Communication method and communication apparatus

Abstract

A communication method and a communication apparatus, relating to the technical field of communications. In the method, a terminal device reports a first weight and a first phase to a second network device, the second network device can configure a corresponding amplitude and / or phase for an array element in an antenna array of a first network device on the basis of the first weight and the first phase reported by the terminal device, and the first network device can assist communication between the second network device and the terminal device on the basis of the amplitude and / or phase configured by the second network device, thereby supporting more effective enhancement of communication performance between the second network device and the terminal device.

Description

Communication method and communication apparatus

[0001] This application claims priority to the Chinese Patent Application No. 202410869435.3, filed on June 29, 2024, entitled “Communication method and communication apparatus”, the content of which is incorporated herein by reference in its entirety. TECHNICAL FIELD

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

[0003] An intelligent reflecting surface (IRS) can significantly improve the performance of a wireless communication network by intelligently reconfiguring the wireless propagation environment through integrating a large number of low-cost and low-power passive reflecting devices on a plane. The IRS can be regarded as an extension of a network device, which is used to assist the communication between the network device and a terminal device.

[0004] In order to enhance the communication performance between the network device and the terminal device, the network device needs to configure a suitable weight value for the IRS, which can be used to adjust or control the amplitude and / or phase of the array elements in the antenna array of the IRS. Specifically, the network device sends a plurality of channel state information reference signals (CSI-RSs) to the IRS, the IRS forwards the corresponding CSI-RSs to the terminal device based on different weight values (one weight value corresponds to one CSI-RS), the terminal device measures the received CSI-RSs and reports the measurement results of the CSI-RSs to the network device, the network device determines the optimal weight value according to the measurement results of the CSI-RSs, and indicates the optimal weight value to the IRS, and the IRS assists the communication between the network device and the terminal device based on the optimal weight value.

[0005] However, the above scheme may not be able to well support the enhancement of the communication performance between the network device and the terminal device. Therefore, how to better enhance the communication performance between the network device and the terminal device is a technical problem to be solved at present. SUMMARY

[0006] The present application provides a communication method and a communication apparatus, which can support better enhancement of the communication performance between the network device and the terminal device.

[0007] In a first aspect, a communication method is provided, including: determining first information, the first information indicating a first weight and a first phase, the first weight and the first phase indicating an amplitude and / or a phase of an antenna element in an antenna array of a first network device; and sending the first information to a second network device.

[0008] The solution of the first aspect can be implemented by a terminal device, or a module (such as a chip or a chip system, etc.) installed in the terminal device, or a logic node, a logic module or software, etc. capable of realizing all or part of the functions of the terminal device. For ease of description, the terminal device is taken as an example in the following description.

[0009] In the above solution, the first network device can be used to assist communication between the second network device and the terminal device, for example, the first network device sends data or signals from the second network device to the terminal device, or the first network device sends data or signals from the terminal device to the second network device, etc.

[0010] In the above solution, the terminal device reports the first weight and the first phase to the second network device, the second network device can configure corresponding amplitudes and / or phases for the antenna elements in the antenna array of the first network device according to the first weight and the first phase reported by the terminal device, and the first network device can assist the communication between the second network device and the terminal device according to the amplitudes and / or phases configured by the second network device, which can support more effective enhancement of the communication performance between the second network device and the terminal device.

[0011] When the weight configured by the second network device for the first network device needs to be phase-rotated, the first network device can perform phase-rotation on the weight according to the phase indicated by the second network device, which can make the new weight obtained after phase-rotation also be able to improve the channel capacity between the second network device and the terminal device, and thus be able to support better enhancement of the communication performance between the second network device and the terminal device.

[0012] In some implementations of the first aspect, before determining the first information, the method further includes: sending second information to the second network device, the second information indicating M first candidate weights, the M first candidate weights including the first weight, M being a positive integer; and receiving M reference signals from the second network device, the M reference signals corresponding to M second candidate weights, each second candidate weight having a phase-rotation relationship with one of the M first candidate weights.

[0013] In this way, the second network device can determine the corresponding M second candidate weights according to the M first candidate weights reported by the terminal device, and send the M reference signals corresponding to the M second candidate weights to the terminal device, which can support the terminal device to determine the phase corresponding to the first candidate weight according to the M reference signals.

[0014] In some implementations of the first aspect, the phase rotation relationship is 180°.

[0015] In some implementations of the first aspect, sending the second information to the second network device comprises: receiving N reference signals from the second network device, the N reference signals corresponding to N weight values, the N weight values comprising M first candidate weight values, N being a positive integer greater than or equal to M; determining the M first candidate weight values according to measurement results of the N reference signals; and sending the second information to the second network device.

[0016] In this way, the terminal device can determine the M first candidate weight values according to the measurement results of the N reference signals, and report the M first candidate weight values to the second network device, and the second network device can determine M second candidate weight values according to the M first candidate weight values, thereby enabling the terminal device to determine the phase corresponding to each first candidate weight value.

[0017] In a second aspect, a communication method is provided, comprising: receiving first information from a terminal device, the first information indicating a first weight value and a first phase, the first weight value and the first phase indicating an amplitude and / or a phase of an array element in an antenna array of a first network device; and sending the first information to the first network device.

[0018] The solution of the second aspect can be executed by the second network device, or can be a module (such as a chip or a chip system, etc.) installed in the second network device, and can also be a logic node, a logic module or software, etc. capable of realizing all or part of the functions of the second network device. For the convenience of description, the second network device is taken as an example for description hereinafter.

[0019] In the above solution, the terminal device reports the first weight value and the first phase to the second network device, and the second network device can configure corresponding amplitudes and / or phases for the array elements in the antenna array of the first network device according to the first weight value and the first phase reported by the terminal device, and the first network device can assist the second network device in communication with the terminal device according to the amplitudes and / or phases configured by the second network device, which can support more effective enhancement of the communication performance between the second network device and the terminal device.

[0020] When the weight value configured by the second network device for the first network device needs to be phase-rotated, the first network device can perform phase rotation on the weight value according to the phase indicated by the second network device, which can enable the new weight value obtained after phase rotation to also improve the channel capacity between the second network device and the terminal device, thereby enabling better enhancement of the communication performance between the second network device and the terminal device.

[0021] In some implementations of the second aspect, before receiving the first information from the terminal device, the method further includes: receiving second information from the terminal device, the second information indicating M first candidate weight values, the M first candidate weight values including the first weight value, M being a positive integer; and transmitting, to the terminal device, M reference signals, the M reference signals corresponding to M second candidate weight values, each second candidate weight value having a phase rotation relationship with one of the M first candidate weight values.

[0022] In this way, this can support the terminal device to determine the phase corresponding to each first candidate weight value.

[0023] In some implementations of the second aspect, the phase rotation relationship is a rotation of 180°.

[0024] In some implementations of the second aspect, before receiving the second information from the terminal device, the method further includes: transmitting, to the terminal device, N reference signals, the N reference signals corresponding to N weight values, the N weight values including the M first candidate weight values, N being a positive integer greater than or equal to M, and measurement results of the N reference signals being used to determine the M first candidate weight values.

[0025] In this way, the terminal device can determine the M first candidate weight values according to the measurement results of the N reference signals, and can report the M first candidate weight values to the second network device, and the second network device can determine the M second candidate weight values according to the M first candidate weight values, which can support the terminal device to determine the phase corresponding to each first candidate weight value.

[0026] In combination with any one of the first aspect and the second aspect, the first phase is related to a channel between the second network device, the first network device, and the terminal device, a channel between the terminal device and the second network device, and the first weight value.

[0027] In combination with any one of the first aspect and the second aspect, the first phase satisfies: H RU ΦH BR is the channel between the second network device, the first network device, and the terminal device, H d is the channel between the terminal device and the second network device, Φ is the first weight value, and θ is the first phase, H eff = H d + H RU ΦH BR I is an identity matrix, and the subscript H represents a complex conjugate transpose.

[0028] In this way, the terminal device can determine the first phase by the above method, which can reduce the overhead of the terminal device, for example, the second network device does not need to separately issue a corresponding reference signal for each phase, and the terminal device does not need to receive a corresponding reference signal for each phase, which can reduce the overhead of the terminal device and the overhead of the second network device.

[0029] In combination with any one of the first aspect and the second aspect, the first information further indicates a channel capacity corresponding to the first weight.

[0030] In this way, the second network device can determine the channel capacity corresponding to the first weight.

