Communication method and apparatus based on demodulation reference signal

Abstract

A communication method and apparatus based on a demodulation reference signal (DMRS), which belong to the technical field of communications. The method comprises: receiving a first-type DMRS, wherein the first-type DMRS corresponds to N ports, N is a preset number of ports, and N is an integer greater than 1; receiving information of a PDCCH, wherein the information of the PDCCH corresponds to a first port among the N ports; and receiving a PDSCH, wherein the PDSCH corresponds to some or all ports among the N ports other than the first port. The first-type DMRS can be used for demodulating the PDCCH, or demodulating the PDSCH. Compared with the total amount of time-frequency domain resources occupied by a PDCCH-DMRS and a PDSCH-DMRS, relatively few time-frequency domain resources are occupied by the first-type DMRS. Moreover, in the solution, the PDSCH and the PDCCH are received on the basis of the first-type DMRS, and thus DMRS overheads can be reduced.

Description

Communication methods and apparatus based on demodulation reference signals

[0001] This application claims priority to Chinese Patent Application No. 202411011437.5, filed on July 25, 2024, entitled "Communication Method and Apparatus Based on Demodulation Reference Signal", the entire contents of which are incorporated herein by reference. Technical Field

[0002] This application relates to the field of communication technology, and more specifically, to a communication method and apparatus based on a demodulation reference signal. Background Technology

[0003] The demodulation reference signal (DMRS) can be used for channel estimation of physical channels and demodulation of uplink and downlink data. Therefore, data transmission on various physical channels is accompanied by DMRS transmission. For example, network devices can configure a physical downlink shared channel (PDSCH) DMRS, allowing terminal devices to demodulate information transmitted via the PDSCH based on the PDSCH DMRS. Similarly, network devices can configure a physical downlink control channel (PDCCH) DMRS, allowing terminal devices to demodulate information transmitted via the PDCCH based on the PDCCH DMRS, and so on.

[0004] However, the total time-frequency domain resources occupied by the DMRS configured for each channel by the network device are relatively large. Summary of the Invention

[0005] This application provides a communication method and apparatus based on demodulation reference signals, which can reduce the total time-frequency domain resources occupied by DMRS configured for multiple channels.

[0006] In a first aspect, a communication method based on a demodulated reference signal is provided. The execution entity of the method provided in the first aspect can be a first device. Unless otherwise specified, the first device in this application can be the terminal device itself, a component within the terminal device (e.g., a processor, chip, or chip system), or a logic module or software capable of implementing all or part of the functions of the terminal device. For ease of description, the first device will be used as an example below.

[0007] The method includes: receiving a first type of DMRS, wherein the first type of DMRS corresponds to N ports, N is a preset number of ports, and N is an integer greater than 1; receiving PDCCH information, wherein the PDCCH information corresponds to the first port among the N ports; and receiving PDSCH, wherein the PDSCH corresponds to some or all of the ports among the N ports except the first port.

[0008] In some implementations, receiving the first type of DMRS includes: receiving the first type of DMRS according to a preset number of ports N.

[0009] In some implementations, receiving PDCCH information includes receiving PDCCH information according to the first type of DMRS.

[0010] In some implementations, receiving PDSCH includes receiving PDSCH based on information from the first type DMRS and / or the PDCCH.

[0011] Receiving PDSCH can also be understood as receiving information from PDSCH, or as receiving information or data transmitted on PDSCH.

[0012] Receiving PDCCH information can also be understood as receiving PDCCH, or receiving information transmitted on PDCCH, such as DCI.

[0013] For example, in one implementation, the method includes: receiving a first type of DMRS according to a preset number of ports N, wherein the first type of DMRS corresponds to N ports, and N is an integer greater than 1; receiving PDCCH information according to the first type of DMRS, wherein the PDCCH information corresponds to a first port among the N ports; and receiving PDSCH according to the first type of DMRS and / or the PDCCH information, wherein the PDSCH corresponds to some or all of the ports among the N ports except for the first port.

[0014] Based on the above scheme, the first type of DMRS corresponds to N ports. The first port among these N ports can be used to receive PDCCH information, and some or all of the remaining ports can be used to receive PDSCH, thus achieving PDCCH and PDSCH reception with less DMRS overhead. For example, the first type of DMRS can be used to demodulate either PDCCH or PDSCH. Compared to the total time-frequency domain resources occupied by PDCCH-DMRS and PDSCH-DMRS, the first type of DMRS occupies fewer time-frequency domain resources.

