Communication method and related device

Abstract

The present application provides a communication method, for use in reducing indication overhead of second information, and reducing network resources occupied by the second information. The method is applied to a network device, and comprises: sending to a terminal device first information for a first channel, the first information indicating at least one set of first mapping relationships configured by the network device for the first channel, wherein each set of first mapping relationships indicates mapping relationships of a code point, a TCI state, and an RI; and sending second information to the terminal device, the second information being used for enabling a first TCI state, and the first TCI state being included in the TCI state corresponding to the at least one set of first mapping relationships.

Description

Communication method and related device

[0001] The present application claims priority from the Chinese patent application No. 202410737139.8 filed on June 6, 2024, and entitled "Communication method and related device", the content of which is incorporated herein by reference in its entirety. TECHNICAL FIELD

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

[0003] When the network device communicates with the terminal device, the network device configures different channels and sends the configuration information to the terminal device, so that the relevant configurations are synchronized between the network device and the terminal device. Then, the network device and the terminal device communicate based on the relevant configurations in the subsequent communication, which can ensure the normal communication of the network device and the terminal device.

[0004] In the related technical solution, the network device indicates the mapping relationship between the code point and the transmission configuration indicator (TCI) state in one signaling sent to the terminal device, and configures the TCI state for the channel. The network device indicates the mapping relationship between the TCI state and the transmission layer in another signaling sent to the terminal device, and configures the transmission layer used by the beam corresponding to the TCI state for the channel.

[0005] In this technical solution, the network device needs to send multiple signalings to the terminal device to synchronize the relevant configurations required by the channel between the network device and the terminal device, and there is repeated information between the multiple signalings, which leads to waste of network resources. SUMMARY

[0006] The present application provides a communication method and related device for reducing the indication overhead of the second information, thereby reducing the network resources occupied by the second information.

[0007] In a first aspect, the present application provides a communication method, which is applied to a network device and includes:

[0008] The network device sends first information to the terminal device, the first information is for the first channel, that is, the first information is information configured by the network device for the first channel. Specifically, the first information indicates at least one set of first mapping relationships configured by the network device for the first channel, where each set of first mapping relationships indicates a mapping relationship of three parameters of a code point, a TCI state, and a rank indication (RI). The network device sends the first information to the terminal device, for the network device and the terminal device to synchronize the at least one set of configuration information (that is, the at least one set of first mapping relationships). After the configuration is completed, the network device sends second information to the terminal device, the second information is used to enable a first TCI state, and the first TCI state is included in a TCI state corresponding to the at least one set of first mapping relationships. That is, the second information is used to enable a first mapping relationship in which the first TCI state is located in the first information.

[0009] In the present application, the mapping relationship of the code point, the TCI state, and the RI is indicated in the first information, that is, the synchronization of the configuration information is realized in the first information, and the second information can enable the first TCI state, thereby reducing the indication overhead of the second information and reducing the network resources occupied by the second information. Secondly, compared with the conventional scheme of separately indicating the mapping relationship of the code point and the TCI state and the mapping relationship of the TCI state and the RI, the amount of data transmitted between the network device and the terminal device in the configuration information synchronization process is also reduced, thereby saving network resources. In addition, in the first information, one TCI state can correspond to one or more RIs, and flexible mapping of the TCI state to the RI is also realized.

[0010] In some optional implementations of the first aspect, the at least one set of first mapping relationships includes a second mapping relationship, in which one code point maps multiple TCI states, and each TCI state maps one or more RIs. The multiple TCI states correspond to multiple beams in a one-to-one manner, and the RI indicates the number of transmission layers. That is, in the second mapping relationship, one code point corresponds to multiple beams, which means that the first channel corresponds to multiple beams.

[0011] In the present application, the second mapping relationship is included in the at least one set of first mapping relationships configured for the first channel, and the second mapping relationship indicates that one code point corresponds to multiple TCI states, thereby realizing that the first channel of one network device corresponds to multiple beams. Then, the terminal devices that can be served by the network device are also the terminal devices on the multiple beams, thereby increasing the total cell capacity of the network device. In addition, each TCI state has a corresponding RI, and the RI indicates a transmission layer. Then, the second mapping relationship can also reflect the transmission layers corresponding to the multiple beams. In the case that the transmission layers corresponding to the multiple beams are not completely the same, the number of transmission layers of the first channel is increased, and the transmission rate is also increased. In the case that the transmission layers corresponding to the multiple beams are completely the same, it means that one RI indicates a transmission layer for transmitting multiple beams, so that the description of the beam is more accurate, and the channel estimation capability is improved.

[0012] In some optional implementation forms of the first aspect, the second mapping relationship indicates that one code point maps multiple TCI states, and each TCI state maps one or more RIs, including the following multiple possibilities: optionally, one code point maps multiple TCI states, and each TCI state corresponds to one RI. Optionally, one code point maps multiple TCI states, and each TCI state corresponds to multiple RIs. Optionally, one code point maps multiple TCI states, and each TCI state in a part of the multiple TCI states maps one RI, and each TCI state in another part of the multiple TCI states maps multiple RIs.

[0013] In some optional implementation forms of the first aspect, the at least one set of first mapping relationships includes a fourth mapping relationship, in which one code point corresponds to one TCI state, and one TCI state corresponds to one or more RIs.

[0014] In the present application, one TCI state can correspond to multiple RIs, and then the transmission layers used for transmitting the beam corresponding to the TCI state are also the transmission layers corresponding to the multiple RIs, thereby improving the transmission rate of the beam.

[0015] In some optional implementation forms of the first aspect, the second information includes a first field, and the first field indicates the first TCI state and the first RI corresponding to the first TCI state.

[0016] In the present application, the second information can include a first field used for indicating the TCI state and the RI, directly indicating the TCI state to be enabled and the RI used for transmitting the beam corresponding to the TCI state, so that the terminal device can communicate with the network device based on the first field, thereby simplifying the processing procedure.

[0017] In some optional implementation forms of the first aspect, the second information comprises a mapping relationship between the first TCI state and the first port group, and the first port group indicates a first RI corresponding to the first TCI state.

[0018] In the present application, the first RI corresponding to the first TCI state is determined through the mapping relationship between the first TCI state and the first port group included in the second information, and the first RI corresponding to the transmission-enabled first TCI state is determined without separately setting a field indicating the first TCI state and the first RI in the second information, thereby reducing the indication overhead of the second information and saving network resources.

[0019] In some optional implementation forms of the first aspect, the first information is contained in media access control control element (MAC CE) signaling or radio resource control (RRC) signaling, and the second information is contained in downlink control information (DCI) signaling. The first channel comprises any one of a physical downlink shared channel (PDSCH), a physical uplink shared channel (PUSCH), a physical downlink control channel (PDCCH), or a physical uplink control channel (PUCCH).

[0020] In the present application, the first information and the first channel have multiple possibilities, which enriches the implementation forms and application scenarios of the technical solution of the present application and improves the flexibility of the technical solution.

[0021] In a second aspect, the present application provides a communication method, characterized in that the method is applied to a network device and comprises:

[0022] The network device sends third information to the terminal device, the third information is for the second channel, that is, the third information is information configured by the network device for the second channel. Specifically, the third information indicates at least one set of third mapping relationships configured by the network device for the second channel, and the third mapping relationship indicates the mapping relationship between the code point and the TCI state. Among them, one code point corresponds to one or more TCI states. The maximum number of beams can be determined based on the network state, the state of the network device, or the related information reported by the terminal device. After the network device completes the configuration, the fourth information is sent to the terminal device, and the fourth information is used to enable the second TCI state, and the second TCI state is included in the TCI state corresponding to the at least one set of third mapping relationships. That is, the multiple second TCI states enabled by the fourth information are the TCI states configured by the network device for the second channel.

[0023] In the present application, the third mapping relationship can indicate that one code point corresponds to multiple TCI states, thereby realizing that the second channel of the same network device corresponds to multiple beams. Then, the terminal device that can be served by the network device is also the terminal device on the multiple beams, which increases the total cell capacity of the network device.

[0024] In some optional implementation forms of the second aspect, the second TCI state includes one or more TCI states.

[0025] In the present application, in the scheme in which the second TCI state includes multiple TCI states, since each TCI state corresponds to one beam, enabling multiple TCI states also enables multiple beams, so that multiple beams all transmit the second channel, that is, multiple transmission layers of multiple beams transmit the same channel, which increases the number of transmission layers and improves the transmission rate. In addition, if there is a same transmission layer in the multiple transmission layers of the multiple beams, the same transmission layer is more accurate in characterizing the beams, and the channel estimation capability is improved.