[0031] In a third aspect, a communication apparatus is provided, which can be a terminal device, or a device or module for performing the functions of the terminal device, etc.

[0032] In a possible implementation, the communication apparatus can include a module or unit corresponding to each of the methods / operations / steps / actions described in the first aspect, which can be a hardware circuit, or software, or a combination of hardware circuit and software.

[0033] For example, the communication apparatus includes a transceiver unit and a processing unit.

[0034] In a fourth aspect, a communication apparatus is provided, which can be a second network device, or a device or module for performing the functions of the second network device, etc.

[0035] In a possible implementation, the communication apparatus can include a module or unit corresponding to each of the methods / operations / steps / actions described in the second aspect, which can be a hardware circuit, or software, or a combination of hardware circuit and software.

[0036] For example, the communication apparatus includes a transceiver unit and a processing unit.

[0037] In a fifth aspect, a communication apparatus is provided, which includes a processor configured to cause the communication apparatus to perform the methods described in the first aspect and any possible implementation of the first aspect, by executing computer programs or instructions, or by a logic circuit; or to cause the communication apparatus to perform the methods described in the second aspect and any possible implementation of the second aspect.

[0038] In a possible implementation, the communication apparatus further includes a memory configured to store the computer programs or instructions.

[0039] In a possible implementation, the communication apparatus further includes a communication interface configured to input and / or output signals.

[0040] In a sixth aspect, a communication apparatus is provided, including a logic circuit and an input / output interface for inputting and / or outputting signals, the logic circuit being configured to perform the method in the first aspect and any possible implementation of the first aspect; or the logic circuit being configured to perform the method in the second aspect and any possible implementation of the second aspect.

[0041] In a seventh aspect, a computer readable storage medium is provided, having stored thereon a computer program or instructions, which when executed on a computer, cause the method in the first aspect and any possible implementation of the first aspect to be performed; or cause the method in the second aspect and any possible implementation of the second aspect to be performed.

[0042] In an eighth aspect, a computer program product is provided, containing instructions, which when executed on a computer, cause the method in the first aspect and any possible implementation of the first aspect to be performed; or cause the method in the second aspect and any possible implementation of the second aspect to be performed.

[0043] In a ninth aspect, a chip or chip system is provided, including one or more processors configured to execute computer programs or instructions in the memory, so that the chip or chip system implements the method in the first aspect and any possible implementation of the first aspect; or so that the chip or chip system implements the method in the second aspect and any possible implementation of the second aspect.

[0044] The beneficial effects of the third aspect to the ninth aspect can be referred to the description of the beneficial effects of the first aspect to the second aspect, and will not be repeated. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS

[0045] FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram of a communication system 100 to which embodiments of the present application are applied.

[0046] FIG. 2 is a schematic diagram of an interaction flow of a communication method 200 according to an embodiment of the present application.

[0047] FIG. 3 is a schematic diagram of a relationship 300 between an antenna array of a first network device and a first weight.

[0048] FIG. 4 is a schematic diagram of an interaction flow of a communication method 400 according to an embodiment of the present application.

[0049] FIG. 5 is a schematic block diagram of a communication apparatus 500 according to an embodiment of the present application.

[0050] FIG. 6 is a schematic block diagram of a communication apparatus 600 according to an embodiment of the present application.

[0051] Fig. 7 is a schematic block diagram of a communication apparatus 700 according to an embodiment of the present application. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0052] In order to facilitate the understanding of the embodiments of the present application, the following points are first explained.

[0053] I. The meaning of "a plurality of" is two or more, unless otherwise specified.

[0054] II. The terms and / or descriptions of different embodiments of the present application are consistent with each other and can be referred to each other, unless otherwise specified and there is no logical conflict. The technical features in different embodiments can be combined to form new embodiments according to their inherent logical relationship.

[0055] III. The various numbers involved in the present application are only used for differentiation for the convenience of description, and are not used to limit the protection scope of the present application. The size of the serial number involved in the present application does not mean the execution order. The execution order of each process should be determined according to its function and inherent logic. For example, the terms "first", "second", "third", "fourth" and other various term labels in the specification and claims of the present application and the drawings (if any) are used to distinguish similar objects, and do not have to be used to describe a specific order or sequence. Among them, the data thus used can be interchanged under appropriate circumstances, so that the embodiments described herein can be implemented in an order other than that illustrated or described herein.

[0056] Meanwhile, any embodiment or design scheme described as "exemplary" or "for example" in the present application should not be interpreted as more preferred or more advantageous than other embodiments or design schemes. Rather, the use of "exemplary" or "for example" and the like is intended to present the relevant concept in a specific manner for ease of understanding.

[0057] IV. The terms "include" and "have" and any variations thereof are intended to cover non-exclusive inclusion, for example, a process, method, system, product or device that includes a series of steps or units does not have to be limited to only those steps or units clearly listed, but can include other steps or units that are not clearly listed or inherent to these processes, methods, products or devices.

[0058] V. In the present application, "for indicating" can be understood as "enabling", and "enabling" includes direct enabling and indirect enabling. When describing that a certain information is used to enable A, it can include that the information directly enables A or indirectly enables A, and it does not mean that A must be carried in the information.

[0059] If the information enabled by the information is referred to as to-be-enabled information, there are many ways to enable the to-be-enabled information in the implementation process, for example, but not limited to, the to-be-enabled information can be directly enabled, such as the to-be-enabled information itself or an index of the to-be-enabled information. The to-be-enabled information can also be indirectly enabled by enabling other information, where the other information and the to-be-enabled information have an association relationship. Only a part of the to-be-enabled information can be enabled, and the other part of the to-be-enabled information is known or agreed in advance. For example, the enabling of specific information can also be achieved by means of the pre-agreed (for example, the protocol stipulates) arrangement order of each information, thereby reducing the enabling overhead to a certain extent. Meanwhile, the common part of each information can be identified and uniformly enabled to reduce the enabling overhead caused by separately enabling the same information.

[0060] In addition, the indication can include direct indication, indirect indication, display indication, and implicit indication. When it is described that certain indication information is used to indicate A, it can be understood that the indication information carries A, directly indicates A, or indirectly indicates A.

[0061] In the present application, the information indicated by the indication information is referred to as to-be-indicated information. In the implementation process, there are many ways to indicate the to-be-indicated information, for example, but not limited to, the to-be-indicated information can be directly indicated, such as the to-be-indicated information itself or an index of the to-be-indicated information. The to-be-indicated information can also be indirectly indicated by indicating other information, where the other information and the to-be-indicated information have an association relationship. Only a part of the to-be-indicated information can be indicated, and the other part of the to-be-indicated information is known or agreed in advance. For example, the indication of specific information can also be achieved by means of the pre-agreed (for example, the protocol stipulates) arrangement order of each information, thereby reducing the indication overhead to a certain extent. In addition, the to-be-indicated information can be sent as a whole, or can be sent separately in multiple sub-information, and the sending period and / or sending time of the sub-information can be the same or different.

[0062] Sixthly, in the present application, "pre-configuration" can include pre-definition, for example, protocol definition. The "pre-definition" can be implemented by pre-storing corresponding codes, tables or other information indicating manners in devices (for example, including various network elements), and the present application does not limit the specific implementation manners.

[0063] Seven, the "storage" or "save" involved in the present application can refer to saving in one or more memories. The one or more memories can be separately arranged or integrated in the encoder or decoder, processor, or communication device. The one or more memories can also be partially separately arranged and partially integrated in the decoder, processor, or communication device. The type of memory can be any form of storage medium, which is not limited.

[0064] Eight, the "protocol" involved in the present application can refer to a standard protocol in the field of communication, which can include, for example, fourth generation (4 th generation, 4G) network, 5G network protocol, 5.5G network protocol, and related protocols applied to future communication networks, which are not limited.

[0065] Nine, the arrows or blocks shown by dashed lines in the schematic diagrams in the drawing part of the present application specification represent optional steps or optional modules.

[0066] Ten, unless otherwise specified, " / " represents that the objects associated before and after are in an "or" relationship, for example, A / B can represent A or B; "and / or" in the present application is only a description of the association relationship of the associated objects, which means that there can be three kinds of relationships, for example, A and / or B can represent: A exists alone, A and B exist together, and B exists alone, where A and B can be singular or plural.

