or analog weighting; that is, different transmission methods can correspond to different digital weights, or different analog weights, or different combinations of digital and analog weights (or, transmission spatial filtering, or, spatial filtering); or, the same transmission method corresponds to the same digital weights, or the same analog weights, or the same combination of digital and analog weights (or, transmission spatial filtering, or, spatial filtering).

[0347] In this application, each reference signal can be transmitted through a port group, therefore each reference signal can be said to correspond to a port group. Each port group corresponds to a transmission method, or transmission mode, or transmission beam. Since multiple reference signals transmitted through multiple reference signal resources in each reference signal resource group correspond to the same port group, the multiple reference signals transmitted through multiple reference signal resources in each reference signal resource group correspond to the same transmission method or transmission mode.

[0348] Since multiple ports in a port group correspond to a single transmission method or mode, the intensity of the transmitted reference signal is concentrated in one direction in space. Therefore, the reference signal transmitted by a network device through a port group can also be understood as a reference signal transmitted through a beam (e.g., an analog beam or spatial filtering).

[0349] In the configuration above, the network device is configured with K. g A cross-CC port group, therefore, network devices can use this K g Each port group transmits reference signals in different directions. A reference signal transmitted through a port group can be understood as a reference signal transmitted through a single beam. Different beams can be transmitted through different port groups, or they can be transmitted through the same port group based on different digital and / or analog weights. This application does not limit this.

[0350] In this embodiment, the reference signal reporting configuration may include an indication of the number of groups of measurement results to be reported. For example, the network device can use the reference signal reporting configuration to indicate the number of groups A of measurement results being measured, the number of groups B of measurement results being reported, and the PMI configuration corresponding to each group of measurement results. Here, group A of measurement results is based on K... g K was obtained from the measurement of the set of reference signals. g The reference signal is transmitted at K gReference signals on reference signal resources within a reference signal resource group; therefore, each group of measurement results includes measurement results corresponding to multiple CCs. B can be a positive integer less than or equal to A; in other words, the reported B group of measurement results comes from the measured A group of measurement results. Optionally, A is equal to K. g A positive integer, i.e., A = K g Optionally, A is greater than K. g A positive integer, i.e., A > K g Regarding the measurement results of group A and K g Port groups (or K) g The relationship between the reference signals will be explained in detail later, and will not be elaborated here.

[0351] As an example, the aforementioned reference signal configuration information can be carried in an RRC message. For instance, if the reference signal is CSI-RS, the configuration of the reference signal resources in the reference signal configuration information can be configured using parameters in the information elements "CSI-ResourceConfig" and "CSI-RS-Resource" carried in the RRC message; the configuration of reference signal reporting can be configured using parameters in the information element "CSI-ReportConfig" carried in the RRC message.

[0352] S620, the first device sends a CSI to the second device (e.g., a network device);

[0353] Accordingly, the second device receives CSI from the first device.

[0354] As an example, the measurement results corresponding to each CC may include at least one of the following: group ID of the reference signal resource group, CQI, PMI, RI, LI, RSRP, RSRQ, SNR, SINR, etc. The reference signal is, for example, CSI-RS, and the group ID of the reference signal resource group is, for example, the CSI-RS resource group ID. The identifier (CRGI) indicates which reference signal resource group the measurement result was obtained on; CQI indicates the channel quality of the CC corresponding to the reference signal resource group identified by the identifier; PMI indicates the recommended precoding matrix for transmission on the CC corresponding to the reference signal resource group identified by the identifier; RI indicates the rank of the channel matrix of the CC corresponding to the reference signal resource group identified by the identifier, i.e., the number of transmission layers; LI indicates the layer with the strongest CQI in the channel of the CC corresponding to the reference signal resource group identified by the identifier; RSRP indicates the received power of the reference signal transmitted on the CC corresponding to the reference signal resource group identified by the identifier; RSRQ indicates the received quality of the reference signal transmitted on the CC corresponding to the reference signal resource group identified by the identifier; SNR indicates the SNR of the reference signal transmitted on the CC corresponding to the reference signal resource group identified by the identifier; SINR indicates the SINR of the reference signal transmitted on the CC corresponding to the reference signal resource group identified by the identifier.

[0355] Optionally, the measurement results corresponding to the P reference signals can be reported in a differential manner. For example, the CSI corresponding to the reference signal with the strongest channel quality is reported independently, while the CSI corresponding to the other P-1 reference signals is reported differentially to reduce reporting overhead.

[0356] Optionally, CRGI can be replaced with the identifier of the reference signal resource, such as CRI. It is understood that since a reference signal resource group can include multiple reference signal resources, the previous examples in Tables 1 to 5 illustrate the group identifier of the reference signal resource group and the correspondence between the identifiers of the reference signal resources included in the group. The identifier of the reference signal resource can correspond to the identifier of the reference signal resource group, or the identifier of the reference signal resource group can be determined based on the CRI. The measurement result corresponding to each CC includes at least one item: CRI, CQI, PMI, RI, LI, RSRP, RSRQ, SNR, SINR, etc. CRI can be used to indicate which reference signal resource the measurement result was obtained on.

[0357] In some scenarios, the uplink and downlink bandwidth allocated by network devices to terminal devices are the same, or symmetrical, allowing terminal devices to report different measurement results on different CCs. In this way, the measurement results received by the network device on different CCs correspond to those CCs, and the corresponding CC can be directly determined based on the location of the received measurement result.

