Communication method and communication apparatus

Abstract

The present application provides a communication method and a communication apparatus. The method can comprise: determining S uplink reference signal ports of Q transport layers, wherein the S uplink reference signal ports include at least two uplink reference signal ports of the q-th transport layer among the Q transport layers, the at least two uplink reference signal ports correspond to N antenna ports, each uplink reference signal port among the at least two uplink reference signal ports corresponds to some antenna ports among the N antenna ports, and different uplink reference signal ports correspond to different antenna ports; Q precoding matrices determined on the basis of downlink reference signals have one-to-one correspondence to the Q transport layers; the precoding matrix, corresponding to the q-th transport layer, among the Q precoding matrices comprises at least two precoding sub-matrices; and each precoding sub-matrix comprises some vectors or elements in the precoding matrix corresponding to the q-th transport layer, and the at least two uplink reference signal ports have one-to-one correspondence to the at least two precoding sub-matrices.

Description

Communication methods and communication devices

[0001] This application claims priority to Chinese Patent Application No. 202410965008.5, filed on July 17, 2024, entitled "Communication Method and Communication Device", the entire contents of which are incorporated herein by reference. Technical Field

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

[0003] In future communication systems, larger base station arrays and larger user equipment (UE) arrays are becoming an inevitable trend in the evolution of multiple input multiple output (MIMO). For example, the common 4R (R stands for receive, 4R means 4 receive antennas) terminal is expected to support more channels in the future, for example, by 2 to 4 times, thereby improving the overall transmission / reception performance.

[0004] However, while more channels bring better performance, measuring channels at the thousand-port level becomes a significant problem and bottleneck. Continuing with the time-division duplex (TDD) approach, which utilizes the sounding reference signal (SRS) based on uplink-downlink channel reciprocity to obtain downlink channels, the surge in the number of serving UEs means each UE may require 16 ports of SRS resources. This represents a fourfold increase in overhead compared to the previous requirement of 4 ports, and the SRS period is four times longer, leading to more than four times the channel aging. Simultaneously, due to the increased frequency band, signal propagation loss in future communication systems will be greater than in 2.6 GHz, resulting in approximately 18 dB worse signal coverage compared to 2.6 GHz. This also worsens the SRS signal-to-noise ratio, further compromising the accuracy of SRS-based channel estimation by the base station.

[0005] Therefore, precoding techniques can be used to overcome the problems of insufficient SRS accuracy and excessive overhead leading to channel aging. Summary of the Invention

[0006] This application provides a communication method and communication device. In the antenna switching scenario, the terminal device can load different parts of the precoding matrix onto different SRS ports. The different SRS ports correspond to different antenna ports of the terminal device, which helps the network device determine the uplink channel based on the SRS from the terminal device.

[0007] Firstly, a communication method is provided. This method can be applied to the terminal side; that is, it can be executed by the terminal device or by components of the terminal device (such as a chip, chip system, circuit, or communication module). This application does not limit the scope of the method. The following description mainly uses a terminal device as an example.

[0008] The method includes: determining S uplink reference signal ports for Q transport layers, wherein the S uplink reference signal ports include at least two uplink reference signal ports of the q-th transport layer among the Q transport layers, the at least two uplink reference signal ports correspond to N antenna ports, each of the at least two uplink reference signal ports corresponds to a portion of the N antenna ports, and different uplink reference signal ports among the at least two uplink reference signal ports correspond to different antenna ports; N, Q, and q are all positive integers, S is a positive integer greater than Q, and q = 1, 2, ..., Q; the Q transport layers correspond one-to-one with Q precoding matrices, the Q precoding matrices are determined based on the downlink reference signals of the downlink reference signal ports, the precoding matrix corresponding to the q-th transport layer among the Q precoding matrices includes at least two sub-precoding matrices, each of the at least two sub-precoding matrices includes a portion of the vectors or elements in the precoding matrix corresponding to the q-th transport layer, and the at least two uplink reference signal ports correspond one-to-one with the at least two sub-precoding matrices.

[0009] In the case where the uplink reference signal port corresponds to the antenna port, the uplink reference signal of the uplink reference signal port is transmitted through the antenna port corresponding to the uplink reference signal port.

[0010] When a precoding matrix corresponds to a transport layer, the precoding matrix is ​​used to precode the reference signal of the transport layer corresponding to the precoding matrix.

[0011] When a sub-precoding matrix corresponds to an uplink reference signal port, the sub-precoding matrix is ​​used to precode the uplink reference signal of the uplink reference signal port corresponding to the sub-precoding matrix.

[0012] Based on the above technical solution, in antenna switching scenarios, the terminal device can load different parts of the precoding matrix onto different uplink reference signal ports. These different uplink reference signal ports correspond to different antenna ports of the terminal device, which helps the network device determine the uplink channel based on the SRS from the terminal device. Furthermore, in antenna switching scenarios, by loading the precoding matrix onto the uplink reference signal ports, the terminal device can achieve spatial energy convergence and reduce the number of uplink reference signal ports.

[0013] Furthermore, in a TDD system, based on the mutual difference between uplink and downlink channels, network devices can determine the downlink channel based on the determined uplink channel, and send downlink data to the terminal device based on the determined downlink channel, thereby improving communication performance.

[0014] In one possible implementation, S = Q × N ÷ M, where M represents the number of antenna ports used simultaneously for uplink transmission, M is a positive integer, and M is less than N.

[0015] In conjunction with the first aspect, in some implementations of the first aspect, the first reference signal resource / resource set includes the S uplink reference signal ports, the second reference signal resource / resource set includes the downlink reference signal ports, and the first reference signal resource / resource set is associated with the second reference signal resource / resource set.

[0016] In conjunction with the first aspect, in some implementations of the first aspect, the method further includes: receiving first indication information, the first indication information being used to indicate that the first reference signal resource / resource set is associated with the second reference signal resource / resource set.

[0017] Based on the above technical solution, the terminal device can determine that the first reference signal resource / resource set and the second reference signal resource / resource set are associated according to the first indication information. Then, after the terminal device determines the precoding matrix according to the downlink reference signal transmitted on the second reference signal resource / resource set, it can determine that the precoding matrix is ​​used to precode the uplink reference signal transmitted on the first reference signal resource / resource set.

[0018] Furthermore, when the network device indicates the association between the first reference signal resource / resource set and the second reference signal resource / resource set to the terminal device, the network device can know that the precoding matrix used by the terminal device to precode the uplink reference signal transmitted on the first reference signal resource / resource set is determined based on the downlink reference signal transmitted on the second reference signal resource / resource set. This facilitates the network device's management of the uplink precoding behavior on the terminal device side. For example, if the network device determines, based on the second reference signal resource / resource set, that no downlink reference signal has been sent to the terminal device for a relatively long time, and thus determines that the terminal device has not updated the uplink precoding matrix for a relatively long time, the network device can re-indicate the downlink reference signal resource / resource set used to determine the uplink precoding matrix to the terminal device, so that the terminal device can determine an uplink precoding matrix that is more suitable for the current channel.

[0019] In conjunction with the first aspect, in some implementations of the first aspect, the at least two sub-precoding matrices include a first sub-precoding matrix, which corresponds to a first uplink reference signal port among the at least two uplink reference signal ports, and the dimension of the first sub-precoding matrix matches the number of antenna ports corresponding to the first uplink reference signal port.

[0020] For example, if the number of antenna ports corresponding to the first uplink reference signal port is K, then the number of rows or columns of the first sub-precoding matrix is ​​K. In other words, if the first sub-precoding matrix includes a vector, then the number of elements in that vector is K; or, the first sub-precoding matrix includes K vectors; or, the first sub-precoding matrix includes K' vectors, where the length of each of the K' vectors is K. Here, K and K' are both positive integers.

[0021] In conjunction with the first aspect, in some implementations of the first aspect, the different sub-precoding matrices in the at least two sub-precoding matrices include different vectors or elements in the precoding matrix corresponding to the q-th transport layer, and any element or vector in the precoding matrix corresponding to the q-th transport layer belongs to one of the sub-precoding matrices in the at least two sub-precoding matrices.

[0022] Based on the above technical solution, the terminal device can load the entire precoding matrix of the qth transport layer onto at least two uplink reference signal ports of the qth transport layer, which is conducive to realizing spatial energy convergence, and thus helps the network device to determine the uplink channel corresponding to the qth transport layer based on at least two uplink reference signal ports.

[0023] In conjunction with the first aspect, in some implementations of the first aspect, the number of antenna ports corresponding to different uplink reference signal ports in the at least two uplink reference signal ports is the same, and the dimensions of different sub-precoding matrices in the at least two sub-precoding matrices are the same.

[0024] Based on the above technical solutions, the implementation of terminal equipment can be simplified. Alternatively, it facilitates the determination of the number of antenna ports corresponding to different uplink reference signal ports by the terminal equipment through predefined or preconfigured methods.

[0025] In conjunction with the first aspect, in some implementations of the first aspect, the time-domain resources of the reference signal resources corresponding to different uplink reference signal ports among the S uplink reference signal ports are different.

[0026] Based on the above technical solution, network devices can receive uplink reference signals from S uplink reference signal ports on different time domain resources, which helps network devices determine Q uplink channels of the transport layer based on the uplink reference signals from the S uplink reference signal ports.

[0027] In conjunction with the first aspect, in some implementations of the first aspect, the method further includes: sending second indication information, the second indication information being used to indicate the number of transport layers, the second indication information also being used to indicate one or more of the following: the number of antenna ports simultaneously used for downlink reception; or, the number of antenna ports simultaneously used for uplink transmission.

[0028] Based on the above technical solution, the network device can determine the number of transport layers according to the second indication information, which is conducive to the network device configuring the first reference signal resource / resource set for the terminal device according to the number of transport layers.

[0029] Secondly, a communication method is provided. This method can be applied to the network side; that is, it can be executed by a network device or by a component of the network device (such as a chip, chip system, circuit, or communication module). This application does not limit the scope of the method. The following description mainly uses a network device as an example.

[0030] The method includes: determining S uplink reference signal ports for Q transport layers, wherein the S uplink reference signal ports include at least two uplink reference signal ports of the q-th transport layer among the Q transport layers, the at least two uplink reference signal ports correspond to N antenna ports, each of the at least two uplink reference signal ports corresponds to a subset of the N antenna ports, and different uplink reference signal ports among the at least two uplink reference signal ports correspond to different antenna ports; N, Q, and q are all positive integers, S is a positive integer greater than Q, and q = 1, 2, ..., Q The Q transport layers correspond one-to-one with the Q precoding matrices. The Q precoding matrices are determined based on the downlink reference signals of the downlink reference signal ports. The precoding matrix corresponding to the q-th transport layer in the Q precoding matrices includes at least two sub-precoding matrices. Each of the at least two sub-precoding matrices includes a portion of the vectors or elements from the precoding matrix corresponding to the q-th transport layer. The at least two uplink reference signal ports correspond one-to-one with the at least two sub-precoding matrices. The uplink channels corresponding to the N antenna ports are determined based on the S uplink reference signal ports.