[0015] In some implementations, the N ports also include a second port, and the information of the PDCCH is used to indicate the second port. Receiving the PDSCH includes receiving the PDSCH corresponding to the second port.

[0016] For example, the information in the PDCCH used to indicate the second port may include: the information in the PDCCH used to indicate the index of the second port.

[0017] Based on the above scheme, the first device can receive signals to the corresponding port (e.g., the second port) based on the indication of the PDCCH information to obtain the PDSCH. The above scheme can avoid receiving information other than the PDSCH (e.g., virtual data streams), thereby avoiding the processing overhead of filtering the PDSCH from various types of information and reducing processing latency.

[0018] In some implementations, N is the maximum number of ports supported by this first type of DMRS.

[0019] Based on the above scheme, the preset number of ports can be the maximum number of ports supported by the first type of DMRS. In this way, the first type of DMRS can correspond to more ports, thereby increasing the amount of information sent and improving communication efficiency.

[0020] In some implementations, the information in this PDCCH is downlink control information (DCI).

[0021] In some implementations, the index of the first port is the first among the indices of the N ports.

[0022] Based on the above scheme, the first device can receive PDCCH information on the first of the N ports, and then demodulate the other ports of the N ports according to the PDCCH information. This scheme allows the first device to acquire information sequentially according to the port order, improving its processing efficiency and thus enhancing its receiving performance.

[0023] In some implementations, the index of the first port is 1000.

[0024] In some implementations, the N ports also include a second port, which corresponds to the PDSCH; wherein, the symbols or data corresponding to the ports other than the first port and the second port among the N ports are filled with 0.

[0025] For example, the second port corresponding to the PDSCH may include information about the second port corresponding to the PDSCH.

[0026] Based on the above scheme, data streams other than PDCCH (corresponding to the first port) and PDSCH (corresponding to the second port) can be filled with 0. In this way, the processing flow of the sending end (e.g., the second device) and the receiving end (e.g., the first device) is simple and easy to implement.

[0027] Secondly, a communication method based on a demodulated reference signal is provided. The method provided in this second aspect can be executed by a second device. Unless otherwise specified, the second device in this application can be the network device itself, a component within the network device (e.g., a processor, chip, or chip system), or a logic module or software capable of implementing all or part of the functions of the network device. For ease of description, the following description uses a second device as an example.

[0028] The method includes: determining a first type of DMRS, wherein the first type of DMRS corresponds to N ports, N is a preset number of ports, and N is an integer greater than 1; outputting the information of the first DMRS, PDCCH and PDSCH, wherein the information of the PDCCH corresponds to the first port among the N ports, and the PDSCH corresponds to some or all of the ports among the N ports except the first port.

[0029] In some implementations, determining the first type of DMRS may include: generating the first type of DMRS. Alternatively, the first type of DMRS may be determined or generated based on a preset number of ports N.

[0030] The output PDSCH can be understood as the information output by the PDSCH, or the information transmitted on the PDSCH.

[0031] For example, in some implementations, the method includes: determining a first type of DMRS based on a preset number of ports N, wherein the first type of DMRS corresponds to N ports, and N is an integer greater than 1; outputting the information of the first DMRS, PDCCH, and PDSCH, wherein the information of the PDCCH corresponds to the first port among the N ports, and the PDSCH corresponds to some or all of the ports among the N ports other than the first port.

[0032] In some implementations, the N ports also include a second port, the information of which is used to indicate the second port. This second port information may include an index indicating the second port.

[0033] In some implementations, N is the maximum number of ports supported by this first type of DMRS.

[0034] In some implementations, the information in the PDCCH is DCI.

[0035] In some implementations, the index of the first port is the first among the indices of the N ports.

[0036] In some implementations, the index of the first port is 1000.

[0037] In some implementations, the N ports also include a second port corresponding to the PDSCH; wherein, the symbols or data corresponding to the ports other than the first port and the second port among the N ports are filled with 0. The second port corresponding to the PDSCH may include information about the second port corresponding to the PDSCH.

[0038] Thirdly, a communication device is provided, including processing circuitry (or a processor) and an input / output interface (also referred to as an interface circuit), the input / output interface being used for inputting and / or outputting signals, the processing circuitry being used to perform the first aspect and any possible method of the first aspect, or the processing circuitry being used to perform the second aspect and any possible method of the second aspect.