[0358] In one implementation, CSIs corresponding to P reference signals are transmitted on P of the Q CCs, with each of the P reference signals corresponding to a one-to-one correspondence with one of the P CCs. In other words, the terminal device transmits its corresponding measurement results on each of the multiple CCs. Correspondingly, the network device receives its corresponding measurement results on each of the multiple CCs. The measurement results transmitted on each of the multiple CCs are based on the reference signals received on that CC. That is, the CSIs corresponding to the P reference signals in the example above are not transmitted through the same CC, but through their respective corresponding CCs. In some scenarios, the uplink and downlink bandwidths allocated by the network device to the terminal device are different, or asymmetrical, allowing the terminal device to transmit measurement results corresponding to multiple CCs on a single allocated CC.

[0359] The following section, in conjunction with Figures 9 and 10, explains the reporting method for measurement results corresponding to multiple CCs under the same beam.

[0360] Figures 9 and 10 are schematic diagrams illustrating how a network device transmits reference signals on multiple CCs and how a terminal device transmits measurement results corresponding to multiple CCs, as provided in the embodiments of this application. As shown in Figures 9 and 10, CCs #0 to CCs #3 are associated with n CSI-RS resource groups, such as CSI-RS resource group #0, CSI-RS resource group #1, ..., CSI-RS resource group #n-1. It can be seen that the multiple CSI-RS resources included in each CSI-RS resource group have the same resource identifier and time unit, which satisfies the above rule (iii).

[0361] As shown in Figure 9(a), at time t0, the network device transmits CSI-RS on multiple CSI-RS resources in CSI-RS resource group #0 via beam #0. CSI-RS resource group #0 includes CSI-RS resources corresponding to CC#0, CC#1, CC#2, and CC#3, and these four CSI-RS resources have the same identifier, all being CSI-RS resource #0. At time t1, the network device transmits CSI-RS on multiple CSI-RS resources in CSI-RS resource group #1 via beam #1. CSI-RS resource group #1 includes CSI-RS resources corresponding to CC#0, CC#1, CC#2, and CC#3, and these four CSI-RS resources have the same identifier, all being CSI-RS resource #1. This process continues until t1. n-1 CSI-RS is transmitted at all times on multiple CSI-RS resources in CSI-RS resource group #n-1 through beam #n-1. CSI-RS resource group #n-1 includes CSI-RS resources corresponding to CC#0, CC#1, CC#2 and CC#3, and the four CSI-RS resources have the same identifier, all of which are CSI-RS resource #n-1.

[0362] In this system, the uplink and downlink bandwidths scheduled by the network equipment for the terminal equipment are the same. Therefore, the terminal equipment can send its corresponding measurement results on multiple CCs. As shown in Figure 9(a), the terminal equipment sends a CSI report corresponding to CC#0 on CC#0, which carries the measurement results corresponding to CC#0; the terminal equipment sends a CSI report corresponding to CC#1 on CC#1, which carries the measurement results corresponding to CC#1; the terminal equipment sends a CSI report corresponding to CC#2 on CC#2, which carries the measurement results corresponding to CC#2; and the terminal equipment sends a CSI report corresponding to CC#3 on CC#3, which carries the measurement results corresponding to CC#3.

[0363] In one implementation, the CSI corresponding to P reference signals is transmitted on the first CC out of Q CCs, where the first CC is a subset of the Q CCs. That is, the CSI corresponding to the P reference signals in the example above can be transmitted using a single CC. For example, the CC used to transmit the CSI corresponding to the P reference signals can be a CC configured by the network device for uplink transmission to the terminal device, or it can be one of multiple CCs configured by the network device for uplink transmission to the terminal device. When the network device configures multiple CCs for the terminal device, the CC used to transmit the CSI corresponding to the P reference signals can be any one of those CCs; it can also be a CC indicated by the network device through signaling, such as the index of a CC indicated by the network device through signaling; or it can be a CC determined according to preset rules, such as specifying that a certain CC is the one with the smallest or largest index value among the multiple CCs, or the one with the best signal quality among the multiple CCs.

[0364] Optionally, the terminal device transmits the measurement results corresponding to the Q CCs on one CC, including: the terminal device transmits the CSI corresponding to P reference signals on one CC, that is, transmitting the measurement results corresponding to each CC separately with CC as the granularity. Alternatively, the terminal device transmits the measurement results corresponding to the Q CCs as a whole. Optionally, the terminal device can report the measurement result (absolute value) corresponding to one CC, and report the differential value for the measurement results of other CCs to reduce reporting overhead. This application does not limit this. By providing the above two implementation methods for transmitting measurement results corresponding to multiple CCs, different implementation methods can be provided for different uplink and downlink bandwidth allocation situations, so that network devices can obtain comprehensive CSI under different bandwidth allocation situations.

[0365] It should be understood that transmitting a reference signal or channel measurement result through a CC can mean transmitting it through some or all of the resources of that CC.

[0366] As shown in Figure 9(b), the network device from t0 to t n-1 The process of sending reference signals at all times can be referred to the relevant description in Figure 9(a) above. The difference is that the uplink bandwidth and downlink bandwidth scheduled by the network device for the terminal device are different. Assuming that the uplink bandwidth scheduled by the network device for the terminal device is CC#0, the terminal device sends the measurement results corresponding to the above four CCs on CC#0. One possible design is that the terminal device sends a CSI report on CC#0, which includes the measurement results corresponding to CC#0, CC#1, CC#2 and CC#3; another possible design is that the terminal device sends four CSI reports on CC#0, carrying the measurement results corresponding to CC#0, CC#1, CC#2 and CC#3 respectively.

[0367] In one implementation, the terminal device transmits the CSI corresponding to the P reference signals on a subset of the Q CCs, where the CSI transmitted on each of the subset of CCs corresponds to one or more of the Q CCs. Correspondingly, the network device receives the corresponding measurement result on a subset of the Q CCs. That is, the CSI corresponding to the P reference signals in the example above can be transmitted via a subset of the Q CCs (>1).

