Communication method, apparatus and system

Abstract

A communication method, apparatus and system, which support a communication enhancement scenario based on a multi-user MIMO system. The method comprises: receiving a first reference signal, performing channel measurement on the basis of the first reference signal to obtain a first channel parameter, and sending the first channel parameter, wherein the first reference signal is carried on a first resource, and the first resource is determined on the basis of first multipath information. In the method, by introducing the first multipath information, a channel is converted from a transmit antenna array dimension to a multipath dimension, and multiple paths are mapped to reference signal ports, so that a terminal device in the environment can obtain downlink channel information and feed back the downlink channel information to a network device, thereby reducing the resource overhead and improving the transmission performance.

Description

Communication methods, devices and systems

[0001] This application claims priority to Chinese Patent Application No. 202410787028.8, filed on June 17, 2024, entitled "Communication Method, Apparatus and System", the entire contents of which are incorporated herein by reference. Technical Field

[0002] This application relates to the field of communication technology, and more specifically, to a communication method, apparatus, and system. Background Technology

[0003] Multiple-input multiple-output (MIMO) is a commonly used data transmission mode in wireless communication, enabling multiple different data streams to be transmitted simultaneously over the air interface. To achieve efficient MIMO transmission, the network device needs to obtain the precoding matrix for air interface channel matching from the terminal device. As an example, the terminal device measures the downlink channel, calculates the downlink channel information, and feeds this information back to the network device in the form of a quantized codebook. The network device then reconstructs the precoding matrix based on this quantized codebook information.

[0004] However, this approach consumes a significant amount of air interface resources, especially in scenarios involving large-scale MIMO array transmissions or when there are a large number of terminal devices in the network, where resource overhead is even greater. Summary of the Invention

[0005] This application provides a communication method, apparatus, and system to reduce resource overhead and improve transmission performance.

[0006] Firstly, a communication method is provided. This method can be executed by a first device. Unless otherwise specified, the "first device" in this application can refer to a communication device (e.g., a terminal device), a component in the communication device (e.g., a communication module, processor, circuit, chip, or chip system), or a logic module or software capable of implementing all or part of the functions of the communication device.

[0007] The method includes: receiving a first reference signal, the first reference signal being carried on a first resource, the first resource being determined based on first multipath information; performing channel measurement based on the first reference signal to obtain first channel parameters; and transmitting the first channel parameters.

[0008] It should be understood that a first multipath information is used to determine any one of the multipaths (multiple paths), and each path in the multipath corresponds to a reference signal port. This application does not limit the number of multipaths.

[0009] Based on the above scheme, by introducing first multipath information, the channel is transformed from the transmit antenna array dimension to the multipath dimension. The reference signal ports corresponding to each multipath are flexibly mapped to the first resource, enabling terminal devices in the environment to receive the first reference signal on the first resource. Based on the first reference signal, channel measurement or estimation is performed to obtain downlink channel information, which is then fed back to the network device. This scheme supports communication enhancement scenarios based on multi-user MIMO systems. Resource overhead is no longer limited by the size of the antenna array and the number of terminal devices, but can depend on the number of multipaths in the environment, thus reducing resource overhead and improving transmission performance.

[0010] In one possible design, receiving a first reference signal includes: receiving the first reference signal through a first reference signal port; before receiving the first reference signal through the first reference signal port, the method further includes: obtaining configuration information, the configuration information being used to indicate the mapping relationship between multiple reference signal ports and a second resource, the multiple reference signal ports corresponding one-to-one with multiple reference signals, the multiple reference signal ports including the first reference signal port, the multiple reference signals including the first reference signal, and the second resource including the first resource.

[0011] Optionally, this application does not limit the number of first reference signal ports, and there may be one or more. Optionally, the first reference signal port can be regarded as part or all of the multiple reference signals in the configuration information.

[0012] Based on the above scheme, by obtaining configuration information, the correspondence between multiple reference signal ports and the second resource can be determined, so that the terminal device in the environment can receive multiple first reference signals through multiple reference signal ports. For example, by receiving the first reference signal through the first reference signal port, the terminal device can obtain as much multipath information as possible, which can not only reduce resource overhead, but also improve transmission performance.

[0013] In one possible design, obtaining configuration information includes receiving configuration information from the network side.

[0014] In one possible design, the configuration information includes information on multiple reference signal ports and information on a second resource; or, the configuration information includes information on multiple reference signal ports, information on a second resource, and a channel quality threshold.

[0015] Optionally, the configuration information can also be predefined or preconfigured, and this application does not limit this.

[0016] Based on the above scheme, by acquiring configuration information, the terminal device can obtain information about multiple reference signal ports and second resources, thus determining the time-frequency resources flexibly mapped by the multiple reference signal ports, and subsequently receiving the first reference signal on those time-frequency resources. Furthermore, when the configuration information includes a channel quality threshold, the terminal device can select the first channel parameter corresponding to the first reference signal port with better channel quality for feedback based on the relationship between the channel quality corresponding to the multiple first reference signals and the channel quality threshold. This reduces feedback overhead while ensuring transmission performance.

[0017] In one possible design, when the first reference signal is transmitted N times in the first resource transmission, where N is an integer greater than or equal to 2, the first channel parameters are transmitted, including: for the i-th transmission, the first channel parameters corresponding to the first reference signal port are transmitted; and for the other N-1 transmissions excluding the i-th transmission, the change in the first channel parameters corresponding to the first reference signal port is transmitted, i = 1, 2, ..., N.

[0018] Based on the above scheme, when the terminal device feeds back the first channel parameters corresponding to the first reference signal port to the network device, it can use either an independent reporting method or a compressed reporting method. Therefore, for cases where there are one or more first reference signal ports, or regardless of whether the first reference signal port is repeatedly mapped to the second resource, independent reporting is possible, ensuring the independence and accuracy of the first channel parameter reporting. For cases where the first reference signal port is repeatedly mapped (e.g., N times) to the second resource, the terminal device can report the first channel parameters (e.g., the first channel parameters corresponding to the i-th repeated mapping in N repeated mappings) and the rate of change (or amount of change) of the first channel parameters. This method can reduce feedback overhead while ensuring reporting accuracy.

[0019] In one possible design, before receiving the first reference signal through the first reference signal port, the method further includes: determining the first reference signal port; and sending first indication information, the first indication information indicating the first reference signal port.

[0020] Based on the above scheme, when the above configuration information is used to indicate the mapping relationship between multiple reference signal ports and the second resource, the terminal device can independently determine the first reference signal port and feed back the selected first reference signal port to the network device through the first indication information, so that the network device and the terminal device can transmit downlink channel information and data based on the first reference signal port, thereby improving transmission performance.

[0021] In one possible design, determining the first reference signal port includes: receiving multiple reference signals through multiple reference signal ports; performing channel measurements on the multiple reference signals to determine the channel quality corresponding to the multiple reference signal ports; wherein the channel quality corresponding to the first reference signal port is greater than or equal to a channel quality threshold.

[0022] Optionally, assuming there are 30 reference signal ports with corresponding indices p0-p29, the channel quality corresponding to the first reference signal port (e.g., x ports, where x is an integer greater than or equal to 1 and less than or equal to 30) is greater than or equal to the channel quality corresponding to other reference signal ports (e.g., 30-x ports).

[0023] Optionally, the channel quality corresponding to the first reference signal port is greater than or equal to the channel quality threshold. That is, the channel quality corresponding to the other reference signal ports (e.g., 30-x ports) is less than or equal to the channel quality threshold.

[0024] Based on the above scheme, the terminal device can perform channel measurement or channel estimation on multiple received reference signals to obtain multiple channel qualities corresponding to multiple reference signal ports, and then feed back the reference signal port it expects (or needs) based on the channel quality, thereby reducing subsequent feedback overhead.

[0025] In one possible design, before receiving the first reference signal through the first reference signal port, the method further includes: receiving second indication information from the network side, the second indication information indicating the first reference signal port.

[0026] Based on the above scheme, when the configuration information is used to indicate the mapping relationship between multiple reference signal ports and the second resource, the network device can determine the first reference signal port according to the random access process of the terminal device or according to prior information (such as the distribution of terminal devices, beam usage, or environmental information around the terminal device). The determined first reference signal port is then sent to the terminal device through the second indication information. Subsequently, the terminal device can perform channel measurement or channel estimation on the first reference signal port (e.g., x ports) without having to perform channel measurement or channel estimation on other reference signal ports (e.g., 30-x ports). This can reduce the power consumption of the terminal device, reduce feedback overhead, reduce resource overhead, and improve transmission performance.

[0027] In one possible design, the first indication information or the second indication information indicates one or more of the following: the number or index of the first reference signal ports; the number or index of the time-domain resources corresponding to the first reference signal ports; or the number or index of the frequency-domain resources corresponding to the first reference signal ports.

[0028] For example, the index of the time-domain resources corresponding to the first reference signal port includes at least one of the following: the number or index of symbols or time slots occupied by the first reference signal port, the number or index of the starting time slot or starting symbol corresponding to the first reference signal port, or the number or index of symbols (or time slots) repeatedly mapped by the first reference signal port.

[0029] Based on the above scheme, by sending the first indication information or the second indication information, the terminal device and the network device can communicate with each other on the first reference signal port, that is, the terminal device measures and feeds back the first channel parameters corresponding to the first reference signal port to the network device, which can reduce feedback overhead and resource overhead and improve transmission performance.

[0030] In this application, the same reference signal port does not need to be repeatedly mapped in the frequency domain, and the same reference signal port can adopt a repeated transmission mode across symbols / time slots, so that the terminal device can obtain the time-varying information of each multipath, thereby eliminating the need for the network device to periodically and frequently transmit reference signals, reducing resource overhead and improving transmission performance.

[0031] Secondly, a communication method is provided. This method can be executed by a second device. Unless otherwise specified, the "second device" in this application can refer to a communication device (e.g., a network device), a component in the communication device (e.g., a communication module, processor, circuit, chip, or chip system), or a logic module or software that can implement all or part of the functions of the communication device.

[0032] The method includes: transmitting a first reference signal, the first reference signal being carried on a first resource, the first resource being determined based on first multipath information; and receiving first channel parameters, the first channel parameters being determined based on the first reference signal.

[0033] Based on the above scheme, by introducing first multipath information, the channel is transformed from the transmit antenna array dimension to the multipath dimension. Reference signal ports corresponding to each multipath are flexibly mapped to a first resource, and a first reference signal is transmitted on the first resource. This allows terminal devices in the environment to receive the first reference signal on the first resource and, based on the first reference signal, perform channel measurement or channel estimation to obtain downlink channel information. Then, the first channel parameters are obtained from the terminal devices. This scheme supports communication enhancement scenarios based on multi-user MIMO systems. Resource overhead is no longer limited by the size of the antenna array and the number of terminal devices, but can depend on the number of multipaths in the environment, thus reducing resource overhead and improving transmission performance.

[0034] In one possible design, before sending the first reference signal, the method further includes: acquiring first multipath information; and determining a first resource based on the first multipath information.

[0035] In one possible design, sending a first reference signal includes: sending the first reference signal through a first reference signal port; before sending the first reference signal through the first reference signal port, the method further includes: sending configuration information, the configuration information being used to indicate the mapping relationship between a plurality of reference signal ports and a second resource, the plurality of reference signal ports corresponding one-to-one with a plurality of reference signals, the plurality of reference signal ports including the first reference signal port, the plurality of reference signals including the first reference signal, and the second resource including the first resource.

[0036] In one possible design, when the first reference signal is transmitted N times in the first resource, where N is an integer greater than or equal to 2, the first channel parameters are received, including: for the i-th transmission, receiving the first channel parameters corresponding to the first reference signal port; and for the other N-1 transmissions excluding the i-th transmission, receiving the change in the first channel parameters corresponding to the first signal port, i = 1, 2, ..., N.

[0037] In one possible design, before receiving the first channel parameters, the method further includes: receiving first indication information, the first indication information indicating a first reference signal port.

[0038] In one possible design, before receiving the first channel parameters, the process includes: sending second indication information, which indicates the first reference signal port.

[0039] In one possible design, the channel quality corresponding to the first reference signal port is greater than or equal to the channel quality threshold.

[0040] In one possible design, the first indication information or the second indication information indicates one or more of the following: the index of the first reference signal port; the index of the time-domain resource corresponding to the first reference signal port; or, the index of the frequency-domain resource corresponding to the first reference signal port.

[0041] In one possible design, the configuration information includes information about multiple reference signal ports and information about a second resource; or, the configuration information includes information about multiple reference signal ports, information about a second resource, and a channel quality threshold.

[0042] The second aspect and some of its implementations, as well as their corresponding beneficial effects, can be found in the description of the first aspect, and will not be elaborated upon here.

[0043] Thirdly, a communication device is provided, which has the functions of the first aspect above. For example, the communication device includes modules, units or means corresponding to the operations involved in the first aspect above. The modules, units or means can be implemented by software, or by hardware, or by a combination of software and hardware.

[0044] For example, the communication device may be the first device described above, such as a module or unit (e.g., a chip, a chip system, or a circuit) that corresponds to the method, operation, step, or action described in the first aspect above.

[0045] In one possible implementation, the communication device includes a transceiver unit (or communication module) and a processing unit (or processing module) connected to the transceiver unit.

[0046] For example, the transceiver unit is configured to receive a first reference signal, the first reference signal being carried on a first resource, the first resource being determined based on first multipath information; the processing unit is configured to perform channel measurement based on the first reference signal to obtain first channel parameters; the transceiver unit is further configured to transmit the first channel parameters.

[0047] In one possible design, the transceiver unit is further configured to receive a first reference signal through a first reference signal port; before receiving the first reference signal through the first reference signal port, the processing unit is further configured to obtain configuration information, the configuration information being used to indicate the mapping relationship between multiple reference signal ports and a second resource, the multiple reference signal ports corresponding one-to-one with multiple reference signals, the multiple reference signal ports including the first reference signal port, the multiple reference signals including the first reference signal, and the second resource including the first resource.

[0048] In one possible design, the transceiver unit is also used to receive configuration information from the network side.

[0049] In one possible design, when the first reference signal is transmitted N times in the first resource transmission, where N is an integer greater than or equal to 2, the transceiver unit is further configured to: transmit the first channel parameter corresponding to the first reference signal port for the i-th transmission; and transmit the change amount of the first channel parameter corresponding to the first reference signal port for the other N-1 transmissions excluding the i-th transmission, i = 1, 2, ..., N.