[0031] It should be understood that after a network device determines the uplink channels corresponding to N antenna ports, it can determine the downlink channels corresponding to those N antenna ports based on the heterogeneity of the uplink and downlink channels. Furthermore, the network device can then perform data transmission based on the downlink channels.

[0032] The second beneficial effect can be referred to the description of the first aspect above.

[0033] In one possible implementation, S = Q × N ÷ M, where M represents the number of antenna ports used simultaneously for uplink transmission, M is a positive integer, and M is less than N.

[0034] In conjunction with the second aspect, in some implementations of the second aspect, the first reference signal resource / resource set includes the S uplink reference signal ports, the second reference signal resource / resource set includes the downlink reference signal ports, and the first reference signal resource / resource set is associated with the second reference signal resource / resource set.

[0035] In conjunction with the second aspect, in some implementations of the second aspect, the method further includes: sending first indication information, the first indication information being used to indicate that the first reference signal resource / resource set is associated with the second reference signal resource / resource set.

[0036] In conjunction with the second aspect, in some implementations of the second aspect, the at least two sub-precoding matrices include a first sub-precoding matrix, which corresponds to a first uplink reference signal port among the at least two uplink reference signal ports, and the dimension of the first sub-precoding matrix matches the number of antenna ports corresponding to the first uplink reference signal port.

[0037] In conjunction with the second aspect, in some implementations of the second aspect, determining the uplink channel corresponding to the N antenna ports based on the S uplink reference signal ports includes: determining at least two sub-channels based on the at least two uplink reference signal ports, wherein the at least two sub-channels correspond one-to-one with the at least two uplink reference signal ports; and determining the uplink channel corresponding to the q-th transport layer and the N antenna ports based on the at least two sub-channels.

[0038] In conjunction with the second aspect, in some implementations of the second aspect, determining the uplink channels corresponding to the N antenna ports based on the S uplink reference signal ports includes: determining a channel matrix based on the S uplink reference signal ports; and determining the uplink channels corresponding to the Q transport layers and the N antenna ports based on the channel matrix.

[0039] For example, determining the uplink channels corresponding to the Q transport layers and the N antenna ports based on the channel matrix includes: performing singular value decomposition on the channel matrix to determine the uplink channels corresponding to the Q transport layers and the N antenna ports; or performing eigenvalue decomposition on the channel matrix to determine the uplink channels corresponding to the Q transport layers and the N antenna ports.

[0040] In conjunction with the second aspect, in some implementations of the second aspect, the different sub-precoding matrices in the at least two sub-precoding matrices include different vectors or elements in the precoding matrix corresponding to the q-th transport layer, and any element or vector in the precoding matrix corresponding to the q-th transport layer belongs to one of the sub-precoding matrices in the at least two sub-precoding matrices.

[0041] In conjunction with the second aspect, in some implementations of the second aspect, the number of antenna ports corresponding to different uplink reference signal ports in the at least two uplink reference signal ports is the same, and the dimensions of different sub-precoding matrices in the at least two sub-precoding matrices are the same.

[0042] In conjunction with the second aspect, in some implementations of the second aspect, the time-domain resources of the reference signal resources corresponding to different uplink reference signal ports among the S uplink reference signal ports are different.

[0043] In conjunction with the second aspect, in some implementations of the second aspect, the method further includes: receiving second indication information, the second indication information being used to indicate the number of transport layers, the second indication information also being used to indicate one or more of the following: the number of antenna ports simultaneously used for downlink reception; or, the number of antenna ports simultaneously used for uplink transmission.

[0044] Thirdly, a communication apparatus is provided for performing the method in any of the possible implementations of the first to second aspects described above. Specifically, the apparatus may include units and / or modules for performing the method in any of the possible implementations of the first to second aspects, such as processing units and / or communication units.

[0045] In one implementation, the device is a communication device (such as a terminal device or a network device). When the device is a communication device, the communication unit can be a transceiver or an input / output interface; the processing unit can be at least one processor. Optionally, the transceiver can be a transceiver circuit. Optionally, the input / output interface can be an input / output circuit.

[0046] In another implementation, the device is a chip, chip system, circuit, or communication module for communication equipment (such as terminal equipment or network equipment). When the device is a chip, chip system, or circuit for communication equipment, the communication unit may be an input / output interface, interface circuit, output circuit, input circuit, pin, or related circuit on the chip, chip system, or circuit; the processing unit may be at least one processor, processing circuit, or logic circuit.

[0047] Fourthly, a communication device is provided, comprising: at least one processor for executing a computer program or instructions to perform the method in any of the possible implementations of the first to second aspects described above. Optionally, the device further comprises a memory for storing the computer program or instructions. Optionally, the device further comprises a communication interface coupled to the processor, which can be used to input the computer program or instructions to the processor or to output information from the processor.

[0048] In one implementation, the device is a communication device (such as a terminal device or a network device).

[0049] In another implementation, the device is a chip, chip system, circuit, or communication module for communication equipment (such as terminal equipment or network equipment).

[0050] Fifthly, a processor is provided for performing the method provided in any one of the first to second aspects described above.

[0051] Unless otherwise specified, or if it does not contradict its actual function or internal logic in the relevant description, the transmission and acquisition / reception operations involved in the processor can be understood as processor output and reception, input and other operations, or as transmission and reception operations performed by radio frequency circuits and antennas. This application does not limit them in this regard.

[0052] Optionally, the device further includes: a memory for storing a program; correspondingly, at least one processor for executing the computer program or instructions in the memory.

[0053] Optionally, the device also includes a communication interface. The communication interface is coupled to the processor and can be used to input information to the processor or output information from the processor.

[0054] A sixth aspect provides a computer-readable storage medium storing program code for execution by a device, the program code including methods for performing any of the possible implementations of the first to second aspects described above.

[0055] In a seventh aspect, a computer program product containing instructions is provided, which, when run on a computer, causes the computer to perform the method in any of the possible implementations of the first to second aspects described above.

[0056] Eighthly, a chip is provided, the chip including a processor and a communication interface, the processor reading instructions from a memory through the communication interface and executing the method provided by any of the above implementations of the first to second aspects.

[0057] Optionally, the chip is a modem chip, also known as a baseband chip, or a system-on-chip (SoC) chip containing a modem core or a system-in-package (SIP) chip.

[0058] Optionally, as one implementation, the chip further includes a memory storing computer programs or instructions, and a processor for executing the computer programs or instructions in the memory. When the computer programs or instructions are executed, the processor is used to perform the method provided by any of the above implementations of the first to second aspects.

[0059] Ninth aspect, a computer program product containing instructions is provided, which, when run on a computer, causes the computer to perform the method provided by any of the above implementations of the first to second aspects.

[0060] In a tenth aspect, a communication system is provided, including the aforementioned terminal equipment and network equipment. Attached Figure Description

[0061] Figure 1 is a schematic diagram of a wireless communication system applicable to an embodiment of this application.

[0062] Figure 2 is another example of the architecture of a mobile communication system used in the embodiments of this application.

[0063] Figure 3 is another schematic diagram of a wireless communication system applicable to an embodiment of this application.

[0064] Figure 4 is a schematic diagram of uplink precoding performed by the terminal device.

[0065] Figure 5 is a schematic diagram of a communication method 500 provided in an embodiment of this application.

[0066] Figure 6 shows a schematic diagram of the correspondence between the S uplink reference signal ports, antenna ports, and transmission layers in this application.

[0067] Figure 7 shows a schematic diagram of the relationship between the uplink reference signal port and the precoding matrix in this application.

[0068] Figure 8 is a schematic diagram of a communication method 800 provided in an embodiment of this application.

[0069] Figure 9 is a schematic diagram of a communication device 900 provided in an embodiment of this application.

[0070] Figure 10 is a schematic diagram of another communication device 1000 provided in an embodiment of this application.

[0071] Figure 11 is a schematic diagram of a chip system 1100 provided in an embodiment of this application. Detailed Implementation

[0072] The technical solutions in this application will now be described with reference to the accompanying drawings.

[0073] The technical solutions provided in this application can be applied to various communication systems, such as: 5th generation (5G) or new radio (NR) systems, long term evolution (LTE) systems, LTE frequency division duplex (FDD) systems, LTE time division duplex (TDD) systems, wireless local area network (WLAN) systems, satellite communication systems, future communication systems, or integrated systems of multiple systems. The technical solutions provided in this application can also be applied to device-to-device (D2D) communication, vehicle-to-everything (V2X) communication, machine-to-machine (M2M) communication, machine-type communication (MTC), and Internet of Things (IoT) communication systems or other communication systems.

[0074] The technical solutions provided in this application can also be applied to non-terrestrial network (NTN) systems such as inter-satellite communication and satellite communication. As an example, a satellite communication system includes a satellite base station and terminal equipment. The satellite base station provides communication services to the terminal equipment. The satellite base station can also communicate with other base stations. A satellite can act as a base station or as a terminal device. Here, "satellite" can refer to unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs), hot air balloons, low-Earth orbit (LEO) satellites, medium-Earth orbit (MEO) satellites, high-Earth orbit (HEO) satellites, etc. "Satellite" can also refer to non-terrestrial base stations or non-terrestrial equipment, etc.

[0075] In a communication system, a device can send signals to or receive signals from another device. These signals can include information, signaling, or data. The device can also be replaced by an entity, network entity, communication device, mobile device, network element, communication module, node, communication node, communication apparatus, etc. This disclosure uses a device as an example. For instance, a communication system can include at least one terminal device and at least one network device. The network device can send downlink signals to the terminal device, and / or the terminal device can send uplink signals to the network device. It is understood that the terminal device in this disclosure can be replaced by a first communication device, and the network device can be replaced by a second communication device, both performing the corresponding communication methods described in this disclosure. Alternatively, the corresponding communication methods in this disclosure can be applied between network devices or between terminal devices, without limitation herein.

[0076] The terminal device in this application embodiment can be a device or module that accesses the aforementioned communication system and has corresponding communication functions. The terminal device can include various devices with wireless communication capabilities, which can be used to connect people, objects, machines, etc. The terminal device can be widely applied in various scenarios, such as: cellular communication, D2D, V2X, peer-to-peer, M2M, MTC, IoT, virtual reality (VR), augmented reality (AR), industrial control, autonomous driving, telemedicine, smart grids, smart furniture, smart offices, smart wearables, smart transportation, smart cities, drones, robots, remote sensing, passive sensing, positioning, navigation and tracking, autonomous delivery, etc. The terminal device can be a terminal in any of the above scenarios, such as an MTC terminal, an IoT terminal, etc. Terminal equipment can be user equipment (UE), terminal, fixed equipment, mobile station equipment or mobile equipment, subscriber unit, handheld device, vehicle-mounted equipment, wearable device, cellular phone, smartphone, session initiation protocol (SIP) phone, wireless data card, personal digital assistant (PDA), computer, tablet computer, laptop computer, wireless modem, handset, laptop computer, computer with wireless transceiver capability, smart book, vehicle, satellite, global positioning system (GPS) device, target tracking device, aircraft (e.g., drone, helicopter, multiple helicopters, four helicopters, or airplanes), ship, remote control device, smart home device, industrial equipment, transportation vehicle with wireless communication capability, communication module, or roadside unit with terminal function, all conforming to the 3rd generation partnership project (3GPP) standard. The terminal device (RSU) can be a unit or a device built into the aforementioned equipment (e.g., a communication module, modem, or chip in the aforementioned equipment), or other processing devices connected to a wireless modem. For ease of description, the terminal device will be described below as a terminal or UE.