[0368] As shown in Figure 9(c), the network device is in the range from t0 to t n-1 The process of sending reference signals at all times can be referred to the relevant description in Figure 9(a) above. The difference is that the uplink bandwidth and downlink bandwidth scheduled by the network device for the terminal device are different. Assuming that the uplink bandwidth scheduled by the network device for the terminal device is CC#0 and CC#3, the terminal device sends the measurement results corresponding to the four CCs on CC#0 and CC#3. For example, the terminal device can send the measurement results corresponding to CC#0 to CC#2 via CC#0, and the measurement results corresponding to CC#3 via CC#3; it can also send the measurement results corresponding to CC#0 via CC#0, and the measurement results corresponding to CC#1 to CC#3 via CC#3; it can also send the measurement results corresponding to CC#0 and CC#1 via CC#0, and the measurement results corresponding to CC#2 and CC#3 via CC#3; it can also send the measurement results corresponding to CC#0 and CC#2 via CC#0, and the measurement results corresponding to CC#1 and CC#3 via CC#3; or it can send the measurement results corresponding to CC#0 to CC#3 via either CC#0 or CC#3. This application does not limit which CC is used to send the measurement results. The measurement results corresponding to each CC can be carried in one CSI report or multiple CSI reports, and this application does not limit this either. The figure shows an example of sending the measurement results corresponding to CC#0 and CC#1 via CC#0, and sending the measurement results corresponding to CC#2 and CC#3 via CC#3.

[0369] The terminal device can perform targeted measurements and provide feedback based on different values ​​of P, M, or K.

[0370] As shown in Figure 10(d), the network device is in the range from t0 to t n-1 The process of sending reference signals at all times can be referred to the relevant description in Figure 9(a) above. The difference is that the shaded part corresponding to each beam represents the CSI-RS resources carried by the P reference signals determined by the terminal device.

[0371] Assuming P = 2 for each beam, this means the terminal device can measure and report measurement results corresponding to at least two reference signals. For example, for CRI#0 (or beam #0), the terminal device receives and measures reference signals CSI-RS#0 on CSI-RS resources #0 corresponding to CC#2 and CC#3, respectively. For CRI#1 (or beam #1), the terminal device receives and measures reference signals CSI-RS#1 on CSI-RS resources #1 corresponding to CC#0 and CC#1, respectively. And so on, for CRI#n-1 (or beam #n-1), the terminal device receives and measures reference signals CSI-RS#n-1 on CSI-RS resources #n-1 corresponding to CC#1 and CC#2, respectively.

[0372] As shown in Figure 10(e), the network device is in the range from t0 to t n-1 The process of sending reference signals at all times can be referred to the relevant description in Figure 9(a) above. The difference is that the shaded part corresponding to each beam represents the CSI-RS resources carried by the P reference signals determined by the terminal device.

[0373] Assuming P=2 and M=2 (M=P) for each beam, this means the terminal device can measure and report measurement results obtained from at least two reference signals corresponding to two CRIs (or two beams). For example, for CRI#0 (or beam #0), the terminal device receives and measures the reference signal CSI-RS#0 on CSI-RS resource #0 corresponding to CC#0, CC#2, and CC#3, respectively. For CRI#1 (or beam #1), the terminal device receives and measures the reference signal CSI-RS#1 on CSI-RS resource #1 corresponding to CC#0, CC#1, and CC#3, respectively. And so on, for CRI#n-1 (or beam #n-1), the terminal device receives and measures the reference signal CSI-RS#n-1 on CSI-RS resource #n-1 corresponding to CC#1, CC#2, and CC#3, respectively. Therefore, the CSI fed back by the terminal device on CC#0 corresponds to {CRI#0,CRI#1} or {beam#0,beam#1}, the CSI fed back on CC#1 corresponds to {CRI#1,CRI#n-1} or {beam#1,beam#n-1}, the CSI fed back on CC#2 corresponds to {CRI#0,CRI#n-1} or {beam#0,beam#n-1}, and no CSI is fed back on CC#3.

[0374] As shown in Figure 10(f), the process of the network device sending reference signals from time t0 to t8 can be referred to the relevant description in Figure 9(a) above. The difference is that the shaded part corresponding to each beam represents the CSI-RS resources carried by the P reference signals determined by the terminal device.

[0375] Assuming that for each beam, P=2, M=4, and K=6 (M>P), this means that the network device transmits reference signals through 6 beams (e.g., beams 0 to 5). Correspondingly, the terminal device can measure and report the measurement results obtained from at least 2 reference signals corresponding to 4 beams. For example, for CRI#0 (or beam #0), the terminal device receives and measures the reference signal CSI-RS#0 on CSI-RS resource #0 corresponding to CC#0, CC#2, and CC#3, respectively. For CRI#1 (or beam #1), the terminal device receives and measures the reference signal CSI-RS#1 on CSI-RS resource #1 corresponding to CC#0 and CC#2, respectively. And so on. For CRI#5 (or beam #5), the terminal device receives and measures the reference signal CSI-RS#5 on CSI-RS resource #5 corresponding to CC#1 and CC#3, respectively. Since M=4, the CSI fed back by the terminal device on CC#0 corresponds to {CRI#0,CRI#1,CRI#2,CRI#4} or {beam#0,beam#1,beam#2,beam#4}, the CSI fed back on CC#1 corresponds to {CRI#2,CRI#3,CRI#4,CRI#5} or {beam#2,beam#3,beam#4,beam#5}, the CSI fed back on CC#2 corresponds to {CRI#0,CRI#1,CRI#3,CRI#4} or {beam#0,beam#1,beam#3,beam#4}, and the CSI fed back on CC#3 corresponds to {CRI#0,CRI#2,CRI#3,CRI#5} or {beam#0,beam#2,beam#3,beam#5}. As can be seen from the above, beams #0 to #5 correspond to the measurement results reported for reference signals 3, 2, 3, 3, 3, and 2, respectively.