[0067] Eleven, in the present application, "sending" and "receiving" represent the direction of signal transmission. For example, "sending information to XX" can be understood as that the destination of the information is XX, which can include direct sending through the air interface, and also includes indirect sending through the air interface by other units or modules. "Receiving information from YY" can be understood as that the source of the information is YY, which can include direct receiving from YY through the air interface, and also includes indirect receiving from YY through the air interface from other units or modules. "Sending" can also be understood as "output" of the chip interface, and "receiving" can also be understood as "input" of the chip interface. In other words, sending and receiving can be carried out between devices, for example, between network devices and terminal devices, or can be carried out within a device, for example, between components, modules, chips, software modules or hardware modules within a device through a bus, wire or interface.

[0068] First, the communication system to which the embodiments of the present application are applicable is described.

[0069] The technical solutions of the embodiments of the present application can be applied to various communication systems, for example: long term evolution (LTE) system, LTE frequency division duplex (FDD) system, LTE time division duplex (TDD), universal mobile telecommunication system (UMTS), 5G system or new radio (NR), and future communication network, inter-satellite communication and satellite communication, and non-terrestrial network (NTN) system. The satellite communication system includes a satellite base station and a terminal device. The satellite base station provides communication services for the terminal device. The satellite base station can also communicate with the ground base station. The satellite can act as a base station or a terminal device. Among them, the satellite can refer to unmanned aerial vehicle, hot air balloon, low-orbit satellite, medium-orbit satellite, high-orbit satellite, non-ground base station or non-ground device, etc.

[0070] The technical solutions of the embodiments of the present application are applicable to homogeneous network and heterogeneous network scenarios, and there is no limitation on the transmission point, which can be multi-point cooperative transmission between macro base stations and macro base stations, micro base stations and micro base stations, and macro base stations and micro base stations, and is applicable to FDD / TDD systems.

[0071] The technical solutions of the embodiments of the present application are not only applicable to low frequency scenarios (sub 6GHz), but also applicable to high frequency scenarios (above 6GHz), terahertz, optical communication, etc. The technical solutions of the embodiments of the present application can be applied not only to the communication between network devices and terminals, but also to the communication between network devices and network devices, the communication between terminals and terminals, the communication of Internet of Vehicles, Internet of Things, Industrial Internet, etc.

[0072] The technical solutions of the embodiments of the present application can also be applied to the scenario of terminal connection with a single base station, and the base station connected by the terminal and the core network (CN) connected by the base station are of the same standard. For example, the CN is 5G Core, the base station corresponds to 5G base station, and the 5G base station is directly connected to 5G Core. The technical solutions of the embodiments of the present application can also be applied to the dual connectivity (DC) scenario of terminal connection with at least two base stations.

[0073] The technical solutions of the embodiments of the present application can also be used in the macro-micro scenario composed of different forms of base stations in the communication network, for example, the base station can be a satellite, an air balloon station, a unmanned aerial vehicle station, etc. The technical solutions of the embodiments of the present application are also suitable for the scenario where wide coverage base stations and small coverage base stations exist at the same time.

[0074] The application scenarios of the technical solutions of the embodiments of the present application include but are not limited to: ground cellular communication, NTN, satellite communication, high altitude platform station (HAPS) communication, vehicle-to-everything (V2X), integrated access and backhaul (IAB), and IRS communication scenarios.

[0075] The terminal device in the embodiments of the present application is a device with wireless transceiving function, which can refer to: user equipment (UE), access terminal, subscriber unit, user station, mobile station, remote station, remote terminal, mobile device, user terminal, wireless communication device, user agent or user equipment. The terminal device can also be a satellite phone, a cellular phone, a smart phone, a wireless data card, a wireless modem, a machine type communication device, a cordless phone, a session initiation protocol (SIP) phone, a wireless local loop (WLL) station, a personal digital assistant (PDA), a customer-premises equipment (CPE), a smart point of sale (POS) machine, a handheld device with wireless communication function, a computing device or other processing device connected to a wireless modem, a vehicle-mounted device, a communication device carried on a high-altitude aircraft, a wearable device, a drone, a robot, a terminal in device-to-device (D2D) communication, a terminal in V2X, a virtual reality (VR) terminal device, an augmented reality (AR) terminal device, a wireless terminal in industrial control, a wireless terminal in self driving, a wireless terminal in remote medical, a wireless terminal in smart grid, a wireless terminal in transportation safety, a wireless terminal in smart city, a wireless terminal in smart home, or a terminal device in future communication network, etc.

[0076] The apparatus for implementing the function of the terminal device in the embodiments of the present application can be a terminal device; or can be an apparatus capable of supporting the terminal device to implement the function, for example, a chip system. The apparatus can be installed in the terminal device or used in matching with the terminal device. In the embodiments of the present application, the chip system can be composed of a chip, or can include the chip and other discrete devices.

[0077] The network device in the embodiments of the present application is a device with a wireless transceiving function, and is used for communicating with a terminal device. The network device can be a node in a radio access network (RAN), and can also be referred to as a base station, and can also be referred to as a RAN node. The network device can be an evolved Node B (eNB or eNodeB) in LTE; or a base station in a 5G network such as a gNodeB (gNB), or a base station in a public land mobile network (PLMN), a broadband network gateway (BNG), a convergence switch, or a 3 rd generation partnership project,3GPP) access device, and the like.

[0078] The network device in the embodiments of the present application can also include various forms of base stations, for example: a macro base station, a micro base station (also referred to as a small station), a relay station, a transmitting and receiving point (TRP), a transmitting point (TP), a mobile switching center, and a device assuming a base station function in D2D, V2X, machine-to-machine (M2M) communication, and the like, and can also include a centralized unit (CU) and a distributed unit (DU) in a cloud radio access network (C-RAN) system, a network device in an NTN communication system, and the like.

[0079] The apparatus for implementing the function of the network device in the embodiments of the present application can be a network device, or can be an apparatus capable of supporting the network device to implement the function, for example, a chip system. The apparatus can be installed in the network device or used in matching with the network device. In the embodiments of the present application, the chip system can be composed of a chip, or can include the chip and other discrete devices.

[0080] The IRS in the embodiments of the present application has a signal forwarding function, can amplify signals, for example, for a repeater. In addition, the IRS can also shift the carrier frequency of the signal, or demodulate and then modulate and forward the signal, or reduce noise and then forward the signal, etc.

[0081] The IRS in the embodiments of the present application can be any one of the following forms: amplification forwarding, demodulation forwarding, frequency shift forwarding, noise reduction forwarding, reflector, reflecting surface, reflecting array, intelligent reflecting array, reflector, intelligent reflector, backscatter device, passive device, semi-passive device, ambient signal device, reconfigurable reflecting surface (RRS), smart surface, transmissive metasurface, large intelligent metasurface (LIM), software-controlled metasurface, smart reflect-array, software-defined surface (SDS), and active intelligent surface (PIS), passive massive multiple input multiple output (passive massive MIMO), distributed passive massive input multiple output (distributed passive massive MIMO), etc.

[0082] In addition, the IRS can also be considered as a special form of terminal device (or network device). The network device can control the IRS to perform more enhanced performance functions, for example, at least one of IRS transmission power control, IRS amplification gain control, IRS beam scanning control, IRS precoding control, on-off control, uplink / downlink forwarding control.

[0083] The IRS logically comprises multiple parts, such as one or more signal transceiver units, a controller, a signal amplifier, and the like, for implementing communication and signaling interaction with network devices and terminal devices, signal amplification, and the like. The controller of the IRS is also referred to as a mobile terminal (MT) or a terminal or a fixed terminal (FT), and the other parts can constitute a radio unit (RU) (which can also be referred to as a DU or a distributed radio unit (DRU), and the like).

[0084] For example, in downlink communication, one signal transceiver unit receives a signal of a network device, and another signal transceiver unit transmits the amplified received signal to a terminal device. The controller can also communicate with the network device or the terminal device through the signal transceiver unit. For example, the controller communicates with the network device through the signal transceiver unit, for establishing a communication link and beam alignment between the IRS and the network device, and can also be used to receive configuration / instruction information of the network device, so as to facilitate the network device to control the working time, working state, or working mode of the IRS, and the like. Or it is used to receive a trigger signal of the terminal device, so that the IRS enters a corresponding working mode as needed. For another example, the controller can also determine the working state (such as amplification factor, phase) of the signal amplifier according to the indication information of the network device or the measurement information of the controller itself.