[0077] It should be understood that in certain scenarios, a UE can also be used as a base station. For example, a UE can act as a scheduling entity, providing sidelink signaling between UEs in scenarios such as V2X, D2D, or end-to-end.

[0078] In this embodiment, the device for implementing the functions of the terminal device can be the terminal device itself, or it can be any device capable of supporting the terminal device in implementing those functions, such as a chip system. This device can be installed in or used in conjunction with the terminal device. In this embodiment, the chip system can be composed of chips or may include chips and other discrete components. This embodiment only uses the terminal device as an example to illustrate the device for implementing the functions of the terminal device, and does not constitute a limitation on the solution of this embodiment.

[0079] The network device in this application embodiment can be a device or module with corresponding communication functions. The network device can be a device used to communicate with terminal devices; it can also be called an access network device or a wireless access network device, such as a base station. In this application embodiment, the network device can refer to a radio access network (RAN) node (or device) that connects the terminal device to the wireless network. A base station can broadly encompass, or be replaced by, various names including: NodeB, evolved NodeB (eNB), next-generation NodeB (gNB), relay station, access point, transmit / receive point (TRP), transmitter point, master station, auxiliary station, motor slide retainer (MSR) node, home base station, network controller, access node, wireless node, access point (AP), transmission node, transceiver node, baseband unit (BBU), remote radio unit (RRU), active antenna unit (AAU), remote radio head (RRH), central unit (CU), distributed unit (DU), positioning node, etc. A base station can be a macro base station, micro base station, relay node, donor node, or similar, or a combination thereof. A base station can also refer to a communication module, modem, or chip installed within the aforementioned equipment or apparatus. A base station can also be a mobile switching center, a device that performs base station functions in D2D, V2X, and M2M communications, or a device that performs base station functions in future communication systems. A base station can support networks using the same or different access technologies. The embodiments of this application do not limit the specific technologies or device forms used in the network equipment.

[0080] Base stations can be fixed or mobile. For example, a helicopter or drone can be configured to act as a mobile base station, and one or more cells can move depending on the location of the mobile base station. In other examples, a helicopter or drone can be configured as a device to communicate with another base station.

[0081] In some deployments, the network devices mentioned in the embodiments of this application may be devices including CU, DU, or CU and DU, or devices with control plane CU nodes (central unit-control plane (CU-CP)) and user plane CU nodes (central unit-user plane (CU-UP)) and DU nodes. For example, the network devices may include gNB-CU-CP, gNB-CU-UP, and gNB-DU.

[0082] In some deployments, multiple RAN nodes collaborate to assist terminals in achieving wireless access, with different RAN nodes each implementing some of the base station's functions. For example, RAN nodes can be CUs, DUs, CU-CPs, CU-UPs, or RUs. CUs and DUs can be configured separately or included in the same network element, such as a BBU. RUs can be included in radio frequency equipment or radio frequency units, such as RRUs, AAUs, or RRHs.

[0083] In some deployments, the CU (Core Unit) is a logical node that carries the Radio Resource Control (RRC) layer, Service Data Adaptation Protocol (SDAP) layer, Packet Data Convergence Protocol (PDCP) layer, and other control functions of the access network equipment. The CU connects to network nodes such as the core network through interfaces, which may be E2 interfaces, etc. Optionally, the CU possesses some core network functions. The CU (e.g., the PDCP layer and higher layers) connects to the DU (e.g., the Radio Link Control (RLC) layer and lower layers) through interfaces, which may be F1 interfaces, etc. In some examples, these interfaces (e.g., the F1 interface) can provide control plane (C-Plane) and user plane (U-Plane) functions (e.g., interface management, system information management, UE context management, RRC message transmission, etc.). The F1 application protocol (F1AP) is the application protocol for the F1 interface, and in some examples, it defines the F1 signaling procedures. The F1 interface supports both the control plane (F1-C) and the user plane (F1-U).

[0084] In some deployments, the CU can be split into CU-CP and CU-UP. CU-CP is a logical node carrying the RRC layer and the control plane part of PDCP (PDCP-C) layer, used to implement the CU's control plane functions. CU-CP can interact with network elements in the core network used to implement control plane functions. These network elements in the core network can be access and mobility function network elements. CU-UP is a logical node carrying the SDAP layer and the user plane part of PDCP (PDCP-U) layer, used to implement the CU's user plane functions. CU-UP can interact with network elements in the core network used to implement user plane functions. The above CU and DU configurations are merely examples; the functions of CU and DU can be configured as needed. For example, CU or DU can be configured to have more protocol layer functions, or CU or DU can be configured to have only partial protocol layer processing functions. For example, some functions of the RLC layer and the functions of the protocol layer above the RLC layer can be placed in the CU, while the remaining functions of the RLC layer and the functions of the protocol layer below the RLC layer can be placed in the DU. Another example is that the functions of the CU or DU can be divided according to service type or other system requirements. For instance, based on latency, functions that need to meet low latency requirements can be placed in the DU, while functions that do not need to meet such latency requirements can be placed in the CU.

[0085] In some deployments, the DU (Distributed Unit) is a logical node that carries the RLC (Real-Time Control) layer, the medium access control (MAC) layer, the higher physical layer (Higher PHY) layer, and other functions. In some examples, the DU can control at least one RU (Remote Root). The DU connects to the RU through interfaces, which can be fronthaul interfaces. In some examples, the Higher PHY layer includes the PHY layer processing, such as forward error correction (FEC) encoding and decoding, scrambling, modulation, and demodulation.

[0086] In some deployments, the RU is a logical node that carries both lower physical layer (PHY) and radio frequency (RF) processing. In some examples, the RU can be a TRP, RRH, or other similar entity. In some examples, the Low-PHY includes portions of the PHY processing, such as Fast Fourier Transform (FFT), Inverse Fast Fourier Transform (IFFT), digital beamforming, and filtering. The RU communicates with one or more UEs via a radio link.

[0087] The DU and RU can be co-located or not. The DU and RU exchange control plane and user plane information via a fronthaul link through a lower-layer split-control, user, and synchronization (LLS-CUS) interface. LLS-CUS may include interfaces providing control and user planes respectively. In some examples, the control plane refers to real-time control between the DU and RU. The DU and RU exchange management information via a fronthaul link interface (such as an LLS-M interface), and the management plane (M-Plane) refers to non-real-time management operations between the DU and RU.

[0088] DU and RU can cooperate to implement the functions of the PHY layer. A DU can be connected to one or more RUs. The functions of DU and RU can be configured in various ways depending on the design. For example, a DU can be configured to implement baseband functions, and an RU can be configured to implement mid-RF functions. Another example is that a DU can be configured to implement higher-level functions in the PHY layer, and an RU can be configured to implement lower-level functions in the PHY layer, or to implement both lower-level and RF functions. Higher-level functions in the physical layer can include a portion of the physical layer's functions that are closer to the MAC layer, while lower-level functions in the physical layer can include another portion of the physical layer's functions that are closer to the mid-RF side.

[0089] In one possible design, the processing unit in the BBU used to implement baseband functions is called the baseband high (BBH) unit, and the processing unit in the RRU / AAU / RRH used to implement baseband functions is called the baseband low (BBL) unit.

[0090] In different systems, CU (or CU-CP and CU-UP), DU, or RU may have different names, but those skilled in the art will understand their meaning. For example, a radio access network can also be an open radio access network (O-RAN) architecture. In an O-RAN system, CU can also be called an open CU (open CU, O-CU), DU can also be called an open DU (open DU, O-DU), CU-CP can also be called an open CU-CP (O-CU-CP), CU-UP can also be called an open CU-UP (O-CU-UP), and RU can also be called an open RU (open RU, O-RU). Any of the units among CU (or CU-CP, CU-UP), DU, and RU in this application can be implemented through software modules, hardware modules, or a combination of software modules and hardware modules.

[0091] In this embodiment, the device for implementing the functions of a network device can be a network device itself, or a device capable of supporting the network device in implementing those functions, such as a chip system, chip, circuit, or communication module (i.e., a communication module that performs communication functions). This device can be installed within the network device. In this embodiment, the chip system can be composed of chips, or it can include chips and other discrete devices. Furthermore, the device can be configured with program instructions for performing corresponding communication functions. This embodiment only uses a network device as an example to illustrate the device for implementing the functions of a network device, and does not limit the solution of this embodiment.

[0092] Network devices and terminal devices can be deployed on land, including indoors or outdoors, handheld or vehicle-mounted; they can also be deployed on water; and they can also be deployed in the air on airplanes, balloons, and satellites. This application does not limit the scenario in which the network devices and terminal devices are located. Furthermore, terminal devices and network devices can be hardware devices, software functions running on dedicated hardware, or software functions running on general-purpose hardware, such as virtualization functions instantiated on a platform (e.g., a cloud platform), or entities that include dedicated or general-purpose hardware devices and software functions. This application does not limit the specific form of the terminal devices and network devices.

[0093] First, a brief introduction to the communication system applicable to the embodiments of this application is given below.

[0094] As shown in Figure 1, the communication system 100 may include one or more network devices, such as network device 101 shown in Figure 1. The communication system 100 may also include one or more terminal devices, such as terminal devices 102, 103, and 104 shown in Figure 1. The communication system 100 may support sidelink communication technology, such as sidelink communication between terminal devices 102 and 103, and sidelink communication between terminal devices 102 and 104.

[0095] It should be understood that Figure 1 is only a schematic diagram, and the communication system may also include other network devices, such as core network device 105 and wireless relay devices and wireless backhaul devices not shown in Figure 1. The embodiments of this application do not limit the number of network devices and terminal devices included in the mobile communication system.

[0096] The communication between network device 101 and terminal device 102 in the communication system shown in Figure 1 can also be represented in another form.

[0097] As shown in Figure 2, terminal device 102 includes a processor 121, a memory 122, and a transceiver 123. Transceiver 123 includes a transmitter 1231, a receiver 1232, and an antenna 1233. Receiver 1232 can be used to receive transmission control information through antenna 1233, and transmitter 1231 can be used to send transmission feedback information to network device 101 through antenna 1233. Network device 101 includes a processor 111, a memory 112, and a transceiver 113. Transceiver 113 includes a transmitter 1131, a receiver 1132, and an antenna 1133. Transmitter 1131 can be used to send transmission control information to terminal device 102 through antenna 1133, and receiver 1132 can be used to receive transmission feedback information sent by terminal device 102 through antenna 1133.

[0098] The embodiments of this application can also be applied to open RAN (O-RAN) system architecture.