[0376] It should be understood that Figures 9 and 10 are merely examples for ease of understanding, and other solutions are not excluded. For instance, the CSI result reporting in Figures 10(d), 10(e), and 10(f) is illustrated using independent reporting as an example, meaning that the uplink bandwidth and downlink bandwidth scheduled by the network device for the terminal device are the same. Therefore, the terminal device can send its corresponding measurement results on multiple CCs respectively. Optionally, the terminal device can also report measurement results on one or more CCs among the multiple CCs; that is, measurement results can be reported independently or jointly, and this application does not limit this. Optionally, if the uplink bandwidth and downlink bandwidth scheduled by the network device for the terminal device are different, assuming the uplink bandwidth scheduled by the network device for the terminal device is CC#0, the terminal device can report measurement results through CC#0.

[0377] In summary, the terminal device can feed back the CSI corresponding to the reference signal across CCs. The terminal device can report the measurement results corresponding to multiple CCs together on one CC, or it can report the measurement results of multiple CCs on some of the multiple CCs. This application does not limit this, and it may depend on the uplink bandwidth scheduled to the terminal device by the network device.

[0378] After receiving a CSI (Channel Signaling System), a network device can determine how to schedule data across multiple CCs based on the measurement results corresponding to those CCs. This includes scheduling of MCS (Mechanical Control System), RB (Radio Retention Block) resources, transmit beams, and receive beams, thereby enabling data transmission across these CCs. Since the network device obtains measurement results corresponding to multiple CCs and can acquire the CSI for each CC, it can improve the beam-matching channel accuracy, thus enhancing communication speed and efficiency.

[0379] Optionally, the terminal device can also feed back the comparison results of the channel measurement results corresponding to the P reference signals to the network device, so that the network device can determine the channel quality corresponding to the Q CCs under the same beam.

[0380] For example, the terminal device sends sorting information of channel quality information corresponding to P reference signals to the network device, wherein the channel quality information includes at least one of the following: RSRP, RSRQ, or CQI.

[0381] For example, assuming P=4, the measurement results reported by the terminal device are CSI#0 corresponding to CSI-RS#0, CSI#1 corresponding to CSI-RS#1, CSI#2 corresponding to CSI-RS#2, and CSI#3 corresponding to CSI-RS#3. Assuming channel quality is characterized by CQI values, where CQI includes wideband CQI and subband CQI, comparisons of different CQIs can typically be implemented in the following ways: comparing the magnitude of the wideband CQI; or comparing the sum of the subband CQIs corresponding to CRI; or comparing the average value of the subband CQIs corresponding to CRI. If CQI#0 > CQI#3 > CQI#2 > CQI#1, it indicates that the channel quality corresponding to the four reference signals, from highest to lowest, is: CSI-RS#0, CSI-RS#3, CSI-RS#2, and CSI-RS#1.

[0382] In this application, the sequencing information and CSI can be carried in the same signaling or in different signaling, and can be sent simultaneously or separately. Optionally, the sequencing information can be carried in the CSI. This application does not limit this.

[0383] Based on this, this application configures one or more reference signal resource groups for multiple CCs, enabling reference signals to be transmitted through the resources within these groups. Terminal devices can perform channel measurements and feedback based on the reference signals on each resource within these groups. Therefore, each time a network device transmits a reference signal through a reference signal resource group, it can obtain the measurement results corresponding to each of the multiple CCs, providing a more comprehensive CSI for resource scheduling. This is beneficial for improving communication speed and efficiency, and ultimately enhancing overall network performance. Even if a network device can only schedule one beam at a time, it can schedule the same beam for multiple CCs that have obtained CSI, thereby improving the user experience for terminal devices. Furthermore, since the same beam can be scheduled for multiple CCs, resources on different CCs can be utilized at different times, ensuring full utilization of limited spectrum resources and improving resource utilization efficiency.

[0384] It should be understood that the sequence number of each process does not imply the order of execution. The execution order of each process should be determined by its function and internal logic, and should not constitute any limitation on the implementation process of the embodiments of this application.

[0385] It should also be understood that this application will present various aspects, embodiments, or features in relation to systems that may include multiple devices, components, modules, etc. It should be understood and appreciated that individual systems may include additional devices, components, modules, etc., and / or may not include all the devices, components, modules, etc. discussed in conjunction with the accompanying drawings. Furthermore, combinations of these approaches are also possible.

[0386] It should also be understood that in some of the above embodiments, the examples are mainly based on devices in existing network architectures (e.g., a first device or a second device, etc.), and it should be understood that the specific form of the device is not limited in the embodiments of this application. For example, any device that can achieve the same function in the future is applicable to the embodiments of this application.

[0387] It is understood that the methods and operations implemented by devices (e.g., the first or second device) in the various method embodiments described above can also be implemented by components of the devices (e.g., chips or circuits). In other words, this application will present various aspects, embodiments, or features around a system that may include multiple devices, components, modules, etc. It should be understood and appreciated that various systems may include additional devices, components, modules, etc., and / or may not include all the devices, components, modules, etc. discussed in conjunction with the accompanying drawings. Furthermore, combinations of these approaches are also possible.

[0388] The communication method provided in the embodiments of this application has been described in detail above with reference to Figures 1 to 10. The above communication method is mainly described from the perspective of the interaction between the first device and the second device. It is understood that, in order to achieve the above functions, the first device and the second device include hardware structures and / or software modules corresponding to the execution of each function.