[0039] In some implementations, the processing circuitry is used to communicate with other devices via an interface circuitry and to perform the first aspect and any possible method of the first aspect, or to perform the second aspect and any possible method of the second aspect.

[0040] Fourthly, a communication device is provided. This communication device may include units, modules, or means for performing the functions of the communication device.

[0041] In some implementations, the communication device may include modules, units, or means for performing the methods / operations / steps / actions described in the first aspect and any possible implementation of the first aspect. These modules, units, or means may be hardware circuits, software, or a combination of hardware circuits and software.

[0042] In some implementations, the communication device includes a transceiver unit. The transceiver unit can be used to: receive a first type of DMRS, wherein the first type of DMRS corresponds to N ports, where N is a preset number of ports and N is an integer greater than 1; receive PDCCH information, the PDCCH information corresponding to a first port among the N ports; and receive PDSCH, the PDSCH corresponding to some or all of the N ports except the first port.

[0043] In some implementations, the transceiver unit can be used to receive a first type of DMRS according to a preset number of ports N.

[0044] In some implementations, the transceiver unit can be used to receive PDCCH information according to the first type of DMRS.

[0045] In some implementations, the transceiver unit can be used to receive PDSCH based on the information of the first type DMRS and / or the PDCCH.

[0046] Receiving PDSCH can also be understood as receiving information from PDSCH, or as receiving information or data transmitted on PDSCH.

[0047] Receiving PDCCH information can also be understood as receiving PDCCH, or receiving information transmitted on PDCCH.

[0048] For example, in some implementations, the transceiver unit can be used to: receive a first type of DMRS according to a preset number of ports N, wherein the first type of DMRS corresponds to N ports, N is the preset number of ports, and N is an integer greater than 1; receive PDCCH information according to the first type of DMRS, wherein the PDCCH information corresponds to the first port among the N ports; and receive PDSCH according to the first type of DMRS and / or PDCCH information, wherein the PDSCH corresponds to some or all of the ports among the N ports except the first port.

[0049] In some implementations, the N ports also include a second port, and the information of the PDCCH is used to indicate the second port. Specifically, the transceiver unit can be used to receive the PDSCH corresponding to the second port.

[0050] For example, the information in the PDCCH used to indicate the second port may include: the information in the PDCCH used to indicate the index of the second port.

[0051] In some implementations, N is the maximum number of ports supported by this first type of DMRS.

[0052] In some implementations, the information in the PDCCH is DCI.

[0053] In some implementations, the index of the first port is the first among the indices of the N ports.

[0054] In some implementations, the index of the first port is 1000.

[0055] In some implementations, the N ports also include a second port, which corresponds to the PDSCH; wherein, the symbols or data corresponding to the ports other than the first port and the second port among the N ports are filled with 0.

[0056] For example, the second port corresponding to the PDSCH may include information about the second port corresponding to the PDSCH.

[0057] In some implementations, the communication device may include modules, units, or means for performing the methods / operations / steps / actions described in the second aspect and any possible implementation of the second aspect, which may be hardware circuits, software, or a combination of hardware circuits and software.

[0058] In some implementations, the communication device includes a processing unit and a transceiver unit. The processing unit can be used to determine a first type of DMRS, wherein the first type of DMRS corresponds to N ports, where N is a preset number of ports and N is an integer greater than 1; the transceiver unit can be used to output the first DMRS, PDCCH information, and PDSCH, wherein the PDCCH information corresponds to the first port among the N ports, and the PDSCH corresponds to some or all of the ports among the N ports other than the first port.

[0059] In some implementations, the processing unit can be specifically used to: generate a first type of DMRS. Alternatively, it can determine or generate a first type of DMRS based on a preset number of ports N.

[0060] The output PDSCH can be understood as the information output by the PDSCH, or the information transmitted on the PDSCH.

[0061] For example, in some implementations, the processing unit can be used to determine a first type of DMRS based on a preset number of ports N, wherein the first type of DMRS corresponds to N ports, and N is an integer greater than 1; the transceiver unit can be used to output the information of the first DMRS, PDCCH and PDSCH, wherein the information of the PDCCH corresponds to the first port among the N ports, and the PDSCH corresponds to some or all of the ports among the N ports other than the first port.

[0062] In some implementations, the N ports also include a second port, the information of which is used to indicate the second port. This second port information may include an index indicating the second port.

[0063] In some implementations, N is the maximum number of ports supported by this first type of DMRS.