[0085] The number of each unit described above can be one or more. For example, the IRS comprises multiple signal amplifiers, which correspond to different polarization directions or relay radio frequency channels, respectively.

[0086] FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram of a communication system 100 to which embodiments of the present application are applicable. As shown in FIG. 1, the IRS comprises an antenna panel, which is used to implement communication between a network device and a terminal device. The antenna panel of the IRS can be composed of multiple antennas (which can constitute an antenna array), and a single antenna panel can form a beam, which is used to implement communication between the network device and the terminal device.

[0087] Taking downlink transmission as an example, a network device transmits a signal to the IRS, and the IRS reflects the signal to a terminal device, thereby breaking through the signal link between the terminal device and the network device. The IRS is usually composed of a large-scale antenna (which can also be understood as an antenna array, and each element in the antenna array is an antenna), and the reflection of signals by different antennas or elements can be different. By adjusting the reflection factors (including the amplitude and / or phase of the antenna) of the antennas or elements, the IRS can form a narrow beam and reflect the signal transmitted by the network device to the terminal device.

[0088] As known from the background section, in order to enhance the communication performance between the network device and the terminal device, the network device needs to configure an optimal weight value for the IRS, and the IRS assists the communication between the network device and the terminal device according to the optimal weight value. However, the existing scheme for determining the optimal weight value may not be able to well support the enhancement of the communication performance between the network device and the terminal device. For example, in a specific application, in order to realize the rank enhancement of the overall channel (including the reflection channel between the network device-IRS-terminal device and the direct connection channel between the network device and the terminal device) between the network device and the terminal device, the optimal weight value configured by the network device for the IRS needs to be phase-rotated, and the phase corresponding to the optimal weight value may affect the communication performance between the network device and the terminal device. Therefore, the embodiments of the present application provide a communication method and a communication device, which can better support the enhancement of the communication performance between the network device and the terminal device.

[0089] It should be noted that, although the present application is described by taking the IRS as an example, the scenarios to which the technical solutions disclosed by the present application can be applied are not limited to the IRS. Therefore, the technical solutions disclosed by the present application are described by taking the first network device and the second network device as upper concepts. The second network device can be any one of the network devices listed above, and the first network device can include the IRS.

[0090] The communication method and the communication device of the embodiments of the present application will be described below with reference to the accompanying drawings.

[0091] FIG. 2 is an interaction flow diagram of a communication method 200 of an embodiment of the present application. The method 200 is executed by the first network device, the second network device and the terminal device, or executed by the modules and / or devices (for example, chips, chip systems or integrated circuits, etc.) with corresponding functions installed in the first network device, the second network device and the terminal device, and the execution is not limited. Hereinafter, the first network device, the second network device and the terminal device are taken as examples for description. As shown in FIG. 2, the method 200 includes:

[0092] S210, the terminal device determines first information.

[0093] Specifically, the terminal device can determine the first information by measuring the same reference signal twice (the two measurements correspond to different weight values, respectively), and the specific description can be referred to the description of FIG. 4.

[0094] The first information indicates the first weight and the first phase, and the first weight and the first phase are used to indicate the amplitude and / or phase of an element in the antenna array of the first network device. Alternatively, the first phase and the first weight can constitute a new weight, or the first weight can be phase-rotated based on the first phase to obtain a new weight, and the new weight is used to indicate the amplitude and / or phase of an element in the antenna array of the first network device.

[0095] The first information can include one information or multiple information. For example, when the first weight and the first phase can be indicated by different information, the first information includes two information; when the first weight and the first phase can be indicated by one information, the first information includes one information. Alternatively, the first information is 10110101, and the first information indicates the first weight and the first phase, that is, there is a 256-row weight phase table corresponding to 8-bit indication. It can also be understood that the first two bits 10 indicate the first phase, and the last six bits 110101 indicate the weight. In the standard writing, the latter form is usually written. In summary, the specific manner of the first weight and the first phase is not limited in the present application.

[0096] It should be noted that the first weight can include one or more weights, and the first phase can include one or more phases, for example, the first weight includes weight 1 and weight 2, and the first phase includes phase 1 and phase 2, and phase 1 corresponds to weight 1 and phase 2 corresponds to weight 2. In summary, the first weight and the first phase have a corresponding relationship.

[0097] The first weight can be a discrete fourier transform (DFT) weight, or other weights defined in the 3GPP standard, such as Type I Single-Panel Codebook, Type I Multi-Panel Codebook, Type I Codebook, and other weights with the first term being 1, etc. This is not limited. For ease of description, the first weight is taken as a DFT weight in the following description. The elements (or weight elements) in the first weight can be used to indicate or configure the amplitude and / or phase of the elements in the antenna array, which can be referred to the description of FIG. 3.

[0098] When the first weight is a DFT weight, the DFT weight can satisfy:

[0099] In formula (1), M1 can represent a horizontal array element quantity of the antenna array of the first network device, M2 can represent a vertical array element quantity of the antenna array of the first network device, O1 can represent a horizontal direction oversampling multiple of the antenna array of the first network device, and O2 can represent a vertical direction oversampling multiple of the antenna array of the first network device. w represents a DFT weight value, is a Kronecker product. is an imaginary unit, and e is a natural logarithm base number. Different DFT weight values can be obtained through different combinations of i and k, and the number of different DFT weight values is M1·M2·O1·O2.

[0100] When the antenna array of the first network device is a linear array, the antenna array of the first network device has only one dimension, and the DFT weight value can be represented as u or v.

[0101] The relationship between the first weight value and the antenna array of the first network device can be seen from FIG. 3.

[0102] FIG. 3 is a schematic diagram of the relationship 300 between the antenna array of the first network device and the first weight value. As shown in FIG. 3, the antenna array of the first network device is a 4×4 array, the first weight value includes 16 elements, and the amplitude and / or phase of each array element in the antenna array of the first network device can be indicated or configured by the corresponding element in the first weight value.

[0103] For example:

[0104] The amplitude and / or phase of array element 11 can be indicated or configured by element 11 in the first weight value, the amplitude and / or phase of array element 12 can be indicated or configured by element 12 in the first weight value, the amplitude and / or phase of array element 13 can be indicated or configured by element 13 in the first weight value, and the amplitude and / or phase of array element 14 can be indicated or configured by element 14 in the first weight value.

[0105] The amplitude and / or phase of array element 21 can be indicated or configured by element 21 in the first weight value, the amplitude and / or phase of array element 22 can be indicated or configured by element 22 in the first weight value, the amplitude and / or phase of array element 23 can be indicated or configured by element 23 in the first weight value, and the amplitude and / or phase of array element 24 can be indicated or configured by element 24 in the first weight value.

[0106] The amplitude and / or phase of array element 31 can be indicated or configured by element 31 in the first weight; the amplitude and / or phase of array element 32 can be indicated or configured by element 32 in the first weight; the amplitude and / or phase of array element 33 can be indicated or configured by element 33 in the first weight; and the amplitude and / or phase of array element 34 can be indicated or configured by element 34 in the first weight.

[0107] The amplitude and / or phase of array element 41 can be indicated or configured by element 41 in the first weight, the amplitude and / or phase of array element 42 can be indicated or configured by element 42 in the first weight, the amplitude and / or phase of array element 43 can be indicated or configured by element 43 in the first weight, and the amplitude and / or phase of array element 44 can be indicated or configured by element 44 in the first weight.

[0108] Taking M1=4, M2=4, i=1, k=2 as an example, the first weight can be expressed as:

[0109] In formula (2), specifically:

[0110] Element 1 indicates the amplitude of array element 11, element The amplitude and elements of the indicator array element 12 The amplitude and elements of the indicator element 13 The amplitude of indicator element 14;

[0111] element The amplitude and elements of the indicator element 21 The amplitude and elements of the indicator array element 22 Indicator element 23 amplitude, element The amplitude of indicator element 24;

[0112] element Indicator element 31 amplitude, element Indicator element 32 amplitude, element Indicator element 33 amplitude, element The amplitude of indicator element 34;

[0113] element The phase and elements of the indicator element 41 Indicator element 42's phase and amplitude, elements Indicator element 43's phase and amplitude, elements The phase and amplitude of the indicator element 44.

[0114] S220: The terminal device sends the first information to the second network device. Correspondingly, the second network device receives the first information.