[0050] In one possible design, the processing unit is further configured to determine the first reference signal port; the transceiver unit is further configured to send first indication information, the first indication information indicating the first reference signal port.

[0051] In one possible design, the transceiver unit is further configured to receive multiple reference signals through multiple reference signal ports; the processing unit is further configured to perform channel measurements on the multiple reference signals to determine the channel quality corresponding to the multiple reference signal ports; wherein the channel quality corresponding to the first reference signal port is greater than or equal to a channel quality threshold.

[0052] In one possible design, the transceiver unit is also used to receive second indication information from the network side, the second indication information indicating the first reference signal port.

[0053] In one possible design, the first indication information or the second indication information indicates one or more of the following: the index of the first reference signal port; the index of the time-domain resource corresponding to the first reference signal port; or, the index of the frequency-domain resource corresponding to the first reference signal port.

[0054] In one possible design, the configuration information includes information about multiple reference signal ports and information about a second resource; or, the configuration information includes information about multiple reference signal ports, information about a second resource, and a channel quality threshold.

[0055] Fourthly, a communication device is provided, which has the functions of the second aspect above. For example, the communication device includes modules, units or means corresponding to the operations involved in the second aspect above. The modules, units or means can be implemented by software, or by hardware, or by a combination of software and hardware.

[0056] For example, the communication device may be the second device described above, such as a module or unit (e.g., a chip, a chip system, or a circuit) that corresponds to one-to-one execution of the methods, operations, steps, or actions described in the second aspect above.

[0057] In one possible implementation, the communication device includes a transceiver unit (or communication module) and a processing unit (or processing module) connected to the transceiver unit.

[0058] For example, the transceiver unit is configured to transmit a first reference signal, the first reference signal being carried on a first resource, the first resource being determined based on first multipath information; the transceiver unit is also configured to receive a first channel parameter, the first channel parameter being determined based on the first reference signal.

[0059] In one possible design, the processing unit is further configured to: acquire first multipath information; and determine a first resource based on the first multipath information.

[0060] In one possible design, the transceiver unit is further configured to transmit a first reference signal through a first reference signal port; before transmitting the first reference signal through the first reference signal port, the transceiver unit is further configured to transmit configuration information, the configuration information being used to indicate the mapping relationship between multiple reference signal ports and a second resource, the multiple reference signal ports corresponding one-to-one with multiple reference signals, the multiple reference signal ports including the first reference signal port, the multiple reference signals including the first reference signal, and the second resource including the first resource.

[0061] In one possible design, when the first reference signal is transmitted N times in the first resource transmission, where N is an integer greater than or equal to 2, the transceiver unit is further configured to: receive the first channel parameter corresponding to the first reference signal port for the i-th transmission; and receive the change in the first channel parameter corresponding to the first signal port for the other N-1 transmissions excluding the i-th transmission, where i = 1, 2, ..., N.

[0062] In one possible design, the transceiver unit is also used to receive first indication information, which indicates a first reference signal port.

[0063] In one possible design, the transceiver unit is also used to transmit a second indication message, which indicates the first reference signal port.

[0064] In one possible design, the channel quality corresponding to the first reference signal port is greater than or equal to the channel quality threshold.

[0065] In one possible design, the first indication information or the second indication information indicates one or more of the following: the index of the first reference signal port; the index of the time-domain resource corresponding to the first reference signal port; or, the index of the frequency-domain resource corresponding to the first reference signal port.

[0066] In one possible design, the configuration information includes information about multiple reference signal ports and information about a second resource; or, the configuration information includes information about multiple reference signal ports, information about a second resource, and a channel quality threshold.

[0067] Fifthly, a communication device is provided. This communication device may be either the first or second device described above. The communication device includes a transceiver, a processor, and a memory. The processor controls the transceiver to transmit and receive signals, the memory stores a computer program, and the processor retrieves and runs the computer program from the memory, causing the communication device to perform the method in any possible implementation of either the first or second aspect described above.

[0068] Optionally, there may be one or more processors and one or more memories.

[0069] Alternatively, the memory can be integrated with the processor, or the memory can be set up separately from the processor.

[0070] Optionally, the communication device may also include a transmitter and a receiver.

[0071] Sixthly, a communication device is provided, the communication device including one or more processors, the one or more processors being configured to execute a computer program or instructions, which, when executed, cause the communication device to implement the methods in any possible design or implementation of the first or second aspect described above. Optionally, the communication device further includes a memory for storing part or all of the computer program or instructions implementing the functions involved in the first or second aspect described above.

[0072] In one possible design, the communication device may further include an interface circuit, wherein the processor is used to communicate with other devices or components through the interface circuit.

[0073] The aforementioned communication device may be a terminal, or a communication module in a terminal, or a chip in a terminal that is responsible for communication functions, such as a modem chip (also known as a baseband chip), or a system-on-chip (SoC) chip or a system-in-a-package (SIP) chip that includes a modem module.

[0074] The aforementioned communication device may be a network device, or a communication module in a network device, or a circuit or chip in a network device responsible for communication functions, or a functional module in a network device capable of calling and executing programs.

[0075] In a seventh aspect, a communication system is provided. The communication system includes a first device and / or a second device, wherein the first device is configured to perform the method in any possible implementation of the first aspect, and the second device is configured to perform the method in any possible implementation of the second aspect.

[0076] For example, the first device may be a terminal device, or a chip or circuit in the terminal device, or a functional module in the terminal device capable of calling and executing a program; or, the second device may be a network device, or a chip or circuit in the network device, or a central unit (CU) or distributed unit (DU) in the network device, or a functional module in the network device capable of calling and executing a program.

[0077] Eighthly, a computer-readable storage medium is provided. This computer-readable storage medium stores computer program code or instructions to cause the method in any possible implementation of the first or second aspect to be executed, for example, when a computer reads and executes the computer program code or instructions, causing the method in any possible implementation of the first or second aspect to be implemented.

[0078] A ninth aspect provides a computer program product. The computer program product includes computer program code or instructions to cause the method in any possible implementation of the first or second aspect to be implemented. For example, when a computer reads and executes the computer program product, the method in any possible implementation of the first or second aspect is implemented.

[0079] In a tenth aspect, a computer program is provided. When the computer program is run, it causes the method in any of the possible implementations of the first or second aspect to be implemented.

[0080] It should be understood that the beneficial effects of the third to tenth aspects mentioned above can be referred to the first or second aspects mentioned above and any possible implementation thereof, which will not be elaborated here. Attached Figure Description

[0081] Figure 1 is a schematic diagram of a communication system applicable to an embodiment of this application;

[0082] Figure 2 is a schematic flowchart of a communication method provided in an embodiment of this application;

[0083] Figures 3 and 4 are schematic diagrams illustrating the mapping relationship between multiple reference signal ports and second resources provided in the embodiments of this application;

[0084] Figures 5 and 6 are schematic diagrams illustrating the mapping relationship between the first reference signal port and the first resource provided in the embodiments of this application;

[0085] Figure 7 is a schematic flowchart of a communication method provided in an embodiment of this application;

[0086] Figure 8 is a schematic flowchart of another communication method provided in an embodiment of this application;

[0087] Figure 9 is a schematic flowchart of another communication method provided in an embodiment of this application;

[0088] Figure 10 is a schematic block diagram of a communication device provided in an embodiment of this application;

[0089] Figure 11 is a schematic block diagram of another communication device provided in an embodiment of this application;

[0090] Figure 12 is a schematic block diagram of a chip system provided in an embodiment of this application;

[0091] Figure 13 is a schematic block diagram of another chip system provided in an embodiment of this application. Detailed Implementation

[0092] The technical solutions in this application will now be described with reference to the accompanying drawings.

[0093] Before introducing the scheme of this application, the following points should be noted.

[0094] (1) In this application, unless otherwise specified or logically conflicting, the terms and / or descriptions of different embodiments are consistent and can be referenced by each other. The technical features of different embodiments can be combined to form new embodiments according to their inherent logical relationship.

[0095] (2) In this application, "at least one" means one or more, and "more than one" means two or more. "And / or" describes the relationship between related objects, indicating that there can be three relationships. For example, A and / or B can mean: A exists alone, A and B exist simultaneously, or B exists alone, where A and B can be singular or plural. In the textual description of this application, the character " / " generally indicates that the related objects before and after are in an "or" relationship. "At least one of the following" or similar expressions refer to any combination of these items, including any combination of single or plural items. For example, at least one of a, b, and c can mean: a, or, b, or, c, or, a and b, or, a and c, or, b and c, or, a, b, and c. Where a, b, and c can be single or multiple.

[0096] (3) In this application, the terms "first," "second," and various numerical designations are used for convenience of description and are not intended to limit the scope of the embodiments of this application. For example, they are used to distinguish different messages, rather than to describe a specific order or sequence. It should be understood that such descriptions can be interchanged where appropriate to describe solutions other than those in the embodiments of this application.

[0097] (4) In this application, “instruction” or “for instruction” can include both direct instruction and indirect instruction. When describing an instruction as being used to instruct A, it can include whether the instruction directly instructs A or indirectly instructs A, but does not necessarily mean that the instruction carries A.

[0098] The indication methods involved in the embodiments of this application should be understood to cover various methods that enable the party to be indicated to obtain the information to be indicated. The information to be indicated can be sent as a whole or divided into multiple sub-information and sent separately. Moreover, the sending period and / or sending time of these sub-information can be the same or different. This application does not limit the sending method, for example.

[0099] The "instruction information" in the embodiments of this application can be an explicit instruction, that is, a direct instruction through signaling, or an instruction obtained by combining other rules or parameters with the parameters indicated by the signaling, or by deduction. It can also be an implicit instruction, that is, an instruction obtained based on rules or relationships, or based on other parameters, or by deduction. This application does not specifically limit it in this regard.

[0100] (5) In this application, "protocol" may refer to a standard protocol in the field of communications, for example, it may include (5) th This application does not limit the scope of protocols such as generation (5G), new radio (NR), and related protocols applied in future communication systems. "Predefined" may include predefined terms, such as protocol definitions. "Preconfiguration" can be achieved by pre-storing corresponding codes, tables, or other means that can be used to indicate relevant information in the device; this application does not limit the implementation method.

[0101] (6) In this application, “message”, “information”, “signal” or “information element (IE)” can be used interchangeably. There are no restrictions on the name of the message or information, as long as it can achieve the corresponding function.

[0102] "Sending information to XX (device)" can be understood as the destination of the information being that device. This can include sending information to that device directly or indirectly. "Receiving information from XX (device), or receiving information from XX (device)" can be understood as the source of the information being that device. This can include receiving information from that device directly or indirectly. Information may undergo necessary processing between the source and destination, such as format changes, but the destination can understand the valid information from the source. Similar expressions in this application can be interpreted similarly, and will not be elaborated further here.

[0103] "Communication" can also be described as "communication," "information transmission," "data processing," etc. "Transmission" includes "sending" and "receiving." "Transmission" can be described as "output." "Sending" can also be understood as the "output" of a chip interface, and "receiving" can be understood as the "input" of a chip interface. In other words, "sending" or "receiving" can occur between devices, for example, between network devices and terminal devices via an air interface. "Sending" or "receiving" can also occur within a device, for example, between components, modules, chips, software modules, or hardware modules within a device via a bus, wiring, or interface.

[0104] (7) In this application, the words “exemplary,” “for example,” etc., are used to indicate examples, illustrations, or descriptions. Any embodiment or design described as an “example” in this application should not be construed as being more preferred or advantageous than other embodiments or designs. Specifically, the use of the word “example” is intended to present the concept in a concrete manner. In the embodiments of this application, “of,” “corresponding, relevant,” “corresponding,” and “associate” may sometimes be used interchangeably, and it should be noted that their intended meanings are consistent unless their distinctions are emphasized.

[0105] The following describes the communication system to which this application applies.

[0106] The technical solutions of this application can be applied to various communication systems, such as 5G or NR systems, Long Term Evolution (LTE) systems, LTE Frequency Division Duplex (FDD) systems, and LTE Time Division Duplex (TDD) systems. The technical solutions of this application can also be applied to device-to-device (D2D) communication, vehicle-to-everything (V2X) communication, machine-to-machine (M2M) communication, machine-type communication (MTC), and Internet of Things (IoT) communication systems or other communication systems. The technical solutions of this application can also be applied to non-terrestrial network (NTN) systems such as inter-satellite communication and satellite communication. As an example, a satellite communication system includes a satellite base station and terminal equipment. The satellite base station provides communication services to the terminal equipment. The satellite base station can also communicate with ground base stations. The satellite can act as a base station or as a terminal equipment. Among them, satellites can refer to drones, hot air balloons, low-orbit satellites, medium-orbit satellites, high-orbit satellites, etc., or non-ground base stations or non-ground equipment, etc.

[0107] In a communication system, a device can send signals to or receive signals from another device. These signals can include information, signaling, or data. The device can also be replaced by an entity, network entity, network element, communication equipment, communication module, node, communication node, etc.; this application uses a device as an example for description. For instance, a communication system can include at least one terminal device and at least one network device. The network device can send downlink signals to the terminal device, and / or the terminal device can send uplink signals to the network device.

[0108] Figure 1 is a schematic diagram of a communication system applicable to an embodiment of this application. As shown in Figure 1, the communication system 10 includes a radio access network (RAN) 100 and a core network (CN) 200. RAN 100 includes at least one RAN node (110a and 110b in Figure 1, collectively referred to as 110) and at least one terminal (120a-120j in Figure 1, collectively referred to as 120). RAN 100 may also include other RAN nodes, such as wireless relay devices and / or wireless backhaul devices (not shown in Figure 1). Terminal 120 is wirelessly connected to RAN node 110. RAN node 110 is wirelessly or wired connected to core network 200. The core network devices in core network 200 and RAN node 110 in RAN 100 can be different physical devices, or they can be the same physical device integrating core network logical functions and radio access network logical functions.

[0109] RAN 100 can be a cellular system related to the 3rd Generation Partnership Project (3GPP), such as a 4G mobile communication system, a 5G mobile communication system, or a future-oriented evolution system. RAN 100 can also be an open access network (O-RAN or ORAN), a cloud radio access network (CRAN), or a wireless fidelity (WiFi) system. RAN 100 can also be a communication system that integrates two or more of the above systems.