[0026] In some optional implementation forms of the second aspect, the fourth information includes a mapping relationship between the second TCI state and a second port group, and the second port group corresponds to one or more RIs. Optionally, in the scheme in which the second TCI state includes one TCI state, the fourth information includes a mapping relationship between the one TCI state and the second port group. Optionally, in the scheme in which the second TCI state includes multiple TCI states, the fourth information includes a mapping relationship between the multiple TCI states and the second port group corresponding to each TCI state. Among them, the number of port groups included in the second port group is one or more. That is, whether the second TCI state includes one or multiple TCI states, the number of port groups corresponding thereto can be one or more.

[0027] In the present application, the mapping relationship between the second TCI state included in the fourth information and the second port group is used to determine the transmission layer corresponding to the second TCI state. There is no need to separately set a field in the fourth information to indicate the second TCI state and the RI corresponding thereto, which reduces the indication overhead of the second information and saves network resources. In some optional implementation forms of the second aspect, the fourth information includes a mapping relationship between the second TCI state and the RI, and the second TCI state maps one or more RIs. Specifically, in the scheme in which the second TCI state includes one TCI state, the one TCI state corresponds to one or more RIs. In the scheme in which the second TCI state includes a plurality of TCI states, each TCI state in the plurality of TCI states corresponds to one or more RIs.

[0028] In the present application, the fourth information can include a field used to indicate the mapping relationship between the TCI state and the RI, directly indicate the TCI state to be enabled, and the RI used to transmit the beam corresponding to the TCI state, so that the terminal device can maintain communication with the network device based on the field, and the processing flow is simplified. In addition, in the present application, there are various ways to indicate the RI corresponding to each second TCI state, which further improves the flexibility of the technical solution.

[0029] In some optional implementation forms of the second aspect, the fourth information includes a second field, the number of bits of the second field is the same as the number of the third mapping relationship, and the value of the second field is used to enable the second TCI state.

[0030] In the present application, by setting the value of the second field in the fourth information, the second TCI state can be enabled, and the enabling manner is simple, which simplifies the technical solution.

[0031] In some optional implementation forms of the second aspect, the third information is contained in MAC CE signaling or RRC signaling. The second information is contained in DCI signaling. The second channel includes any one of PDSCH, PUSCH, PDCCH, or PUCCH.

[0032] In the present application, the third information and the second channel have various possibilities, which enriches the implementation forms and application scenarios of the technical solution of the present application, and further improves the flexibility of the technical solution.

[0033] In a third aspect, the present application provides a communication apparatus, including a transceiver unit, configured to send first information to a terminal device, the first information indicating at least one set of first mapping relationship configured by a network device for a first channel, wherein each set of first mapping relationship indicates the mapping relationship among a code point, a TCI state and an RI. Send second information to the terminal device, the second information is used to enable a first TCI state, the first TCI state is contained in the TCI state corresponding to at least one set of first mapping relationship.

[0034] In some possible implementation forms of the third aspect, the at least one group of first mapping relationships comprises a second mapping relationship, in which one codepoint maps a plurality of TCI states, and each TCI state maps one or more RIs; wherein the plurality of TCI states correspond to a plurality of beams in a one-to-one manner, and the RI indicates a quantity of transmission layers.

[0035] In some possible implementation forms of the third aspect, the second information comprises a first field, and the first field indicates a first TCI state and a first RI corresponding to the first TCI state.

[0036] In some possible implementation forms of the third aspect, the second information comprises a mapping relationship between the first TCI state and a first port group, and the first port group indicates the first RI corresponding to the first TCI state.

[0037] In some possible implementation forms of the third aspect, the first information is contained in a medium access control layer control element (MAC CE) signaling or RRC signaling, and the second information is contained in DCI signaling. The first channel comprises any one of a PDSCH, a PUSCH, a PDCCH, or a PUCCH.

[0038] The communication apparatus is used to implement the first aspect or any possible implementation form of the first aspect, and has the advantages of the first aspect, which are not described in detail here.

[0039] In a fourth aspect, the present application provides a communication apparatus, comprising a transceiver, configured to: send, to a terminal device, third information, the third information indicating at least one group of third mapping relationships configured by a network device for a second channel, the third mapping relationship indicating a mapping relationship between a codepoint and a TCI state, wherein one codepoint corresponds to one or more TCI states; and send, to the terminal device, fourth information, the fourth information being used to enable a second TCI state, the second TCI state being contained in TCI states corresponding to the at least one group of third mapping relationships.

[0040] In some possible implementation forms of the fourth aspect, the fourth information comprises a mapping relationship between the second TCI state and a second port group, and the second port group corresponds to one or more RIs.

[0041] In some possible implementation forms of the fourth aspect, the fourth information comprises a mapping relationship between the second TCI state and an RI, wherein the second TCI state maps one or more RIs.

[0042] In some possible implementation forms of the fourth aspect, the fourth information comprises a second field, a quantity of bits of the second field being the same as a quantity of third mapping relationships, and a value of the second field being used to enable the second TCI state.

[0043] In some possible implementation forms of the fourth aspect, the third information is contained in MAC CE signaling or RRC signaling. The second information is contained in DCI signaling. The second channel comprises any one of a PDSCH, a PUSCH, a PDCCH, or a PUCCH.

[0044] The communication apparatus is used to implement the second aspect or any possible implementation form of the second aspect, and the beneficial effects are as described above.

[0045] In a fifth aspect, the present application provides a communication apparatus, which comprises a processor. The processor is configured to invoke and run a computer program stored in a memory, so that the processor implements the method according to the first aspect, any possible implementation form of the first aspect, the second aspect, or any possible implementation form of the second aspect.

[0046] Optionally, the communication apparatus further comprises a transceiver, and the processor is further configured to control the transceiver to transceive signals.

[0047] Optionally, the communication apparatus comprises a memory, and the memory stores the computer program.

[0048] The communication apparatus of the fifth aspect can be a device or a chip (system) in a device.

[0049] In a sixth aspect, the present application provides a communication apparatus, which can be the communication apparatus described above, or a module or unit (for example, a chip or a chip system or a circuit) in the communication apparatus, which is used to implement the method / operation / step / action described in the first aspect or the second aspect.

[0050] In a seventh aspect, the present application provides a computer readable storage medium, which stores instructions, and when the instructions are executed on a processor, the method according to the first aspect, any possible implementation form of the first aspect, the second aspect, or any possible implementation form of the second aspect is implemented.

[0051] In an eighth aspect, the present application provides a computer program product, which, when executed on a processor, implements the method according to the first aspect, any possible implementation form of the first aspect, the second aspect, or any possible implementation form of the second aspect.

[0052] In a ninth aspect, the present application provides a chip apparatus, which comprises a processor, and is configured to invoke a program stored in a memory, so that the processor executes the method according to the first aspect, any possible implementation form of the first aspect, the second aspect, or any possible implementation form of the second aspect.

[0053] Optionally, the memory is located inside or outside the chip device.

[0054] In a tenth aspect, the present application provides a communication system, comprising a network device and a terminal device, wherein the network device is configured to perform the first aspect or any possible implementation of the first aspect.

[0055] In an eleventh aspect, the present application provides a communication system, comprising a network device and a terminal device, wherein the network device is configured to perform the second aspect or any possible implementation of the second aspect.

[0056] The beneficial effects of any of the fifth aspect to the ninth aspect are similar to those of the first aspect, any possible implementation of the first aspect, the second aspect, or any possible implementation of the second aspect, which will not be repeated here. The beneficial effects of the tenth aspect are similar to those of the first aspect or any possible implementation of the first aspect, which will not be repeated here. The beneficial effects of the eleventh aspect are similar to those of the second aspect or any possible implementation of the second aspect, which will not be repeated here. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS

[0057] FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram of a system architecture provided by an embodiment of the present application;

[0058] FIG. 2 is another schematic diagram of a system architecture provided by an embodiment of the present application;

[0059] FIG. 3 is another schematic diagram of a system architecture provided by an embodiment of the present application;

[0060] FIG. 4 is a schematic diagram of a flow of a communication method provided by an embodiment of the present application;

[0061] FIG. 5 is another schematic diagram of a flow of a communication method provided by an embodiment of the present application;

[0062] FIG. 6 is a schematic diagram of a structure of a communication device provided by an embodiment of the present application;

[0063] FIG. 7 is another schematic diagram of a structure of a communication device provided by an embodiment of the present application;

[0064] FIG. 8 is another schematic diagram of a structure of a communication device provided by an embodiment of the present application. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0065] The embodiments of the present application provide a communication method and related devices, which are used to reduce the indication overhead of the second information and reduce the network resources occupied by the second information.