[0389] Those skilled in the art will recognize that, based on the units and algorithm steps described in conjunction with the embodiments disclosed herein, this application can be implemented in hardware or a combination of hardware and computer software. Whether a function is implemented in hardware or by computer software driving hardware depends on the specific application and design constraints of the technical solution. Those skilled in the art can use different methods to implement the described functions for each specific application, but such implementation should not be considered beyond the scope of this application.

[0390] The communication device provided in the embodiments of this application will be described in detail below with reference to Figures 11 to 14. The description of the device embodiments corresponds to the description of the method embodiments. Therefore, for content not described in detail, please refer to the method embodiments above. For the sake of brevity, some content will not be repeated.

[0391] This application embodiment can divide the communication device into functional modules according to the above method example. For example, each function can be divided into its own functional modules, or two or more functions can be integrated into one processing module. The integrated modules can be implemented in hardware, software, or a combination of both. The module division in this application embodiment is illustrative and only represents one logical functional division; other division methods may be used in actual implementation. The following description uses the division of functional modules according to each function as an example.

[0392] Figure 11 is an exemplary block diagram of a communication device provided in an embodiment of this application. As shown in Figure 11, the communication device 1000 may include a chip system 1100, a memory 1200, a bus 1300, a power management module 1400, or a transceiver 1500, etc.

[0393] The chip system 1100 can be an integrated circuit chip with signal processing capabilities. In implementation, each step of the above method can be completed through integrated logic circuits in the hardware of the chip system 1100 or through software instructions.

[0394] As an example and not a limitation, the chip system 1100 may include circuitry or chips responsible for signal processing (such as a modem chip, also known as a baseband chip, or a system-on-a-chip (SoC) or SIP chip containing a modem core).

[0395] Optionally, the chip system 1100 may also include a memory (such as a cache) for storing programs / instructions and data. In some embodiments, the memory in the chip system 1100 is a cache memory. This memory can store programs / instructions or data that the chip system 1100 has just used or that are used repeatedly. If the chip system 1100 needs to use the program / instruction or data again, it can be directly retrieved from the memory. This avoids repeated accesses, reduces the waiting time of the chip system 1100, and thus improves the efficiency of the system.

[0396] In some embodiments, the chip system 1100 may include one or more interfaces. Interfaces may include an inter-integrated circuit (I2C) interface, an inter-integrated circuit sound (I2S) interface, a pulse code modulation (PCM) interface, a universal asynchronous receiver / transmitter (UART) interface, a mobile industry processor interface (MIPI), a general-purpose input / output (GPIO) interface, a subscriber identity module (SIM) interface, and / or a universal serial bus (USB) interface, etc.

[0397] The memory 1200 may include random access memory (RAM) and read-only memory (ROM). The memory 1200 may store computer-readable and computer-executable code, including programs or instructions that, when executed, cause the processor to perform the various functions described in this application.

[0398] Optionally, the code may include programs or instructions for implementing various aspects of the embodiments of this application. The code may be stored in a non-transitory computer-readable medium such as system memory or other types of memory. In some cases, the code may not be directly executable by the chip system 1100, but may enable a computer (e.g., at compile and execution time) to perform the functions described in this application. In some cases, memory 1200 may in particular contain a basic input / output (I / O) system that controls basic hardware or software operations, such as interaction with peripheral components or devices.

[0399] For example, the chip system 1100 executes various functional applications and data processing of the communication device 1000 by running programs or instructions stored in the memory 1200. For instance, when the communication device 1000 transfers files with other devices (e.g., terminal devices, network devices, or core network devices), the chip system 1100 of the communication device 1000 can call the computer-executable program code stored in the memory 1200 to implement the data and / or signaling transmission methods provided in the embodiments of this application.

[0400] Optionally, the memory 1200 may be integrated into the aforementioned chip system 1100, or may be independent of the chip system 1100.

[0401] Bus 1300 can be USB, used to support communication between various parts of communication device 1000.

[0402] The power management module 1400 is used to receive charging input from the charger. Optionally, the power management module 1400 can also supply power to the communication device 1000 while charging it (e.g., the battery module of the communication device 1000). By way of example and not limitation, the power management module 1400 can also supply power to other devices besides the communication device 1000.

[0403] Transceiver 1500 can communicate bidirectionally via one or more antennas, wired links, or wireless links. For example, transceiver 1500 can represent a wireless transceiver and can communicate bidirectionally with another wireless transceiver. Transceiver 1500 may also include a modem for modulating packets and providing the modulated packets to the antenna for transmission, and for demodulating packets received from the antenna. Transceiver 1500 may include a receiver and a transmitter, the receiver performing the function of receiving information and the transmitter performing the function of transmitting information; the transceiver can serve as an input / output interface of chip system 1100.

[0404] In some cases, a wireless device may include a single antenna. However, in other cases, the device may have more than one antenna, such as antenna 1 and antenna 2 shown in FIG. 11, which may be capable of simultaneously transmitting or receiving multiple wireless transmissions. Exemplarily, antenna 1 and antenna 2 are used to transmit and receive electromagnetic wave signals. Each antenna in the communication device 1000 can be used to cover one or more communication frequency bands. Different antennas can also be multiplexed to improve antenna utilization. For example, antenna 1 can be multiplexed as a diversity antenna for a wireless local area network. In other embodiments, the antennas can be used in conjunction with a tuning switch. The communication device 1000 can transfer files to other devices via wireless communication functions.

[0405] In one design, the communication device 1000 may correspond to the first device in the above method embodiment.

[0406] The device 1000 can implement the steps or processes corresponding to those performed by the first device in the above method embodiments, wherein the transceiver 1500 can be used to perform the transmission and reception related operations of the first device in the above method embodiments; and the chip system 1100 can be used to perform the processing related operations of the first device in the above method embodiments.