[0110] RAN node 110, sometimes also referred to as access network equipment, RAN entity, or access node, constitutes part of the communication system and is used to help terminals achieve wireless access. Multiple RAN nodes 110 in communication system 10 can be of the same type or different types. In some scenarios, the roles of RAN node 110 and terminal 120 are relative. For example, network element 120i in Figure 1 can be a helicopter or drone, which can be configured as a mobile base station. For terminals 120j accessing RAN 100 through network element 120i, network element 120i is a base station; but for base station 110a, network element 120i is a terminal. RAN node 110 and terminal 120 are sometimes both referred to as communication devices. For example, network elements 110a and 110b in Figure 1 can be understood as communication devices with base station functions, and network elements 120a-120j can be understood as communication devices with terminal functions.

[0111] In one possible scenario, a RAN node can be a base station, an evolved NodeB (eNodeB), an access point (AP), a transmission reception point (TRP), a next-generation NodeB (gNB), a base station in a future mobile communication system, or an access node in a WiFi system. A RAN node can be a macro base station (as shown in Figure 1, 110a), a micro base station or indoor station (as shown in Figure 1, 110b), a relay node or donor node, or a radio controller in a CRAN scenario. Optionally, a RAN node can also be a server, wearable device, vehicle, or in-vehicle equipment. For example, the access network equipment in vehicle-to-everything (V2X) technology can be a roadside unit (RSU).

[0112] In another possible scenario, multiple RAN nodes collaborate to assist the terminal in achieving wireless access, with different RAN nodes each implementing some of the base station's functions. For example, RAN nodes can be CUs, DUs, CUs (control plane, CP), CUs (user plane, UP), or radio units (RUs). CUs and DUs can be set up separately or included in the same network element, such as a baseband unit (BBU). RUs can be included in radio frequency equipment or radio frequency units, such as remote radio units (RRUs), active antenna units (AAUs), or remote radio heads (RRHs).

[0113] In different systems, CU (including open CU-CP (O-CU-CP) and open CU-UP (O-CU-UP), DU, or RU may have different names, but those skilled in the art will understand their meaning. For example, in an ORAN system, CU can also be called an open central unit (O-CU), DU can also be called an open distributed unit (O-DU), CU-CP can also be called O-CU-CP, CU-UP can also be called O-CU-UP, and RU can also be called O-RU. For ease of description, this application uses CU, CU-CP, CU-UP, DU, and RU as examples. Any of the units among CU (or CU-CP, CU-UP), DU, and RU in this application can be implemented through software modules, hardware modules, or a combination of software and hardware modules.

[0114] Terminal 120 can be a device or module that accesses the aforementioned communication system and has corresponding communication functions. A terminal can also be referred to as user equipment (UE), terminal, user device, access terminal, user unit, user station, mobile station, mobile station (MS), remote station, remote terminal, mobile device, user terminal, terminal unit, terminal station, terminal device, wireless communication equipment, user agent, or user device. A terminal typically contains a communication module, circuit, or chip that performs the corresponding communication functions. The terminal may also be configured with program instructions for performing these communication functions.

[0115] For example, the terminal in this application embodiment can be a mobile phone, a personal digital assistant (PDA) computer, a laptop computer, a tablet computer, a drone, a computer with wireless transceiver capabilities, a machine type communication (MTC) terminal, a virtual reality (VR) terminal, an augmented reality (AR) terminal, an Internet of Things (IoT) terminal, a wireless terminal in industrial control, a wireless terminal in self-driving, a wireless terminal in remote medical care, a wireless terminal in a smart grid, a wireless terminal in transportation safety, a wireless terminal in a smart city, a wireless terminal in a smart home (e.g., game consoles, smart TVs, smart speakers, smart refrigerators, and fitness equipment), a transport vehicle with wireless communication capabilities, a communication module, or a roadside unit (RSU) with terminal capabilities.

[0116] RAN 100 and terminal 120 can be deployed on land, including indoors or outdoors, handheld or vehicle-mounted; they can also be deployed on water; and they can also be deployed in the air on aircraft, balloons, and satellites. The embodiments of this application do not limit the scenarios in which RAN 100 and terminal 120 are located.

[0117] CN 200 can be a 5G core network, an evolved 5G core network, or the core network of a future mobile communication system. Taking a 5G core network as an example, CN 200 includes access and mobility management (AMF) network elements responsible for mobility management and access management services; session management (SMF) network elements responsible for session management; user plane (UPF) network elements responsible for user plane packet routing and forwarding and quality of service (QoS) control; and policy control (PCF) network elements. These core network elements can work independently or be combined to implement certain control functions. For example, AMF, SMF, and PCF can be combined into a single core network device.

[0118] It should be understood that the above naming is defined solely for the purpose of distinguishing different functions and should not constitute any limitation on this application. This application does not preclude the possibility of using other naming conventions in 5G networks and other future networks. For example, in future networks, some or all of the above-mentioned network elements may use the terminology from 5G, or they may use other names, etc.

[0119] It is understood that Figure 1 is merely an example and does not constitute a limitation on the scope of protection of this application. The communication method provided in the embodiments of this application may also involve devices not shown in Figure 1, such as wireless relay devices and / or wireless backhaul devices, etc. Of course, the communication method provided in the embodiments of this application may also include only some of the devices shown in Figure 1.

[0120] To facilitate understanding of the embodiments of this application, some terms involved in this application will be briefly explained.

[0121] 1. Signal: A signal is a symbol, data, or message transmitted through a medium (such as electromagnetic waves, light waves, sound waves, etc.). A signal can be decoded and understood by the receiving end. Signals can be analog signals or digital signals, etc.

[0122] As an example, the signal is a reference signal (RS). A reference signal, also known as a pilot, reference sequence, or reference signal, is a known signal. For instance, a reference signal can be provided by a transmitting device to a receiving device for channel estimation, channel sounding, or data demodulation.

[0123] In this application, the RS involved can be any of the following: channel state information reference signal (CSI-RS), sounding reference signal (SRS), demodulation reference signal (DMRS), phase track reference signal (PT-RS), cell reference signal (CRS), etc.

[0124] The reference signals in the embodiments of this application are mainly used for channel measurement. The reference signals listed above are merely examples and should not be construed as limiting this application in any way. This application does not preclude the possibility of defining other reference signals in future protocols to achieve the same or similar functions.

[0125] 2. Channel information: This refers to information that reflects the characteristics and quality of the channel.

[0126] As an example, channel information includes at least one of the following: channel state information (CSI), channel time-varying information, or channel frequency offset information. The following explanation primarily uses CSI as an example of channel information; however, it is understood that any information reflecting channel characteristics and channel quality is applicable to the embodiments of this application.

[0127] As an example, CSI includes at least one of the following: channel quality indication (CQI), precoding matrix indicator (PMI), rank indicator (RI), CSI-RS resource indicator (CRI), layer indicator (LI), reference signal receiving power (RSRP), or signal to interference plus noise ratio (SINR). The signal to interference plus noise ratio can also be called the signal-to-interference-plus-noise ratio (SINR).

[0128] A specific application scenario is illustrated below: In FDD communication, since uplink and downlink channels lack reciprocity or cannot guarantee reciprocity, network devices typically send CSI-RS to terminal devices. The terminal device estimates (or measures) the downlink channel traversed by the received CSI-RS. Based on this measurement, the terminal device obtains the downlink channel matrix, generates the CSI, and feeds it back to the network device. The network device can then use this CSI to determine the resources, modulation and coding scheme (MCS), and precoding configurations for scheduling the downlink data channels of the terminal device.

[0129] 3. Beam: Represents a communication resource; different beams can be considered different resources. The same information or different information can be transmitted through different beams.

[0130] In the NR protocol, beams can be represented as spatial domain filters, or spatial filters or spatial parameters. The beam used to transmit signals can be called the transmission beam (Tx beam), and the beam used to receive signals can be called the reception beam (Rx beam).

[0131] Furthermore, the beam can be a wide beam, a narrow beam, or other types of beam. The beamforming technology can be beamforming technology or other technologies. Specifically, beamforming technology can be digital beamforming technology, analog beamforming technology, or hybrid digital / analog beamforming technology, etc.

[0132] A beam can correspond to one or more antenna ports, used for transmitting data channels, control channels, and detection signals. The one or more antenna ports corresponding to a beam can also be regarded as a set of antenna ports.

[0133] Specifically, the transmitting end can precode one or more signals based on one or more predefined beam vectors and then transmit the precoded signals. The precoded signals have a certain directionality. Therefore, the precoded signal transmitted by the transmitting end through one port can be understood as a beam in a specific direction. The transmit beam can refer to the signal strength distribution formed in different directions in space after the signal is transmitted through the antenna, and the receive beam can refer to the signal strength distribution in different directions in space of the wireless signal received from the antenna.

[0134] 4. Time-domain unit and frequency-domain unit: Data or information can be carried through time-frequency resources.

[0135] In the time domain, time-domain resources can include one or more time-domain units (or time units). Time-domain units can include radio frames (RF), subframes, frames, half-subframes, half-frames, slots, mini-slots, partial slots, or orthogonal frequency division multiplexing (OFDM) symbols, etc.

[0136] In the frequency domain, frequency domain resources can include one or more frequency domain units. Frequency domain units can include subcarriers, component carriers (CCs), resource elements (REs), resource blocks (RBs), subchannels, resource pools, bandwidth, bandwidth parts (BWPs), channels, or an interlaced RB, etc.

[0137] 5. Port: A port, also known as an antenna port, can include transmit ports and receive ports. An antenna port is a logical concept; one antenna port can correspond to one physical transmit antenna or multiple physical transmit antennas. In both cases, the terminal's receiver will not decompose signals from the same antenna port. From the terminal's perspective, regardless of whether the channel is formed by a single physical transmit antenna or by combining multiple physical transmit antennas, the reference signal (RS) corresponding to this antenna port defines it. For example, the antenna port corresponding to the demodulation reference signal (DMRS) is the DMRS port. The terminal can obtain the channel estimate for the corresponding antenna port based on the reference signal. Each antenna port corresponds to a time / frequency resource grid and has its own independent reference signal. One antenna port is one channel, and the terminal performs channel estimation and data demodulation based on the reference signal corresponding to that antenna port.

[0138] Optionally, a port refers to a port after beamforming and / or phase rotation.

[0139] An antenna port is typically associated with a reference signal, and its significance can be understood as a transmit / receive interface on the channel through which the reference signal passes. In low-frequency systems, one antenna port may correspond to one or more antenna elements that jointly transmit the reference signal; the receiver can treat them as a whole without distinguishing between individual elements. In high-frequency systems, an antenna port may correspond to a beam; similarly, the receiver only needs to treat this beam as an interface and does not need to differentiate between individual elements.

[0140] In this embodiment, an antenna port can also be referred to as a port, and a set of multiple antenna ports can be referred to as a port group. For example, multiple digital ports of a base station can be grouped to form multiple port groups. As another example, a port group can be multiple digital ports corresponding to the same analog beam, simply referred to as a port group or a digital-to-analog port group; or, a port group can be a set of digital ports corresponding to multiple analog beams, simply referred to as a port group or a digital-to-analog port group. Alternatively, multiple digital ports of the same analog beam can be divided into multiple subsets, each subset being called a port group or a digital-to-analog port group.

[0141] The above description of the terminology is for ease of understanding only and does not limit the scope of protection of the embodiments of this application.

[0142] MIMO is a commonly used data transmission mode in wireless communication, enabling multiple different data streams to be transmitted simultaneously over the air interface. To achieve efficient MIMO transmission, network devices need to calculate a precoding matrix that matches the air interface channel. As an example, terminal devices can measure the downlink channel, perform corresponding calculations and compression, and then report the processed channel state information. The network device then reconstructs the precoding matrix based on the received channel state information. However, this approach consumes significant air interface resources, especially with future large-scale antenna array configurations where terminal devices require substantial time-frequency resources to map pilot information when acquiring downlink channel information. Furthermore, with a large number of terminal devices in the network, the resource overhead of CSI-RS becomes even greater, leading to a decrease in network throughput.

[0143] In view of this, this application provides a communication method and apparatus that introduces multipath information to obtain resources for carrying reference signals, thereby converting the channel from the transmit antenna array dimension to the multipath dimension, in order to reduce resource overhead and improve transmission performance.

[0144] The communication method provided by the embodiments of this application will be described in detail below with reference to the accompanying drawings, and can be applied to the communication system shown in Figure 1 above. It should be understood that the embodiments of this application can be applied to scenarios where the sending end and the receiving end communicate.

[0145] It should also be understood that the embodiments shown below do not specifically limit the structure of the execution subject of the method provided in the embodiments of this application, as long as it is possible to communicate according to the method provided in the embodiments of this application by running the code or program that records the method provided in the embodiments of this application. For example, the method provided in the embodiments of this application can be executed by a first device and a second device. Unless otherwise specified, the "first device" in this application can refer to a communication device (e.g., a terminal device), or a component in the communication device (e.g., a communication module, processor, circuit, chip (such as a modem chip, also known as a baseband chip, or a SoC chip or SIP chip containing a modem core), or a chip system, etc.), or it can be a logic module or software that can implement all or part of the functions of the communication device. The "second device" in this application can refer to a communication device (e.g., a network device), or a component in the communication device (e.g., a communication module, processor, circuit, chip, or chip system, etc.), or it can be a logic module or software that can implement all or part of the functions of the communication device. For ease of description and understanding, this application uses the first device as a terminal device and the second device as a network device as an example for illustration.

[0146] Figure 2 is a flowchart illustrating a communication method provided in an embodiment of this application. As shown in Figure 2, the method 200 includes the following steps.

[0147] S210, the network device sends a first reference signal to the terminal device;

[0148] Correspondingly, the terminal device receives the first reference signal from the network device.

[0149] The first reference signal is carried on the first resource. As an example, the first reference signal may be a CSI RS. Optionally, the first resource may include time-domain resources and / or frequency-domain resources. For specific definitions, please refer to the preceding terminology explanation, which will not be repeated here.

[0150] In this application, the first resource is determined based on the first multipath information, or in other words, the first resource is associated with the first multipath information, or the first resource corresponds to the first multipath information. It is understood that the first reference signal (or pilot signal) transmitted on the first resource, after being beamformed by the antenna array on the network side, corresponds to one or more paths in the multipath indicated by the first multipath information after each reference signal port (or resource port, RS port, etc.). That is, one piece of multipath information corresponds to one or more paths in the multipath, each path in the multipath corresponds to one reference signal port, and the channel corresponding to one reference signal port is used to transmit one reference signal, such as CSI-RS. A reference signal can support the mapping of frequency domain resources with a minimum RB granularity, or the mapping of time domain resources with a minimum symbol (or time slot) granularity, and can also support cross-symbol (or cross-time slot) resource mapping.