[0066] The embodiments of the present application are described below with reference to the accompanying drawings. Those skilled in the art can know that with the development of technology and the emergence of new scenarios, the technical solutions provided by the embodiments of the present application are also applicable to similar technical problems.

[0067] The terms "first", "second", etc. in the specification and claims of the present application and the above drawings are used to distinguish similar objects, and do not necessarily describe a specific order or sequence. It should be understood that the terms used in this way can be interchanged under appropriate circumstances, and this is only a way of distinguishing the objects with the same attributes in the description of the embodiments of the present application. In addition, the terms "include" and "have" and any variations thereof are intended to cover non-exclusive inclusion, so that the processes, methods, systems, products or equipment containing a series of units do not have to be limited to those units, but can include other units not clearly listed or inherent to these processes, methods, products or equipment. In addition, "at least one" means one or more, and "multiple" means two or more. "And / or" describes the relationship between the associated objects, which means that there can be three relationships, for example, A and / or B, which can represent the following cases: A exists alone, A and B exist together, and B exists alone, where A and B can be singular or plural. The character " / " generally represents an "or" relationship between the associated objects. "At least one of the following" or similar expressions means any combination of these items, including any combination of single or multiple items. For example, at least one of a, b, or c can represent a, b, c, a-b, a-c, b-c, or a-b-c, where a, b, and c can be single or multiple.

[0068] First, the related concepts and proper nouns that may be involved in the embodiments of the present application are described:

[0069] 1) Transmission configuration indicator (TCI) state (TCI-state):

[0070] TCI-state can be used to indicate QCL information of a signal or a channel. Wherein, the channel can be, for example, PDCCH, CORESET, or PDSCH, etc. The signal can be, for example, CSI-RS, DMRS, or TRS, etc. The TCI information can mean that the reference signal included in the TCI satisfies the QCL relationship with the channel, and is mainly used to indicate that when the channel is received, the spatial characteristic parameters and the like of the channel are the same, similar, or close to the spatial characteristic parameters and the like of the reference signal included in the TCI. The TCI information can also mean that the reference signal included in the TCI satisfies the QCL relationship with the signal, and is mainly used to indicate that when the signal is received, the spatial characteristic parameters and the like of the signal are the same, similar, or close to the spatial characteristic parameters and the like of the reference signal included in the TCI.

[0071] One TCI-state can configure one or more referenced reference signals and associated QCL types. In other words, the configuration information of one TCI-state can include the identification of one or two reference signal resources and the associated QCL types.

[0072] 2) Beam:

[0073] A beam is a kind of communication resource. The beam can be a wide beam, or a narrow beam, or other types of beams. The technology for forming the beam can be beamforming technology or other technical means. Different beams can be considered as different resources. The same information or different information can be transmitted through different beams.

[0074] Optionally, multiple beams with the same or similar communication characteristics can be considered as one beam. One beam corresponds to one or more antenna ports for transmitting data channels, control channels, and sounding signals, etc. One or more antenna ports corresponding to one beam can also be regarded as one antenna port set.

[0075] 3) Antenna port (antenna port) and code division multiplexing group (code division multiplexing, CDM group):

[0076] The antenna port can also be referred to as port. The transmitting antenna recognized by the receiving end device, or the transmitting antenna that can be distinguished in space. One antenna port can be configured for each virtual antenna, each virtual antenna can be a weighted combination of multiple physical antennas, and each antenna port can correspond to a reference signal port.

[0077] The antenna port group distinguished by code division multiplexing, that is, different antenna ports occupy the same time-frequency resource, but the corresponding sequences (time-frequency masks) are different.

[0078] 4) Bandwidth Part (BWP)

[0079] Since the transmitting or receiving capability of different terminal devices in the same cell in NR can be different, the system can configure a corresponding bandwidth for each terminal device, and the bandwidth configured for the terminal device is called BWP, and the terminal device transmits on its own BWP. The BWP can be a set of contiguous frequency domain resources on the carrier, such as physical resource blocks (PRBs). Different BWPs can partially overlap or not overlap at all. The bandwidth of the frequency domain resources occupied by different BWPs can be the same or different, which is not limited in the present application. The minimum granularity of the BWP in the frequency domain can be 1 PRB.

[0080] Next, the system architecture provided by the embodiments of the present application is described. Please refer to FIG. 1 to FIG. 3, which are system architecture diagrams provided by the embodiments of the present application.

[0081] As shown in FIG. 1, the communication system includes a radio access network (RAN) 100, wherein the RAN 100 includes at least one RAN node (such as 110a and 110b in FIG. 1, collectively referred to as 110), and can also include at least one terminal (such as 120a-120j in FIG. 1, collectively referred to as 120). The RAN 100 can also include other RAN nodes, such as wireless relay devices and / or wireless backhaul devices (not shown in FIG. 1). The terminal 120 is connected to the RAN node 110 in a wireless manner. Terminals and terminals and RAN nodes and RAN nodes can be connected to each other through wired or wireless means.

[0082] Optionally, the communication system can also include a core network and the Internet. The RAN node 110 is connected to the core network through wireless or wired means. The core network device in the core network and the RAN node 110 can be independent and different physical devices, or can be the same physical device integrated with the logical functions of the core network device and the logical functions of the RAN node.

[0083] The RAN 100 can be an evolved universal terrestrial radio access (E-UTRA) system, a new radio (NR) system, and a future wireless access system defined in the 3rd generation partnership project (3GPP), and can also be a WiFi system. The RAN 100 can also include two or more different wireless access systems described above. The RAN 100 can also be an open RAN (O-RAN).

[0084] The network device in the embodiments of the present application can be a device for communicating with a terminal device. The network device can be a base transceiver station (BTS) in a global system for mobile communications (GSM) system or a code division multiple access (CDMA) system, can also be a base station (NodeB, NB) in a wideband code division multiple access (WCDMA) system, can also be an evolved NodeB (eNB or eNodeB) in an LTE system, can also be a wireless controller in a cloud radio access network (CRAN) scenario, or the network device can be a relay station, an access point, a vehicle-mounted device, a wearable device, a network device in a future 5G network, or a network device in a future evolved PLMN network, and the like. The embodiments of the present application are not limited.

[0085] The network device in the embodiments of the present application can be a device in a wireless network, for example, a radio access network (RAN) node that accesses a terminal to a wireless network. At present, some examples of the RAN node are: an existing base station, a base station of a future communication network, a transmission reception point (TRP), an evolved Node B (eNB), a home base station, a baseband unit (BBU), or an access point (AP) in a WiFi system, etc. In a network structure, the network device can include a centralized unit (CU) node, or a distributed unit (DU) node, or a RAN device including the CU node and the DU node.

[0086] The terminal device in the embodiments of the present application can refer to a user equipment, an access terminal, a user unit, a user station, a mobile station, a mobile station, a remote station, a remote terminal, a mobile device, a user terminal, a terminal, a wireless communication device, a user agent or a user apparatus. The terminal device can also be a cellular phone, a cordless phone, a session initiation protocol (SIP) phone, a wireless local loop (WLL) station, a personal digital assistant (PDA), a handheld device with wireless communication function, a computing device or other processing device connected to a wireless modem, a vehicle-mounted device, a wearable device, a terminal device in a future 5G network or a terminal device in a future evolved public land mobile network (PLMN), etc. The embodiments of the present application are not limited thereto.

[0087] By way of example and not limitation, in embodiments of the present application, the terminal device can also be a wearable device. The wearable device can also be referred to as a wearable smart device, which is a general term for devices that are designed and developed by applying wearable technology to daily wear, such as glasses, gloves, watches, clothing, and shoes. The wearable device is a portable device that can be directly worn on the body or integrated into the clothes or accessories of the user. The wearable device is not only a hardware device, but also a powerful function achieved through software support and data interaction and cloud interaction. The general wearable smart device includes a full function, a large size, and can realize complete or partial functions without relying on a smart phone, such as a smart watch or smart glasses, and focuses on a certain application function and needs to cooperate with other devices such as a smart phone, such as various smart wristbands and smart jewelry for monitoring vital signs.