[0064] In some implementations, the information in the PDCCH is DCI.

[0065] In some implementations, the index of the first port is the first among the indices of the N ports.

[0066] In some implementations, the index of the first port is 1000.

[0067] In some implementations, the N ports also include a second port corresponding to the PDSCH; wherein, the symbols or data corresponding to the ports other than the first port and the second port among the N ports are filled with 0. The second port corresponding to the PDSCH may include information about the second port corresponding to the PDSCH.

[0068] Fifthly, a computer-readable storage medium is provided that stores a computer program or instructions that, when executed, cause the first aspect and any possible method of the first aspect to be performed (or implemented), or cause the second aspect and any possible method of the second aspect to be performed (or implemented).

[0069] In a sixth aspect, a computer program product is provided, comprising a computer program or instructions that, when executed, cause the first aspect and any possible method of the first aspect to be performed (or implemented), or cause the second aspect and any possible method of the second aspect to be performed (or implemented).

[0070] A seventh aspect provides a communication device, including a processor for executing (or implementing) any of the possible methods of the first aspect above, or for executing (or implementing) any of the possible methods of the second aspect above, by executing a computer program (or computer-executable instructions) stored in a memory, and / or by logic circuitry.

[0071] In one possible implementation, the device further includes a memory. In another possible implementation, the processor and memory are integrated together. In yet another possible implementation, the memory is located outside the communication device. The processor may include one or more processors. In some possible implementations, the memory may be used to store part or all of the computer programs or instructions necessary to implement the functions involved in the first aspect above. In some possible implementations, the memory may be used to store part or all of the computer programs or instructions necessary to implement the functions involved in the second aspect above.

[0072] In one possible implementation, the communication device further includes a communication interface for communicating with other devices, such as transmitting or receiving data and / or signals. Exemplarily, the communication interface may be a transceiver, circuit, bus, module, input / output interface, or other types of communication interface.

[0073] In one implementation, the communication device of the third, fourth or seventh aspect mentioned above can be a terminal device or a communication module in a terminal device, or a chip or chip system in a terminal device.

[0074] In one implementation, the communication device of the third, fourth or seventh aspect mentioned above can be a network device or a communication module in a network device, or a chip or chip system in a network device.

[0075] Eighthly, a chip is provided, including a processor for calling a computer program or computer instructions in a memory to cause the processor to execute or implement any of the implementations of the first aspect above, or to cause the processor to execute or implement any of the implementations of the second aspect above.

[0076] In some implementations, the processor is coupled to the memory via an interface.

[0077] Ninth aspect, a communication system is provided, including a first device and a second device, the first device being configured to perform the first aspect and any possible implementation thereof, and the second device being configured to perform the second aspect and any possible implementation thereof.

[0078] The description of the beneficial effects of any of the second to ninth aspects can be referred to the description of the beneficial effects of the first aspect. Attached Figure Description

[0079] Figure 1 is a schematic diagram of a PDSCH-DMRS of mapping type A.

[0080] Figure 2 is a schematic diagram of PDSCH-DMRS of mapping type B.

[0081] Figure 3 is a schematic diagram of a type 1 PDSCH-DMRS.

[0082] Figure 4 is a schematic diagram of a type 2 PDSCH-DMRS.

[0083] Figure 5 is a schematic diagram of a PDCCH-DMRS.

[0084] Figure 6 is a schematic diagram of a communication system.

[0085] Figure 7 is a schematic block diagram of another communication system.

[0086] Figure 8 is a schematic block diagram of another communication system.

[0087] Figure 9 is a schematic diagram of the network element function division and protocol layer structure of an open radio access network (O-RAN) system.

[0088] Figure 10 is a schematic diagram of a PDSCH-DMRS and a PDCCH-DMRS.

[0089] Figure 11 is a schematic diagram of the first type of DMRS provided in the embodiments of this application.

[0090] Figure 12 is a schematic flowchart of a DMRS processing method provided in an embodiment of this application.

[0091] Figure 13 is a schematic diagram of the second type of first DMRS provided in the embodiments of this application.

[0092] Figure 14 is a schematic diagram of the third type of first DMRS provided in the embodiments of this application.

[0093] Figure 15 is a schematic diagram of the fourth type of first DMRS provided in the embodiments of this application.

[0094] Figure 16 is a schematic diagram of the fifth type of first DMRS provided in the embodiments of this application.