[0151] Optionally, multipath information can be replaced with: multipath information, environmental multipath information, environmental multipath information, or channel information in the environment, etc. It is understandable that multiple multipaths can exist between two points. This is because the signal at the transmitting end is reflected, diffracted, or scattered by buildings during transmission, which may result in different receiving ends receiving electromagnetic waves with different amplitudes, phases, or arrival times.

[0152] Optionally, the multipath information includes at least one of the following: the angle of the multipath (or the angle corresponding to the multipath), the delay of the multipath (or the delay corresponding to the multipath), power, polarization, or Doppler information. The angle may include at least one of the following: horizontal angle of arrival (AOA), horizontal angle of departure (AOD), vertical angle of arrival (ZOA), and vertical angle of departure (ZOD). AOA and ZOA refer to the horizontal and vertical angles of arrival of the signal reaching the receiving antenna via the wireless channel, respectively; AOD and ZOD refer to the horizontal and vertical angles of departure of the signal transmitted via the transmitting antenna, respectively. In this application, each angle can be represented by an angle vector, and each delay can be represented by a delay vector. In other words, an angle vector can represent an angle, and a delay vector can represent a delay.

[0153] Optionally, this application does not limit the number of first multipath information entries. For example, there may be M first multipath information entries, where M is an integer greater than or equal to 1. For instance, assuming there are M = 30 first multipath information entries, there are 30 corresponding multipaths, which in turn correspond to 30 reference signal ports. These 30 reference signal ports can be flexibly mapped on the first resource. In other words, the 30 first reference signals transmitted through these 30 reference signal ports are carried on the first resource.

[0154] Optionally, this application does not limit the number of times or the method of transmitting the first signal. For example, the first reference signal may be transmitted once or multiple times; or, the first reference signal may be transmitted periodically or aperiodically.

[0155] Optionally, this application does not limit the number of terminal devices. For example, there may be one terminal device (e.g., UE1) or multiple terminal devices (e.g., UE1, UE2, and UE3).

[0156] Optionally, before the network device sends the first reference signal to the terminal device, the network device determines the first resource. That is, before performing the above step S210, the method 200 may further include the following steps S201 and S202.

[0157] S201, the network device obtains the first multipath information.

[0158] Optionally, the first multipath information can come from multiple sources, including but not limited to the following implementation methods.

[0159] In one implementation, the first multipath information can originate from a sensing system or a sensing signal. For example, a network device can scan the environment using a sensing system to acquire information about potential targets, such as at least one of the following: the target's departure angle, latency, angle of arrival, or power. Here, the target in the sensing system can refer to the sensed object. Typically, information about one target corresponds to one piece of multipath information. Therefore, in the sensing system, the network device can determine the first multipath information by acquiring the target information.

[0160] In another implementation, the first multipath information can come from historical channel data. For example, historical channel samples can be obtained through measurements by network devices and / or reports from terminal devices, and potential first multipath information can be extracted from these historical channel samples, such as at least one of the following: multipath departure angle, angle of arrival, delay, or power.

[0161] In another implementation, the first multipath information can come from the network device's channel estimation of the reference signal. For example, the network device can measure the uplink channel based on the uplink reference signal, such as SRS, and estimate the downlink channel based on the uplink channel, thereby determining the angle (i.e., angle vector) and delay (i.e., delay vector) used for downlink transmission (such as reference signal transmission), and thus determine the first multipath information.

[0162] S202, the network device determines the first resource based on the first multipath information.

[0163] In one implementation, assuming there are M first multipath information entries, the network device can generate a weighted matrix based on these M entries. This weighted matrix is ​​used to map the transmit antenna array to the M multipaths; in other words, it transforms the channel from the transmit antenna array dimension to the multipath dimension. The network device can then map the multipaths to reference signal ports. Typically, each reference signal port corresponds to one path in the multipath. The time-frequency domain resources flexibly mapped to the reference signal ports corresponding to each path constitute the first resource.

[0164] Optionally, the specific representation of the weighted matrix may include, but is not limited to, the following examples.

[0165] In one example, the network device is based on M first multipath information vectors E k This generates a weighted matrix on each resource block (RB) corresponding to the first reference signal. In other words, a weighted matrix is ​​generated for each RB. The weighted matrix on the RB with index (or sequence number) d can be represented as: k = 1, ..., M, where M is the number of multipaths, E k The dimension is the number of physical antennas of the network device × 1. The phase difference of the target or multipath k in the channels of adjacent RBs. Optionally, each multipath information vector may include at least one of the following: departure angle, arrival angle, time delay, or Doppler frequency offset, etc.

[0166] In another example, the network device generates W on each RB based on the example above. d As the initial weighting matrix. Further, the network device assigns the initial weighting matrix W to each RB. d Perform eigenvector decomposition to obtain the eigenvector V corresponding to each RB. d The feature vector V d As a weighted matrix for each RB.

[0167] Based on this, network devices can use the weighting matrix W d or V dThe first reference signal is weighted so that each reference signal port is mapped to one of the multipath paths, and the weighted first reference signal is transmitted. That is, the first reference signal in step S210 above is the reference signal after being weighted by the weighting matrix. This implementation method makes resource overhead not limited by the number of antenna arrays, and transforms the channel from the transmit antenna array dimension to the multipath dimension, which can reduce resource overhead and improve transmission throughput.

[0168] In step S210 above, the network device sends a first reference signal to the terminal device, including but not limited to the following implementation methods.

[0169] In one implementation, the network device sends a first reference signal to the terminal device through a first reference signal port, and correspondingly, the terminal device receives the first reference signal from the network device through the first reference signal port.

[0170] In this application, the reference signal port can be replaced with: the port corresponding to the reference signal, or the port corresponding to the reference signal. This can be understood as: transmitting the reference signal through this port, or transmitting the reference signal through the channel corresponding to this port. For example, when the reference signal is CSI RS, the reference signal port can be called: the CSI-RS port, or the CSI-RS port, etc. The terminal device can obtain the channel estimate of the corresponding port based on the measured reference signal.

[0171] Optionally, this application does not limit the number of first reference signal ports, and there can be one or more. For ease of description, in the embodiments of this application, port is abbreviated as p, or p can be used instead of port, and the following examples will not be repeated. For example, assuming there are 30 reference signal ports, the corresponding numbers can be represented as p0-p29.

[0172] Optionally, before the terminal device receives the first reference signal from the network device through the first reference signal port, the terminal device may obtain configuration information, that is, the method 200 may further include the following step S203.

[0173] S203, the terminal device obtains configuration information.

[0174] In scenario one, the configuration information is used to indicate the mapping relationship between multiple reference signal ports and the second resource. The multiple reference signal ports correspond one-to-one with multiple reference signals. The multiple reference signal ports include the first reference signal port, and the multiple reference signals include the first reference signal.

[0175] In this application, the second resource includes time-domain resources and / or frequency-domain resources, the specific definitions of which can be found in the preceding terminology explanations and will not be repeated here. The first resource is a subset of the second resource, or in other words, the second resource includes the first resource. This can be understood as the second resource being identical to the first resource, i.e., having the same time-domain resources and / or the same frequency-domain resources; or, the second resource may include other resources besides the first resource, such as a third resource, which includes time-domain resources and / or frequency-domain resources. This application does not limit the scope of this definition.

[0176] In one example, the configuration information may be configured or indicated by a network device. For instance, the network device sends configuration information to a terminal device, and the terminal device receives the configuration information from the network device.

[0177] Optionally, the configuration information can be sent via broadcast or multicast, and correspondingly, one or more terminal devices (e.g., UE1, UE2, and UE3) can obtain the mapping relationship between multiple reference signal ports and the second resource; or, the configuration information can also be sent to the terminal device (e.g., UE1) via unicast, which is not limited in this application.

[0178] Optionally, the configuration information may be carried in a first signaling message, which may be a radio resource control (RRC) message, downlink control information (DCI) message, or a system information block (SIB).

[0179] In another example, the configuration information can be predefined or preconfigured according to a protocol. Predefined information can include predefined protocols, while preconfiguration can be achieved by pre-storing corresponding code, tables, functions, text, strings, or other means that can be used to indicate relevant information (such as configuration information) in network devices and / or terminal devices. This application does not limit the specific implementation method.

[0180] The following examples, in conjunction with Figures 3 and 4, illustrate the fields included in the above configuration information and their specific meanings.

[0181] In one example, the configuration information includes information about multiple reference signal ports and information about a second resource.

[0182] The information for the multiple reference signal ports may include: the total number of the multiple reference signal ports, and / or, the index or identity (ID) of the multiple reference signal ports. The information for the second resource may include at least one of the following: the starting RB ID of the multiple reference signal ports in the second resource, the starting subcarrier ID of the multiple reference signal ports in the second resource, the starting symbol or starting time slot of the multiple reference signal ports in the second resource, the number and index of the RBs corresponding to the multiple reference signal ports, the number and index of the time slots (or symbols) corresponding to the multiple reference signal ports, the index of the repeated transmission symbol or time slot, the ID of the repeated transmission subcarrier, and the index of the repeated transmission RB.

[0183] Optionally, the information of multiple reference signal ports, or the information of the second resource, can be presented in the form of a set or group, and this application does not limit this. For example, the index of multiple reference signal ports can be {p0, p1, p2, p3, p4}, the index of the RB for repeated transmission can be {RB0, RB1, RB2}, and the symbol index corresponding to multiple reference signal ports can be {symbol 1, symbol 2, symbol 3}.

[0184] Figures 3 and 4 are schematic diagrams illustrating the mapping relationship between multiple reference signal ports and the second resource provided in the embodiments of this application. The horizontal axis represents the time domain, and the vertical axis represents the frequency domain. As shown in Figures 3(a) and 3(c), the time domain resource of the second resource includes one time slot, such as time slot 0, which includes 14 OFDM symbols, such as symbols 0 to 13. The frequency domain resource of the second resource includes one RB, such as RB k, which includes 12 subcarriers, such as subcarrier 0 to subcarrier 11. As shown in Figures 3(b) and 4(d), the time domain resource of the second resource includes one time slot, such as time slot 0, which includes 14 OFDM symbols, such as symbols 0 to 13. The frequency domain resource of the second resource includes two RBs, such as RB k and RB k+1, each RB including 12 subcarriers, such as subcarrier 0 to subcarrier 11. As shown in Figures 4(e) and 4(f), the time-domain resources of the second resource include two time slots, such as time slot 1 and time slot 2, each time slot including 14 OFDM symbols, such as symbols 0 to 13. The frequency-domain resources of the second resource include one RB, such as RB k, including 12 subcarriers, such as subcarriers 0 to 11. It can be understood that one subcarrier and one symbol correspond to one RE, and each reference signal port is mapped to one RE.

[0185] The following examples, in conjunction with Figures 3 and 4, illustrate the information on the multiple reference signal ports and the second resource carried in the above configuration information.

[0186] (1) The total number of multiple reference signal ports, and / or the index or identifier of multiple reference signal ports;

[0187] This refers to the total number of reference signal ports configured on the network device and their indices. For example, the 30 reference signal ports shown in Figures 3 and 4 have indices from p0 to p29.

[0188] (2) The starting RB ID of multiple reference signal ports in the second resource;

[0189] This refers to the starting RB used to identify the frequency domain resources to which multiple reference signal ports are mapped to the second resource, indicating that the multiple reference signal ports are mapped starting from the starting RB in the frequency domain. For example, RB k indicates that the multiple reference signal ports are mapped starting from RB k in the frequency domain, and further mapped to RB k+1. For example, in Figure 3(a), Figure 3(c), Figure 4(e), and Figure 4(f), p0-p29 are mapped to RB k, and in Figure 3(b) and Figure 4(d), p0-p29 are mapped to RB k and RB k+1 respectively.

[0190] (3) The starting subcarrier IDs of multiple reference signal ports in the second resource;

[0191] This refers to the starting subcarrier used to identify the frequency domain resources to which multiple reference signal ports are mapped to the second resource, indicating that the multiple reference signal ports are mapped starting from the starting subcarrier in the frequency domain. For example, subcarrier 11 indicates that the multiple reference signal ports are mapped starting from subcarrier 11 in the frequency domain. For example, p0 shown in Figures 3 and 4 is mapped from subcarrier 11 to...

[0192] (4) Multiple reference signal ports in the second resource are the starting symbols or starting time slots;

[0193] This refers to the starting symbol or starting time slot used to identify the time-domain resources to which multiple reference signal ports are mapped to the second resource, indicating that the multiple reference signal ports are mapped in the time domain starting from the starting time slot and / or the starting symbol. For example, in Figure 3(a) and Figure 3(b), the starting time slot is time slot 0 and the starting symbol is symbol 4; in Figure 3(c) and Figure 4(d), the starting time slot is time slot 0 and the starting symbols are symbol 4 and symbol 11; in Figure 4(e) and Figure 4(f), the starting time slot is time slot 1 and the starting symbol is symbol 4.

[0194] (5) The number and index of RBs corresponding to multiple reference signal ports;

[0195] This refers to the number of Reference Signal Ports (RBs) and their indices corresponding to the multiple reference signal ports configured in the network device, or the number of RBs and their indices that are continuously occupied by multiple reference signal ports. For example, one RB in Figure 3(a), Figure 3(c), Figure 4(e), and Figure 4(f) is RB k; and two RBs in Figure 3(b) and Figure 4(d) are RB k and RB k+1, respectively.

[0196] (6) The number and index of time slots or symbols corresponding to multiple reference signal ports;

[0197] This refers to the number of time slots or symbols corresponding to multiple reference signal ports configured in the network device, and their indices; or, the number of time slots or symbols occupied by multiple reference signal ports and their indices. For example, in Figure 3(a), there is 1 time slot and 3 symbols, i.e., time slot 0 and symbols 4 to 6; in Figure 3(b), there is 1 time slot and 2 symbols, i.e., time slot 0, symbol 4 and symbol 5; in Figure 3(c), there is 1 time slot and 6 symbols, i.e., time slot 0, symbols 4 to 6, and symbols 11 to 13; in Figure 4(d), there is 1 time slot and 4 symbols, i.e., time slot 0, symbol 4 and symbol 5, and symbols 11 and 12; in Figure 4(e), there are 2 time slots and 6 symbols, i.e., time slot 1, time slot 2, and symbols 4 to 6; in Figure 4(f), there are 2 time slots and 12 symbols, i.e., time slot 1, time slot 2, symbols 4 to 6, and symbols 11 to 13.