[0088] In addition, in embodiments of the present application, the terminal device can also be a terminal device in an internet of things (IoT) system. The IoT is an important part of the future information technology development, and its main technical feature is to connect objects through communication technology and network, so as to realize the intelligent network of man-machine interconnection and object-object interconnection. In embodiments of the present application, the IOT technology can achieve mass connection, deep coverage, and terminal power saving through, for example, narrow band (NB) technology.

[0089] In addition, in embodiments of the present application, the terminal device can also include a smart printer, a train detector, a gas station sensor, and the like. The main functions include collecting data (part of the terminal device), receiving control information and downlink data of the network device, and transmitting electromagnetic waves to transmit uplink data to the network device.

[0090] The network device and the terminal can be in a fixed position or movable. The network device and the terminal can be deployed on land, including indoors or outdoors, handheld or vehicle-mounted; can also be deployed on the water surface; and can also be deployed on an airplane, a balloon, and a man-made satellite. Embodiments of the present application do not limit the application scenarios of the network device and the terminal.

[0091] The roles of the network device and the terminal can be relative. For example, the helicopter or the drone 120i in FIG. 1 can be configured as a mobile base station. For the terminal 120j that accesses the wireless access network 100 through the 120i, the terminal 120i is a network device. However, for the network device 110a, the 120i is a terminal, that is, the 110a and the 120i communicate through a wireless air interface protocol. Of course, the 110a and the 120i can also communicate through an interface protocol between network devices. In this case, the 120i is also a network device relative to the 110a. Therefore, the network device and the terminal can be collectively referred to as a communication apparatus. The 110a and the 110b in FIG. 1 can be referred to as a communication apparatus with a network device function, and the 120a-120j in FIG. 1 can be referred to as a communication apparatus with a terminal function.

[0092] In the embodiments of the present application, the terminal or the network device includes a hardware layer, an operating system layer running on the hardware layer, and an application layer running on the operating system layer. The hardware layer includes a central processing unit (CPU), a memory management unit (MMU), a memory (also referred to as a main memory), and the like. The operating system can be any one or more computer operating systems that implement business processing through a process, such as a Linux operating system, a Unix operating system, an Android operating system, an iOS operating system, or a windows operating system. The application layer includes a browser, an address book, word processing software, instant messaging software, and the like. Moreover, the embodiments of the present application do not particularly limit the specific structure of the execution subject of the method provided by the embodiments of the present application. As long as the execution subject can communicate according to the method provided by the embodiments of the present application by running a program in which the code of the method provided by the embodiments of the present application is recorded, the execution subject of the method provided by the embodiments of the present application can be a terminal device or a network device, or a functional module in the terminal device or the network device that can call and execute the program.

[0093] It should be noted that the communication method provided by the embodiments of the present application can be applied to various communication systems, for example, a global system of mobile communication (GSM) system, a code division multiple access (CDMA) system, a wideband code division multiple access (WCDMA) system, a general packet radio service (GPRS), a long term evolution (LTE) system, an LTE frequency division duplex (FDD) system, an LTE time division duplex (TDD), a universal mobile telecommunication system (UMTS), a worldwide interoperability for microwave access (WiMAX) communication system, a 5th generation (5G) mobile communication system or a new radio (NR), and the like. The 5G mobile communication system described in the present application includes a non-standalone (NSA) 5G mobile communication system and / or a standalone (SA) 5G mobile communication system. The technical solutions provided in the present application can also be applied to a future communication system, such as a 6th generation mobile communication system. The communication system can also be a PLMN network, a device-to-device (D2D) network, a machine to machine (M2M) network, an IoT network, or other networks.

[0094] For example, FIG. 2 is a communication system to which the present application is applied. The communication system is in a single carrier scenario or a carrier aggregation (CA) scenario, and includes a network device 210 and a terminal device 220. The network device 210 communicates with the terminal device 220 through a wireless network. It can be understood that the network device 210 in FIG. 2 can include one or more cells. When the transmission direction of the communication system is uplink transmission, the terminal device 220 is a transmitter and the network device 210 is a receiver. When the transmission direction of the communication system is downlink transmission, the network device 210 is a transmitter and the terminal device 220 is a receiver.

[0095] Fig. 3 is an example of a communication system to which the present application is applicable. The communication system is in a dual connectivity (DC) or coordinated multipoint transmission / reception (CoMP) scenario, and includes a network device 310, a network device 320, and a terminal device 330. The network device 310 is a network device to which the terminal device 330 initially accesses, and is responsible for radio resource control (RRC) communication with the terminal device 330. The network device 320 is added at RRC reconfiguration, and is used to provide additional radio resources. The terminal device 330 is configured with carrier aggregation (CA), and is connected to the network device 310 and the network device 320. The link between the network device 310 and the terminal device 330 can be referred to as a first link, and the link between the network device 320 and the terminal device 330 can be referred to as a second link.

[0096] The above-described communication system to which the present application is applicable is merely an example, and the communication system to which the present application is applicable is not limited thereto. For example, the number of network devices and terminal devices included in the communication system can be other numbers, or a single base station, a multi-carrier aggregation scenario, a dual connectivity scenario, or a device to device (D2D) communication scenario can be used.

[0097] It should be understood that the technical solutions of the embodiments of the present application can be applied to beam indication in a single carrier or carrier aggregation (CA) scenario. Alternatively, the technical solutions of the embodiments of the present application can be applied to beam indication in a dual connectivity (DC) scenario.

[0098] It should be understood that the technical solutions in the embodiments of the present application can be applied to the case where a primary cell (Pcell) is high frequency or low frequency, and a secondary cell (Scell) is high frequency or low frequency. For example, when the Pcell is low frequency and the Scell is high frequency. Generally, low frequency and high frequency are relative, and a certain specific frequency can be used as a dividing line, for example, 6 GHz.

[0099] It should be understood that the technical solutions of the embodiments of the present application can also be applied to beam indication in a coordinated multipoint transmission (CoMP) scenario. The CoMP can be one or more of non-coherent joint transmission (NCJT), coherent joint transmission (CJT), joint transmission (JT), etc.

[0100] Next, refer to FIG. 4, which is a flowchart of a communication method provided by the embodiments of the present application, including:

[0101] 401. The network device sends first information to the terminal device, the first information indicating at least one set of first mapping relationships configured by the network device for a first channel, wherein each set of first mapping relationships indicates a mapping relationship between a code point, a TCI state, and an RI.

[0102] In the embodiments of the present application, the first mapping relationship indicated by the first information reflects the correspondence between three parameters, which are a code point, a TCI state, and an RI.

[0103] Each TCI state included in the at least one set of first mapping relationships can be used for first channel transmission. One TCI state corresponds to one beam, and different TCI states correspond to different beams. That is, the TCI state and the beam are in one-to-one correspondence. In addition, the TCI state is used to indicate signal or channel quasi-collocation (QCL) information, thereby reflecting the spatial correlation characteristics of the signal or channel. The TCI state is configured by the network device for each terminal device. One TCI state can configure one or more referenced reference signals and associated QCL types. In other words, the configuration information of one TCI state can include the identification of one or two reference signal resources and the associated QCL type. There are four categories of QCL types, which are:

[0104] Category A: Doppler shift, Doppler spread, average delay, delay spread

[0105] Category B: Doppler shift, Doppler spread

[0106] Category C: Doppler shift, average delay

[0107] Category D: spatial Rx parameter.

[0108] Wherein, the RI is used to indicate the number of transmission layers of the transmission data.

[0109] For example, the at least one set of first mapping relationship indicated by the first information can be shown in Table 1 as follows:

[0110] Table 1

[0111] As shown in the second row of Table 1, the code point C0, the TCI state ID1 and the RI1 have a first mapping relationship. That is, the TCI state corresponding to the code point C0 is the TCI state ID1, and the corresponding RI is the RI1; the code point corresponding to the TCI state ID1 is the C0, and the corresponding RI is the RI1; the TCI state corresponding to the RI1 is the TCI state ID1, and the corresponding code point is the C0. This means that the beam corresponding to the TCI state ID1 uses the transmission layer corresponding to the RI1.

[0112] It can be understood that the RI in Table 1 can also represent the BWP used by the transmission beam. For example, the RI1 represents that the BWP used by the beam corresponding to the TCI state ID1 is the BWP used by the transmission layer indicated by the RI1.