[0099] As shown in Figure 3, an O-RAN system can include core network (CN) equipment, access network (RAN) equipment, and user equipment (UE). Access network equipment communicates with core network equipment via a backhaul link and with UE via an air interface. For example, a BBU in the access network equipment communicates with the core network equipment via a backhaul link, and an RU in the access network equipment communicates with the UE via an air interface. The BBU communicates with at least one RU via a fronthaul link; the BBU and RU may or may not be co-located. The BBU includes at least one CU and at least one DU, and the CU and DU can communicate via at least one midhaul link.

[0100] Figure 3 is just a schematic diagram. The wireless communication system may also include other devices, which are not shown in Figure 3.

[0101] To facilitate a better understanding of the technical solution of this application, some related technologies involved in the technical solution of this application are introduced.

[0102] 1. Precoding technology.

[0103] In future communication systems, larger base station arrays and larger UE arrays will inevitably become the trend in the evolution of multiple input multiple output (MIMO). From the base station side, compared to the common 64T (T for transmit, 64T for 64 transmit antennas) deployment at 2.6GHz, future communication systems can achieve 256T channels simply by doubling the number of vertical antennas, thus achieving higher spatial resolution and significantly improving the spectral efficiency of future massive MIMO. Similarly, on the UE side, the common 4R (R for receive, 4R for 4 receive antennas) terminals are also expected to support more channels in the future, for example, increasing the number of channels by 2 to 4 times, thereby improving the overall transmission / reception performance.

[0104] However, while more channels bring better performance, measuring channels at the thousand-port level becomes a significant problem and bottleneck. Continuing with the TDD band's method of using the sounding reference signal (SRS) to obtain downlink channels based on the reciprocity of uplink and downlink channels, the number of serving UEs surges. Each UE may require 16 ports of SRS resources, a fourfold increase compared to the previous requirement of 4 ports. Furthermore, the SRS period lengthens fourfold, and channel aging deteriorates more than four times. Moreover, as the frequency band increases, channel time-varying accelerates, further worsening performance due to channel aging.

[0105] At the same time, due to the increase in frequency band, the signal propagation loss of future communication systems will be greater than that of 2.6G, and the signal coverage will deteriorate by about 18dB compared to 2.6G. This will worsen the signal-to-noise ratio of SRS, further impairing the accuracy of channel estimation based on SRS for base stations.

[0106] Therefore, precoding techniques can be used to overcome the problems of insufficient SRS accuracy and excessive overhead leading to channel aging.

[0107] For example, uplink precoding may include the following steps.

[0108] Step 1: The UE obtains the downlink channel based on the channel state information reference signal (CSI-RS). Where, N t N represents the number of antennas on the base station side. r N represents the number of antennas on the UE side. t ×N r ×N RB This indicates the number of resource blocks (RBs) in the entire band. This represents the downlink channel acquired on the i-th RB, where i = 1, 2, ..., N RB The UE calculates the covariance of the downlink channels on each RB according to Formula 1, and then averages the covariance information of the channels on each RB according to Formula 2 to obtain the broadband covariance information.

[0109] in, This represents the covariance information of the channel on the i-th RB. express transpose, This represents the covariance information of the broadband.

[0110] Step 2: The UE calculates its eigenvalue decomposition based on the broadband covariance information to obtain the eigenvector. Then, based on the number of SRS ports N configured by the base station... layer Take the largest N among them layer The eigenvectors corresponding to the eigenvalues ​​are respectively Furthermore, UE based on N layer The uplink precoding matrix for precoding SRS is obtained by calculating the eigenvectors.

[0111] Step 3: The UE precodes the SRS based on the uplink precoding matrix, where each SRS port corresponds to the precoding of 1 stream; each SRS port is time-divided into different orthogonal frequency division multiplexing symbols (OFDM symbols, OS) for transmission.

[0112] Step 4: The base station can determine N based on the received SRS. layer The channel information corresponding to each SRS port, the base station obtains the channel information for a single subcarrier.

[0113] As shown in Figure 4(a), if the UE transmits uncoded SRS (i.e., the antenna domain SRS shown in Figure 4(a)), then N is required. r Each SRS port has its own resources. Furthermore, because the power is evenly distributed across each antenna, the SRS energy is dispersed and non-directional.

[0114] As shown in Figure 4(b), if the UE calculates the precoding matrix based on the CSI-RS and transmits the precoded SRS (i.e., beamforming (BF)-SRS shown in Figure 4(b)) based on the calculated precoding matrix, then power can be converged to the strong current, and the signal energy is concentrated in the effective flow number of the channel. In addition, the UE only needs N layer One SRS port resource.

[0115] 2. Precoding matrix.

[0116] The precoding matrix can be, for example, a precoding matrix determined by the terminal device based on the channel matrix of each frequency domain unit. This precoding matrix can be determined by the terminal device through methods such as channel estimation or based on channel reciprocity. However, it should be understood that the specific methods by which the terminal device determines the precoding matrix are not limited to those described above; specific implementation methods can be found in existing technologies, which will not be listed here for the sake of brevity.

[0117] For example, the precoding matrix can be obtained by performing singular value decomposition (SVD) on the channel matrix or its covariance matrix, or by performing eigenvalue decomposition (EVD) on the covariance matrix of the channel matrix. It should be understood that the methods for determining the precoding matrix listed above are merely examples and should not constitute any limitation on this application. Existing technologies can be referenced for methods of determining the precoding matrix; for the sake of brevity, they will not be listed here individually.

[0118] 3. Reference signal (RS).

[0119] RS can also be referred to as a pilot, reference sequence, etc. In the embodiments of this application, the reference signal can be a reference signal used for channel measurement. For example, the reference signal can be a CSI-RS used for downlink channel measurement, or a sounding reference signal (SRS) used for uplink channel measurement.

[0120] It should be understood that the reference signals listed above are merely examples and should not be construed as limiting this application in any way. This application does not preclude the possibility of defining other reference signals in future agreements to achieve the same or similar functions, nor does it preclude the possibility of defining other reference signals in future agreements to achieve different functions.

[0121] 4. Reference signal port.

[0122] A reference signal port is a resource granularity used by a terminal device to send a reference signal.

[0123] As one possible implementation, one reference signal port can correspond to one transmitting antenna of the terminal device. In this implementation, the number of reference signal ports of the terminal device can be the number of transmitting antennas of the terminal device.

[0124] As another possible implementation, a reference signal port can correspond to a precoding vector of the transmitting antenna, which can correspond to a spatial beamforming direction. In this implementation, the number of reference signal ports of the terminal device can be less than the number of transmitting antennas of the terminal device.

[0125] Typically, multiple reference signals corresponding to multiple reference signal ports on a single reference signal resource occupy one or more time-frequency resources. Multiple reference signals occupying the same time-frequency resource are multiplexed using code division. For example, reference signals from different reference signal ports may use different cyclic shifts (CS) to occupy the same time-frequency resource.

[0126] Specifically, on the same time-frequency resource, different reference signals from different reference signal ports can avoid interference by using orthogonal code division multiplexing (CDM). This orthogonality can be achieved through cyclic shifting. When the channel delay spread is very small, CDM can be largely achieved. The receiver can eliminate signals using other CDMs and retain only signals using a specific CDM through specific operations, thereby achieving CDM multiplexing.

[0127] In this embodiment, the reference signal port can be an SRS port.

[0128] 5. Reference signal resources.

[0129] Reference signal resources can be used to configure the transmission attributes of reference signals, such as reference signal bandwidth, time-frequency resource location, port mapping relationship, power factor, and scrambling code, as detailed in existing technologies. Transmitting devices can transmit reference signals based on reference signal resources, and receiving devices can receive reference signals based on reference signal resources. A reference signal resource may include one or more Reference Resource Blocks (RBs).

[0130] In the embodiments of this application, the reference signal resource may be, for example, an SRS resource.

[0131] SRS resources can include the number of SRS ports, the number of OFDM symbols in the SRS resource, SRS bandwidth, SRS frequency domain position and configurable shift, frequency hopping bandwidth, cyclic shift, transmission comb value, transmission comb offset, SRS sequence ID, etc.

[0132] 6. Reference signal resource set.

[0133] A set of reference signal resources may include L (L≥1) reference signal resources. A set of reference signal resources containing L reference signal resources indicates that L reference signal resources have been configured according to a set of reference signal resources.

[0134] In this embodiment of the application, the reference signal resource set may be an SRS resource set.

[0135] 7. Antenna switching.

[0136] This application embodiment involves antenna switching scenarios and non-antenna switching scenarios. In the antenna switching scenario, the number of transmitting antennas of the terminal device is less than the number of receiving antennas; in the non-antenna switching scenario, the number of transmitting antennas of the terminal device is equal to the number of receiving antennas.

[0137] For example, the number of antennas in a terminal device is represented by MTNR, where M represents the number of transmit antennas, T represents transmit (T), N represents the number of receive antennas, and R represents receive (R).

[0138] If M is less than N, the terminal device is understood as a terminal device in an antenna switching scenario, which can be understood as the terminal device needing to switch antennas during the process of sending SRS.

[0139] If N equals M, the terminal device is understood as a terminal device in a non-antenna switching scenario, which can be understood as the terminal device not needing to perform antenna switching in the process of sending SRS.

[0140] The antenna switching described above can also be referred to as antenna selection, which is not limited to this application.

[0141] For UEs that support antenna switching, how to precode SRS is an urgent problem to be solved.

[0142] Based on this, this application provides a communication method in which, in an antenna switching scenario, the terminal device can load different parts of the precoding matrix onto different SRS ports, and the different SRS ports correspond to different antenna ports of the terminal device, thereby helping the network device to determine the uplink channel based on the SRS from the terminal device.

[0143] Before introducing the scheme of this application, the following points should be noted.

[0144] (1) In this application, “instruction” may include direct instruction, indirect instruction, explicit instruction, and implicit instruction. When describing a certain instruction information for the purpose of instructing A, it can be understood that the instruction information carries A, directly instructs A, or indirectly instructs A.

[0145] In this application, the information indicated by the instruction information is called the information to be instructed. In specific implementations, there are many ways to indicate the information to be instructed, such as, but not limited to, directly indicating the information to be instructed, such as the information to be instructed itself or its index. It can also indirectly indicate the information to be instructed by indicating other information, where there is a relationship between the other information and the information to be instructed. It can also indicate only a part of the information to be instructed, while the other parts are known or pre-agreed upon. For example, the instruction of specific information can be achieved by using a pre-agreed (e.g., protocol-defined) arrangement of various pieces of information, thereby reducing instruction overhead to some extent. Furthermore, the information to be instructed can be sent as a whole or divided into multiple sub-information pieces, and the sending period and / or timing of these sub-information pieces can be the same or different.

[0146] (2) In this application, "send" and "receive" indicate the direction of signal transmission. For example, "send information to XX" can be understood as the destination of the information being XX, which may include direct transmission via the air interface or indirect transmission via the air interface by other units or modules. "Receive information from YY" can be understood as the source of the information being YY, which may include direct reception from YY via the air interface or indirect reception from YY via the air interface by other units or modules. "Send" can also be understood as the "output" of the chip interface, and "receive" can also be understood as the "input" of the chip interface. In other words, sending and receiving can occur between devices, such as between network devices and terminal devices, or within a device, such as between components, modules, chips, software modules, or hardware modules within the device via a bus, wiring, or interface.