[0198] (7) The symbol or time slot index for repeated transmissions;

[0199] This refers to the time slots or symbols used to identify the repeated transmission of multiple reference signal ports, or in other words, the symbols or time slots repeatedly mapped (or occupied, or transmitted) by multiple reference signal ports. Figures 3(a) and 3(b) do not involve repeated transmission of time slots or symbols. In Figure 3(c), symbols 4 to 6 and symbols 11 to 13 can be considered as two transmissions (one of which is a repeated transmission), meaning that multiple reference signal ports are repeatedly mapped on symbols 4 to 6 and symbols 11 to 13 in time slot 0; in Figure 4(d), symbols 4 and 5, and symbols 11 and 12 can be considered as two transmissions (one of which is a repeated transmission), meaning that multiple reference signal ports are repeatedly mapped on symbols 4 and 5 in time slot 0, and symbols 11 and 12; In Figure 4(e), time slot 1 and time slot 2 can be regarded as two transmissions (one of which is a repeated transmission), that is, multiple reference signal ports are repeatedly mapped on time slot 1 and time slot 2; in Figure 4(f), symbols 4 to 6 and symbols 11 to 13 in each time slot can be regarded as two transmissions (one of which is a repeated transmission), that is, time slot 1 and time slot 2 can be regarded as four repeated transmissions, that is, multiple reference signal ports are repeatedly mapped on symbols 4 to 6 and symbols 11 to 13 in time slot 1 and time slot 2 respectively.

[0200] (8) RB index for repeated transmissions;

[0201] This refers to the RBs used to identify multiple reference signal ports that are repeatedly corresponding to each other, or in other words, the RBs repeatedly carried (or occupied) by multiple reference signals transmitted through multiple reference signal ports. Figures 3(a), 3(c), 4(e), and 4(f) do not involve RBs that are repeatedly transmitted. In Figures 3(b) and 4(d), RB k and RB k+1 can be considered as two transmissions (one of which is a repeated transmission), meaning that multiple reference signal ports are repeatedly mapped onto RB k and RB k+1 in sequence.

[0202] In another example, the configuration information includes information on multiple reference signal ports, information on secondary resources, and channel quality thresholds.

[0203] The specific interpretations of the information of multiple reference signal ports and the information of the second resource can be found in the relevant descriptions of parameters (1) to (8) above. For the sake of brevity, they will not be repeated here. In this application, the channel quality threshold is used to determine the reference signal port to be measured by the terminal device. The channel quality threshold can also be replaced by: signal quality metric, or channel quality metric and threshold, etc. Optionally, the channel quality threshold can be predefined or preconfigured, or it can be determined by the network device based on prior information. In general, the channel quality can be characterized by the values ​​of RSRP and / or CQI. For example, assuming the channel quality threshold is RSRP = A, if the value B of RSRP corresponding to the reference signal port p0 is greater than (or greater than or equal to) A, the channel quality corresponding to p0 can be considered to be good. Conversely, if the value B of RSRP corresponding to the reference signal port p0 is less than (or less than or equal to) A, the channel quality corresponding to p0 can be considered to be poor.

[0204] Optionally, the channel quality threshold can also be predefined or preconfigured, and this application does not limit this.

[0205] Figures 3 and 4 above are merely examples for ease of understanding, and other solutions are not excluded. For example, multiple reference signal ports can also be mapped to multiple RBs simultaneously across time slots, with similar implementation methods, which will not be elaborated here. Optionally, this application does not limit the size and representation of the time-domain and / or frequency-domain resources of the second resource. For example, the time domain may also include time slot 3 or time slot 4, and the frequency-domain resources may also include RB k+2 or RB k+3. Optionally, this application does not limit the number of multiple reference signal ports or the specific locations where the multiple reference signal ports are mapped onto the second resource.

[0206] Based on the configuration information obtained in step S203 above, the terminal device can determine the mapping relationship between multiple reference signal ports and the second resource. For example, the terminal device can receive the first reference signal on the time-frequency resource corresponding to the shaded part in Figures 3 and 4.

[0207] In the second scenario, this configuration information can also be used to indicate the mapping relationship between the first reference signal port and the first resource.

[0208] In other words, network devices can configure the information of the first reference signal port and the first resource associated with the terminal device (such as UE1) without sending the information of unrelated reference signal ports and / or time-frequency domain resources to the terminal device (such as UE1). Compared with the above method of indicating the mapping relationship between multiple reference signal ports and second resources through configuration information, this implementation can reduce signaling overhead and resource overhead and improve transmission performance.

[0209] Here, the associated or related first reference signal port can be understood as follows: this first reference signal port can directly or indirectly affect the communication quality between the network device and the terminal device; or, compared to other reference signal ports, this first reference signal port has a greater impact on the communication quality between the network device and the terminal device. It can also be understood as follows: the first reference signal (or pilot signal) transmitted by this first reference signal port, after being beamformed by the antenna array on the network side, reaches the terminal device with a higher signal strength via the multipath indicated by the corresponding first multipath information, while the pilot signals transmitted by other reference signal ports (i.e., non-first reference signal ports) reach the terminal device with a lower signal strength.

[0210] In one example, the configuration information may include information about a first reference signal port and information about a first resource. For example, the information about the first reference signal port may include the number or index of the first reference signal ports. The information about the first resource may include at least one of the following: the number or index of subcarriers or RBs occupied by the first reference signal, the number or index of time slots or symbols occupied by the first reference signal, the index of symbols or time slots repeatedly transmitted by the first reference signal, or the subcarrier ID or RB index repeatedly transmitted by the first reference signal.

[0211] Optionally, the information of the first reference signal port, or the information of the first resource, may be presented in the form of a set or group, and this application does not limit this. For example, the index of the first reference signal port may be {p0, p1, p2}, the index of the repeatedly transmitted RB may be {RB0, RB1}, and the symbol index corresponding to multiple reference signal ports may be {symbol 1, symbol 2}, etc.

[0212] Optionally, the information of the first reference signal port can be regarded as a subset of the information of multiple reference signal ports, and the information of the first resource can be regarded as a subset of the information of the second resource.

[0213] Below, referring to Figures 5 and 6, examples are provided illustrating the fields and their specific meanings included in the configuration information sent by the network device (e.g., BS) for different terminal devices (e.g., UE1 and UE2). The difference between Figure 6 and Figure 5 is that repeated transmission is configured in Figure 6.

[0214] Figure 5 is a schematic diagram of the mapping relationship between the first reference signal port and the first resource provided in the embodiments of this application. As shown in Figure 5, the horizontal axis represents the time domain and the vertical axis represents the frequency domain. For example, the time domain resource of the second resource includes one time slot, such as time slot 0, and 14 OFDM symbols, such as symbols 0 to 13. The frequency domain resource of the second resource includes one RB, such as RB 0, and 12 subcarriers, such as subcarriers 0 to 11. As shown in Figure 5(a), it can be understood that the network device transmits multiple reference signals through multiple reference signal ports (e.g., p0 to p29). The mapped time domain resource includes symbols 4 to 6 on time slot 0, the mapped starting time slot (or starting symbol) is time slot 0 (or symbol 4), the mapped frequency domain resource includes RB 0, and the mapped starting subcarrier is subcarrier 11. As shown in Figure 5(b), for UE1, the number of first reference signal ports is 10, with corresponding indices p0-p9; the number of subcarriers occupied by the first reference signal is 10, with corresponding indices subcarrier 2 to subcarrier 11; and the number of time slots (or symbols) occupied by the first reference signal is 1, with corresponding indices time slot 0 (or symbol 4). As shown in Figure 5(c), for UE2, the number of first reference signal ports is 11, with corresponding indices p12-p17, p21-p23, p26, and p27; the number of subcarriers occupied by the first reference signal is 9, with corresponding indices subcarrier 0 to subcarrier 2 and subcarrier 6 to subcarrier 11; the number of time slots occupied by the first reference signal is 1, with corresponding indices time slot 0; and the number of symbols occupied by the first reference signal is 2, with corresponding indices symbol 5 and symbol 6.

[0215] Figure 6 is a schematic diagram of the mapping relationship between the first reference signal port and the first resource provided in the embodiments of this application. As shown in Figure 6, the horizontal axis represents the time domain and the vertical axis represents the frequency domain. For example, the time domain resource of the second resource includes a time slot, such as time slot 0, and includes 14 OFDM symbols, such as symbols 0 to 13. The frequency domain resource of the second resource includes an RB, such as RB 0, and includes 12 subcarriers, such as subcarriers 0 to 11. As shown in Figure 6(a), it can be understood that the network device repeatedly transmits multiple reference signals through multiple reference signal ports (e.g., p0 to p29). The mapped time domain resource includes symbols 4 to 6 and symbols 11 to 13 on time slot 0, which can be regarded as two transmissions (one of which is a repeated transmission). The starting time slot (or starting symbol) of the mapping is time slot 0 (or symbol 4 or symbol 11), the mapped frequency domain resource includes RB 0, and the starting subcarrier of the mapping is subcarrier 11. As shown in Figure 6(b), for UE1, the number of first reference signal ports is 10, with corresponding indices p0-p9; the number of subcarriers occupied by the first reference signal is 10, with corresponding indices subcarrier 2 to subcarrier 11; the number of time slots occupied by the first reference signal is 1, with corresponding index time slot 0; and the number of symbols occupied by the first reference signal is 2, with corresponding indices symbol 4 and symbol 11. That is, UE1 is configured to repeat transmission. As shown in Figure 6(c), for UE2, the number of first reference signal ports is 11, with corresponding indices p12-p17, p21-p23, p26 and p27. The number of subcarriers occupied by the first reference signal is 9, with corresponding indices subcarrier 0 to subcarrier 2 and subcarrier 6 to subcarrier 11. The number of time slots occupied by the first reference signal is 1, with corresponding index time slot 0. The number of symbols occupied by the first reference signal is 2, with corresponding indices symbol 5 and symbol 6. That is, UE2 is not configured for repeated transmission.

[0216] Figures 5 and 6 above are merely examples for ease of understanding, and other solutions are not excluded. For example, the first reference signal port can also be mapped across time slots, and / or the first reference signal port can also be mapped to multiple consecutive RBs. The specific implementation methods are similar and will not be elaborated here.

[0217] Based on the above configuration information, in this embodiment of the application, the configuration information sent by the network device for different terminal devices may be the same or different. In other words, the reference signal ports associated with different terminal devices may be completely different, completely the same, or partially the same. This application does not limit this.

[0218] Optionally, when the above configuration information is used to indicate the mapping relationship between multiple reference signal ports and the second resource, the terminal device and the network device can determine the first reference signal port before the terminal device receives the first reference signal from the network device through the first reference signal port.

[0219] In one implementation, the terminal device autonomously determines the first reference signal port and notifies the network device. That is, the method 200 may also include the following steps S204 and S205.

[0220] S204, The terminal device determines the first reference signal port.

[0221] In one example, the terminal device can determine the first reference signal port based on the channel quality. For instance, the terminal device receives multiple reference signals through multiple reference signal ports (e.g., there are 30 reference signal ports, corresponding to indices p0-p29), and performs channel measurements on the multiple reference signals to determine the channel quality corresponding to the multiple reference signal ports.

[0222] Specifically, the channel quality corresponding to the first reference signal port (e.g., x ports, where x is an integer greater than or equal to 1 and less than or equal to 30) is greater than or equal to the channel quality corresponding to other reference signal ports (e.g., 30-x ports). Optionally, the channel quality corresponding to the first reference signal port is greater than or equal to a channel quality threshold. That is, the channel quality corresponding to other reference signal ports (e.g., 30-x ports) is less than or equal to the channel quality threshold.

[0223] For example, assuming there are 30 reference signal ports, the terminal device receives 30 reference signals through these 30 ports and performs channel measurement or channel estimation on these 30 reference signals to obtain 30 channel information. For a detailed explanation of the channel information, please refer to the previous terminology explanation; it will not be repeated here. Optionally, each channel information includes an RSRQ value. Assuming the channel quality threshold RSRQ = A, if there are 10 RSRQ values ​​greater than or equal to A, the terminal device can determine that the number of first reference signal ports x is 10, for example, the indices corresponding to these 10 first reference signal ports are p1-p10.

[0224] Optionally, the number x of the first reference signal ports can also be determined based on the capabilities of the terminal device (e.g., the bandwidth supported by the terminal device). For example, if the uplink bandwidth of the terminal device cannot meet the channel measurement and reporting requirements of the 10 first reference signal ports, the terminal device can select the number of first reference signal ports that it can support for measurement and reporting, such as x = 8, with the first reference signal ports corresponding to indices p1-p8. In this case, the channel information corresponding to the other two reference signal ports (indices p9-p10) whose channel quality is greater than or equal to the channel quality threshold does not need to be reported. Optionally, the channel quality corresponding to the reference signal ports with indices p9-p10 is less than or equal to the channel quality corresponding to the reference signal ports with indices p1-p8.

[0225] S205, the terminal device sends a first indication information to the network device, the first indication information indicating a first reference signal port;

[0226] Correspondingly, the network device receives the first instruction information from the terminal device.

[0227] For example, the first indication information indicates one or more of the following: the number or index of the first reference signal port, the number or index of the time domain resources corresponding to the first reference signal port, or the number or index of the frequency domain resources corresponding to the first reference signal port, as specifically defined and illustrated below.

[0228] (1) The number or index of the first reference signal ports;

[0229] This refers to the first reference signal port used to instruct the terminal device to perform channel measurement or channel estimation, such as p1-p10 or p1-p8 in step S204 above; for example, assuming the terminal device is UE1, as shown in Figure 5(b), the number of first reference signal ports is 10, and the corresponding indices are p0-p9; for another example, assuming the terminal device is UE2, as shown in Figure 6(c), the number of first reference signal ports is 11, and the corresponding indices are p12-p17, p21-p23, p26 and p27.