[0113] It should be noted that Table 1 is only an example of the first mapping relationship, and in actual application, the first mapping relationship can also be identified by other ways, such as key-value pair, hash function, etc., which is not limited here.

[0114] In some optional embodiments, the at least one set of first mapping relationship indicated by the first information includes a second mapping relationship, in which one code point maps multiple TCI states, and each TCI state maps one or more RIs. Specifically, the following multiple possibilities are included:

[0115] Optionally, one code point maps multiple TCI states, and each TCI state corresponds to one RI. Optionally, one code point maps multiple TCI states, and each TCI state corresponds to multiple RIs. Optionally, one code point maps multiple TCI states, and each TCI state in a part of the multiple TCI states maps one RI, and each TCI state in another part of the multiple TCI states maps multiple RIs.

[0116] For example, the mapping relationship in which the code point C1 in the preceding Table 1 is located is taken as an example. The code point C1 maps two TCI states, which are TCI state ID2 and TCI state ID3. Among them, the TCI state ID2 maps one RI: RI2, and the TCI state ID2 maps two RIs, which are RI3 and RI4. That is, the transmission layer corresponding to the RI2 is used to transmit the beam corresponding to the TCI state ID2, and the transmission layers corresponding to the RIs of RI3 and RI4 are both used to transmit the beam corresponding to the TCI state ID3.

[0117] In some optional embodiments, the first mapping relationship indicated by the first information includes a fourth mapping relationship, in which one code point corresponds to one TCI state, and one TCI state corresponds to one or more RIs.

[0118] For example, the mapping relationship in which the code point C0 in the preceding Table 1 is located is taken as an example. The code point C0 maps one TCI state: TCI state ID1, and the TCI state maps one RI: RI1.

[0119] For example, the mapping relationship in which the code point CN in the preceding Table 1 is located is taken as an example. The code point CN maps one TCI state: TCI state IDN, and the TCI state maps two RIs, which are RIN-1 and RIN.

[0120] In the present application, one TCI state can correspond to multiple RIs, and then the transmission layer used to transmit the beam corresponding to the TCI state is also the transmission layer corresponding to the multiple RIs, which improves the transmission rate of the beam.

[0121] It should be noted that, in the example of the preceding Table 1, each TCI state corresponds to different RIs is taken as an example, and in actual application, the RIs corresponding to different TCI states can also be all or partially the same.

[0122] For example, the TCI state ID2 corresponds to the RI2, and the TCI state ID3 corresponds to the RI2 and the RI3. In this scheme, the RIs corresponding to the TCI state ID2 and the TCI state ID3 are partially the same, and it can also be understood that the RIs corresponding to the TCI state ID2 and the TCI state ID3 overlap. The overlapping RI is the RI2, which means that the transmission layer corresponding to the RI2 can transmit the beam corresponding to the TCI state ID2 or the beam corresponding to the TCI state ID3.

[0123] For example, TCI state ID2 corresponds to RI3, and TCI state ID3 corresponds to RI3. In this scheme, the RIs corresponding to TCI state ID2 and TCI state ID3 are completely the same. The transmission layer corresponding to RI3 can transmit the beam corresponding to TCI state ID2 or the beam corresponding to TCI state ID3.

[0124] Therefore, in general, there are multiple possibilities for the first mapping relationship between the codepoint indicated by the first information, the TCI state, and the RI. For example, one codepoint maps one TCI state, and the TCI state corresponds to one RI. Alternatively, one codepoint maps multiple TCI states, and each TCI state corresponds to one RI. Alternatively, one codepoint maps multiple TCI states, and each TCI state corresponds to multiple RIs. Alternatively, one codepoint maps multiple TCI states, and each TCI state in a part of the multiple TCI states corresponds to one RI, and each TCI state in another part of the multiple TCI states corresponds to multiple RIs.

[0125] In addition, it can be understood that the first mapping relationship indicated by the first information is configured by the same network device, and therefore the codepoint, the TCI state, and the RI included in each group of mapping relationships correspond to the same network device. Therefore, in the second mapping relationship, one codepoint maps multiple TCI states, thereby achieving, for the first channel, configuring multiple beams under the same network device.

[0126] In the embodiments of the present application, the second mapping relationship is included in the at least one group of first mapping relationships configured for the first channel, and the second mapping relationship indicates that one codepoint corresponds to multiple TCI states, thereby achieving that the first channel of the same network device corresponds to multiple beams. Therefore, the terminal device that can be served by the network device is also a terminal device on the multiple beams, thereby increasing the total cell capacity of the network device. In addition, each TCI state has a corresponding RI, and the RI indicates a transmission layer. Therefore, the second mapping relationship can also reflect the transmission layers corresponding to the multiple beams. In the case where the transmission layers corresponding to the multiple beams are not completely the same, the number of transmission layers of the first channel is increased, thereby increasing the transmission rate. In the case where the transmission layers corresponding to the multiple beams are completely the same, it means that the transmission layer indicated by one RI is used to transmit multiple beams, so that the beam is more finely characterized, thereby improving the channel estimation capability.

[0127] 402. The network device sends second information to the terminal device, and the second information is used to enable the first TCI state.

[0128] It can be understood that the network device sends the first information to the terminal device, which is used to synchronize the configuration of the network device for the first channel. After the configuration is completed, the network device also sends the second information to the terminal device, which is used to enable a certain configuration of the network device, so that the network device and the terminal device communicate based on the configuration.

[0129] In the embodiments of the present application, the first TCI state enabled by the second information is taken as an example. The first TCI state is included in the TCI state corresponding to the at least one set of first mapping relationships. That is, the first TCI state enabled by the network device is the TCI state pre-configured by the network device. Moreover, the first TCI state enabled by the network device is one or more TCI states.

[0130] In the embodiments of the present application, there are various possible ways for the network device to enable the first TCI state, which will be described as follows:

[0131] In some optional embodiments, the first domain is included in the second information, which is used to indicate the TCI state and the RI. That is, the first domain indicates the first TCI state, and the first RI corresponding to the first TCI state.

[0132] For example, assuming that the first TCI state is TCI state ID3 in the foregoing table 1, the TCI state indicated by the first domain is TCI state ID3, and the RI indicated by the first domain is at least one of RI3 and RI4. This also means that the RI enabled by the second information and the RI indicated by the first information may not be exactly the same. In the scheme in which one TCI state is configured with multiple RIs in the first information, the RI enabled by the second information may be part of the multiple RIs. This is also considering that the current network communication state needs to be considered when actually enabling, so as to balance the transmission rate and the channel performance.

[0133] In the embodiments of the present application, the second information can include the first domain used to indicate the TCI state and the RI, directly indicate the TCI state to be enabled, and the RI used to transmit the beam corresponding to the TCI state, so that the terminal device can communicate with the network device based on the first domain, and the processing flow is simplified.

[0134] In some optional embodiments, the second information includes the mapping relationship between the first TCI state and the first port group, and the first RI corresponding to the first TCI state is indicated by the first port group.

[0135] Optionally, the first port group is a port group for transmitting a demodulation reference signal (DMRS), and the port group can be a code division multiplexing group. For the terminal device, a transmission layer corresponding to the port group is known. Then, the first TCI state and the first port group are included in the second information, which means that a transmission layer of a beam corresponding to the first TCI state is the transmission layer corresponding to the first port group, that is, the transmission layer is determined as the first RI corresponding to the first TCI state.

[0136] In the embodiment of the application, the mapping relationship between the first TCI state and the first port group included in the second information indicates the first RI corresponding to the first TCI state, determines the first RI of the beam corresponding to the first TCI state enabled by the second information, and does not need to separately set a field indicating the first TCI state and the first RI in the second information, thereby reducing the indication overhead of the second information and saving network resources.

[0137] Based on the related description of FIG. 4, in the embodiment of the application, the mapping relationship among the code point, the TCI state and the RI is indicated in the first information, that is, the synchronization of the configuration information is realized in the first information, and no other information is needed to indicate the related configuration. The second information can enable the first TCI state, thereby reducing the indication overhead of the second information and reducing the network resources occupied by the second information. Secondly, compared with the traditional scheme of separately indicating the mapping relationship between the code point and the TCI state and the mapping relationship between the TCI state and the RI, the amount of data transmitted between the network device and the terminal device in the configuration information synchronization process is also reduced. In addition, in the first information, one TCI state can correspond to one or more RIs, and flexible mapping of the TCI state to the RI is also realized.