[0147] (3) In the various embodiments of this application, unless otherwise specified or logically conflicting, the terms and / or descriptions of different embodiments are consistent and can be referenced by each other. The technical features of different embodiments can be combined to form new embodiments according to their inherent logical relationship.

[0148] (4) In this application, "first" and "second" are used for descriptive convenience only to distinguish objects and are not intended to limit the scope of the embodiments of this application. They are not used to describe the order or sequence of features. It should be understood that the objects described in this way can be interchanged where appropriate so as to describe solutions other than those in the embodiments of this application.

[0149] (5) In this application, “predefined” may mean a standard protocol predefined, or it may mean that the devices have agreed or negotiated in advance.

[0150] (6) In this application, the words “exemplary,” “for example,” etc., are used to indicate examples, illustrations, or descriptions. Any embodiment or design described as an “example” in this application should not be construed as being more preferred or advantageous than other embodiments or designs. Specifically, the use of the word “example” is intended to present the concept in a concrete manner. In the embodiments of this application, “of,” “corresponding, relevant,” and “corresponding” may sometimes be used interchangeably, and it should be noted that their intended meanings are consistent unless their distinction is emphasized.

[0151] (7) In this document, "at least one" means one or more. "More than one" means two or more. "And / or" describes the relationship between related objects, indicating that there can be three relationships. For example, A and / or B can mean: A exists alone, A and B exist simultaneously, or B exists alone, where A and B can be singular or plural. In the textual description of this application, the character " / " generally indicates that the related objects before and after are in an "or" relationship; in the formula of this application, the character " / " indicates that the related objects before and after are in a "division" relationship. "Including at least one of A, B and C" can mean: including A; including B; including C; including A and B; including A and C; including B and C; including A, B and C.

[0152] The method provided by the embodiments of this application will be described in detail below with reference to the accompanying drawings. The embodiments provided by this application can be applied to the communication system shown in FIG1 above, and are not limited thereto.

[0153] In the following embodiments, terminal devices and network devices are used as examples for illustrative purposes. The term "terminal device" can be replaced by a component of a terminal device (e.g., a chip, chip system, circuit, or communication module), and the term "network device" can be replaced by a component of a network device (e.g., a chip, chip system, circuit, or communication module).

[0154] Referring to Figure 5, Figure 5 is a schematic diagram of a communication method 500 provided in an embodiment of this application. The method 500 shown in Figure 5 may include the following steps.

[0155] S510, the network device sends the first instruction information.

[0156] Accordingly, the terminal device receives the first instruction information.

[0157] The first indication information is used to indicate that the first reference signal resource / resource set and the second reference signal resource / resource set are associated.

[0158] The first reference signal resource / resource set includes S uplink reference signal ports. A description of the S uplink reference signal ports can be found in S520 below, and will not be detailed here. In other words, the first reference signal resource / resource set is used to transmit uplink reference signals from the S uplink reference signal ports. The first reference signal resource set may include a first reference signal resource, and the first reference signal resource may include the S uplink reference signal ports. For example, the first reference signal resource set is an SRS resource set, the first reference signal resource is an SRS resource, and the uplink reference signal port is an SRS port.

[0159] The second reference signal resource / resource set includes a downlink reference signal port; in other words, the second reference signal resource / resource set is used to transmit the downlink reference signal of the downlink reference signal port. The second reference signal resource set may include a second reference signal resource, which includes a downlink reference signal port. For example, the second reference signal resource set is a CSI-RS resource set, the second reference signal resource is a CSI-RS resource, and the downlink reference signal port is a CSI-RS port. Specifically, the CSI-RS resource set may be a non-zero power (NZP) CSI-RS resource set, the CSI-RS resource may be an NZP CSI-RS resource, and the CSI-RS port may be an NZP CSI-RS port.

[0160] The embodiments of this application do not limit the specific form of the first instruction information.

[0161] For example, the first indication information may include the identity (ID) of the first reference signal resource / resource set and the ID of the second reference signal resource / resource set.

[0162] For example, the first indication information could be resource configuration information #1, which is used to configure the first reference signal resource / resource set. In other words, resource configuration information #1 could include the ID of the first reference signal resource / resource set and the ID of the second reference signal resource / resource set. For example, this resource configuration information #1 could be an SRS resource configuration (SRS-ResourceConfig).

[0163] For example, the first indication information could be resource configuration information #2, which is used to configure the second reference signal resource / resource set. In other words, resource configuration information #2 could include the ID of the first reference signal resource / resource set and the ID of the second reference signal resource / resource set. For example, this resource configuration information #2 could be CSI resource configuration (CSI-ResourceConfig).

[0164] For example, the first indication information could be report configuration information used to configure a measurement report obtained based on downlink reference signals transmitted on a second reference signal resource / resource set. In other words, the report configuration information could include the IDs of the first and second reference signal resources / resource sets. For instance, this report configuration information could be a CSI report configuration (CSI-ReportConfig).

[0165] It should be noted that step S510 is optional. For example, if the association between the first reference signal resource / resource set and the second reference signal resource / resource set is predefined or preconfigured, then method 500 may not include step S510. As another example, if the network device has already sent the first indication information to the terminal device before executing method 500, then method 500 may not include step S510.

[0166] S520, the terminal device sends a second instruction message.

[0167] Correspondingly, the network device receives the second instruction information.

[0168] The second indication information is used to indicate the number of transport layers supported by the terminal device. Optionally, the second indication information is also used to indicate one or more of the following: the number of antenna ports supported by the terminal device for downlink reception or the number of antenna ports supported by the terminal device for uplink transmission.

[0169] For example, the terminal device can send a second indication information to the network device through the UE capability supported SRS-TxPortSwitchwithMaxRank-r20 information cell, or in other words, the second indication information sent by the terminal device is carried in the UE capability supported SRS-TxPortSwitchwithMaxRank-r20 information cell.

[0170] For example, the value of the UE capability supportedSRS-TxPortSwitchwithMaxRank-r20 information cell may include one or more of the following: t4r8q1, t4r8q2, t4r8q4, t8r8q1, t8r8q2, t8r8q4, t4r16q1, t4r16q2, t4r16q4, t8r16q1, t8r16q2, t8r16q4, or t8r16q8.

[0171] In this context, txryqz represents: z is the number of transport layers, y is the number of antenna ports used for downlink reception, and x is the number of antenna ports used for uplink transmission. For example, t4r8q1 represents: 1 is the number of transport layers, 8 are the number of antenna ports used for downlink reception, and 4 are the number of antenna ports used for uplink transmission.

[0172] It should be noted that S520 is an optional step. For example, if the capabilities of the terminal device are predefined or preconfigured, then method 500 may not include S520. Or, for example, if the terminal device has already sent second instruction information to the network device before executing method 500, then method 500 may not include S520.

[0173] It should also be noted that S510 can be executed before or after S520, and this application does not limit this.

[0174] S530, the terminal equipment and network equipment determine S uplink reference signal ports.

[0175] Specifically, the terminal equipment and network equipment determine S uplink reference signal ports for Q transport layers. In other words, the S uplink reference signal ports include the uplink reference signal ports for each of the Q transport layers. S and Q are both positive integers, and S is greater than Q.

[0176] The transport layer can also be called the spatial layer, layer, transport stream, spatial stream, or stream layer. In MIMO, a spatial layer can be viewed as an independently transmittable data stream. To improve spectrum resource utilization and enhance the data transmission capability of the communication system, wireless access network devices can transmit data to terminal devices in parallel through multiple spatial layers. The number of transport layers does not exceed the rank of the channel matrix.

[0177] S uplink reference signal ports including Q transport layer uplink reference signal ports are equivalent to S uplink reference signal ports including uplink reference signal ports corresponding to the Q stream channels. Among the S uplink reference signal ports, those belonging to the same transport layer correspond to the same stream channel.

[0178] For example, as shown in Figure 6, the S uplink reference signal ports include uplink reference signal ports A to D. Uplink reference signal port A and uplink reference signal port B correspond to the same flow channel, or in other words, uplink reference signal port A and uplink reference signal port B are uplink reference signal ports of the same transport layer. Uplink reference signal port C and uplink reference signal port D correspond to the same flow channel, or in other words, uplink reference signal port C and uplink reference signal port D are uplink reference signal ports of the same transport layer.

[0179] The value of S is related to the capabilities of the terminal device (including the number of transmission layers, the number of antenna ports supported for simultaneous downlink reception, and the number of antenna ports supported for simultaneous uplink transmission). For example, S = Q × N ÷ M, where M is the number of antenna ports supported for simultaneous uplink transmission by the terminal device. For instance, if the terminal device transmits the uplink reference signal at its maximum capability (i.e., the number of antenna ports used for transmitting the uplink reference signal equals the number of antenna ports supported for simultaneous uplink transmission), then S = Q × N ÷ M. Alternatively, S > Q × N ÷ M. For example, if the terminal device does not transmit the uplink reference signal at its maximum capability (i.e., the number of antenna ports used for transmitting the uplink reference signal is less than the number of antenna ports supported for simultaneous uplink transmission), then S > Q × N ÷ M.

[0180] Optionally, the time-domain resources of the reference signal resources corresponding to different uplink reference signal ports among the S uplink reference signal ports are different. The reference signal resources corresponding to the uplink reference signal ports are used to transmit the uplink reference signals of the uplink reference signal ports. In other words, the terminal device can use time-division multiplexing to transmit the uplink reference signals of the S uplink reference signal ports.

[0181] The S uplink reference signal ports include at least two uplink reference signal ports of the q-th transport layer out of the Q transport layers. It can be understood that at least two uplink reference signal ports of the q-th transport layer correspond to the same flow channel. q is a positive integer, q = 1, 2, ..., Q.

[0182] The following describes at least two uplink reference signal ports of the q-th transport layer.

[0183] The following relationship exists between at least two uplink reference signal ports of the q-th transport layer and N antenna ports of the terminal device. N is a positive integer, and the value of N is the maximum number of antenna ports that the terminal device can simultaneously support for downlink reception.

[0184] At least two uplink reference signal ports of the q-th transport layer correspond to N antenna ports. Each of the at least two uplink reference signal ports corresponds to a subset of the N antenna ports, and different uplink reference signal ports correspond to different antenna ports. In other words, any one of the N antenna ports corresponds to one of the at least two uplink reference signal ports. Here, the N antenna ports are the antenna ports of the terminal device.

[0185] It should be noted that the uplink reference signal ports of different transmission layers in the Q transmission layers can correspond to the same antenna port in the N antenna ports.

[0186] For example, as shown in Figure 6, uplink reference signal ports A and B, corresponding to the same flow channel, correspond to different antenna ports, and uplink reference signal ports C and D, corresponding to the same flow channel, correspond to different antenna ports. Uplink reference signal ports A and D, corresponding to different flow channels, can correspond to the same antenna port, and uplink reference signal ports B and D, corresponding to different flow channels, can also correspond to the same antenna port.