[0230] (2) Index of the time-domain resource corresponding to the first reference signal port;

[0231] The time-domain resources used to represent the mapping of the first reference signal port can be understood as at least one of the following: the number or index of symbols or time slots occupied by the first reference signal port, the number or index of the starting time slot or starting symbol corresponding to the first reference signal port, or the number or index of symbols (or time slots) repeatedly mapped by the first reference signal port. For example, assuming the terminal device is UE1, as shown in Figure 5(b), the index of the time-domain resources corresponding to the first reference signal port includes symbol 4 on time slot 0; as another example, assuming the terminal device is UE1, as shown in Figure 6(b), the index of the time-domain resources corresponding to the first reference signal port includes symbol 4 and symbol 11 on time slot 0, which can be regarded as configuring two transmissions (one of which is a repeated transmission).

[0232] (3) Index of the frequency domain resources corresponding to the first reference signal port;

[0233] The frequency domain resources used to represent the mapping of the first reference signal port can be understood as at least one of the following: the number or index of RBs or subcarriers occupied by the first reference signal port, the number or index of the starting RB or starting subcarrier corresponding to the first reference signal port, or the number or index of RBs (or subcarriers) repeatedly mapped by the first reference signal port. For example, assuming the terminal device is UE1, as shown in Figure 5(b), the index of the frequency domain resources corresponding to the first reference signal port includes subcarriers 2 to 11 on RB 0; as another example, assuming the terminal device is UE2, as shown in Figure 6(c), the index of the frequency domain resources corresponding to the first reference signal port includes subcarriers 0 to 2 and subcarriers 6 to 11 on RB 0.

[0234] In another implementation, the network device determines the first reference signal port and instructs it to the terminal device. That is, the method 200 may also include the following steps S206 and S207.

[0235] S206, The network device determines the first reference signal port.

[0236] In one example, the network device can determine the number and index of the first reference signal ports based on the random access process of the terminal devices or based on prior information (such as the distribution of terminal devices, beam usage, or environmental information around the terminal devices). For example, the 10 reference signal ports corresponding to indices p1-p10.

[0237] For example, a network device can establish a priori beam set, which may differ from the beam set acquired by the sensing system, and establish a correlation with the beam set of the sensing system. During random access, the network device can convert the received random access signal to this priori beam dimension, calculate the energy value of each beam, and use this energy value to find the corresponding possible beam set in the sensing system, thereby determining a suitable reference signal port.

[0238] S207, the network device sends a second indication information to the terminal device, the second indication information indicating the first reference signal port;

[0239] Correspondingly, the terminal device receives a second instruction from the network device.

[0240] For example, the second indication information indicates one or more of the following: the number or index of the first reference signal port, the number or index of the time domain resources corresponding to the first reference signal port, or the number or index of the frequency domain resources corresponding to the first reference signal port. For specific interpretations and examples, please refer to the relevant description of the first indication information mentioned above. For the sake of brevity, it will not be repeated here.

[0241] Based on the above method, the terminal device obtains the weighted first reference signal, and then performs channel measurement or channel estimation on the first reference signal and feeds back downlink channel information to realize downlink channel reconstruction on the network side.

[0242] S220, the terminal device performs channel measurement based on the first reference signal to obtain the first channel parameters.

[0243] For example, the first channel parameter may include at least one of amplitude, power, or phase.

[0244] Optionally, this application does not limit the implementation method of the terminal device performing channel measurement based on the first reference signal, and can refer to the description of channel measurement or channel estimation in the current related technology.

[0245] S230, the terminal device sends the first channel parameters to the network device;

[0246] Accordingly, the network device receives the first channel parameters from the terminal device.

[0247] Below, we will illustrate the implementation of how the terminal device sends the first channel parameter, combining scenarios one and two.

[0248] Scenario 1: For the terminal device, duplicate transmission is not configured.

[0249] In one example, the terminal device sends the first channel parameters corresponding to the first reference signal port to the network device. That is, the terminal device reports at least one of the amplitude, power, or phase corresponding to the first reference signal port. For example, as shown in Figure 5(b), for UE1, UE1 receives 10 reference signals at the 10 reference signal ports corresponding to indices p0-p9, and performs channel measurement or channel estimation on these 10 reference signals to obtain 10 first channel parameters (e.g., amplitude and phase). Then, UE1 reports the amplitude and phase corresponding to these 10 reference signal ports to the network device. As another example, as shown in Figure 6(c), for UE2, UE2 receives 11 reference signals at the 11 reference signal ports corresponding to indices p12-p17, p21-p23, p26, and p27, and performs channel measurement or channel estimation on these 11 reference signals to obtain 11 first channel parameters (e.g., amplitude and phase). Then, UE2 reports the amplitude and phase corresponding to these 11 reference signal ports to the network device.

[0250] Scenario 2: For the terminal device, repeated transmission is configured.

[0251] In other words, the first reference signal port is repeatedly mapped to the first resource, or the first reference signal is repeatedly transmitted on the first resource.

[0252] In one example, assuming the first reference signal is transmitted N times in the first resource (where N-1 times are repeated transmissions), and N is an integer greater than or equal to 2, the terminal device can compress the reported first reference signal to reduce feedback overhead. For example, the terminal device sends first channel parameters, including: for the i-th transmission, the terminal device sends the first channel parameters corresponding to the first reference signal port; and for the other N-1 transmissions (excluding the i-th transmission), the terminal device sends the change in the first channel parameters corresponding to the first reference signal port, i = 1, 2, ..., N.

[0253] It should be understood that the change (or rate of change) of the first channel parameter reflects the change of the channel parameters (e.g., amplitude and phase) between the most recent channel estimation and the current channel estimation, corresponding to the first channel parameter of the transmit port remapping.

[0254] For example, as shown in Figure 4(d), the terminal device receives 30 reference signals at the 30 reference signal ports corresponding to indices p0-p29, and performs channel measurement or channel estimation on these 30 reference signals to obtain 30 first channel parameters (e.g., amplitude and phase). Since there are two transmissions in time slot 0 (one of which is a repeated transmission), it means that the terminal device received and measured the 30 reference signals twice. That is, it obtained the channel parameters twice for these 30 reference signals. The terminal device can then process the first channel parameters obtained from the two measurements (e.g., by subtraction or quotient), and then report the first channel parameters obtained from the first measurement completely to the network device, as well as the processed changes in the channel parameters. For example, as shown in Figure 6(b), for UE1, UE1 receives 10 reference signals at the 10 reference signal ports corresponding to indexes p0-p9, and performs channel measurement or channel estimation on these 10 reference signals to obtain 10 first channel parameters (e.g., amplitude and phase). Since there are two transmissions in time slot 0 (one of which is a repeated transmission), it means that the terminal device receives and measures the 10 reference signals twice. That is, it obtains the channel parameters twice for these 10 reference signals. Then the terminal device can process the first channel parameters obtained from the two measurements (e.g., by subtraction or quotient), and then report the first channel parameters obtained from the second measurement completely to the network device, as well as the processed channel parameter change.

[0255] Furthermore, the network device reconstructs the downlink channel based on the acquired first channel parameters and the generated weighting matrix. After reconstructing the downlink channel, the network device estimates the reconstructed downlink channel to obtain the Channel Identity Indicator (CSI). Further, based on the estimated CSI, the network device transmits data with the terminal device. For example, the network device calculates a precoding matrix based on the estimated CSI and sends data or signals precoded using this precoding matrix to the terminal device.

[0256] The method for reconstructing the downlink channel can be illustrated as follows: Assuming the RS weighting matrix is ​​W, with a dimension of the number of base station antennas * the number of environmental multipath paths, and the complete downlink channel of the terminal device is H, with a dimension of the number of terminal antennas * the number of base station antennas, then the linear channel of the weighted RS mirror received by the terminal device can be expressed as: H1 = HW, with a dimension of the number of terminal antennas * the number of environmental multipath paths. When the number of base station antennas is greater than or equal to the number of environmental multipath paths, after obtaining H1 through feedback, we can calculate: H = H1(W * W). -1 W* represents the completion of downlink channel reconstruction. Here, W* denotes the adjoint matrix of W, which is defined as: Let W... ij For element a ij The algebraic cofactor of is defined as W* = (W ji) is the adjoint matrix of matrix W.

[0257] This application does not limit the method by which network devices calculate or determine the precoding matrix; reference can be made to the descriptions in current related technologies.

[0258] Based on the above scheme, by introducing first multipath information, the channel is transformed from the transmit antenna array dimension to the multipath dimension, and the multipath is mapped to the reference signal port. This allows terminal devices in the environment to obtain downlink channel information and feed it back to the network device. This scheme supports communication enhancement scenarios based on multi-user MIMO systems. Resource overhead is no longer limited by the size of the antenna array and the number of terminal devices, but depends on the number of multipaths in the environment. In addition, the same reference signal port does not need to be repeatedly mapped in the frequency domain, and the same reference signal port adopts a cross-symbol / time slot repeated transmission mode, which can obtain time-varying information of each multipath. Therefore, the network device does not need to periodically and frequently transmit reference signals, which can reduce resource overhead and improve transmission performance.

[0259] For ease of understanding, the specific processes applicable to the embodiments of this application are described in detail below with reference to Figures 7 to 9. It should be understood that the processes described below are merely illustrative examples, and the embodiments of this application are not limited thereto. Content not described in detail below can be referred to the description in method 200, and will not be repeated here.

[0260] Figure 7 is a flowchart illustrating a communication method provided in an embodiment of this application. As shown in Figure 7, the method 600 includes the following steps.

[0261] S610, the network device sends configuration information #1 (i.e., an example of configuration information) to the terminal device;

[0262] Accordingly, the terminal device receives configuration information #1 from the network device.

[0263] Configuration information #1 is used to indicate the mapping relationship between multiple RS ports and the second resource.

[0264] For example, the configuration information #1 includes information about multiple RS ports and information about second resources. The specific interpretation of the information about multiple RS ports and information about second resources can be found in the relevant description of step S203 of the method 200 above. For the sake of brevity, it will not be repeated here.

[0265] S620, network devices acquire parameters of the sensing system.

[0266] The sensing system parameters may include at least one of the following: the departure angle, time delay, arrival angle, or power of the target (or multipath). For specific implementation methods, please refer to the relevant description of step S201 of method 200 above. For the sake of brevity, it will not be repeated here.

[0267] In S630, network devices determine the RS weighting matrix based on the parameters of the sensing system.

[0268] Wherein, the RS weighting matrix can be W d or V d For the specific implementation method, please refer to the relevant description of step S202 of method 200 above. For the sake of brevity, it will not be repeated here.

[0269] S640, the network device sends a weighted RS (i.e., an example of the first reference signal) to the terminal device;

[0270] Accordingly, the terminal device receives the weighted RS from the network device.

[0271] For example, the weighted RS can be CSI-RS. For specific implementation, please refer to the relevant description of step S210 of method 200 above. For the sake of brevity, it will not be repeated here.

[0272] S650, the terminal device measures the channel parameter #1 (i.e., an example of the first channel parameter) corresponding to each RS port.

[0273] In other words, in this implementation, for multiple RS ports (e.g., 30 ports) configured on the network device, the terminal device receives a reference signal through each of the multiple RS ports and performs channel measurement or channel estimation on the multiple RSs (e.g., 30 CSI-RSs) to obtain multiple channel parameters #1, such as at least one of amplitude, power, or phase. Here, the multiple reference signals correspond one-to-one with the multiple RS ports, and the multiple channel parameters #1 correspond one-to-one with the multiple reference signals.

[0274] S660, the terminal device sends channel parameter #1 to the network device;

[0275] Accordingly, the network device receives channel parameter #1 from the terminal device.

[0276] For example, for multiple channel parameters #1, independent reporting (e.g., case one) and compressed reporting (e.g., case two) can be used. For specific implementation methods, please refer to the relevant description of step S230 of method 200 above. For the sake of brevity, it will not be repeated here.

[0277] S670, the network device reconstructs the downlink channel based on channel parameter #1 and the RS weighting matrix.

[0278] For details on the specific implementation of reconstructing the downlink channel, please refer to the relevant description of step S230 of method 200 above. For the sake of brevity, it will not be repeated here.

[0279] Furthermore, after reconstructing the downlink channel, the network device can estimate the CSI of the reconstructed downlink channel, and then transmit data with the terminal device based on the estimated CSI. For example, the network device calculates a precoding matrix based on the estimated CSI and sends the data precoded using this precoding matrix to the terminal device.

[0280] Based on the above scheme, the network device acquires environmental multipath information based on the sensing system, converts the multi-antenna channel to the environmental multipath dimension channel, and maps the multipath to the RS port. This effectively controls the time-frequency resource overhead of the RS, which is only affected by the number of multipaths in the environment and is no longer affected by the antenna array size of the network device or the number of terminal devices. Furthermore, it enables the terminal devices in the environment to acquire information on all possible multipaths, and then perform channel estimation and feedback. This method can reduce resource overhead and improve transmission performance.

[0281] Figure 8 is a flowchart illustrating a communication method provided in an embodiment of this application. As shown in Figure 8, the method 700 includes the following steps. Compared to the terminal device in Figure 7 measuring and feeding back downlink channel information corresponding to all RS ports, the terminal device in Figure 8 can feed back its own desired (or required) downlink channel information corresponding to the RS ports based on channel quality, reducing feedback overhead.

[0282] S710, the network device sends configuration information #2 (i.e., an example of configuration information) to the terminal device;

[0283] Accordingly, the terminal device receives configuration information #2 from the network device.

[0284] For example, the configuration information #2 includes information on multiple reference signal ports, information on the second resource, and a channel quality threshold. For a detailed explanation, please refer to the relevant description of step S203 of the method 200 above. For the sake of brevity, it will not be repeated here.

[0285] S720, network devices acquire parameters of the sensing system.

[0286] In S730, network devices determine the RS weighting matrix based on the parameters of the sensing system.

[0287] S740, the network device sends a weighted RS (i.e., an example of the first reference signal) to the terminal device;

[0288] Accordingly, the terminal device receives the weighted RS from the network device.

[0289] The specific implementation of steps S710 to S740, i.e. the specific interpretation of the information, can be found in the relevant description of steps S610 to S640 of method 600. For the sake of brevity, it will not be repeated here.

[0290] S750, the terminal device measures the channel quality corresponding to each RS port.

[0291] In other words, in this implementation, for the network device configured with multiple RS ports (e.g., 30 ports), the terminal device receives a reference signal through each of the multiple RS ports and performs channel measurement or channel estimation on the multiple RSs (e.g., 30 CSI-RS) to obtain multiple CSIs, each of which includes channel quality information.