[0138] In some optional embodiments, the first information is included in MAC CE signaling or RRC signaling. The second information is included in DCI signaling. That is, the first information is carried in the MAC CE signaling or the RRC signaling. The second information is carried in the DCI signaling. That is, in the embodiment of the application, by using the two-level indication mode of the MAC CE signaling+DCI signaling or the RRC signaling+DCI signaling, the synchronization of the configuration of the first channel by the network device and the terminal device is realized in the first-level signaling, and the enablement of the first TCI state for the first channel is realized in the second-level signaling.

[0139] In some optional embodiments, the first channel includes any one of a PDSCH, a PUSCH, a PDCCH and a PUCCH.

[0140] In the implementation of the present application, the first information and the first channel have multiple possibilities, which enriches the implementation mode and application scenario of the technical solution of the present application and improves the flexibility of the technical solution.

[0141] Please refer to FIG. 5, which is a flowchart of a communication method provided by an embodiment of the present application, including:

[0142] 501. The network device sends third information to the terminal device, the third information indicating at least one set of third mapping relationships configured by the network device for the second channel, the third mapping relationship indicating the mapping relationship between a code point and a TCI state, wherein one code point corresponds to one or more TCI states.

[0143] Optionally, in the embodiment of the present application, the network device can estimate the maximum number of beams corresponding to the current second channel transmission, and determine the number of candidate TCI states based on the maximum number of beams. The maximum number of beams is the same as the number of candidate TCI states. Here, the candidate TCI state refers to all TCI states configured by the network device for the second channel, that is, the TCI states included in the at least one set of third mapping relationships.

[0144] Optionally, the network device can estimate the maximum number of beams based on the beam measurement information reported by the terminal device. Optionally, the network device can have different gears corresponding to the maximum number of beams, and each gear corresponds to a different maximum number of beams. The network device determines the gear in which the network device is currently located based on the state of the network device or the current communication environment, thereby determining the maximum number of beams.

[0145] In the third mapping relationship, the code point and the TCI state are one-to-one corresponding. For example, taking the maximum number of beams as 8, the third information includes 8 sets of third mapping relationships, as shown in Table 2 below:

[0146] Table 2

[0147] As shown in Table 2, the code point C0 has a third mapping relationship with the TCI state ID0. That is, the TCI state corresponding to the code point C0 is the TCI state ID0. Since one TCI state corresponds to one beam, it means that the code point C0 corresponds to one beam. The at least one TCI state included in the at least one set of third mapping relationships can be used for the second channel transmission.

[0148] 502. The fourth information is sent to the terminal device, and the fourth information is used to enable the second TCI state.

[0149] It can be understood that the network device sends the third information to the terminal device, which is used to synchronize the configuration of the network device for the second channel. After the configuration is completed, the network device also sends the fourth information to the terminal device, which is used to enable a certain configuration of the network device, so that the network device and the terminal device communicate based on the configuration.

[0150] In the embodiment of the application, the fourth information enables the second TCI state, and the second TCI state is included in the TCI state corresponding to the at least one set of third mapping relationships configured by the network device. The second TCI state includes one or more TCI states.

[0151] The network device enables the second TCI state through the second field in the fourth information, and the second field can also be referred to as a TCI field. The number of bits of the field is the same as the number of third mapping relationships. Specifically, the network device determines which TCI states are enabled by setting the value of the second field.

[0152] For example, the maximum number of beams is 8, that is, the third information indicates 8 sets of third mapping relationships. In this example, the number of bits of the second field in the fourth information is 8.

[0153] Optionally, the TCI states in the 8 sets of mapping relationships can be sorted according to the order of the code points corresponding to the TCI states from the most significant bit (MSB) to the least significant bit (LSB). The bits in the second field correspond to the order from left to right. Assuming that the result of the sorting is the order of C7 to C0 in Table 2, and the value of a bit in the second field is 1 to indicate enabling and 0 to indicate not enabling. Then, when the value of the second field is 00110010, it indicates that the enabled second TCI state is: TCI state ID5 corresponding to code point C5, TCI state ID4 corresponding to code point C4, TCI state ID1 corresponding to code point C1, and TCI state ID3. When the value of the second field is 00100010, it indicates that the enabled second TCI state is: TCI state ID4 corresponding to code point C4.

[0154] Alternatively, the TCI states in the eight groups of mapping relationships can also be sorted according to the order of the codepoints corresponding to the TCI states from LSB to MSB. The bits in the second field correspond to the order from left to right. Assuming that the result of the sorting is the order from C0 to C7 in Table 2, and a bit in the second field takes a value of 1 to indicate enabling and a value of 0 to indicate disabling. Then, when the value of the second field is 01001000, the enabled second TCI states are: the TCI state ID1 and the TCI state ID3 corresponding to the codepoint C1, and the TCI state ID4 corresponding to the codepoint C4.

[0155] It should be noted that the aforementioned sorting of the TCI states according to the order of the codepoints corresponding to the TCI states from MSB to LSB or from LSB to MSB makes the bits in the second field correspond to the order in turn. In actual applications, the TCI states can also be arranged based on other orders, as long as the bits in the second field correspond to the TCI states one by one, which is not limited here.

[0156] Based on the foregoing description, it can be known that, in the scheme in which the second TCI state includes multiple TCI states in the embodiments of the present application, that is, in the scheme in which the fourth information is used to enable multiple TCI states, since each TCI state corresponds to a beam, enabling multiple TCI states enables multiple beams, so that the multiple beams transmit the second channel, that is, the transmission layers of the multiple beams transmit the same channel, which increases the number of transmission layers and improves the transmission rate. In addition, if there is a same transmission layer in the transmission layers of the multiple beams, the same transmission layer is more accurate in characterizing the beams, which improves the channel estimation capability. Furthermore, by setting the value of the second field in the fourth information, the second TCI state can be enabled, and the enabling manner is simple, which simplifies the technical scheme.

[0157] In the embodiments of the present application, the fourth information can also indicate the transmission layers corresponding to the enabled multiple second TCI states. In actual applications, there are various implementation manners, which are described as follows:

[0158] In some optional embodiments, the fourth information can also include the mapping relationship between the second TCI state and the second port group, where the second port group corresponds to at least one RI. That is, the fourth information indicates the RI corresponding to the second TCI state through the second port group. Since the number of TCI states included in the second TCI state is different, the second port group also has various possibilities:

[0159] Optionally, in the scheme that the second TCI state includes one TCI state, the fourth information includes a mapping relationship between the one TCI state and the second port group. Optionally, in the scheme that the second TCI state includes multiple TCI states, the fourth information includes a mapping relationship between the multiple TCI states and the second port group corresponding to each TCI state.

[0160] The second port group includes one or more port groups. That is, whether the second TCI state includes one or multiple TCI states, the number of port groups corresponding to the second TCI state can be one or more.

[0161] Optionally, the second port group is a port group of DMRS, which can be a code division multiplexing group. For the terminal device, the transmission layer corresponding to the port group is known, that is, the RI corresponding to the port group is known. Each TCI state is arranged in a certain order according to the code point corresponding to the TCI state, and corresponds to different port groups. The certain order includes the order from MSB to LSB, or the order from LSB to MSB, or other orders, which are not limited here. Then, based on the second TCI state enabled in the fourth information, the transmission layer corresponding to the second TCI state is determined.

[0162] For example, assuming that the value of the second field is 01001000, it indicates that the enabled second TCI state is: TCI state ID1 and TCI state ID3 corresponding to code point C1, and TCI state ID4 corresponding to code point C4. Then, the second port group corresponding to the second TCI state is: the port group corresponding to code point C1 and the port group corresponding to code point C4. That is, the beams corresponding to TCI state ID1 and TCI state ID3 are transmitted through the transmission layer indicated by the port group corresponding to code point C1, and the beam corresponding to TCI state ID4 is transmitted through the transmission layer indicated by the port group corresponding to code point C4.

[0163] In the embodiment of the application, the mapping relationship between the second TCI state and the second port group included in the fourth information is used to determine the transmission layer corresponding to the second TCI state. It is not necessary to separately set a field in the fourth information to indicate the RI corresponding to the second TCI state, which reduces the indication overhead of the fourth information and saves network resources.