[0115] Thus, when the second network device receives the first information, the second network device can determine that when the first network device is configured with the first weight and the first phase, the first network device can effectively enhance the communication performance between the second network device and the terminal device according to the first weight and the first phase.

[0116] Specifically, the communication performance between the second network device and the terminal device is related to the channel capacity between the second network device and the terminal device. For example, the channel capacity between the second network device and the terminal device can be represented as: C = log2 det(I + (H d +H RU e jθ ΦH BR )(H d +H RU e jθ ΦH BR ) H ) (3)

[0117] In formula (3), I represents a unit matrix, H d represents a direct connection channel between the second network device and the terminal device, H RU ΦH BR represents a reflection channel between the second network device, the first network device and the terminal device, Φ is a weight, θ is a phase, the subscript H represents a complex conjugate transpose, and the det function is used to calculate the value of the determinant of a given matrix. Generally, the larger the channel capacity between the second network device and the terminal device, the better the communication performance between the second network device and the terminal device.

[0118] Thus, when the second network device configures the optimal weight and the corresponding phase for the first network device, the optimal weight and the corresponding phase can effectively improve the channel capacity between the second network device and the terminal device, thereby supporting more effective enhancement of the communication performance between the second network device and the terminal device.

[0119] In one possible implementation, the first information can also indicate the channel capacity corresponding to the first weight. The second network device can determine the channel capacity corresponding to the first weight.

[0120] S230, the second network device sends the first information to the first network device. Correspondingly, the first network device receives the first information.

[0121] After the first network device receives the first information, the first network device adjusts the amplitude and / or phase of the array elements in the antenna array according to the first weight and the first phase, thereby assisting the communication between the second network device and the terminal device according to the first weight and the first phase, and further enhancing the communication performance between the second network device and the terminal device.

[0122] Through the above method, the terminal device reports the first weight value and the first phase to the second network device, the second network device can configure corresponding amplitudes and / or phases for the elements in the antenna array of the first network device according to the first weight value and the first phase reported by the terminal device, and the first network device can assist the communication between the second network device and the terminal device according to the amplitudes and / or phases configured by the second network device, which can support more effective enhancement of the communication performance between the second network device and the terminal device.

[0123] When the weight value configured by the second network device for the first network device needs to be phase-rotated, the first network device can perform phase-rotation on the weight value according to the phase indicated by the second network device, which can enable the new weight value obtained after phase-rotation to also improve the channel capacity between the second network device and the terminal device, and thus support better enhancement of the communication performance between the second network device and the terminal device.

[0124] The process in which the terminal device determines the first information in the method 200 is further described below in conjunction with FIG. 4.

[0125] FIG. 4 is an interaction flow diagram of a communication method 400 according to an embodiment of the present application. As shown in FIG. 4, the method 400 includes the following steps.

[0126] S401, the second network device sends third information to the first network device. Correspondingly, the first network device receives the third information.

[0127] The third information is used to indicate N weight values.

[0128] In the embodiments of the present application, the second network device can determine the N weight values in multiple ways.

[0129] For example, the second network device determines the N weight values through beam scanning.

[0130] For example, the second network device can determine the N weight values according to the information of the antenna array reported by the first network device. The information of the antenna array includes but is not limited to: the number of elements N e , the element spacing d, the number of phase shifters N p , the number of digital channels, the number of analog channels, and the number of ports. Each parameter can be two-dimensional, for example, distinguishing between the horizontal direction (H) and the vertical direction (V), (N e,H ,N e,V ) represents the number of horizontal elements N e,H , the number of vertical elements N e,V , (d H ,d Vrepresents the horizontal direction array element spacing d H represents the vertical direction array element spacing d V represents the horizontal direction phase shifter number N p,H represents the vertical direction phase shifter number N p,V represents the horizontal direction phase shifter number N p,H represents the vertical direction phase shifter number N p,V .

[0131] S402, the second network device sends N reference signals to the terminal device. Correspondingly, the terminal device receives N reference signals. N reference signals correspond to N weights.

[0132] The reference signal described above can be the CSI-RS described above, or other types of signals, such as a demodulation reference signal DMRS, which is not limited. In one embodiment, the reference signal and the weight can be in a one-to-one relationship.

[0133] Specifically, the second network device sends N reference signals to the first network device, and the first network device forwards the corresponding reference signal to the terminal device according to the N weights indicated by the third information.

[0134] For example, the second network device sends reference signal 1, reference signal 2 and reference signal 3 to the first network device respectively, the first network device forwards reference signal 1 to the terminal device according to weight 1, the first network device forwards reference signal 2 to the terminal device according to weight 2, and the first network device forwards reference signal 3 to the terminal device according to weight 3. Correspondingly, the terminal device receives reference signal 1, reference signal 2 and reference signal 3 respectively.

[0135] The association between N reference signals and N weights can also be seen from Table 1. The content shown in Table 1 is only an example and is not limited.

[0136] Table 1

[0137] As shown in Table 1, the N reference signals include reference signal 1, reference signal 2, reference signal 3 and reference signal 4, and the N weights include weight 1, weight 2, weight 3 and weight 4. Specifically:

[0138] Reference signal 1 corresponds to time-frequency resource 1, reference signal 1 corresponds to weight 1, and time-frequency resource 1 is associated with weight 1;

[0139] Reference signal 2 corresponds to time-frequency resource 2, reference signal 2 corresponds to weight 2, and time-frequency resource 2 is associated with weight 2;

[0140] Reference signal 3 corresponds to time-frequency resource 3, reference signal 3 corresponds to weight 3, and time-frequency resource 3 is associated with weight 3;

[0141] The reference signal 4 corresponds to the time-frequency resource 4, the reference signal 4 corresponds to the weight 4, and the time-frequency resource 4 is associated with the weight 4.

[0142] In the embodiments of the present application, the second network device can configure the first network device with the time-frequency resource 1, the time-frequency resource 2, the time-frequency resource 3, and the time-frequency resource 4, each of which is associated with a corresponding weight. The first network device can forward the corresponding reference signal to the terminal device according to the time-frequency resource configured by the second network device and based on the corresponding weight.

[0143] For example, the first network device forwards the reference signal 1 to the terminal device through the time-frequency resource 1 based on the weight 1, forwards the reference signal 2 to the terminal device through the time-frequency resource 2 based on the weight 2, forwards the reference signal 3 to the terminal device through the time-frequency resource 3 based on the weight 3, and forwards the reference signal 4 to the terminal device through the time-frequency resource 4 based on the weight 4.

[0144] Through the above S401 and S402, the terminal device can determine M first candidate weights according to the measurement results of the N reference signals, and report the M first candidate weights to the second network device, and the second network device can determine M second candidate weights according to the M first candidate weights, so that the terminal device can determine the phase corresponding to each first candidate weight.

[0145] S403, the terminal device sends second information to the second network device. Correspondingly, the second network device receives the second information.

[0146] The second information indicates the M first candidate weights.

[0147] When the terminal device receives the N reference signals, the terminal device measures each reference signal and obtains the measurement results of the N reference signals. The measurement result of the reference signal can be represented by the reference signal received power (RSRP) and the like.

[0148] When the terminal device obtains the measurement results of the N reference signals, the terminal device can determine M first candidate weights in the N weights according to the measurement results of the N reference signals, and indicate the M first candidate weights to the second network device.

[0149] Specifically, the terminal device can determine the M first candidate weights according to the following principles:

[0150] Principle 1: The channel capacity is greater than a threshold value;

[0151] Principle 2: The RSRP is greater than a threshold value.

[0152] For example, the terminal device determines channel capacities corresponding to the N weight values according to measurement results of the N reference signals, and determines a weight value with a channel capacity greater than a threshold value, and regards the weight value as a first candidate weight value.

[0153] For example, the terminal device determines RSRP of the N reference signals according to measurement results of the N reference signals, and determines a reference signal with RSRP greater than a threshold value, and regards a weight value corresponding to the reference signal as a first candidate weight value.

[0154] The value of M can be predefined, indicated by the second network device, or determined by the terminal device, and is not limited in this regard. For example, the second network device indicates the value of M to the terminal device; for another example, the value of M is predefined by a standard; for another example, the second network device indicates the threshold value to the terminal device, and the terminal device determines the value of M according to the threshold value, and the like.

[0155] In the embodiments of the present application, the second information can indicate the M first candidate weight values in multiple ways, for example, the second information can indicate reference signals or time-frequency resources associated with the M first candidate weight values.