[0292] Typically, channel quality can be characterized by the values ​​of RSRP and / or CQI. For example, assuming the channel quality threshold is RSRP = A, if the RSRP value B corresponding to RS port p0 is greater than (or greater than or equal to) A, then the channel quality corresponding to p0 can be considered good; conversely, if the RSRP value B corresponding to RS port p0 is less than (or less than or equal to) A, then the channel quality corresponding to p0 can be considered poor.

[0293] S760: The terminal device sends the selected RS port to the network device;

[0294] Accordingly, the network device receives data from the RS port selected by the terminal device.

[0295] For example, the terminal device selects a portion of the RS ports (i.e., one example of the first reference signal ports, such as 10 ports) from all RS ports (e.g., 30 ports) based on channel quality information, and feeds back the index or identifier of that portion of RS ports (e.g., 10 ports) to the network device.

[0296] Optionally, the channel quality corresponding to some RS ports is higher than or equal to the channel quality corresponding to other RS ​​ports, where other RS ​​ports refer to all RS ports other than the RS ports selected by the terminal device. Optionally, the channel quality corresponding to some RS ports is greater than or equal to a preset threshold.

[0297] Optionally, the terminal device can indicate the RS port by sending a first indication message. For the specific implementation method and the specific interpretation of the first indication message, please refer to the relevant descriptions of steps S204 and S205 of the above method 200. For the sake of brevity, they will not be repeated here.

[0298] S770, the terminal device measures the channel parameter #2 (i.e., an example of the first channel parameter) corresponding to the selected port.

[0299] In other words, in this implementation, the terminal device compares the channel quality of each RS port (e.g., 30 ports), selects a subset of RS ports (e.g., 10 ports) with better channel quality, and performs channel measurement or channel estimation on these RS ports to obtain channel parameter #2, such as at least one of amplitude, power, or phase. Channel parameter #2 corresponds to this subset of RS ports.

[0300] S780, the terminal device sends channel parameter #2 to the network device;

[0301] Accordingly, the network device receives channel parameter #2 from the terminal device.

[0302] For example, for multiple channel parameters #2, independent reporting (e.g., case one) and compressed reporting (e.g., case two) can be adopted. For specific implementation methods, please refer to the relevant description of step S230 of method 200 above. For the sake of brevity, it will not be repeated here.

[0303] S790, the network device reconstructs the downlink channel based on channel parameter #2 and the RS weighting matrix.

[0304] For details on the specific implementation, please refer to the relevant description of step S670 of method 600 above. For the sake of brevity, it will not be repeated here.

[0305] Based on the above scheme, the network device acquires environmental multipath information through the sensing system, converts multi-antenna channels into environmental multipath dimension channels, and maps multipath to RS ports. This effectively controls the time-frequency resource overhead of RS, which is only affected by the number of multipaths in the environment and is no longer affected by the antenna array size of the network device or the number of terminal devices. Furthermore, it allows terminal devices in the environment to acquire information on all possible multipaths. At the same time, based on their own channel conditions (or measured channel quality), the terminal devices select a subset of the RS ports they need from the full set of RS ports configured by the network device, measure and report the channel parameters corresponding to the selected RS ports, thereby reducing the overall feedback overhead and improving transmission performance.

[0306] Figure 9 is a flowchart illustrating a communication method provided in an embodiment of this application. As shown in Figure 9, the method 800 includes the following steps. Compared to the terminal device in Figure 7 measuring and feeding back downlink channel information corresponding to all RS ports, the network device in Figure 9 can configure (or indicate) a suitable subset of RS ports for the terminal device based on its channel characteristics, thereby reducing the overall feedback overhead.

[0307] S810, the network device sends configuration information #3 (i.e., an example of configuration information) to the terminal device;

[0308] Accordingly, the terminal device receives configuration information #3 from the network device.

[0309] The configuration information #3 is used to indicate the mapping relationship between a portion of the RS ports (i.e., an example of the first port) and the first resource. For example, the configuration information #3 may include information about the portion of the RS ports and information about the first resource. For a detailed explanation, please refer to the relevant description of step S203 of the method 200 above. For the sake of brevity, it will not be repeated here.

[0310] Optionally, the network device may be configured with one or more RS ports.

[0311] Optionally, before performing step S810, the method further includes:

[0312] S801, the network device determines the RS port and indicates the RS port to the terminal device. For the specific implementation, please refer to the relevant descriptions of steps S206 and S207 of method 200 above. For the sake of brevity, they will not be repeated here.

[0313] S820, the terminal device determines the RS port to be measured (i.e., an example of the first reference signal port).

[0314] S830, network devices acquire parameters of the sensing system.

[0315] In S840, network devices determine the RS weighting matrix based on the parameters of the sensing system.

[0316] S850, the network device sends a weighted RS (i.e., an example of the first reference signal) to the terminal device;

[0317] Accordingly, the terminal device receives the weighted RS from the network device.

[0318] The specific implementation of steps S830 to S850, i.e. the specific interpretation of the information, can be found in the relevant description of steps S630 to S650 of method 600. For the sake of brevity, it will not be repeated here.

[0319] S860, the terminal device measures the channel parameter #3 (i.e., an example of the first channel parameter) corresponding to the port.

[0320] In other words, in this implementation, for the network device configured with multiple RS ports (e.g., 10 ports) for the terminal device, the terminal device receives a reference signal through each of the multiple RS ports and performs channel measurement or channel estimation on the multiple RSs (e.g., 10 CSI-RSs) to obtain multiple channel parameters #3, such as at least one of amplitude, power, or phase.

[0321] S870, the terminal device sends channel parameter #3 to the network device;

[0322] Accordingly, the network device receives channel parameter #2 from the terminal device.

[0323] For example, for multiple channel parameters #3, independent reporting (e.g., case one) and compressed reporting (e.g., case two) can be used. For specific implementation methods, please refer to the relevant description of step S230 of method 200 above. For the sake of brevity, it will not be repeated here.

[0324] S880, the network device reconstructs the downlink channel based on channel parameter #3 and the RS weighting matrix.

[0325] For details on the specific implementation, please refer to the relevant description of step S670 of method 600 above. For the sake of brevity, it will not be repeated here.

[0326] Based on the above scheme, the network device acquires environmental multipath information based on the sensing system, converts multi-antenna channels into environmental multipath dimension channels, and maps multipath to RS ports. This effectively controls the time-frequency resource overhead of RS, which is only affected by the number of multipaths in the environment and is no longer affected by the antenna array size of the network device or the number of terminal devices. Furthermore, it allows terminal devices in the environment to acquire information on all possible multipaths. At the same time, the network device indicates or configures a subset of RS ports to the terminal devices, enabling the terminal devices to measure and report the channel parameters corresponding to those RS ports, thereby reducing the overall feedback overhead and improving transmission performance.

[0327] It should be understood that the sequence number of each process does not imply the order of execution. The execution order of each process should be determined by its function and internal logic, and should not constitute any limitation on the implementation process of the embodiments of this application.

[0328] It should also be understood that this application will present various aspects, embodiments, or features in relation to systems that may include multiple devices, components, modules, etc. It should be understood and appreciated that individual systems may include additional devices, components, modules, etc., and / or may not include all the devices, components, modules, etc. discussed in conjunction with the accompanying drawings. Furthermore, combinations of these approaches are also possible.

[0329] It should also be understood that in some of the above embodiments, the examples are mainly based on devices in existing network architectures (e.g., a first device or a second device, etc.), and it should be understood that the specific form of the device is not limited in the embodiments of this application. For example, any device that can achieve the same function in the future is applicable to the embodiments of this application.

[0330] It is understood that, in the above-described method embodiments, the methods and operations implemented by the device can also be implemented by components of the device (e.g., chips or circuits).

[0331] The communication method provided by the embodiments of this application has been described in detail above with reference to Figures 1 to 9. The above communication method is mainly described from the perspective of the interaction between the first device (e.g., a terminal device) and the second device (e.g., a network device). It is understood that, in order to realize the above functions, the terminal device and the network device include hardware structures and / or software modules corresponding to perform each function.

[0332] Those skilled in the art will recognize that, based on the units and algorithm steps described in conjunction with the embodiments disclosed herein, this application can be implemented in hardware or a combination of hardware and computer software. Whether a function is implemented in hardware or by computer software driving hardware depends on the specific application and design constraints of the technical solution. Those skilled in the art can use different methods to implement the described functions for each specific application, but such implementation should not be considered beyond the scope of this application.

[0333] The communication device provided in the embodiments of this application will be described in detail below with reference to Figures 10 to 13. The description of the device embodiments corresponds to the description of the method embodiments. Therefore, for content not described in detail, please refer to the method embodiments above. For the sake of brevity, some content will not be repeated.

[0334] This application embodiment can divide the communication device into functional modules according to the above method example. For example, each function can be divided into its own functional modules, or two or more functions can be integrated into one processing module. The integrated modules can be implemented in hardware, software, or a combination of both. The module division in this application embodiment is illustrative and only represents one logical functional division; other division methods may be used in actual implementation. The following description uses the division of functional modules according to each function as an example.

[0335] Figure 10 is an exemplary block diagram of a communication device provided in an embodiment of this application. As shown in Figure 10, the communication device 1000 may include a chip system 1100, a memory 1200, a bus 1300, a power management module 1400, or a transceiver 1500, etc.

[0336] The chip system 1100 can be an integrated circuit chip with signal processing capabilities. In implementation, each step of the above method can be completed through integrated logic circuits in the hardware of the chip system 1100 or through software instructions.

[0337] As an example and not a limitation, the chip system 1100 may include circuitry or chips responsible for signal processing (such as a modem chip, also known as a baseband chip, or a system-on-a-chip (SoC) or SIP chip containing a modem core).

[0338] Optionally, the chip system 1100 may also include a memory (such as a cache) for storing instructions and data. In some embodiments, the memory in the chip system 1100 is a cache memory. This memory can store instructions or data that the chip system 1100 has just used or that are used repeatedly. If the chip system 1100 needs to use the instruction or data again, it can directly retrieve it from the memory. This avoids repeated accesses, reduces the waiting time of the chip system 1100, and thus improves the efficiency of the system.

[0339] In some embodiments, the chip system 1100 may include one or more interfaces. Interfaces may include an inter-integrated circuit (I2C) interface, an inter-integrated circuit sound (I2S) interface, a pulse code modulation (PCM) interface, a universal asynchronous receiver / transmitter (UART) interface, a mobile industry processor interface (MIPI), a general-purpose input / output (GPIO) interface, a subscriber identity module (SIM) interface, and / or a universal serial bus (USB) interface, etc.

[0340] The memory 1200 may include random access memory (RAM) and read-only memory (ROM). The memory 1200 may store computer-readable, computer-executable code, including instructions that, when executed, cause the processor to perform the various functions described in this application.

[0341] Optionally, the code may include instructions for implementing various aspects of the embodiments of this application. The code may be stored in a non-transitory computer-readable medium such as system memory or other types of memory. In some cases, the code may not be directly executable by the chip system 1100, but may enable a computer (e.g., at compile and execution time) to perform the functions described in this application. In some cases, memory 1200 may in particular contain a basic input / output (I / O) system that controls basic hardware or software operations, such as interaction with peripheral components or devices.

[0342] For example, the chip system 1100 executes various functional applications and data processing of the communication device 1000 by running instructions stored in the memory 1200. For instance, when the communication device 1000 transfers files with other devices (e.g., terminal devices, network devices, or core network devices), the chip system 1100 of the communication device 1000 can call the computer-executable program code stored in the memory 1200 to implement the data and / or signaling transmission methods provided in the embodiments of this application.

[0343] Alternatively, the memory 1200 can be integrated into the aforementioned chip system 1100, or it can be independent of the chip system 1100.

[0344] Bus 1300 can be USB, used to support communication between various parts of communication device 1000.

[0345] The power management module 1400 is used to receive charging input from the charger. Optionally, the power management module 1400 can also supply power to the communication device 1000 while charging it (e.g., the battery module of the communication device 1000). By way of example and not limitation, the power management module 1400 can also supply power to other devices besides the communication device 1000.

[0346] Transceiver 1500 can communicate bidirectionally via one or more antennas, wired links, or wireless links. For example, transceiver 1500 can represent a wireless transceiver and can communicate bidirectionally with another wireless transceiver. Transceiver 1500 may also include a modem for modulating packets and providing the modulated packets to the antenna for transmission, and for demodulating packets received from the antenna. Transceiver 1500 may include a receiver and a transmitter, the receiver performing the function of receiving information and the transmitter performing the function of transmitting information.

[0347] In some cases, a wireless device may include a single antenna. However, in other cases, the device may have more than one antenna, such as antenna 1 and antenna 2 shown in FIG. 10, which may be capable of simultaneously transmitting or receiving multiple wireless transmissions. Exemplarily, antenna 1 and antenna 2 are used to transmit and receive electromagnetic wave signals. Each antenna in the communication device 1000 can be used to cover one or more communication frequency bands. Different antennas can also be multiplexed to improve antenna utilization. For example, antenna 1 can be multiplexed as a diversity antenna for a wireless local area network. In other embodiments, the antennas can be used in conjunction with a tuning switch. The communication device 1000 can transfer files to other devices via wireless communication functions.

[0348] In one design, the communication device 1000 may correspond to the terminal device in the above method embodiments.

[0349] The device 1000 can implement the steps or processes corresponding to those executed by the terminal device in the above method embodiments, wherein the transceiver 1500 can be used to perform the transmission and reception related operations of the terminal device in the above method embodiments; and the chip system 1100 can be used to perform the processing related operations of the terminal device in the above method embodiments.

[0350] In another design, the communication device 1000 may correspond to the network device in the above method embodiment.

[0351] The device 1000 can implement the steps or processes corresponding to those performed by the network device in the above method embodiments, wherein the transceiver 1500 can be used to perform the transmission and reception related operations of the network device in the above method embodiments; and the chip system 1100 can be used to perform the processing related operations of the network device in the above method embodiments.

[0352] Under this design, the communication device 1000 may include modules such as the short-range communication module 1640, sensor 1610, display 1620, or camera 1630 as shown in Figure 10.

[0353] The short-range communication module 1640 may include a wireless network (WI-FI, or WIFI), or a module that supports short-range communication such as Bluetooth.

[0354] Sensor 1610 may include pressure sensors, gyroscope sensors, barometric pressure sensors, magnetic sensors, accelerometers, distance sensors, proximity sensors, fingerprint sensors, temperature sensors, touch sensors, ambient light sensors, bone conduction sensors, etc.