[0187] The statement that at least two uplink reference signal ports correspond to N antenna ports can be understood as the terminal device transmitting uplink reference signals from at least two uplink reference signal ports through N antenna ports. Similarly, the statement that one uplink reference signal port from at least two uplink reference signal ports corresponds to a subset of the N antenna ports can be understood as the terminal device transmitting uplink reference signals from one of the at least two uplink reference signal ports through a subset of the N antenna ports.

[0188] The number of antenna ports corresponding to different uplink reference signal ports among the at least two uplink reference signal ports can be the same or different, and this application does not limit this. Taking a value of N of 8 as an example, the number of at least two uplink reference signal ports can be 2, and each of the two uplink reference signal ports corresponds to 4 antenna ports. Alternatively, taking a value of N of 8 as an example, the number of at least two uplink reference signal ports can be 3, where uplink reference signal port #1 of the 3 uplink reference signal ports corresponds to 4 antenna ports, and uplink reference signal ports #2 and #3 of the 3 uplink reference signal ports each correspond to 2 antenna ports.

[0189] The relationship between at least two uplink reference signal ports of the q-th transport layer and the precoding matrix #q is as follows: The precoding matrix #q is the precoding matrix corresponding to the q-th transport layer among Q precoding matrices. The Q precoding matrices are determined by the terminal device based on the downlink reference signals of the downlink reference signal ports, and there is a one-to-one correspondence between the Q precoding matrices and the Q transport layers. The method by which the terminal device determines the Q precoding matrices can be found in the description of precoding techniques above; for brevity, it will not be elaborated upon here.

[0190] At least two uplink reference signal ports correspond one-to-one with at least two sub-precoding matrices, and each of the at least two sub-precoding matrices includes a portion of the vectors or elements in the precoding matrix #q.

[0191] Optionally, the different sub-precoding matrices in at least two sub-precoding matrices include different vectors or elements in precoding matrix #q, and any element or vector in precoding matrix #q belongs to one of the at least two sub-precoding matrices. In other words, the complete precoding matrix #q can be obtained by combining the at least two sub-precoding matrices. It should be noted that the different vectors or elements in precoding matrix #q refer to elements or vectors at different positions in precoding matrix #q, not elements or vectors with different values. For example, the first vector from left to right in precoding matrix #q is different from the second vector, or the element in the first row and first column of precoding matrix #q is different from the element in the first row and second column.

[0192] Taking uplink reference signal port #A from at least two uplink reference signal ports as an example, uplink reference signal port #A corresponds to sub-precoding matrix #A from at least two sub-precoding matrices. Sub-precoding matrix #A is used to precode the uplink reference signal from uplink reference signal port #A. In other words, the uplink reference signal transmitted by the terminal device from uplink reference signal port #A is the reference signal precoded by sub-precoding matrix #A. Uplink reference signal port #A can be any one of the at least two uplink reference signal ports.

[0193] It should be understood that, taking at least two uplink reference signal ports #A (an example of the first uplink reference signal port) as an example, when the uplink reference signal port #A corresponds to at least two sub-precoding matrices #A (an example of the first sub-precoding matrix), the dimension of the sub-precoding matrix #A matches the number of antenna ports corresponding to the uplink reference signal port #A. For example, if the number of antenna ports corresponding to the uplink reference signal port #A is K, then the number of rows or columns of the sub-precoding matrix #A is K. For instance, if the sub-precoding matrix #A includes a vector, then the number of elements in that vector is K; or, the number of vectors included in the sub-precoding matrix #A is K; or, the sub-precoding matrix #A includes K' vectors, where the length of each of the K' vectors is K. Here, K and K' are positive integers.

[0194] It should also be understood that when at least two sub-precoding matrices correspond one-to-one with at least two uplink reference signal ports, if the number of antenna ports corresponding to different uplink reference signal ports among the at least two uplink reference signal ports is the same, then the dimensions of the different sub-precoding matrices among the at least two sub-precoding matrices are the same; or, if the number of antenna ports corresponding to different uplink reference signal ports among the at least two uplink reference signal ports is different, then the dimensions of the different sub-precoding matrices among the at least two sub-precoding matrices are different.

[0195] The relationship between at least two uplink reference signal ports of the q-th transport layer and the precoding matrix #q is explained below with reference to Figure 7. As shown in Figure 7, the precoding matrix #q is W SRS,q W SRS,q It is an 8-length precoding matrix. Among them, W SRS,1,q and W SRS,2,q W is the two sub-precoding matrices included in the precoding matrix #q. SRS,1,q and W SRS,2,q The length of each is 4. W SRS,1,q and W SRS,2,q Each corresponds to an uplink reference signal port, and W SRS,1,q and W SRS,2,q The number of antenna ports corresponding to the uplink reference signal port is 4.

[0196] The following describes how a terminal device determines S uplink reference signal ports. The method by which a terminal device determines S uplink reference signal ports may include the following steps.

[0197] Step 1: The terminal device first determines the number of S uplink reference signal ports based on the first reference signal resource / resource set configured by the network device, i.e., it determines the value of S. For example, if the first reference signal resource set includes S reference signal resources, and each reference signal resource includes one reference signal port, then the terminal device can determine the value of S based on the number of reference signal resources included in the first reference signal resource set. As another example, if the first reference signal resource set includes L reference signal resources, and each of the L reference signal resources includes 2 uplink reference signal ports, then the terminal device can determine that S = 2L.

[0198] Step 2: The terminal device determines the antenna ports corresponding to the uplink reference signal ports of the same transport layer among the S uplink reference signal ports. After determining the value of S, the terminal device can determine the number of uplink reference signal ports for each transport layer based on the number of transport layers, i.e., the number of uplink reference signal ports for each transport layer is S / Q. Furthermore, the terminal device can determine the antenna ports corresponding to the uplink reference signal ports of the same transport layer.

[0199] This application does not limit the correspondence between uplink reference signal ports and antenna ports. Taking an example where there are 2 uplink reference signal ports and 8 antenna ports in each transmission layer, uplink reference signal port #1 can correspond to antenna ports #1 to #4 in the 8 antenna ports, and uplink reference signal port #2 can correspond to antenna ports #5 to #8 in the 8 antenna ports; or, uplink reference signal port #1 can correspond to antenna ports #1, #3, #5 and #7 in the 8 antenna ports, and uplink reference signal port #2 can correspond to antenna ports #2, #4, #6 and #8 in the 8 antenna ports.

[0200] Step 3: The terminal device maps the Q precoding matrices determined based on the downlink reference signals of the downlink reference signal ports to the Q uplink reference signal ports of the transport layers. Specifically, taking the q-th transport layer as an example, the terminal device maps at least two uplink reference signal ports of the q-th transport layer to at least two sub-precoding matrices included in the precoding matrix #q.

[0201] The following describes how network devices determine S uplink reference signal ports.

[0202] The network device determining S uplink reference signal ports is equivalent to the network device receiving uplink reference signals from S uplink reference signal ports. In other words, if the network device receives uplink reference signals from S uplink reference signal ports of the terminal device, then the network device can determine the S uplink reference signal ports.

[0203] In S540, the network device determines the uplink channels corresponding to N antenna ports based on S uplink reference signal ports.

[0204] In one possible implementation, the network device determines the uplink channel corresponding to each transport layer based on the uplink reference signal port of each transport layer, and then determines the uplink channels of Q transport layers based on the S uplink reference signal ports.

[0205] Taking the q-th transport layer as an example, the network device determines at least two sub-channels based on at least two uplink reference signal ports of the q-th transport layer, and the at least two sub-channels correspond one-to-one with the at least two uplink reference signal ports; the network device then determines the uplink channels corresponding to the q-th transport layer and N antenna ports based on the at least two sub-channels.

[0206] The process of network devices determining sub-channels based on uplink reference signal ports can be understood as network devices determining sub-channels based on the uplink reference signal of the uplink reference signal port.

[0207] As shown in Figure 7, assume that the q-th transport layer includes two reference signal ports, denoted as uplink reference signal port #1 and uplink reference signal port #2. The equivalent sub-channel determined by the network device based on the uplink reference signal of uplink reference signal port #1 can be represented as H. UL,1,q W SRS,1,q The equivalent subchannel determined based on the uplink reference signal at uplink reference signal port #2 can be represented as H. UL,2,q W SRS,2,q Therefore, the network device can determine the equivalent uplink channel H of the q-th transport layer. eff,q =H UL,1,q W SRS,1,q +H UL,2,q W SRS,2,q .

[0208] In one possible implementation, the network device determines the channel matrix based on S uplink reference signal ports, and then determines the uplink channels corresponding to Q transport layers and N antenna ports based on the channel matrix.

[0209] For example, assuming S=4, Q=2, and the number of antenna ports of the network device is 256, the network device can determine a channel matrix with a dimension of 256×4 based on the S uplink reference signal ports. Then, the network device performs SVD decomposition or eigenvalue decomposition on the channel matrix to obtain a 2-stream equivalent uplink channel with a dimension of 256×2.

[0210] It is understandable that after a network device determines the uplink channels corresponding to N antenna ports based on S uplink reference signal ports, it can determine the downlink channels corresponding to the N antenna ports based on the distinctness of the uplink and downlink channels. Furthermore, the network device can perform data transmission based on the downlink channels corresponding to the N antenna ports.

[0211] In this embodiment, in an antenna switching scenario, the terminal device can load different parts of the precoding matrix onto different uplink reference signal ports. These different uplink reference signal ports correspond to different antenna ports of the terminal device, thereby facilitating network devices in determining the uplink channel based on the SRS from the terminal device. Furthermore, in the antenna switching scenario, by loading the precoding matrix onto the uplink reference signal ports, the terminal device can achieve spatial energy convergence, reducing the number of uplink reference signal ports.

[0212] Furthermore, in a TDD system, based on the mutual difference between uplink and downlink channels, network devices can determine the downlink channel based on the determined uplink channel, and send downlink data to the terminal device based on the determined downlink channel, thereby improving communication performance.

[0213] Figure 8 is a schematic diagram of a communication method 800 provided in another embodiment of this application. The method 800 shown in Figure 8 may include the following steps.

[0214] S810, the network device sends the first instruction information.

[0215] Accordingly, the terminal device receives the first instruction information.

[0216] For a more detailed description of S810, please refer to S510 in Method 500 above.

[0217] S820, the terminal device sends a second instruction message.

[0218] Correspondingly, the network device receives the second instruction information.

[0219] For more details on S820, please refer to S520 in Method 500 above.

[0220] S830, the terminal device sends uplink reference signals from S uplink reference signal ports.

[0221] Accordingly, the network device receives uplink reference signals from S uplink reference signal ports. Further description of the S uplink reference signal ports can be found in Method 500 above.

[0222] Specifically, the uplink reference signal transmitted by the terminal device includes the uplink reference signal of the Q stream. Among them, the uplink reference signal of the qth stream in the Q stream includes at least two uplink reference signals.

[0223] Optionally, the terminal device transmits uplink reference signals from S uplink reference signal ports using time-division multiplexing.

[0224] The following describes at least two uplink reference signals for the q-th stream.