[0156] For example, the M first candidate weight values include weight value 1 and weight value 2, and the second information indicates an identifier of time-frequency resource 1 associated with weight value 1 and an identifier of time-frequency resource 2 associated with weight value 2; or the second information indicates an identifier of reference signal 1 associated with weight value 1 and an identifier of reference signal 2 associated with weight value 2, and the like.

[0157] S404, the second network device sends fourth information to the first network device. Correspondingly, the first network device receives the fourth information.

[0158] The fourth information is used to indicate M second candidate weight values. Each second candidate weight value has a phase rotation relationship with one of the M first candidate weight values.

[0159] Optionally, the phase rotation relationship is a rotation of 180°.

[0160] For example, a first second candidate weight value in the M second candidate weight values is obtained by performing a second phase (such as a second phase of 180°) phase rotation on a first first candidate weight value in the M first candidate weight values, a second second candidate weight value in the M second candidate weight values is obtained by performing a second phase (such as a second phase of 180°) phase rotation on a second first candidate weight value in the M first candidate weight values, and a third second candidate weight value in the M second candidate weight values is obtained by performing a second phase (such as a second phase of 180°) phase rotation on a third first candidate weight value in the M first candidate weight values.

[0161] The description about the relationship between the second candidate weight and the first candidate weight can be referred to Table 2. The content shown in Table 2 is only as an example, not as the final limit.

[0162] Table 2

[0163] As shown in Table 2, the M first candidate weights include weight 1 and weight 2. The M second candidate weights include weight #1 and weight #2, there is a phase rotation relationship between weight 1 and weight #1, and there is a phase rotation relationship between weight 2 and weight #2, specifically:

[0164] The phase rotation relationship between each second candidate weight and the corresponding first candidate weight can be consistent, for example, based on the same phase (the second phase corresponding to weight 1 is the same as the second phase corresponding to weight 2), the first candidate weight is phase-rotated to obtain the corresponding second candidate weight.

[0165] In one possible implementation, the value of θ includes but is not limited to 30°, 45°, 180°, 270°, etc. For ease of description, the following takes θ as 180° as an example. In this way, the calculation of the terminal device can be facilitated.

[0166] S405, the second network device sends M reference signals to the terminal device. Correspondingly, the terminal device receives the M reference signals. The M reference signals correspond to the M second candidate weights.

[0167] For example, the second network device sends the M reference signals to the first network device, and the first network device forwards the corresponding reference signals to the terminal device according to the M second candidate weights indicated by the fourth information respectively.

[0168] For example, the second network device sends the M reference signals to the first network device, and the first network device forwards the corresponding reference signals to the terminal device according to the M second candidate weights indicated by the fourth information respectively.

[0169] Through the above S403 to S405, the second network device determines the corresponding M second candidate weights according to the M first candidate weights reported by the terminal device, and sends the M reference signals corresponding to the M second candidate weights to the terminal device, and the terminal device determines the phase corresponding to the first candidate weight according to the M reference signals.

[0170] S406, the terminal device determines the first information.

[0171] In the embodiment of the application, the terminal device can determine the phase corresponding to the weight according to the two measurement results of the same reference signal.

[0172] Taking the reference signal 1 as an example, the first network device forwards the reference signal 1 to the terminal device based on the weight value 1, the terminal device performs the first measurement on the reference signal 1, and obtains the first measurement result of the reference signal 1; the first network device forwards the reference signal 1 to the terminal device based on the weight value #1, the terminal device performs the second measurement on the reference signal 1, and obtains the second measurement result of the reference signal 1. The first measurement result of the reference signal 1 and the second measurement result of the reference signal 1 can be respectively represented as: y1=(H BR Φ1H RU +H BU )s+n1 y2=(-H BR Φ1H RU +H BU )s+n2 (4)

[0173] In formula (4), s represents a CSI-RS sequence, which can be understood as a unit matrix I, and n1 and n2 are both noises. The first measurement result of the reference signal 1 is represented as y1, and the second measurement result of the reference signal 1 is represented as y2. The weight value 1 is represented as Φ1, and the weight value #1 is represented as -Φ1, that is, the phase of Φ1 is rotated by 180° (the value of the second phase). It should be noted that formula (4) is described by taking the second phase as 180° as an example, but it is not limited to other angles, for example, the second phase is 60°, and the weight value #1 can be represented as

[0174] The terminal device can determine the direct connection channel between the second network device and the terminal device and the reflection channel between the second network device, the first network device and the terminal device according to the two measurement results of the reference signal 1. Wherein, the direct connection channel between the second network device and the terminal device and the reflection channel between the second network device, the first network device and the terminal device are respectively represented as:

[0175] In formula (5), H represents the reflection channel between the second network device, the first network device and the terminal device, represents the direct connection channel between the second network device and the terminal device. It can be known from formula (5) that, is related to the weight value Φ, which can be denoted as

[0176] When the terminal device determines H and H , the terminal device can determine the phase corresponding to the weight value according to H and H .

[0177] For example, based on formula (3), the terminal device determines the optimal phase according to the criterion that the derivative of the capacity with respect to the phase is 0. For example, based on formula (3), the terminal device determines the optimal phase according to the criterion that the derivative of the capacity with respect to the phase is 0.

[0178] For example, the first phase is related to the second network device, the channel between the first network device and the terminal device, the channel between the terminal device and the second network device, and the first weight. In this way, the terminal device can determine the first phase according to the above parameters.

[0179] Specifically, the terminal device determines the optimal phase according to the following expression:

[0180] In formula (6), is a Hermit matrix. The terminal device can continuously adjust θ so that and the phase difference between tr(H d (H RU ΦH BR ) H X -1 is just 2θ. Then, θ is the optimal or worst phase, and the terminal device determines the optimal phase according to the channel capacity indicated by formula (3). tr(·) is the trace of a square matrix, that is, the sum of the diagonal elements of a matrix with equal row and column numbers.

[0181] Alternatively, the first phase can satisfy the above formula (6).

[0182] In summary, through the above method, the terminal device can determine the phase corresponding to each second candidate weight. The terminal device can report the optimal second candidate weight and the corresponding phase in the M second candidate weights to the second network device.

[0183] In addition, the above method of determining the first phase can also reduce the overhead of the terminal device. For example, the second network device does not need to issue a corresponding reference signal for each phase, and the terminal device does not need to receive the corresponding reference signal for each phase, which can reduce the overhead of the terminal device and the overhead of the second network device.

[0184] S407, the terminal device sends the first information to the second network device. Correspondingly, the second network device receives the first information.

[0185] S408, the second network device sends the first information to the first network device. Correspondingly, the first network device receives the first information.

[0186] After the first network device receives the first information, the first network device adjusts the amplitude and / or phase of the elements in the antenna array according to the first weight and the first phase, thereby assisting the second network device in communication with the terminal device according to the first weight and the first phase, and further enhancing the communication performance between the second network device and the terminal device.

[0187] In the above scheme, the terminal device reports the first weight and the first phase to the second network device, the second network device can configure the corresponding amplitude and / or phase for the elements in the antenna array of the first network device according to the first weight and the first phase reported by the terminal device, and the first network device can assist the second network device in communication with the terminal device according to the amplitude and / or phase configured by the second network device, which can support more effective enhancement of the communication performance between the second network device and the terminal device.

[0188] When the weight configured by the second network device for the first network device needs to be phase-rotated, the first network device can perform phase-rotation on the weight according to the phase indicated by the second network device, which can make the new weight obtained after phase-rotation also be able to improve the channel capacity between the second network device and the terminal device, and further support better enhancement of the communication performance between the second network device and the terminal device.

[0189] The above describes the method embodiment of the embodiments of the present application, and the corresponding device embodiment is introduced below.

[0190] To implement the functions in the above method provided by the present application, the terminal device and the network device (such as the first network device or the second network device) can each include a hardware structure and / or a software module to implement the above functions in the form of hardware structure, software module, or hardware structure plus software module. Whether a certain function in the above functions is executed in the form of hardware structure, software module, or hardware structure plus software module depends on the specific application and design constraints of the technical solution.

[0191] FIG. 5 is a schematic block diagram of a communication device 500 according to an embodiment of the present application. The communication device 500 includes a processor 510 and a communication interface 520, which can be connected to each other through a bus 530. The communication device 500 can be used to implement the functions of the first network device, and can also be used to implement the functions of the second network device, and can also be used to implement the functions of the terminal device.