[0095] Figure 17 is a schematic diagram of the sixth type of first DMRS provided in the embodiments of this application.

[0096] Figure 18 is a schematic block diagram of a communication device provided in an embodiment of this application.

[0097] Figure 19 is a schematic diagram of another communication device provided in an embodiment of this application.

[0098] Figure 20 is a schematic diagram of a chip system provided in an embodiment of this application.

[0099] Figure 21 is a schematic diagram of another chip system provided in an embodiment of this application. Detailed Implementation

[0100] In this application, unless otherwise specified or in case of logical conflict, the terminology and / or descriptions of different embodiments are consistent and can be referenced by each other. Technical features in different embodiments can be combined to form new embodiments based on their inherent logical relationships.

[0101] In this application, "at least one" means one or more, and "more than one" means two or more. "And / or" describes the relationship between related objects, indicating that three relationships can exist. For example, A and / or B can mean: A alone, A and B simultaneously, or B alone, where A and B can be singular or plural. In the textual description of this application, the character " / " generally indicates that the preceding and following related objects are in an "or" relationship. "At least one of the following" or similar expressions refer to any combination of these items, including any combination of single or plural items. For example, at least one of a, b, and c can mean: a, or, b, or, c, or, a and b, or, a and c, or, b and c, or, a, b, and c. Here, a, b, and c can be single or multiple.

[0102] In this application, the terms "first," "second," and various numerical designations (e.g., #1, #2, etc.) indicate distinctions made for ease of description and are not intended to limit the scope of the embodiments of this application. For example, they may distinguish different messages, rather than describing a specific order or sequence. It should be understood that such descriptions can be interchanged where appropriate to describe solutions other than those in the embodiments of this application.

[0103] In this application, descriptions such as "when," "under the circumstances," and "if" all refer to the fact that the device will take corresponding actions under certain objective circumstances. They are not time-limited, nor do they require the device to perform a judgment action during implementation, nor do they imply any other limitations.

[0104] In this application, "instruction" or "for instruction" can include both direct and indirect instruction. When describing instruction information as being used to instruct A, it may include whether the instruction information directly or indirectly instructs A, but does not necessarily mean that the instruction information carries A.

[0105] The indication methods involved in the embodiments of this application should be understood to cover various methods that enable the party to be indicated to obtain the information to be indicated. The information to be indicated can be sent as a whole or divided into multiple sub-information and sent separately. Moreover, the sending period and / or sending time of these sub-information can be the same or different. This application does not limit the sending method, for example.

[0106] The "instruction information" in the embodiments of this application can be an explicit instruction, that is, a direct instruction through signaling, or an instruction obtained by combining other rules or parameters with the parameters indicated by the signaling, or by deduction. It can also be an implicit instruction, that is, an instruction obtained based on rules or relationships, or based on other parameters, or by deduction. This application does not specifically limit it in this regard.

[0107] In this application, "protocol" can refer to a standard protocol in the field of communications, such as 5G (5G) protocols. th This application does not limit the scope of protocols such as generation (5G), new radio (NR), and related protocols applied in future communication systems. "Predefined" may include predefined terms, such as protocol definitions. "Preconfiguration" can be achieved by pre-storing corresponding codes, tables, or other means that can be used to indicate relevant information in the device; this application does not limit the implementation method.

[0108] In this application, "communication" can also be described as "data transmission," "information transmission," "data processing," etc. "Transmission" includes "sending" and "receiving." For example, transmission can be uplink transmission, such as a terminal device sending a signal to a network device; transmission can also be downlink transmission, such as a network device sending a signal to a terminal device; transmission can also be sidelink transmission, such as a terminal device sending a signal to another terminal device. For example, "transmission" can be air interface level transmission, or it can be signal transmission from a chip input (I) / output (O) port, rather than air interface level transmission.

[0109] In this application, terms such as "message," "information," "signal," or "information element (IE)" can be used interchangeably. There are no restrictions on the name of the message or information, as long as it can achieve the corresponding function.

[0110] "Sending information to XX (device)" can be understood as the destination of the information being that device. This can include sending information directly or indirectly to that device. "Receiving information from XX (device), or receiving information from XX (device)" can be understood as the source of the information being that device. This can include receiving information directly or indirectly from that device. Information may undergo necessary processing between the source and destination, such as format changes, but the destination can understand the valid information from the source. Similar expressions in this application can be understood in a similar way, and will not be repeated here. Furthermore, "sending" can also be understood as the "output" of the chip interface, and "receiving" can also be understood as the "input" of the chip interface. In other words, "sending" or "receiving" can occur between devices, for example, between network devices and terminal devices via an air interface. "Sending" or "receiving" can also occur within a device, for example, between components, modules, chips, software modules, or hardware modules within the device via a bus, wiring, or interface.