[0164] In some optional embodiments, the fourth information can further include a mapping relationship between the second DCI state and the RIs, wherein the second DCI state maps one or more RIs. In this scheme, that is, a field indicating the mapping relationship between the DCI state and the RIs is separately set in the fourth information, based on the mapping relationship, the RIs corresponding to the second DCI state can be determined, and the transmission layer of the beam for transmitting the second DCI state is determined.

[0165] Specifically, in the scheme in which the second TCI state includes one TCI state, the one TCI state corresponds to one or more RIs. In the scheme in which the second TCI state includes multiple TCI states, each TCI state in the multiple TCI states corresponds to one or more RIs.

[0166] In the embodiments of the present application, the fourth information can include a field for indicating the mapping relationship between the TCI state and the RIs, directly indicating the TCI state to be enabled, and the RIs for transmitting the beam corresponding to the TCI state, so that the terminal device can maintain communication with the network device based on the field, and the processing flow is simplified.

[0167] In some optional embodiments, the third information is contained in the MAC CE signaling or the RRC signaling. The fourth information is contained in the DCI signaling. That is, the third information is carried in the MAC CE signaling or the RRC signaling. The fourth information is carried in the DCI signaling. That is, in the embodiments of the present application, by using the two-level indication mode of the MAC CE signaling + DCI signaling or the RRC signaling + DCI signaling, the synchronization of the network device and the terminal device for the configuration of the second channel is realized in the first-level signaling, and the enabling of the second TCI state for the second channel is realized in the second-level signaling.

[0168] In some optional embodiments, the second channel includes any one of the PDSCH, the PUSCH, the PDCCH, and the PUCCH.

[0169] In the embodiments of the present application, the third information and the second channel have multiple possibilities, which enriches the implementation mode and the application scenario of the technical scheme of the present application, and further improves the flexibility of the technical scheme.

[0170] The communication apparatus provided in the embodiments of the present application is described below. The communication apparatus provided in the embodiments of the present application includes corresponding units or modules for executing the above method. The units or modules included in the apparatus can be implemented in the form of software and / or hardware. The apparatus can be, for example, a network device, or a module (such as a chip, etc.) of the network device, or a logic node, a logic module, or software capable of implementing all or part of the functions of the network device.

[0171] Referring to FIG. 6, FIG. 6 is a structural schematic diagram of a communication apparatus provided in an embodiment of the present application. As shown in FIG. 6, the communication apparatus 600 includes a transceiver 601.

[0172] In some optional embodiments, the transceiver 601 is configured to send, to a terminal device, first information indicating at least one set of first mapping relationships configured by a network device for a first channel, wherein each set of first mapping relationships indicates a mapping relationship among a codepoint, a TCI state and an RI. The transceiver 601 is configured to send, to the terminal device, second information for enabling a first TCI state, wherein the first TCI state is included in TCI states corresponding to the at least one set of first mapping relationships.

[0173] In some optional embodiments, the at least one set of first mapping relationships includes a second mapping relationship, in which one codepoint maps multiple TCI states, and each TCI state maps one or more RIs. The multiple TCI states correspond to multiple beams in a one-to-one manner, and the RI indicates a quantity of transmission layers.

[0174] In some optional embodiments, the second information includes a first field indicating the first TCI state and a first RI corresponding to the first TCI state.

[0175] In some optional embodiments, the second information includes a mapping relationship between the first TCI state and a first port group, and the first port group indicates the first RI corresponding to the first TCI state.

[0176] In some optional embodiments, the first information is included in MAC 6 CE signaling or radio resource control (RRC) signaling. The second information is included in DCI signaling. The first channel includes any one of a PDSCH, a PUSCH, a PDCCH and a PUCCH.

[0177] The communication apparatus 600 is configured to implement the operations performed by the network device in the foregoing embodiments shown in FIGS. 1 to 4, and details are not described herein.

[0178] Optionally, the communication apparatus 600 can also implement the operations performed by the network device in the foregoing embodiments shown in FIGS. 1 to 3 or FIG. 5, including:

[0179] In some optional embodiments, the transceiver 601 is configured to send, to a terminal device, third information indicating at least one set of third mapping relationships configured by a network device for a second channel, wherein the third mapping relationships indicate a mapping relationship between a codepoint and a TCI state, and one codepoint corresponds to one or more TCI states. The transceiver 601 is configured to send, to the terminal device, fourth information for enabling a second TCI state, wherein the second TCI state is included in TCI states corresponding to the at least one set of third mapping relationships.

[0180] In some optional embodiments, the fourth information includes a mapping relationship between the second TCI state and the second port group, and the second port group corresponds to one or more RIs.

[0181] In some optional embodiments, the fourth information includes a mapping relationship between the second TCI state and the second port group, and the second port group corresponds to one or more RIs.

[0182] In some optional embodiments, the fourth information includes a second field, a number of bits of the second field is same as a number of the third mapping relationship, and a value of the second field is used to enable the second TCI state.

[0183] In some optional embodiments, the third information is included in MAC CE signaling or RRC signaling, and the second information is included in DCI signaling. The second channel includes any one of a PDSCH, a PUSCH, a PDCCH, or a PUCCH.

[0184] Next, refer to FIG. 7, which is a structural schematic diagram of a communication apparatus provided by an embodiment of the present application. As shown in FIG. 7, the communication apparatus 700 includes a processor 710 and a memory 720 coupled to the processor 710, the memory 720 is used to store computer programs or instructions and / or data, and the processor 710 is used to execute the computer programs or instructions and / or data stored in the memory 720, so that the method in the above method embodiments is executed.

[0185] Optionally, the processor 710 included in the communication apparatus 700 is one or more.

[0186] Optionally, as shown in FIG. 7, the communication apparatus 700 can further include the memory 720.

[0187] Optionally, the memory 720 included in the communication apparatus 700 can be one or more.

[0188] Optionally, the memory 720 can be integrated with the processor 710 or separately arranged.

[0189] Optionally, as shown in FIG. 7, the communication apparatus 700 can further include a transceiver 730 used for receiving and / or sending signals. For example, the processor 710 is used to control the transceiver 730 to receive and / or send signals.

[0190] As an option, the communication apparatus 700 is used to implement the operations performed by the network device in the above method embodiments.

[0191] For example, the processor 710 is used to implement the processing-related operations in the above method embodiments, and the transceiver 730 is used to implement the receiving-related operations in the above method embodiments.

[0192] The embodiment of the present application further provides a communication device 700, which can be a network device or an access network device, or a chip or module in the network device or the access network device or a device of a core network. The communication device 700 can be used to perform the operations in the method embodiments.

[0193] When the communication device 700 is a communication device, FIG. 8 shows a structural schematic diagram of a simplified communication device. As shown in FIG. 8, the communication device 700 includes a processor 710, a memory 720, and a transceiver 730, wherein the memory 720 can store computer program code, and the transceiver 730 includes a transmitter 731, a receiver 732, a radio frequency circuit (not shown in the figure), an antenna 733, and an input and output device (not shown in the figure).

[0194] The processor 710 is mainly used for processing communication protocols and communication data, controlling the communication device 700, executing software programs, processing data of the software programs, and the like. The memory 720 is mainly used for storing software programs and data. The radio frequency circuit is mainly used for conversion between a baseband signal and a radio frequency signal and processing of the radio frequency signal. The antenna 733 is mainly used for transceiving a radio frequency signal in the form of an electromagnetic wave. The input and output device, such as a touch screen, a display screen, a keyboard, and the like, is mainly used for receiving data input by a user and outputting data to the user. It should be noted that some types of communication devices can not have the input and output device.

[0195] When data needs to be sent, the processor 710 performs baseband processing on the data to be sent, and outputs a baseband signal to the radio frequency circuit. The radio frequency circuit performs radio frequency processing on the baseband signal, and transmits a radio frequency signal in the form of an electromagnetic wave through the antenna 733. When data is sent to the communication device, the radio frequency circuit receives a radio frequency signal through the antenna 733, converts the radio frequency signal into a baseband signal, and outputs the baseband signal to the processor 710. The processor 710 converts the baseband signal into data and processes the data. For the convenience of description, only one memory, one processor, and one transceiver are shown in FIG. 8. In actual communication device products, there can be one or more processors and one or more memories. The memory can also be referred to as a storage medium or a storage device, and the like. The memory can be arranged independently of the processor, or can be integrated with the processor. The embodiments of the present application do not limit this.

[0196] In the embodiments of the present application, the antenna and the radio frequency circuit with transceiving functions can be regarded as a transceiving unit of the communication device, and the processor with processing functions can be regarded as a processing unit of the communication device.