[0225] The terminal device transmits at least two uplink reference signals of the q-th stream through N antenna ports, and the terminal device transmits different uplink reference signals among the at least two uplink reference signals through different antenna ports among the N antenna ports.

[0226] The number of antenna ports used by the terminal device to transmit at least two uplink reference signals may be the same or different; this application does not limit this.

[0227] The at least two uplink reference signals of the q-th stream transmitted by the terminal device are reference signals precoded according to the precoding matrix #q. Specifically, the precoding matrix #q includes at least two sub-precoding matrices, each corresponding one-to-one with at least two uplink reference signals. Taking uplink reference signal #A among the at least two uplink reference signals as an example, if uplink reference signal #A corresponds to sub-precoding matrix #A among the at least two sub-precoding matrices, then uplink reference signal #A is a reference signal precoded according to sub-precoding matrix #A. Uplink reference signal #A is any one of the at least two uplink reference signals. The description of the precoding matrix #q can be found in S530 of method 500 above.

[0228] S840, the network device determines the uplink channels corresponding to N antenna ports.

[0229] Specifically, the network device determines the uplink channels corresponding to N antenna ports based on the uplink reference signals of S uplink reference signal ports.

[0230] For a more detailed description of S840, please refer to S540 in Method 500 above.

[0231] In this embodiment, in an antenna switching scenario, the terminal device can precode uplink reference signals transmitted using different antenna ports according to different parts of the precoding matrix, thereby helping the network device determine the uplink channel based on the uplink reference signal from the terminal device. Furthermore, in the antenna switching scenario, the terminal device's precoding of the uplink reference signal according to the precoding matrix can achieve spatial energy convergence and reduce the number of uplink reference signal ports.

[0232] Furthermore, in a TDD system, based on the mutual difference between uplink and downlink channels, network devices can determine the downlink channel based on the determined uplink channel, and send downlink data to the terminal device based on the determined downlink channel, thereby improving communication performance.

[0233] It is understood that some optional features in the various embodiments of this application may not depend on other features in some scenarios, or may be combined with other features in some scenarios, without limitation.

[0234] It is also understood that the solutions in the various embodiments of this application can be used in reasonable combinations, and the explanations or descriptions of the various terms appearing in the embodiments can be referenced or explained to each other in the various embodiments, without limitation.

[0235] It is also understood that, in the above-described method embodiments, the methods and operations implemented by a device (such as a terminal device or a network device) can also be implemented by components of the device (such as chips or circuits), without limitation.

[0236] The methods provided by the embodiments of this application have been described in detail above with reference to Figures 5 and 8. The apparatus provided by the embodiments of this application will be described in detail below with reference to Figures 9 to 11. It should be understood that the descriptions of the apparatus embodiments correspond to the descriptions of the method embodiments; therefore, any content not described in detail can be referred to the method embodiments above, and for the sake of brevity, will not be repeated here.

[0237] Referring to Figure 9, which is a schematic diagram of a communication device 900 provided in an embodiment of this application, the device 900 includes a transceiver unit 910. The transceiver unit 910 can be used to implement corresponding communication functions. The transceiver unit 910 can also be referred to as a communication interface or communication unit. Optionally, the device 900 further includes a processing unit 920. The processing unit 920 can be used to perform processing, such as determining an uplink reference signal port. The functions of the processing unit 920 can be implemented by one or more processors. Specifically, the processor may include a modem chip, or a system-on-a-chip (SoC) chip or a system-in-in-package (SIP) chip containing a modem core.

[0238] Optionally, the device 900 may further include a storage unit, which can be used to store instructions and / or data, and the processing unit 920 can read the instructions and / or data in the storage unit to enable the device to implement the aforementioned method embodiments.

[0239] Optionally, the transceiver unit 910 may include a receiving unit and a sending unit. The receiving unit can be used to perform receiving-related operations (such as receiving data or messages), and the sending unit can be used to perform sending-related operations (such as sending data or messages).

[0240] In a first possible design, the device 900 can be the terminal device in the aforementioned embodiments, which can implement the steps or processes corresponding to those executed by the terminal device in the above method embodiments. Specifically, the transceiver unit 910 can be used to perform transceiver-related operations (such as sending and / or receiving data or messages) of the terminal device in the above method embodiments. For example, the transceiver unit 910 can be used to execute S510 or S520 in the embodiment shown in FIG. 5, or it can be used to execute S810, S820, or S830 in the embodiment shown in FIG. 8. The processing unit 920 can be used to perform processing-related operations of the terminal device in the above method embodiments, or operations other than transceiver (such as operations other than sending and / or receiving data or messages). For example, the processing unit 920 can be used to execute S530 in the embodiment shown in FIG. 5.

[0241] In a second possible design, the device 900 can be a network device as described in the foregoing embodiments. This device 900 can implement the steps or processes performed by the network device corresponding to those described in the method embodiments above. Specifically, the transceiver unit 910 can be used to perform transceiver-related operations (such as sending and / or receiving data or messages) of the network device described in the method embodiments above. For example, the transceiver unit 910 can be used to execute S510 or S520 in the embodiment shown in FIG. 5, or S810, S820, or S830 in the embodiment shown in FIG. 8. The processing unit 920 can be used to perform processing-related operations of the network device described in the method embodiments above, or operations other than transceiver (such as operations other than sending and / or receiving data or messages). For example, the processing unit 920 can be used to execute S530 or S540 in the embodiment shown in FIG. 5, or S840 in the embodiment shown in FIG. 8.

[0242] It should be understood that the specific process of each unit performing the above-mentioned corresponding steps has been described in detail in the above method embodiments, and will not be repeated here for the sake of brevity.

[0243] It should also be understood that the device 900 here is embodied in the form of a functional unit. The term "unit" here can refer to an application-specific integrated circuit (ASIC), electronic circuitry, a processor (e.g., a shared processor, a proprietary processor, or a group processor, etc.) and memory for executing one or more software or firmware programs, integrated logic circuitry, and / or other suitable components supporting the described functions. In an alternative example, those skilled in the art will understand that the device 900 can specifically be the communication device in the above embodiments, and can be used to execute the various processes and / or steps corresponding to the communication device in the above method embodiments; to avoid repetition, these will not be described again here.

[0244] The apparatus 900 of each of the above-described schemes has the function of implementing the corresponding steps performed by the communication device in the above-described methods. The function can be implemented in hardware or by hardware executing corresponding software. The hardware or software includes one or more modules corresponding to the above functions; for example, the transceiver unit can be replaced by a transceiver (e.g., the transmitting unit in the transceiver unit can be replaced by a transmitter, and the receiving unit in the transceiver unit can be replaced by a receiver), and other units, such as processing units, can be replaced by processors, each executing the transceiver operations and related processing operations in the respective method embodiments.

[0245] In addition, the transceiver unit 910 can also be a transceiver circuit (for example, it may include a receiving circuit and a transmitting circuit), and the processing unit 920 can be a processing circuit.

[0246] It should be noted that the device in Figure 9 can be the communication device in the foregoing embodiments, or it can be a chip or a chip system, such as a system on a chip (SoC). The transceiver unit can be an input / output circuit or a communication interface; the processing unit is a processor, microprocessor, or integrated circuit integrated on the chip. No limitations are imposed here.

[0247] Referring to Figure 10, which is a schematic diagram of another communication device 1000 provided in an embodiment of this application, the device 1000 includes a processor 1010 coupled to a memory 1020. The memory 1020 is used to store computer programs or instructions and / or data. The processor 1010 is used to execute the computer programs or instructions stored in the memory 1020, or to read the data stored in the memory 1020, to execute the methods in the above-described method embodiments.

[0248] Optionally, there may be one or more processors 1010.

[0249] Optionally, the memory 1020 may be one or more.

[0250] Alternatively, the memory 1020 can be integrated with the processor 1010, or it can be set separately.

[0251] Optionally, as shown in FIG10, the device 1000 further includes a transceiver 1030 for receiving and / or transmitting signals. For example, the processor 1010 is used to control the transceiver 1030 to receive and / or transmit signals.

[0252] As an example, processor 1010 may have the functions of processing unit 920 shown in FIG9, memory 1020 may have the functions of storage unit, and transceiver 1030 may have the functions of transceiver unit 910 shown in FIG9.

[0253] As one option, the device 1000 is used to implement the operations performed by the communication device in the various method embodiments described above.

[0254] For example, processor 1010 is used to execute computer programs or instructions stored in memory 1020 to implement the relevant operations of terminal devices or network devices in the various method embodiments described above.

[0255] It should be understood that the processor mentioned in the embodiments of this application can be a central processing unit (CPU), or other general-purpose processors, digital signal processors (DSPs), application-specific integrated circuits (ASICs), field-programmable gate arrays (FPGAs), or other programmable logic devices, discrete gate or transistor logic devices, discrete hardware components, etc. A general-purpose processor can be a microprocessor or any conventional processor.

[0256] It should also be understood that the memory mentioned in the embodiments of this application can be volatile memory and / or non-volatile memory. Non-volatile memory can be read-only memory (ROM), programmable read-only memory (PROM), erasable programmable read-only memory (EPROM), electrically erasable programmable read-only memory (EEPROM), or flash memory. Volatile memory can be random access memory (RAM). For example, RAM can be used as an external cache. By way of example and not limitation, RAM includes the following forms: static random access memory (SRAM), dynamic random access memory (DRAM), synchronous dynamic random access memory (SDRAM), double data rate synchronous dynamic random access memory (DDR SDRAM), enhanced synchronous dynamic random access memory (ESDRAM), synchronous linked dynamic random access memory (SLDRAM), and direct rambus RAM (DR RAM).

[0257] It should be noted that when the processor is a general-purpose processor, DSP, ASIC, FPGA, or other programmable logic device, discrete gate or transistor logic device, or discrete hardware component, the memory (storage module) can be integrated into the processor.

[0258] It should also be noted that the memory described herein is intended to include, but is not limited to, these and any other suitable types of memory.

[0259] It should also be noted that if device 1000 includes processor 1010, then device 1000 can be a chip, chip system, or circuit. If device 1000 also includes transceiver 1030, then transceiver 1030 can be the transceiver interface of the device, which is used to perform receiving or sending operations. The transceiver interface can include a receiving interface and a sending interface, where the receiving interface is used to perform receiving operations and the sending interface is used to perform sending operations. If device 1000 also includes memory 1020, then device 1000 can be a communication module.

[0260] Referring to Figure 11, Figure 11 is a schematic diagram of a chip system 1100 provided in an embodiment of this application. The chip system 1100 (or may also be referred to as a processing system) includes logic circuitry 1110 and an input / output interface 1120.

[0261] The logic circuit 1110 can be a processing circuit in the chip system 1100. The logic circuit 1110 can be coupled to a memory unit, calling instructions from the memory unit, enabling the chip system 1100 to implement the methods and functions of the embodiments of this application. The input / output interface 1120 can be an input / output circuit in the chip system 1100, outputting processed information from the chip system 1100, or inputting data or signaling information to be processed into the chip system 1100 for processing.

[0262] Optionally, the logic circuit 1110 may be implemented by one or more processors, including the one or more processors or the processing portion of the one or more processors.