[0111] In this application, terms such as "exemplarily" and "for example" are used to indicate examples, illustrations, or descriptions to present concepts in a specific manner. 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. In the embodiments of this application, the terms "of," "corresponding (relevant)," "corresponding," and "associate" may sometimes be used interchangeably, and it should be noted that their intended meanings are consistent unless their distinctions are emphasized.

[0112] In this application, configuration can be signaling configuration or can be described as configuring signaling. For example, signaling configuration includes configuration using signaling sent by network devices, which can be radio resource control (RRC) messages, DCI, or system information blocks (SIB). Another example is signaling configuration between network devices. These network devices can include access network devices, core network devices, or management plane devices, etc. Optionally, signaling configuration can also be pre-configured signaling to terminal devices or network devices, or configured to terminal devices or network devices through pre-configuration. Here, pre-configuration means defining or configuring the values ​​of corresponding parameters in advance using a protocol, and storing them in the terminal device or network device during communication. The pre-configured messages can be modified or updated when the terminal device or network device is connected to the network.

[0113] This application will present various aspects, embodiments, or features relating to systems that may include multiple devices, components, modules, etc. Each system may include devices, components, modules, etc., other than those illustrated, and / or may not include all and all of the devices, components, modules, etc. discussed in conjunction with the accompanying drawings.

[0114] The business scenarios described in the embodiments of this application are for the purpose of more clearly illustrating the technical solutions of the embodiments of this application, and do not constitute a limitation on the technical solutions provided in the embodiments of this application. As those skilled in the art will know, with the emergence of new business scenarios, the technical solutions provided in the embodiments of this application are also applicable to similar technical problems.

[0115] In the various embodiments of this application, the sequence number of each process does not imply the order of execution. The execution order of each process should be determined by its function and internal logic, and should not constitute any limitation on the implementation process of the embodiments of this application. The terms "comprising," "including," "having," and their variations all mean "including but not limited to," unless otherwise specifically emphasized.

[0116] To facilitate understanding of the embodiments of this application, a brief, exemplary description of the concepts that may be involved in the embodiments will be provided first.

[0117] 1. Resource element (RE), resource element (RB), and resource element group (REG) can be basic units used to describe the allocation of radio resources.

[0118] Here, RE can be the smallest resource unit, which can represent a combination of an orthogonal frequency division multiplexing (OFDM) symbol in the time domain and a subcarrier in the frequency domain.

[0119] An RB can be a resource unit comprising multiple REs, and can represent a rectangular area in both the time and frequency domains. For example, in the frequency domain, an RB can contain 12 subcarriers; in the time domain, the length of an RB can be a time slot. For instance, a time slot can contain 7 or 14 OFDM symbols, depending on the subcarrier spacing.

[0120] A REG can be a resource unit comprising multiple REs and can be used for resource allocation in the PDCCH (Physical Downlink Control Channel). For example, a REG can contain several consecutive REs, the exact number of which may vary depending on different standards and configurations. For instance, in 5G NR, a REG can contain 12 REs distributed across a single OFDM symbol.

[0121] 2. Uplink physical channels may include, but are not limited to: physical random access channel (PRACH), physical uplink control channel (PUCCH), or physical uplink shared channel (PUSCH), etc.

[0122] 3. The uplink reference signal can be a reference signal sent by the terminal device to the network device. For example, the uplink reference signal may include, but is not limited to: a channel sounding reference signal (SRS), a demodulation reference signal for the physical uplink control channel (PUCCH-DMRS), a demodulation reference signal for the physical uplink shared channel (PUSCH-DMRS), a phase tracking reference signal (PTRS), or a positioning reference signal, etc.

[0123] 4. Downlink physical channels may include, but are not limited to: physical broadcast channel (PBCH), PDCCH, or PDSCH, etc.

[0124] 5. PDSCH can be the primary downlink channel for transmitting user data, carrying actual user data packets such as web page content and video streams. Based on the different time-domain resources available, PDSCH can be divided into mapping type A and mapping type B.