[0197] As shown in FIG. 8, the communication apparatus includes a processor 710, a memory 720 and a transceiver 730. The processor 710 can also be referred to as a processing unit, a processing board, a processing module, a processing device, etc. The transceiver 730 can also be referred to as a transceiving unit, a transceiver, a transceiving device, etc.

[0198] Optionally, the device for implementing the receiving function in the transceiver 730 can be regarded as a receiving unit, and the device for implementing the sending function in the transceiver 730 can be regarded as a sending unit, i.e., the transceiver 730 includes a receiver and a transmitter. The transceiver can also be referred to as a transceiver, a transceiving unit, or a transceiving circuit, etc. from time to time. The receiver can also be referred to as a receiver, a receiving unit, or a receiving circuit, etc. from time to time. The transmitter can also be referred to as a transmitter, a transmitting unit, or a transmitting circuit, etc. from time to time.

[0199] For example, in an implementation manner, the transceiver 730 is configured to perform the transceiving actions in FIG. 4. For example, the transceiver 730 is configured to perform the sending operations of steps 401 and 402 in the embodiment shown in FIG. 4.

[0200] It should be understood that FIG. 8 is merely an example and not a limitation. The above communication apparatus including a transceiving unit and a processing unit can not depend on the structure shown in FIG. 8.

[0201] When the communication apparatus 700 is a chip, the chip includes a processor, a memory and a transceiver. The transceiver can be an input / output circuit or a communication interface; the processor can be a processing unit or a microprocessor integrated on the chip or an integrated circuit. The sending operation of the communication apparatus in the above method embodiments can be understood as the output of the chip, and the receiving operation of the communication apparatus in the above method embodiments can be understood as the input of the chip.

[0202] The embodiments of the present application also provide a computer readable storage medium, which stores computer instructions for implementing the method in the above method embodiments.

[0203] For example, the computer program is executed by a computer, so that the computer can implement the method executed in the above method embodiments.

[0204] The embodiments of the present application also provide a computer program product including instructions, which are executed by a computer to make the computer implement the method executed in the above method embodiments.

[0205] The embodiments of the present application also provide a communication system, which includes the access network device and the terminal device in the above embodiments.

[0206] The embodiments of the present application also provide a chip device including a processor, which is configured to invoke computer programs or computer instructions stored in a memory, so that the processor executes the method in the embodiments shown in FIG. 4 or FIG. 5.

[0207] In a possible implementation, the input of the chip device corresponds to the receiving operation in the embodiment shown in FIG. 4 or FIG. 5, and the output of the chip device corresponds to the sending operation in the embodiment shown in FIG. 4 or FIG. 5.

[0208] Optionally, the processor is coupled with the memory through an interface.

[0209] Optionally, the chip device further includes a memory, and the memory stores computer degree or computer instruction.

[0210] The processor mentioned in any of the above can be a general central processing unit, a microprocessor, an application-specific integrated circuit (ASIC), or one or more integrated circuits for executing programs for controlling the method of the embodiment shown in FIG. 4 or FIG. 5. The memory mentioned in any of the above can be a read-only memory (ROM) or other type of static storage device that can store static information and instructions, a random access memory (RAM), and the like.

[0211] Those skilled in the art can clearly understand that, for the convenience and brevity of description, the explanation and beneficial effects of the related content in any of the above communication devices can refer to the corresponding method embodiments provided above, and will not be repeated here.

[0212] Those skilled in the art can clearly understand that, for the convenience and brevity of description, the specific working process of the system, device and unit described above can refer to the corresponding process in the foregoing method embodiments, and will not be repeated here.

[0213] In several embodiments provided in the present application, it should be understood that the disclosed system, device and method can be implemented by other ways. For example, the device embodiments described above are only schematic, for example, the division of the units is only a logical function division, and actual implementation can have another division manner, for example, a plurality of units or components can be combined or integrated into another system, or some features can be ignored or not executed. In addition, the coupling or direct coupling or communication connection between the units shown or discussed can be indirect coupling or communication connection through some interfaces, devices or units, and can be electrical, mechanical or other forms.

[0214] The units described as separate components may or may not be physically separate, and the components displayed as units may or may not be physical units, that is, may be located in one place, or may be distributed on multiple network units. Part or all of the units can be selected according to actual needs to achieve the purpose of the embodiment scheme.

[0215] In addition, each functional unit in each embodiment of the present application can be integrated in one processing unit, or each unit can be physically present alone, or two or more units can be integrated in one unit. The integrated unit can be realized in the form of hardware or in the form of a software functional unit.

[0216] The integrated unit, if realized in the form of a software functional unit and sold or used as an independent product, can be stored in a computer-readable storage medium. Based on such understanding, the technical scheme of the present application essentially or the part that contributes to the prior art or the whole or part of the technical scheme can be embodied in the form of a software product. The computer software product is stored in a storage medium, including a plurality of instructions for causing a computer device (which can be a personal computer, a server, or a network device, etc.) to execute all or part of the steps of the method described in each embodiment of the present application. The foregoing storage medium includes: a U disk, a mobile hard disk, a read-only memory (ROM), a random access memory (RAM), a magnetic disk or an optical disk, and various program code storage media.

Claims

1. A communication method characterized by comprising: The method is applied to a network device, and the method comprises: sending first information to a terminal device, the first information indicating at least one set of first mapping relationships configured by the network device for a first channel, wherein each set of first mapping relationships indicates a mapping relationship of a codepoint, a transmission configuration indication (TCI) state, and a rank indication (RI); sending second information to the terminal device, the second information being used to enable a first TCI state, the first TCI state being included in a TCI state corresponding to the at least one set of first mapping relationships.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein, The at least one set of first mapping relationships comprises a second mapping relationship, in which one codepoint maps a plurality of TCI states, and each TCI state maps one or more RIs; wherein the plurality of TCI states correspond to a plurality of beams in a one-to-one manner, and the RIs indicate a number of transmission ranks.

3. The method according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that, The second information comprises a first field, the first field indicating the first TCI state and a first RI corresponding to the first TCI state.

4. The method according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that, The second information comprises a mapping relationship between the first TCI state and a first port group, the first port group indicating the first RI corresponding to the first TCI state.

5. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 4, characterized in that, The first information is included in a medium access control (MAC) control element (CE) signaling or a radio resource control (RRC) signaling. The second information is included in a downlink control information (DCI) signaling. The first channel comprises any one of a physical downlink shared channel (PDSCH), a physical uplink shared channel (PUSCH), a physical downlink control channel (PDCCH), or a physical uplink control channel (PUCCH).

6. A communication method characterized by comprising: The method is applied to a network device, and the method comprises: sending third information to a terminal device, the third information indicating at least one set of third mapping relationships configured by the network device for a second channel, the third mapping relationships indicating a mapping relationship of a codepoint and a TCI state, wherein one codepoint corresponds to one or more TCI states; sending fourth information to the terminal device, the fourth information being used to enable a second TCI state, the second TCI state being included in a TCI state corresponding to the at least one set of third mapping relationships.

7. The method of claim 6, wherein, The fourth information comprises a mapping relationship between the second TCI state and a second port group, the second port group corresponding to one or more RIs.

8. The method of claim 6, wherein, The fourth information comprises a mapping relationship between the second TCI state and an RI, wherein the second TCI state maps one or more RIs.

9. The method according to any one of claims 6 to 8, characterized in that, The fourth information comprises a second field, a number of bits of the second field being the same as a number of the third mapping relationships, and a value of the second field being used to enable the second TCI state.

10. The method according to any one of claims 6 to 9, characterized in that, The third information is included in a MAC CE signaling or a RRC signaling, and the second information is included in a DCI signaling. The second channel comprises any one of a PDSCH, a PUSCH, a PDCCH, or a PUCCH.

11. A communications device, characterized by A module for implementing the method of any one of the preceding claims 1 to 5 or 6 to 10 is included.

12. A communications device, characterized by A processor is included, and the processor is coupled with a memory. The memory stores instructions which, when executed on the processor, cause the communication device to implement the method of any of claims 1 to 5, or 6 to 10.

13. A computer-readable storage medium, characterized in that, The computer readable storage medium stores instructions which, when executed on the processor, cause the method of any of claims 1 to 5, or 6 to 10 to be implemented.

14. A computer program product, characterised in that, The computer program product, when executed on the computer, causes the method of any of claims 1 to 5, or 6 to 10 to be implemented.

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