[0263] Optionally, the input / output interface 1120 may include transceiver circuitry, a transceiver, input / output circuitry, or a communication interface.

[0264] As one approach, the chip system 1100 is used to implement operations performed by communication devices (such as terminal devices or network devices) in the various method embodiments described above.

[0265] For example, logic circuit 1110 is used to implement processing-related operations performed by a communication device (such as a terminal device or a network device) in the above method embodiments; input / output interface 1120 is used to implement sending and / or receiving-related operations performed by a communication device (such as a terminal device or a network device) in the above method embodiments.

[0266] This application also provides a computer-readable storage medium storing computer instructions for implementing the methods executed by a communication device (such as a terminal device or a network device) in the above-described method embodiments.

[0267] For example, when the computer program is executed by a computer, it enables the computer to implement the methods described in the embodiments of the above methods, which are executed by a communication device (such as a terminal device or a network device).

[0268] This application also provides a computer program product comprising instructions which, when executed by a computer, implement the methods described above as being performed by a communication device (such as a terminal device or a network device).

[0269] This application also provides a communication system that includes the terminal device and / or network device described in the above embodiments. For example, the system includes the terminal device and network device shown in FIG5 or FIG8.

[0270] The explanations and beneficial effects of the relevant contents in any of the devices provided above can be found in the corresponding method embodiments provided above, and will not be repeated here.

[0271] In the several embodiments provided in this application, it should be understood that the disclosed apparatus and methods can be implemented in other ways. For example, the apparatus embodiments described above are merely illustrative; for instance, the division of units is only a logical functional division, and in actual implementation, there may be other division methods. For example, multiple units or components may be combined or integrated into another system, or some features may be ignored or not executed. Furthermore, the mutual coupling or direct coupling or communication connection shown or discussed may be through some interfaces, and the indirect coupling or communication connection of apparatus or units may be electrical, mechanical, or other forms.

[0272] In the above embodiments, implementation can be achieved entirely or partially through software, hardware, firmware, or any combination thereof. When implemented using software, it can be implemented entirely or partially in the form of a computer program product. The computer program product includes one or more computer instructions. When the computer program instructions are loaded and executed on a computer, all or part of the processes or functions described in the embodiments of this application are generated. The computer can be a general-purpose computer, a special-purpose computer, a computer network, or other programmable device. For example, the computer can be a personal computer, a server, or a network device, etc. The computer instructions can be stored in a computer-readable storage medium or transmitted from one computer-readable storage medium to another. For example, the computer instructions can be transmitted from one website, computer, server, or data center to another website, computer, server, or data center via wired (e.g., coaxial cable, fiber optic, digital subscriber line (DSL)) or wireless (e.g., infrared, wireless, microwave, etc.) means. The computer-readable storage medium can be any available medium that a computer can access or a data storage device such as a server or data center that integrates one or more available media. The available media can be magnetic media (e.g., floppy disks, hard disks, magnetic tapes), optical media (e.g., DVDs), or semiconductor media (e.g., solid-state disks, SSDs). For example, the aforementioned available media include, but are not limited to, USB flash drives, portable hard drives, read-only memory (ROM), random access memory (RAM), magnetic disks, or optical disks, and other media capable of storing program code.

[0273] The above description is merely a specific embodiment of this application, but the scope of protection of this application is not limited thereto. Any variations or substitutions that can be easily conceived by those skilled in the art within the technical scope disclosed in this application should be included within the scope of protection of this application. Therefore, the scope of protection of this application should be determined by the scope of the claims.

Claims

1. A communication method characterized by comprising: The method comprises: determining S uplink reference signal ports of Q transmission layers, the S uplink reference signal ports comprising at least two uplink reference signal ports of a qth transmission layer in the Q transmission layers, the at least two uplink reference signal ports corresponding to N antenna ports, each uplink reference signal port in the at least two uplink reference signal ports corresponding to part of the N antenna ports, and different uplink reference signal ports in the at least two uplink reference signal ports corresponding to different antenna ports; N, Q, and q are positive integers, S is a positive integer greater than Q, and q = 1, 2, …, Q; the Q transmission layers correspond to Q precoding matrices one by one, the Q precoding matrices being determined according to downlink reference signals of downlink reference signal ports, and a precoding matrix corresponding to the qth transmission layer in the Q precoding matrices comprising at least two sub-precoding matrices, each sub-precoding matrix in the at least two sub-precoding matrices comprising part of vectors or elements in the precoding matrix corresponding to the qth transmission layer, and the at least two uplink reference signal ports corresponding to the at least two sub-precoding matrices one by one.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein, A first reference signal resource / resource set comprises the S uplink reference signal ports, and a second reference signal resource / resource set comprises the downlink reference signal ports, the first reference signal resource / resource set being associated with the second reference signal resource / resource set.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein, The method further comprises: receiving first indication information, the first indication information being used to indicate that the first reference signal resource / resource set has an association relationship with the second reference signal resource / resource set.

4. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 3, characterized in that, The at least two sub-precoding matrices comprise a first sub-precoding matrix corresponding to a first uplink reference signal port in the at least two uplink reference signal ports, and a dimension of the first sub-precoding matrix matches a number of antenna ports corresponding to the first uplink reference signal port.

5. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 4, characterized in that, Different sub-precoding matrices in the at least two sub-precoding matrices comprise different vectors or elements in the precoding matrix corresponding to the qth transmission layer, and any element or vector in the precoding matrix corresponding to the qth transmission layer belongs to one sub-precoding matrix in the at least two sub-precoding matrices.

6. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 5, characterized in that, The number of antenna ports corresponding to different uplink reference signal ports in the at least two uplink reference signal ports is the same, and the dimension of different sub-precoding matrices in the at least two sub-precoding matrices is the same.

7. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 6, characterized in that, Different uplink reference signal ports in the S uplink reference signal ports correspond to different time domain resources of reference signal resources.

8. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 7, characterized in that, S = Q × N ÷ M, M represents a number of antenna ports simultaneously used for uplink transmission, M is a positive integer, and M is less than N.

9. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 8, characterized in that, The method further comprises: sending second indication information, the second indication information being used to indicate a number of transmission layers, and the second indication information being further used to indicate one or more of the following: a number of antenna ports simultaneously used for downlink reception; or a number of antenna ports simultaneously used for uplink transmission.

10. A communication method characterized by comprising: The method comprises: S uplink reference signal ports of Q transmission layers are determined, the S uplink reference signal ports include at least two uplink reference signal ports of a qth transmission layer in the Q transmission layers, the at least two uplink reference signal ports correspond to N antenna ports, each uplink reference signal port in the at least two uplink reference signal ports corresponds to part of the N antenna ports, and different uplink reference signal ports in the at least two uplink reference signal ports correspond to different antenna ports; N, Q and q are positive integers, S is a positive integer greater than Q, and q = 1, 2, …, Q; The Q transmission layers correspond to Q precoding matrices one by one, the Q precoding matrices are determined according to downlink reference signals of downlink reference signal ports, and a precoding matrix corresponding to the qth transmission layer in the Q precoding matrices includes at least two sub-precoding matrices, each sub-precoding matrix in the at least two sub-precoding matrices includes part of vectors or elements in the precoding matrix corresponding to the qth transmission layer, and the at least two uplink reference signal ports correspond to the at least two sub-precoding matrices one by one; An uplink channel corresponding to the N antenna ports is determined according to the S uplink reference signal ports.

11. The method of claim 10, wherein, A first reference signal resource / resource set includes the S uplink reference signal ports, and a second reference signal resource / resource set includes the downlink reference signal ports, the second reference signal resource / resource set is associated with the first reference signal resource / resource set.

12. The method of claim 11, wherein, The method further includes: First indication information is sent, the first indication information is used to indicate that the first reference signal resource / resource set has an association relationship with the second reference signal resource / resource set.

13. The method according to any one of claims 10 to 12, characterized in that, The at least two sub-precoding matrices include a first sub-precoding matrix, the first sub-precoding matrix corresponds to a first uplink reference signal port in the at least two uplink reference signal ports, and a dimension of the first sub-precoding matrix matches a number of antenna ports corresponding to the first uplink reference signal port.

14. The method according to any one of claims 10 to 13, characterized in that, The uplink channel corresponding to the N antenna ports is determined according to the S uplink reference signal ports, including: At least two sub-channels are determined according to the at least two uplink reference signal ports, the at least two sub-channels correspond to the at least two uplink reference signal ports one by one; The uplink channel corresponding to the qth transmission layer and the N antenna ports is determined according to the at least two sub-channels.

15. The method according to any one of claims 10 to 13, characterized in that, The uplink channel corresponding to the N antenna ports is determined according to the S uplink reference signal ports, including: A channel matrix is determined according to the S uplink reference signal ports; The uplink channel corresponding to the Q transmission layers and the N antenna ports is determined according to the channel matrix.

16. The method according to any one of claims 10 to 15, characterized in that, Different sub-precoding matrices in the at least two sub-precoding matrices include different vectors or elements in the precoding matrix corresponding to the qth transmission layer, and any element or vector in the precoding matrix corresponding to the qth transmission layer belongs to one sub-precoding matrix in the at least two sub-precoding matrices.

17. The method according to any one of claims 10 to 16, characterized in that, The number of antenna ports corresponding to different uplink reference signal ports in the at least two uplink reference signal ports is the same, and the dimensions of different sub-pre-coding matrices in the at least two sub-pre-coding matrices are the same.

18. The method according to any one of claims 10 to 17, characterized in that, The time domain resources of reference signal resources corresponding to different uplink reference signal ports in the S uplink reference signal ports are different.

19. The method according to any one of claims 10 to 18, characterized in that, S=Q×N÷M, M represents the number of antenna ports used for uplink transmission at the same time, M is a positive integer, and M is less than N.

20. The method of any one of claims 10 to 19, wherein, The method further comprises: receiving second indication information, the second indication information being used for indicating the number of transmission layers, and the second indication information being further used for indicating one or more of the following: the number of antenna ports used for downlink reception at the same time; or the number of antenna ports used for uplink transmission at the same time.

21. A communications device, characterized by The apparatus comprises a module or unit for performing the method of any one of claims 1 to 9, or a module or unit for performing the method of any one of claims 10 to 20.

22. A communications device, characterized by The apparatus comprises at least one processor configured to execute computer programs or instructions to cause the apparatus to perform the method of any one of claims 1 to 9, or to cause the apparatus to perform the method of any one of claims 10 to 20.

23. The apparatus of claim 22, wherein the apparatus further comprises a memory configured to store the computer programs or instructions; and / or the apparatus further comprises a communication interface coupled to the at least one processor, the communication interface being configured to input and / or output information.

24. A computer-readable storage medium, characterized in that, The computer readable storage medium stores computer programs or instructions, which, when executed on a communication apparatus or a computer, cause the communication apparatus to perform the method of any one of claims 1 to 9, or cause the communication apparatus to perform the method of any one of claims 10 to 20.

25. A computer program product, characterised in that, The computer program product comprises computer programs or instructions for performing the method of any one of claims 1 to 9, or the computer program product comprises computer programs or instructions for performing the method of any one of claims 10 to 20.

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