[0125] Mapping type A can be: within a time slot, the OFDM symbols occupied by the PDSCH start from the OFDM symbol position {0,1,2,3}, with a symbol length of 3 to 14 OFDM symbols, and may not exceed the time slot boundary. The time slot boundary can be the boundary between the current time slot and the next time slot, wherein the OFDM symbols occupied by the PDSCH may not cross over to the OFDM symbols in the next time slot.

[0126] For example, OFDM symbols {0,1,2,3…} can represent OFDM symbol 0, OFDM symbol 1, OFDM symbol 2, or OFDM symbol 3, and so on. OFDM symbol 'a' can represent the number or index of an OFDM symbol within a time slot, where 'a' is an integer greater than or equal to 0. For instance, within a time slot, OFDM symbols can be numbered sequentially from 0 to 1, starting with integers. For simplicity, this will not be elaborated further below.

[0127] Furthermore, the indexes of OFDM symbols shown in the embodiments of this application are merely examples, and the indexes of OFDM symbols can also be other identifiers, such as letters or other numerical values. This application does not impose specific limitations on this.

[0128] Among them, mapping type B can be: within a time slot, the OFDM symbols occupied by PDSCH start from the OFDM symbol position {0,1,…,12}, and the symbol length is 2, 4 or 7 OFDM symbols, which can not exceed the time slot boundary.

[0129] 6. PDCCH can be a channel used to transmit control information. PDCCH can carry scheduling information and other control information, which can be used to instruct terminal devices how to receive and / or decode data on the PDSCH. For example, a network device can send DCI to a terminal device via the PDCCH. In the embodiments of this application, transmitting PDSCH can also be understood as transmitting information via PDSCH; transmitting PDCCH can also be understood as transmitting information via PDCCH, and this will not be elaborated further below.

[0130] 7. Downlink control information (DCI) may include at least one of downlink scheduling information, uplink scheduling information (UL grants), or other physical layer control information. The downlink scheduling information may be used to instruct the terminal device on how to receive the PDSCH, such as indicating PDSCH time-frequency domain resources, the modulation or coding scheme of the PDSCH, or hybrid automatic repeat request (HARQ) parameters. The uplink scheduling information may be used to instruct the terminal device on how to transmit the PUSCH. Exemplarily, other physical layer control information may include slot format indicator (SFI), pre-emption indicator (PI), or power control commands, etc., used to assist the terminal device in receiving and transmitting data.

[0131] 8. Downlink reference signals can be reference signals sent by network devices to terminal devices. For example, downlink reference signals may include, but are not limited to: demodulation reference signals of the physical downlink control channel (PDCCH-DMRS), demodulation reference signals of the physical downlink shared channel (PDSCH-DMRS), phase tracking reference signals (PTRS), channel state information reference signals (CSI-RS), tracking reference signals (tracking reference signals / CSI-RS for tracking, TRS), cell reference signals (CRS), and positioning reference signals (PRS), etc.

[0132] PDCCH-DMRS can also be represented as PDCCH DMRS, and PDSCH-DMRS can also be represented as PDSCH DMRS. This application does not make any specific restrictions on this.

[0133] The uplink and downlink reference signals, as well as the uplink and downlink physical channels shown above, are merely examples and do not constitute any limitation on this application. The uplink or downlink reference signal may also include more reference signals, and this application does not exclude the definition of other reference signals in future protocols to achieve signals with the same or similar functions. Similarly, the uplink or downlink physical channel may also include more physical channels, and this application does not exclude the definition of other physical channels in future protocols to achieve signals with the same or similar functions.

[0134] 9. DMRS. During data transmission, DMRS can be used for demodulation of uplink and downlink data. Examples include PUSCH-DMRS, PDCCH-DMRS, and PDSCH-DMRS shown above, etc.

[0135] DMRS are widely present in various important physical channels. Among them, PUSCH-DMRS refers to DMRS present in PUSCH; PDCCH-DMRS refers to DMRS present in PDCCH; and PDSCH-DMRS refers to DMRS present in PDSCH.

[0136] For example, DMRS may include front-loaded DMRS and additional DMRS.

[0137] In this context, the pre-DMRS can be a reference signal used for channel estimation and demodulation in a wireless communication system. The pre-DMRS can be inserted into the data stream before transmitting data so that the receiver can accurately estimate the channel state and thus correctly demodulate the received data.