[0407] In another design, the communication device 1000 may correspond to the second device in the above method embodiment.

[0408] The device 1000 can implement the steps or processes corresponding to those performed by the second device in the above method embodiments, wherein the transceiver 1500 can be used to perform transmission and reception related operations of the second device in the above method embodiments; and the chip system 1100 can be used to perform processing related operations of the second device in the above method embodiments.

[0409] Under this design, the communication device 1000 may include modules such as the short-range communication module 1640, sensor 1610, display 1620, or camera 1630 as shown in Figure 11.

[0410] The short-range communication module 1640 may include a wireless network (WI-FI or WIFI), or a module that supports short-range communication such as Bluetooth.

[0411] Sensor 1610 may include pressure sensors, gyroscope sensors, barometric pressure sensors, magnetic sensors, accelerometers, distance sensors, proximity sensors, fingerprint sensors, temperature sensors, touch sensors, ambient light sensors, bone conduction sensors, etc.

[0412] Display 1620 is used to display images, videos, etc. The display includes a display panel. The display panel can be a liquid crystal display (LCD), an organic light-emitting diode (OLED), an active-matrix organic light-emitting diode (AMOLED), a flexible light-emitting diode (FLED), a miniature LED, a microLED, a quantum dot light-emitting diode (QLED), etc. For example, in this embodiment, the display can be used to display the interface required by the communication device 1000. Exemplarily, the communication device 1000 implements display functions through a graphics processing unit (GPU), a display, and an application processor. The GPU is a microprocessor for image processing, connected to the display and the application processor. The GPU performs mathematical and geometric calculations for graphics rendering. The chip system 1100 may include one or more GPUs that execute program instructions to generate or modify display information.

[0413] The camera 1630 is used to acquire images, videos, etc.

[0414] It is understood that the structure shown in Figure 11 does not constitute a specific limitation on the communication device 1000, and the specific structure of the terminal device and / or network device can be referred to Figure 11. In some embodiments, the communication device 1000 may also include more or fewer components than shown in Figure 11, or combine some components, or split some components, or have different component arrangements, etc. Alternatively, some components shown in Figure 11 may be implemented in hardware, software, or a combination of software and hardware, and the terminal device and / or network device may add or reduce components based on the structure given in Figure 11.

[0415] Figure 12 is a schematic block diagram of a communication device provided in an embodiment of this application. As shown in Figure 12, the communication device 2000 may include a baseband unit 2100, which can communicate with external devices via a cellular RF transceiver 2200 (e.g., if the communication device 2000 is a terminal device, the baseband unit 2100 can communicate with network devices via the cellular RF transceiver 2200; or, if the communication device 2000 is a network device, the baseband unit 2100 can communicate with terminal devices and / or core network devices via the cellular RF transceiver 2200).

[0416] Baseband unit 2100 may include computer-readable medium / memory. Baseband unit 2100 is responsible for general processing, including the execution of software stored on the computer-readable medium / memory. When executed by baseband unit 2100, the software causes baseband unit 2100 to perform the various functions described above. The computer-readable medium / memory may also be used to store data manipulated by baseband unit 2100 during software execution.

[0417] The baseband unit 2100 further includes a receiving unit 2010, a management unit 2020, and a transmitting unit 2030. The management unit 2020 includes the one or more sub-units shown in FIG. 12. Units within the management unit 2020 can be stored in a computer-readable medium / memory and / or configured as hardware within the baseband unit 2100. The receiving unit 2010 and transmitting unit 2030 can be referred to as transceiver units, and the management unit 2020 can be referred to as a processing unit. The transceiver unit can also be referred to as an input / output circuit, input / output interface, communication unit, communication interface, communication module, transceiver module, transceiver circuit, or interface unit, etc. The transmitting unit can also be referred to as an output unit, and the receiving unit can also be referred to as an input unit. The processing unit can read instructions and / or data from memory to enable the device to implement the aforementioned method embodiments.

[0418] When the communication device 2000 is used to implement the function of the first device in the above method embodiments, the receiving unit 2010 is used to execute the receiving step of the first device, the sending unit 2030 is used to execute the sending step of the first device, and the management unit 2020 is used to execute the processing step of the first device.

[0419] For example, when the device 2000 is used to perform the method in FIG6, the receiving unit 2010 can be used to perform the step of receiving information in the method; the management unit 2020 can be used to perform the processing step in the method; and the sending unit 2030 can be used to perform the step of sending information in the method.

[0420] When the communication device 2000 is used to implement the function of the second device in the above method embodiments, the receiving unit 2010 is used to execute the receiving step of the second device, the sending unit 2030 is used to execute the sending step of the second device, and the management unit 2020 is used to execute the processing step of the second device.

[0421] For example, when the device 2000 is used to perform the method in FIG6, the receiving unit 2010 can be used to perform the step of receiving information in the method; the management unit 2020 can be used to perform the processing step in the method; and the sending unit 2030 can be used to perform the step of sending information in the method.

[0422] For a more detailed description of the receiving unit 2010, the management unit 2020, and the sending unit 2030, please refer to the relevant descriptions in the above method embodiments, which will not be repeated here.

[0423] Figure 13 is a schematic block diagram of a chip system 3000 provided in an embodiment of this application. Exemplarily, the chip system includes, but is not limited to: a modem chip, also known as a baseband chip, or a system-on-a-chip (SoC) chip or a system-in-package (SIP) chip containing a modem core.

[0424] As shown in Figure 13, the chip system (or processing system) includes a processor 3100, a memory 3200, and an input / output interface 3300.