[0192] Optionally, the communication device 500 further includes a memory 550.

[0193] The memory 550 includes, but is not limited to, random access memory (RAM), read-only memory (ROM), erasable programmable read only memory (EPROM), or electrically erasable programmable read only memory (EEPROM), compact disc read-only memory (CD-ROM), etc. The memory is any medium that can be used to carry or store desired program codes in the form of instructions or data structures and that can be accessed by a computer, but is not limited thereto. For example, the memory 550 is used to store relevant instructions and data.

[0194] In the embodiments of the present application, the processor can be a general processor, a digital signal processor, an application specific integrated circuit, a field programmable gate array or other programmable logic device, a discrete gate or transistor logic device, a discrete hardware component, and can implement or execute the disclosed methods, steps and logic block diagrams in the embodiments of the present application. The general processor can be a microprocessor or any conventional processor. The steps of the method disclosed in combination with the embodiments of the present application can be directly embodied as hardware processor execution or executed by a combination of hardware and software modules in the processor. For example, the processor 510 can be one or more central processing units (CPUs), and in the case of the processor 510 being a CPU, the CPU can be a single core CPU or a multi-core CPU.

[0195] When the communication apparatus 500 is used to implement the function of the second network device, the processor 510 is exemplarily configured to perform the following operations: receiving the first information; and sending the first information to the first network device.

[0196] The above description is only exemplary. When the communication apparatus 500 is used to implement the function of the second network device, it will be responsible for performing the methods or steps related to the second network device in the foregoing method embodiments.

[0197] When the communication apparatus 500 is used to implement the function of the first network device, the processor 510 is exemplarily configured to perform the following operations: receiving the first information. Further exemplarily, the following operations can be performed: according to the first information, serving the communication between the terminal device and the second network device.

[0198] The above description is only exemplary. When the communication apparatus 500 is used to implement the function of the first network device, it will be responsible for performing the methods or steps related to the first network device in the foregoing method embodiments.

[0199] When the communication apparatus 500 is configured to implement the function of the terminal device, the processor 510 is configured to perform the following operations: determining the first information; sending the first information to the second network device, and the like.

[0200] The above description is only exemplary. When the communication apparatus 500 is configured to implement the function of the first network device, it will be responsible for performing the methods or steps related to the terminal device in the foregoing method embodiments.

[0201] The above description is only exemplary. The specific content can be referred to the content shown in the foregoing method embodiments. In addition, the implementation of each operation in FIG. 5 can also correspond to the description of the corresponding method embodiments shown in FIGS. 2 to 4.

[0202] FIG. 6 is a schematic block diagram of a communication apparatus 600 according to an embodiment of the present application. The communication apparatus 600 can be a network device or a terminal device in the foregoing embodiments, or a chip or a module in the network device or the terminal device, configured to implement the methods involved in the foregoing embodiments. The communication apparatus 600 includes a transceiver unit 610 and a processing unit 620. The transceiver unit 610 and the processing unit 620 are exemplarily introduced as follows.

[0203] The transceiver unit 610 can include a sending unit and a receiving unit, configured to implement the functions of sending or receiving in the foregoing method embodiments; and can further include a processing unit, configured to implement functions other than sending or receiving.

[0204] When the communication apparatus 600 is configured to implement the function of the first network device, the transceiver unit 610 is configured to receive the first information from the second network device. The processing unit 620 is configured to assist the communication between the second network device and the terminal device according to the first information.

[0205] The above description is only exemplary. When the communication apparatus 600 is configured to implement the first network device, it will be responsible for performing the methods or steps related to the first network device in the foregoing method embodiments.

[0206] When the communication apparatus 600 is the second network device, the transceiver unit 610 is configured to receive the first information from the terminal device, and is further configured to send the first information to the first network device, and the like.

[0207] The above description is only exemplary. When the communication apparatus 600 is configured to implement the second network device, it will be responsible for performing the methods or steps related to the second network device in the foregoing method embodiments.

[0208] When the communication apparatus 600 is the terminal device, the processing unit 620 is configured to determine the first information, and the transceiver unit 610 is further configured to send the first information to the second network device, and the like.

[0209] The foregoing merely describes examples. When the communication apparatus 600 is used to implement a terminal device, it will be responsible for performing the methods or steps in the foregoing method embodiments related to the terminal device.

[0210] Optionally, the communication apparatus 600 further includes a storage unit 630 configured to store programs or codes for performing the foregoing methods.

[0211] In addition, the implementation of each operation of FIG. 6 can also correspond to the description of the foregoing method embodiments, which will not be described here again.

[0212] The communication apparatuses shown in FIGS. 5 and 6 are used to implement the foregoing method embodiments. Therefore, the specific implementation steps of the communication apparatuses shown in FIGS. 5 and 6 can refer to the foregoing method embodiments.

[0213] It should be understood that the transceiver unit described above can include a sending unit and a receiving unit. The sending unit is used to perform the sending action of the communication apparatus, and the receiving unit is used to perform the receiving action of the communication apparatus. For ease of description, the sending unit and the receiving unit are combined into one transceiver unit in the embodiments of the present application. This is uniformly described here, and will not be described again hereinafter.

[0214] FIG. 7 is a schematic diagram of a communication apparatus 700 according to an embodiment of the present application. The communication apparatus 700 can be used to implement the functions of the network device or the terminal device in the foregoing methods. The communication apparatus 700 can be a chip in the network device or the terminal device. The communication apparatus 700 includes an input-output interface 720 and a processor 710. The input-output interface 720 can be an input-output circuit. The processor 710 can be a signal processor, a chip, or other integrated circuits that can implement the methods of the present application. The input-output interface 720 is configured to input or output signals or data.

[0215] For example, the communication apparatus 700 is a first network device, and the input-output interface 720 is configured to receive first information from a second network device. The processor 710 is configured to assist the communication between the second network device and a terminal device according to the first information, and the like. The processor 710 is further configured to perform part or all of the steps of any one of the methods provided in the present application.

[0216] For example, the communication apparatus 700 is a second network device, and the input-output interface 720 is configured to receive first information from a terminal device.

[0217] For example, the communication apparatus 700 is a terminal device, the input-output interface 720 is configured to send first information to a second network device, and the processor 710 is configured to determine the first information.

[0218] In a possible implementation, the processor 710 implements the functions of the network device or the terminal device by executing the instructions stored in the memory.

[0219] Optionally, the communication apparatus 700 further includes a memory. Optionally, the processor and the memory are integrated. Optionally, the memory is outside the communication apparatus 700.

[0220] In a possible implementation, the processor 710 can be a logic circuit, and the processor 710 inputs / outputs messages or signaling through the input / output interface 720. The logic circuit can be a signal processor, a chip, or other integrated circuits that can implement the method of the embodiments of the present application.

[0221] The above description of the communication apparatus 700 is only exemplary, and the communication apparatus 700 can be used to execute the method described in the foregoing embodiments, and the details can be referred to the description of the foregoing method embodiments, which will not be described here.

[0222] The present application also provides a chip including a processor, configured to invoke and run instructions stored in a memory, so that a communication device installed with the chip executes the method in any of the examples described above.

[0223] The present application also provides another chip including an input interface, an output interface, and a processor, which are connected through internal connection paths. The processor is configured to execute code in a memory, and when the code is executed, the processor is configured to execute the method in any of the examples described above. Optionally, the chip further includes a memory configured to store a computer program or code.

[0224] The present application also provides a processor configured to be coupled with a memory, and configured to execute the method and functions of the network device or the terminal device in any of the embodiments described above.

[0225] In another embodiment of the present application, a computer program product including instructions is provided, and when the computer program product is executed on a computer, the method of the foregoing embodiments is implemented.

[0226] The present application also provides a computer program, and when the computer program is executed on a computer, the method of the foregoing embodiments is implemented.

[0227] In another embodiment of the present application, a computer readable storage medium is provided, and the computer readable storage medium stores a computer program, and when the computer program is executed on a computer, the method of the foregoing embodiments is implemented.

[0228] The application further provides a communication system, comprising the network device 110, the network device 120, and the core network element. The network device 110 is configured to perform the method described above, the network device 120 is configured to perform the method described above, and the core network element 130 is configured to perform the method described above. The specific description can be referred to the description above, and will not be repeated here.