[0355] Display 1620 is used to display images, videos, etc. The display includes a display panel. The display panel can be a liquid crystal display (LCD), an organic light-emitting diode (OLED), an active-matrix organic light-emitting diode (AMOLED), a flexible light-emitting diode (FLED), a miniature LED, a microLED, a quantum dot light-emitting diode (QLED), etc. For example, in this embodiment, the display can be used to display the interface required by the communication device 1000. Exemplarily, the communication device 1000 implements display functions through a graphics processing unit (GPU), a display, and an application processor. The GPU is a microprocessor for image processing, connected to the display and the application processor. The GPU performs mathematical and geometric calculations for graphics rendering. The chip system 1100 may include one or more GPUs that execute program instructions to generate or modify display information.

[0356] The camera 1630 is used to acquire images, videos, etc.

[0357] It is understood that the structure shown in Figure 10 does not constitute a specific limitation on the communication device 1000, and the specific structure of the terminal device and / or network device can be referred to Figure 10. In some embodiments, the communication device 1000 may also include more or fewer components than shown in Figure 10, or combine some components, or split some components, or have different component arrangements, etc. Alternatively, some components shown in Figure 10 may be implemented in hardware, software, or a combination of software and hardware, and the terminal device and / or network device may add or reduce components based on the structure given in Figure 10.

[0358] Figure 11 is a schematic block diagram of a communication device provided in an embodiment of this application. As shown in Figure 11, the communication device 2000 may include a baseband unit 2100, which can communicate with external devices via a cellular RF transceiver 2200 (e.g., if the communication device 2000 is a terminal device, the baseband unit 2100 can communicate with network devices via the cellular RF transceiver 2200; or, if the communication device 200 is a network device, the baseband unit 2100 can communicate with terminal devices and / or core network devices via the cellular RF transceiver 2200).

[0359] Baseband unit 2100 may include computer-readable medium / memory. Baseband unit 2100 is responsible for general processing, including the execution of software stored on the computer-readable medium / memory. When executed by baseband unit 2100, the software causes baseband unit 2100 to perform the various functions described above. The computer-readable medium / memory may also be used to store data manipulated by baseband unit 2100 during software execution.

[0360] The baseband unit 2100 further includes a receiving unit 2010, a management unit 2020, and a transmitting unit 2030. The management unit 2020 includes one or more sub-units shown in FIG. 11 (e.g., a signal generation unit and / or a signal parsing unit). Units within the management unit 2020 may be stored in a computer-readable medium / memory and / or configured as hardware within the baseband unit 2100. The receiving unit 2010 and the transmitting unit 2030 may be referred to as transceiver units.

[0361] When the communication device 2000 is used to implement the functions of the terminal device in the above method embodiments, the receiving unit 2010 is used to execute the receiving step of the terminal device, the sending unit 2030 is used to execute the sending step of the terminal device, and the management unit 2020 is used to execute the processing step of the terminal device.

[0362] For example, when the device 2000 is used to execute the method in FIG2, the receiving unit 2010 can be used to execute the step of receiving information in the method; the management unit 2020 can be used to execute the processing step in the method; and the sending unit 2030 can be used to execute the step of sending information in the method.

[0363] When the communication device 2000 is used to implement the functions of the network device in the above method embodiments, the receiving unit 2010 is used to execute the receiving step of the network device, the sending unit 2030 is used to execute the sending step of the network device, and the management unit 2020 is used to execute the processing step of the network device.

[0364] For example, when the device 2000 is used to execute the method in FIG2, the receiving unit 2010 can be used to execute the step of receiving information in the method; the management unit 2020 can be used to execute the processing step in the method; and the sending unit 2030 can be used to execute the step of sending information in the method.

[0365] For a more detailed description of the receiving unit 2010, the management unit 2020, and the sending unit 2030, please refer to the relevant descriptions in the above method embodiments, which will not be repeated here.

[0366] Figure 12 is a schematic block diagram of a chip system 3000 provided in an embodiment of this application. Exemplarily, the chip system includes, but is not limited to: a modem chip, also known as a baseband chip, or a system-on-a-chip (SoC) chip or a system-in-package (SIP) chip containing a modem core.

[0367] As shown in Figure 12, the chip system (or processing system) includes a processor 3100, a memory 3200, and an input / output interface 3300.

[0368] The processor 3100 can be a processing circuit in the chip system (including at least one processor, such as processor 1 and processor 2 as shown in FIG. 12). The processor 3100 can be coupled to the memory 3200, and call the instructions in the memory 3200, so that the chip system can implement the methods and functions of the various embodiments of this application. The input / output interface 3300 can be an input / output circuit in the chip system, which outputs the information processed by the chip system, or inputs the data or signaling information to be processed into the chip system for processing.

[0369] As one approach, the chip system is used to implement the operations performed by the terminal device or network device in the various method embodiments described above.

[0370] For example, the processor 3100 is used to implement the processing-related operations performed by the terminal device or network device in the above method embodiments, as described in the foregoing embodiments; the input / output interface 3300 is used to implement the sending and / or receiving-related operations performed by the terminal device or network device in the above method embodiments, as described in the foregoing embodiments.

[0371] Figure 13 is a schematic block diagram of another chip system 4000 provided in an embodiment of this application. As shown in Figure 13, the chip system (or processing system) includes an input / output interface 4100 and logic circuits 4200. The input / output interface 4100 can be an input / output circuit in the chip system, outputting processed information or inputting data or signaling information to be processed into the chip system for processing; specific details can be found in the descriptions of the foregoing embodiments. The logic circuits 4200 are used to execute the aforementioned communication method; specific details can also be found in the descriptions of the foregoing embodiments.

[0372] As one approach, the chip system is used to implement the operations performed by the terminal device or network device in the various method embodiments described above.

[0373] For example, logic circuit 4200 is used to implement processing-related operations performed by the terminal device or network device in the above method embodiments; input / output interface 4100 is used to implement sending and / or receiving-related operations performed by the terminal device or network device in the above method embodiments.

[0374] This application also provides a computer-readable storage medium storing a computer program or instructions for implementing the methods executed by the apparatus in the above-described method embodiments. For example, when the computer program is executed by a computer, the computer can implement the methods executed by the first or second apparatus in the above-described method embodiments.

[0375] This application also provides a computer program product comprising instructions which, when executed by a computer, implement the methods performed by the first or second device in the above-described method embodiments.

[0376] This application also provides a communication system, including the aforementioned first device and / or second device.

[0377] The explanations and beneficial effects of the relevant contents in any of the devices provided above can be found in the corresponding method embodiments provided above, and will not be repeated here.

[0378] Those skilled in the art will recognize that the units and algorithm steps of the various examples described in conjunction with the embodiments disclosed herein can be implemented in electronic hardware, or a combination of computer software and electronic hardware. Whether these functions are implemented in hardware or software depends on the specific application and design constraints of the technical solution. Those skilled in the art can use different methods to implement the described functions for each specific application, but such implementation should not be considered beyond the scope of this application.

[0379] Those skilled in the art will clearly understand that, for the sake of convenience and brevity, the specific working processes of the systems, devices, and units described above can be referred to the corresponding processes in the foregoing method embodiments, and will not be described again here.

[0380] In the several embodiments provided in this application, it should be understood that the disclosed systems, apparatuses, and methods can be implemented in other ways. For example, the apparatus embodiments described above are merely illustrative; for instance, the division of units is only a logical functional division, and in actual implementation, there may be other division methods. For example, multiple units or components may be combined or integrated into another system, or some features may be ignored or not executed. Furthermore, the coupling or direct coupling or communication connection shown or discussed may be through some interfaces; the indirect coupling or communication connection between apparatuses or units may be electrical, mechanical, or other forms.

[0381] The units described as separate components may or may not be physically separate. The components shown as units may or may not be physical units; that is, they may be located in one place or distributed across multiple network units. Some or all of the units can be selected to achieve the purpose of this embodiment according to actual needs.

[0382] In addition, the functional units in the various embodiments of this application can be integrated into one processing unit, or each unit can exist physically separately, or two or more units can be integrated into one unit.

[0383] If the aforementioned functions are implemented as software functional units and sold or used as independent products, they can be stored in a computer-readable storage medium. Based on this understanding, the technical solution of this application, in essence, or the part that contributes to the prior art, or a portion of the technical solution, can be embodied in the form of a software product. This computer software product is stored in a storage medium and includes several instructions to cause a computer device (which may be a personal computer, server, or network device, etc.) to execute all or part of the steps of the methods described in the various embodiments of this application. The aforementioned storage medium includes various media capable of storing program code, such as USB flash drives, portable hard drives, ROM, RAM, magnetic disks, or optical disks.

[0384] The above description is merely a specific embodiment of this application, but the scope of protection of this application is not limited thereto. Any variations or substitutions that can be easily conceived by those skilled in the art within the technical scope disclosed in this application should be included within the scope of protection of this application. Therefore, the scope of protection of this application should be determined by the scope of the claims.

Claims

1. A communication method, characterized in that, include: Receive a first reference signal, the first reference signal being carried on a first resource, the first resource being determined based on first multipath information; Channel measurements are performed based on the first reference signal to obtain the first channel parameters; Send the first channel parameters.

2. The method according to claim 1, characterized in that, Receiving the first reference signal includes: The first reference signal is received through the first reference signal port; Before receiving the first reference signal through the first reference signal port, the method further includes: Obtain configuration information, which is used to indicate the mapping relationship between multiple reference signal ports and a second resource. The multiple reference signal ports correspond one-to-one with multiple reference signals. The multiple reference signal ports include the first reference signal port, the multiple reference signals include the first reference signal, and the second resource includes the first resource.

3. The method according to claim 2, characterized in that, The acquisition of configuration information includes: Receive the configuration information from the network side.

4. The method according to claim 2 or 3, characterized in that, When the first reference signal is transmitted N times in the first resource, where N is an integer greater than or equal to 2, the transmission of the first channel parameters includes: For the i-th transmission, transmit the first channel parameters corresponding to the first reference signal port; and, For the N-1 transmissions other than the i-th transmission, the change in the first channel parameter corresponding to the first reference signal port is given, i = 1, 2, ..., N.

5. The method according to any one of claims 2 to 4, characterized in that, Before receiving the first reference signal through the first reference signal port, the method further includes: Determine the first reference signal port; Send a first indication message, which indicates the first reference signal port.

6. The method according to claim 5, characterized in that, Determining the first reference signal port includes: The plurality of reference signals are received through the plurality of reference signal ports; Perform channel measurements on the plurality of reference signals to determine the channel quality corresponding to the ports of the plurality of reference signals; Wherein, the channel quality corresponding to the first reference signal port is greater than or equal to the channel quality threshold.

7. The method according to any one of claims 2 to 4, characterized in that, Before receiving the first reference signal through the first reference signal port, the method further includes: Receive a second indication message from the network side, the second indication message indicating the first reference signal port.

8. The method according to any one of claims 5 to 7, characterized in that, The first indication information or the second indication information indicates one or more of the following: The index of the first reference signal port; The index of the time-domain resource corresponding to the first reference signal port; or, The index of the frequency domain resource corresponding to the first reference signal port.

9. The method according to any one of claims 2 to 8, characterized in that, The configuration information includes information about the plurality of reference signal ports and information about the second resource; or... The configuration information includes information about the plurality of reference signal ports, information about the second resource, and a channel quality threshold.

10. A communication method, characterized in that, include: A first reference signal is transmitted, the first reference signal being carried on a first resource, the first resource being determined based on first multipath information; Receive first channel parameters, which are determined based on the first reference signal.

11. The method according to claim 10, characterized in that, Before transmitting the first reference signal, the method further includes: Obtain the first multipath information; The first resource is determined based on the first multipath information.

12. The method according to claim 10 or 11, characterized in that, The transmission of the first reference signal includes: The first reference signal is transmitted through the first reference signal port; Before transmitting the first reference signal through the first reference signal port, the method further includes: Send configuration information, which is used to indicate the mapping relationship between multiple reference signal ports and a second resource. The multiple reference signal ports correspond one-to-one with multiple reference signals. The multiple reference signal ports include the first reference signal port. The multiple reference signals include the first reference signal. The second resource includes the first resource.

13. The method according to claim 12, characterized in that, When the first reference signal is transmitted N times in the first resource, where N is an integer greater than or equal to 2, receiving the first channel parameters includes: For the i-th transmission, receive the first channel parameters corresponding to the first reference signal port; and, For the N-1 transmissions other than the i-th transmission, receive the change in the first channel parameter corresponding to the first signal port, i = 1, 2, ..., N.

14. The method according to claim 12 or 13, characterized in that, Before receiving the first channel parameter, the method further includes: Receive first indication information, which indicates the first reference signal port.

15. The method according to any one of claims 12 to 14, characterized in that, Before receiving the first channel parameter, the process includes: Send a second indication message, which indicates the first reference signal port.

16. The method according to any one of claims 12 to 15, characterized in that, The channel quality corresponding to the first reference signal port is greater than or equal to the channel quality threshold.

17. The method according to any one of claims 14 to 16, characterized in that, The first indication information or the second indication information indicates one or more of the following: The index of the first reference signal port; The index of the time-domain resource corresponding to the first reference signal port; or, The index of the frequency domain resource corresponding to the first reference signal port.

18. The method according to any one of claims 12 to 17, characterized in that, The configuration information includes information about the plurality of reference signal ports and information about the second resource; or... The configuration information includes information about the plurality of reference signal ports, information about the second resource, and a channel quality threshold.

19. A communication device, characterized in that, It includes modules or units for performing the method of any one of claims 1 to 9, or modules or units for performing the method of any one of claims 10 to 18.

20. A communication device, characterized in that, It includes at least one processor for executing a computer program or instructions to cause the method as described in any one of claims 1 to 18 to be performed.

21. The communication device according to claim 20, characterized in that, The communication device further includes a memory for storing the computer program or instructions; and / or, The communication device further includes a communication interface coupled to the at least one processor, the communication interface being used for inputting and / or outputting information.

22. The communication device according to claim 20 or 21, characterized in that, The communication device is a chip or chip system.

23. A computer-readable storage medium, characterized in that, The computer-readable storage medium is used to store a computer program that, when run on a computer, causes the method as described in any one of claims 1 to 18 to be performed.

24. A computer program product, characterized in that, Includes a computer program or instructions that, when executed by a processor, cause the method as described in any one of claims 1 to 18 to be performed.

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