[0425] The processor 3100 can be a processing circuit in the chip system (including at least one processor, such as processor 1 and processor 2 as shown in FIG. 13). The processor 3100 can be coupled to the memory 3200 or set separately, calling programs or instructions in the memory 3200, or reading data stored in the memory 3200, so that the chip system can implement the methods and functions of the embodiments of this application. The input / output interface 3300 can be an input / output circuit in the chip system, outputting information processed by the chip system, or inputting data or signaling information to be processed into the chip system for processing.

[0426] As one approach, the chip system is used to implement the operations performed by the first or second device in the various method embodiments described above.

[0427] For example, the processor 3100 is used to implement the processing-related operations performed by the first device or the second device in the above method embodiments, as described in the foregoing embodiments; the input / output interface 3300 is used to implement the sending and / or receiving-related operations performed by the first device or the second device in the above method embodiments, with the input corresponding to the receiving operation and the output corresponding to the sending operation; as described in the foregoing embodiments.

[0428] Figure 14 is a schematic block diagram of another chip system 4000 provided in an embodiment of this application. As shown in Figure 14, the chip system (or processing system) includes an input / output interface 4100 and logic circuits 4200. The input / output interface 4100 can be an input / output circuit in the chip system, outputting processed information or inputting data or signaling information to be processed into the chip system for processing; specific details can be found in the descriptions of the foregoing embodiments. The logic circuits 4200 are used to execute the aforementioned communication method; specific details can also be found in the descriptions of the foregoing embodiments.

[0429] As one approach, the chip system is used to implement the operations performed by the first or second device in the various method embodiments described above.

[0430] For example, logic circuit 4200 is used to implement processing-related operations performed by the first or second device in the above method embodiments; input / output interface 4100 is used to implement sending and / or receiving-related operations performed by the first or second device in the above method embodiments.

[0431] This application also provides a computer-readable storage medium storing a computer program or instructions for implementing the methods executed by the apparatus in the above-described method embodiments.

[0432] For example, when the computer program is executed by a computer, it enables the computer to implement the methods performed by the first or second device in the various embodiments of the above methods.

[0433] This application also provides a computer program product comprising a program or instructions which, when executed by a computer, implement the methods performed by the first or second device in the above-described method embodiments.

[0434] This application also provides a communication system, including the aforementioned first device and / or second device.

[0435] The explanations and beneficial effects of the relevant contents in any of the devices provided above can be found in the corresponding method embodiments provided above, and will not be repeated here.

[0436] Those skilled in the art will recognize that the units and algorithm steps of the various examples described in conjunction with the embodiments disclosed herein can be implemented in electronic hardware, or a combination of computer software and electronic hardware. Whether these functions are implemented in hardware or software depends on the specific application and design constraints of the technical solution. Those skilled in the art can use different methods to implement the described functions for each specific application, but such implementation should not be considered beyond the scope of this application.

[0437] Those skilled in the art will clearly understand that, for the sake of convenience and brevity, the specific working processes of the systems, devices, and units described above can be referred to the corresponding processes in the foregoing method embodiments, and will not be described again here.

[0438] In the several embodiments provided in this application, it should be understood that the disclosed systems, apparatuses, and methods can be implemented in other ways. For example, the apparatus embodiments described above are merely illustrative; for instance, the division of units is only a logical functional division, and in actual implementation, there may be other division methods. For example, multiple units or components may be combined or integrated into another system, or some features may be ignored or not executed. Furthermore, the coupling or direct coupling or communication connection shown or discussed may be through some interfaces; the indirect coupling or communication connection between apparatuses or units may be electrical, mechanical, or other forms.

[0439] The units described as separate components may or may not be physically separate. The components shown as units may or may not be physical units; that is, they may be located in one place or distributed across multiple network units. Some or all of the units can be selected to achieve the purpose of this embodiment according to actual needs.

[0440] In addition, the functional units in the various embodiments of this application can be integrated into one processing unit, or each unit can exist physically separately, or two or more units can be integrated into one unit.

[0441] If the aforementioned functions are implemented as software functional units and sold or used as independent products, they can be stored in a computer-readable storage medium. Based on this understanding, the technical solution of this application, in essence, or the part that contributes to existing solutions, or a portion of the technical solution, can be embodied in the form of a software product. This computer software product is stored in a storage medium and includes several instructions to cause a computer device (which may be a personal computer, server, or network device, etc.) to execute all or part of the steps of the methods described in the various embodiments of this application. The aforementioned storage medium includes various media capable of storing program code, such as USB flash drives, portable hard drives, ROM, RAM, magnetic disks, or optical disks.

[0442] The above description is merely a specific embodiment of this application, but the scope of protection of this application is not limited thereto. Any variations or substitutions that can be easily conceived by those skilled in the art within the scope of the technology disclosed in this application should be included within the scope of protection of this application. Therefore, the scope of protection of this application should be determined by the scope of the claims.