[0229] In the description of the embodiments of the present application, unless otherwise specified, "multiple" means two or more than two. "At least one of the following" or similar expressions means any combination of the items, including any combination of single or multiple items. For example, at least one of a, b, or c can represent a, b, c, a-b, a-c, b-c, or a-b-c, where a, b, and c can be single or multiple.

[0230] In addition, in order to facilitate the clear description of the technical solutions of the embodiments of the present application, in the embodiments of the present application, "first", "second" and the like are used to distinguish the same or similar items with basically the same function and role. Those skilled in the art can understand that "first", "second" and the like do not limit the quantity and execution order, and "first", "second" and the like do not necessarily mean different. At the same time, in the embodiments of the present application, "exemplarily" or "for example" means example, illustration or description.

[0231] In the description of the embodiments of the present application, unless otherwise specified, " / " means that the objects before and after are in an "or" relationship, for example, A / B can represent A or B; "and / or" in the present application is only a description of the association relationship of the associated objects, which means that there can be three kinds of relationships, for example, A and / or B, which can represent three cases of A alone, A and B together, and B alone, where A and B can be singular or plural.

[0232] In various embodiments of the present application, the size of the sequence number of the above processes does not mean the execution order, and the execution order of the processes should be determined according to its function and inherent logic, and should not constitute any limitation on the implementation process of the embodiments of the present application.

[0233] Those of ordinary skill in the art can realize that the units and algorithm steps of the examples described in combination with the embodiments disclosed herein can be realized by electronic hardware or a combination of computer software and electronic hardware. Whether the functions are realized in hardware or software depends on the specific application and design constraints of the technical solutions. 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 the present application.

[0234] Those skilled in the art can clearly understand that, for the convenience and brevity of description, the specific working processes of the systems, devices and units described above can refer to the corresponding processes in the foregoing method embodiments, which will not be repeated here.

[0235] In several embodiments provided in the present application, it should be understood that the disclosed systems, devices and methods can be implemented in other ways. For example, the device embodiments described above are only schematic, for example, the division of units is only a logical function division, and actual implementation can have another division manner, for example, a plurality of units or components can be combined or integrated into another system, or some features can be ignored or not executed.

[0236] In addition, the coupling or direct coupling or communication connection between the units shown or discussed can be indirect coupling or communication connection through some interfaces, devices or units, and can be electrical, mechanical or other forms.

[0237] The units described as separate components can or can not be physically separate, and the components shown as units can or can not be physical units, that is, they can be located in one place, or can be distributed on a plurality of network units. Some or all of the units can be selected according to actual needs to achieve the purpose of the embodiment scheme.

[0238] In addition, the functional units in each embodiment of the present application can be integrated in one processing unit, or each unit can be physically present separately, or two or more units can be integrated in one unit.

[0239] If the functions are realized in the form of software function units and sold or used as independent products, they can be stored in a computer readable storage medium. Based on this understanding, the technical solutions of the embodiments of the present application essentially or say the parts that make contributions to the prior art or parts of the technical solutions can be embodied in the form of software products. The computer software product is stored in a storage medium, including a plurality of instructions to make a computer device (which can be a personal computer, a server, or a network device, etc.) execute all or part of the steps of the embodiments of the present application. The foregoing storage medium includes: U disk, mobile hard disk, ROM, RAM, magnetic disk or optical disk and various program codes that can be stored.

[0240] The contents of the various embodiments of the present application can be mutually referred to, and the terms and / or descriptions of different embodiments are consistent and can be mutually referred to if there is no special description and logical conflict. The technical features in different embodiments can be combined to form new embodiments according to their inherent logical relationship.

[0241] It can be understood that, in the embodiments of the present application, the terminal device, the access network device or the core network device can perform some or all of the steps in the embodiments of the present application, and these steps or operations are only examples. In the embodiments of the present application, other operations or variations of various operations can also be performed. In addition, each step can be performed in a different order as presented in the embodiments of the present application, and it is possible that not all operations in the embodiments of the present application are performed.

Claims

1. A communication method, characterized in that, Applied to terminal devices, including: First information is determined, the first information indicating a first weight and a first phase, the first weight and the first phase indicating the amplitude and / or phase of an element in the antenna array of a first network device; Send the first information to the second network device.

2. The method according to claim 1, characterized in that, Before determining the first information, the method further includes: Send a second message to the second network device, the second message indicating M first candidate weights, the M first candidate weights including the first weights, where M is a positive integer; The system receives M reference signals from the second network device, the M reference signals corresponding to M second candidate weights, and each second candidate weight has a phase rotation relationship with one of the M first candidate weights.

3. The method according to claim 2, characterized in that, The phase rotation relationship is a 180° rotation.

4. The method according to claim 2 or 3, characterized in that, Sending the second information to the second network device includes: Receive N reference signals from the second network device, the N reference signals corresponding to N weights, the N weights including the M first candidate weights, where N is a positive integer greater than or equal to M; The M first candidate weights are determined based on the measurement results of the N reference signals; Send the second information to the second network device.

5. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 4, characterized in that, The first phase is related to the following parameters: The channel between the second network device, the first network device, and the terminal device, the channel between the terminal device and the second network device, and the first weight.

6. The method according to claim 5, characterized in that, The first phase satisfies: The H RU ΦH BR The H is the channel between the second network device, the first network device, and the terminal device. d The channel between the terminal device and the second network device, where Φ is the first weight, θ is the first phase, and the... The H eff =H d +H RU ΦH BR I is the identity matrix, and the subscript H denotes the complex conjugate transpose.

7. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 6, characterized in that, The first information also indicates the channel capacity corresponding to the first weight.

8. A communication method, characterized in that, Applied to second network devices, including: Receive first information from a terminal device, the first information indicating a first weight and a first phase, the first weight and the first phase indicating the amplitude and / or phase of an element in the antenna array of a first network device; Send the first information to the first network device.

9. The method according to claim 8, characterized in that, Before receiving the first information from the terminal device, the method further includes: Receive second information from the terminal device, the second information indicating M first candidate weights, the M first candidate weights including the first weights, where M is a positive integer; M reference signals are sent to the terminal device. The M reference signals correspond to M second candidate weights, and each second candidate weight has a phase rotation relationship with one of the M first candidate weights.

10. The method according to claim 9, characterized in that, The phase rotation relationship is a rotation of 180°.

11. The method according to claim 9 or 10, characterized in that, Before receiving the second information from the terminal device, the method further includes: N reference signals are sent to the terminal device. The N reference signals correspond to N weights. The N weights include the M first candidate weights. N is a positive integer greater than or equal to M. The measurement results of the N reference signals are used to determine the M first candidate weights.

12. The method according to any one of claims 8 to 11, characterized in that, The first phase is related to the following parameters: The channel between the second network device, the first network device, and the terminal device, the channel between the terminal device and the second network device, and the first weight.

13. The method according to claim 12, characterized in that, The first phase satisfies: The H RU ΦH BR The H is the channel between the second network device, the first network device, and the terminal device. d The channel between the terminal device and the second network device, where Φ is the first weight, θ is the first phase, and the... The H eff =H d +H RU ΦH BR I is the identity matrix, and the subscript H denotes the complex conjugate transpose.

14. The method according to any one of claims 8 to 13, characterized in that, The first information also indicates the channel capacity corresponding to the first weight.

15. A communication device, characterized in that, Includes a processor, the processor being configured to cause the communication device to perform the method of any one of claims 1 to 14 by executing a computer program or instructions, or by using logic circuitry.

16. The communication device according to claim 15, characterized in that, The communication device further includes a memory for storing the computer program or instructions.

17. The communication device according to claim 15 or 16, characterized in that, The communication device further includes a communication interface for inputting and / or outputting signals.

18. A communication device, characterized in that, It includes logic circuitry and input / output interfaces, the input / output interfaces being used to input and / or output signals, and the logic circuitry being used to perform the method of any one of claims 1 to 14.

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

20. A computer program product, characterized in that, It includes instructions that, when executed on a computer, cause the method of any one of claims 1 to 14 to be performed.

21. A chip, characterized in that, The chip includes one or more processors, the processors being configured to execute computer programs or instructions in memory such that the chip implements the method of any one of claims 1 to 7, or that the chip implements the method of any one of claims 8 to 14.

22. A chip system, characterized in that, The chip system includes one or more processors, the processors being configured to execute computer programs or instructions in memory, such that the chip system implements the method of any one of claims 1 to 7, or, such that the chip system implements the method of any one of claims 8 to 14.

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