Claims

A communication method, characterized in that, include: Determine the Channel State Information (CSI) corresponding to P reference signals, wherein the P reference signals correspond one-to-one with P reference signal resources, and each of the P reference signal resources corresponds to one of the Q component carriers (CC) in the frequency domain, where P is a positive integer less than or equal to Q, and Q is an integer greater than or equal to 2. Send the CSI. The method according to claim 1, characterized in that, The value of P satisfies at least one of the following: P≥Q / 2; P≥2; or, P≤R, where R represents the maximum number of CSIs that the terminal device can report. The method according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that, The method further includes: Receive first information, which is used to indicate the value of P. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 3 is characterized in that, The P reference signal resources correspond one-to-one with the P consecutive CCs among the Q CCs in the frequency domain. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 4, characterized in that, The method further includes: Receive second information, the second information being used to indicate multiple CC groups, wherein each of the multiple CC groups includes at least one CC from the Q CCs, and any two CC groups contain different CCs; The P reference signal resources are associated with at least one of the plurality of CC groups. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 5, characterized in that, The P reference signal resources belong to a first resource group, the first resource group corresponds to a first transmission mode, and the first transmission mode is used to indicate that the digital weights and / or analog weights corresponding to the P reference signals are the same. The method according to claim 6, characterized in that, The method further includes: Receive third information, which is used to instruct the first resource group. The method according to claim 7, characterized in that, The third information includes at least one of the following: the group identifier of the first resource group, the index of the Q CCs, or the index of the P reference signal resources. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 8, characterized in that, The P reference signal resources satisfy one or more of the following: The P reference signal resources have the same identifier; The P reference signal resources correspond to the same time unit; or... The P reference signal resources corresponding to different CCs have the same order. The method according to any one of claims 7 to 9, characterized in that, The method further includes: Receive fourth information, the fourth information being used to indicate multiple resource groups associated with the Q CCs, the multiple resource groups including the first resource group. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 10, characterized in that, The method further includes: Receive fifth information, the fifth information being used to indicate the number M of Channel State Information Reference Signal Resource Indicator (CRI) reports corresponding to the CC, one CRI corresponding to one beam; Wherein, M is an integer less than or equal to K, and K is the number of beams. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 11, characterized in that, Sending the CSI includes: The CSIs corresponding to the P reference signals are transmitted on P of the Q CCs, and the CSIs corresponding to the P reference signals correspond one-to-one with the P CCs. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 12, characterized in that, Sending the CSI includes: The CSI corresponding to the P reference signals is transmitted on the first CC among the Q CCs, where the first CC is a subset of the Q CCs. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 13, characterized in that, The CSI includes channel quality information, and the method further includes: The sorting information for the channel quality information corresponding to the P reference signals is transmitted. A communication method, characterized in that, include: Receive channel state information (CSI) corresponding to P reference signals. The P reference signals correspond one-to-one with P reference signal resources. Each of the P reference signal resources corresponds to one of the Q component carriers (CC) in the frequency domain. P is a positive integer less than or equal to Q, and Q is an integer greater than or equal to 2. The method according to claim 15, characterized in that, The value of P satisfies at least one of the following: P≥Q / 2; P≥2; or, P≤R, where R represents the maximum number of CSIs that the terminal device can report. The method according to claim 15 or 16 is characterized in that, The method further includes: Send a first message, which indicates the value of P. The method according to any one of claims 15 to 17, characterized in that, The method further includes: Send a fifth message, which is used to indicate the number M of Channel State Information Reference Signal Resource Indicators (CRIs) reported for each CC, and each CRI corresponds to one beam. Wherein, M is an integer less than or equal to K, and K is the number of beams. The method according to any one of claims 15 to 18, characterized in that, The P reference signal resources correspond one-to-one with the P consecutive CCs among the Q CCs in the frequency domain. The method according to any one of claims 15 to 19, characterized in that, The P reference signal resources belong to a first resource group, the first resource group corresponds to a first transmission mode, and the first transmission mode is used to indicate that the digital weights and / or analog weights corresponding to the P reference signals are the same. The method according to claim 20, characterized in that, The method further includes: Send a third message, which is used to instruct the first resource group. The method according to claim 21, characterized in that, The third information includes at least one of the following: the group identifier of the first resource group, the index of the Q CCs, or the index of the P reference signal resources. The method according to any one of claims 15 to 22 is characterized in that, The P reference signal resources satisfy one or more of the following: The P reference signal resources have the same identifier; The P reference signal resources correspond to the same time unit; or... The P reference signal resources corresponding to different CCs have the same order. The method according to any one of claims 21 to 23 is characterized in that, The method further includes: Send a fourth message, which indicates multiple resource groups associated with the Q CCs, including the first resource group. The method according to any one of claims 21 to 24 is characterized in that, The method further includes: Send a second message, the second message being used to indicate a plurality of CC groups, wherein each of the plurality of CC groups includes at least one CC from the Q CCs, and any two CC groups contain different CCs; The P reference signal resources are associated with at least one of the plurality of CC groups. The method according to any one of claims 15 to 25 is characterized in that, The receiving of CSI corresponding to P reference signals includes: The CSI corresponding to the P reference signals is received on P of the Q CCs, and the CSI corresponding to the P reference signals corresponds one-to-one with the P CCs. The method according to any one of claims 15 to 26 is characterized in that, The receiving of CSI corresponding to P reference signals includes: The CSI corresponding to the P reference signals is transmitted on the first CC among the Q CCs, where the first CC is a subset of the Q CCs. The method according to any one of claims 15 to 27, characterized in that, The CSI includes channel quality information, and the method further includes: The sorting information of the channel quality information corresponding to the P reference signals is received. A communication device, characterized in that, Includes modules for implementing the method as described in any one of claims 1 to 14, or 15 to 28. A communication device, characterized in that, It includes at least one processor for executing a computer program or instructions to cause the method as described in any one of claims 1 to 14 or 15 to 28 to be performed. The communication device according to claim 30 is characterized in that, The communication device further includes a memory for storing the computer program or instructions; and / or, The communication device further includes a communication interface coupled to the at least one processor, the communication interface being used for inputting and / or outputting information. A computer-readable storage medium, characterized in that, The computer-readable storage medium is used to store a computer program that, when run on a computer, causes the method as described in any one of claims 1 to 14 or 15 to 28 to be performed. A computer program product, characterized in that, Includes a computer program or instructions that, when executed by a processor, cause the method as described in any one of claims 1 to 14 or 15 to 28 to be performed.

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