[0138] Additional DMRS can be a reference signal added to the pre-DMRS to enhance channel estimation and data demodulation performance. Additional DMRS can be applied to more complex transmission scenarios, such as highly mobile users, poor channel conditions, or scenarios requiring higher data rates.

[0139] Taking PDSCH-DMRS as an example, depending on the different time-domain resources of PDSCH-DMRS, the mapping type of DMRS time-domain resources can include mapping type A and mapping type B.

[0140] From a time-domain resource perspective, to reduce demodulation and decoding latency, the pre-DMRS can be located before the OFDM symbols occupied by the PDSCH, and the pre-DMRS can occupy 1 to 2 OFDM symbols. Since the pre-DMRS is for demodulating the PDSCH signal, its position can also be designed in conjunction with different PDSCH time-domain mapping types.

[0141] 10. Mapping Type A. The OFDM symbols occupied by the pre-mapping DMRS can be relative to the start position of the time slot. The pre-mapping DMRS of Mapping Type A can also be understood as the DMRS accompanying the PDSCH transmission of Mapping Type A.

[0142] For example, as shown in Figure 1, the horizontal axis represents the time domain, and from a time domain perspective, each cell represents an OFDM symbol; the vertical axis represents the frequency domain, and from a frequency domain perspective, each cell represents a subcarrier. Thus, each cell can be understood as a RE. A PDSCH can occupy OFDM symbols 0 to 13 in a time slot; a PDSCH-DMRS can occupy OFDM symbol 2.

[0143] 11. For mapping type B, the OFDM symbols occupied by the pre-drilled DMRS can be relative to the start position of the PDSCH symbols. A PDSCH symbol can be an OFDM symbol occupied by the PDSCH within a time slot. The pre-drilled DMRS for mapping type B can also be understood as the DMRS accompanying the PDSCH transmission of mapping type B.

[0144] For example, as shown in Figure 2, the PDSCH occupies OFDM symbols 8 to 11 in one time slot; the symbol length occupied by the PDSCH is 4. The PDSCH-DMRS can be the first OFDM symbol among the OFDM symbols occupied by the PDSCH, i.e., OFDM symbol 8.

[0145] Taking PDSCH-DMRS as an example, based on the different RE mapping densities of DMRS in the frequency domain resources and the different numbers of antenna ports supported by DMRS, DMRS can be divided into different DMRS types. DMRS types can also be called DMRS configuration types or other names. DMRS types can include DMRS type 1 and DMRS type 2.

[0146] For example, DMRS type 1 occupying a single OFDM symbol supports a maximum of 4 antenna ports, and DMRS type 1 occupying a dual OFDM symbol supports a maximum of 8 antenna ports; DMRS type 2 occupying a single OFDM symbol supports a maximum of 6 antenna ports, and DMRS type 2 occupying a dual OFDM symbol supports a maximum of 12 antenna ports.

[0147] 12. DMRS Type 1: DMRS REs can be distributed in the frequency domain of each OFDM symbol, with a density of up to 50%. For example, in DMRS Type 1, DMRS REs are assigned to the same antenna port at intervals of 1.

[0148] For example, as shown in Figure 3, from a frequency domain perspective, the DMRS allocated to antenna ports 1000, 1001, 1004, and 1005 occupy subcarriers 0, 2, 4, 6, 8, and 10, respectively, with a subcarrier spacing of one subcarrier; from an RE perspective, they occupy an RE spacing of one RE. Similarly, from a frequency domain perspective, the DMRS allocated to antenna ports 1002, 1003, 1006, and 1007 occupy subcarriers 1, 3, 5, 7, 9, and 11, respectively, with a subcarrier spacing of one subcarrier; from an RE perspective, they occupy an RE spacing of one RE.

[0149] Here, DMRS RE can be understood as either the RE used to carry DMRS or the RE occupied by DMRS. A gap of 1 RE means that within the same OFDM symbol, there is a gap of 1 RE between two adjacent DMRS REs.

[0150] In this embodiment, antenna port q (e.g., antenna port 1000) can represent the antenna port corresponding to the number or index q (e.g., 1000). The antenna port indices or numbers shown in this embodiment are examples. q can be an integer, and the antenna port indices or numbers shown in this embodiment can be replaced with other values. Alternatively, the antenna port number or index q can also be a letter or other form. This embodiment does not specifically limit this.

[0151] 13. DMRS Type 2: Within each OFDM symbol, in the DMRS REs, every two DMRS REs are connected together and spaced 4 REs apart, with a density of approximately 33.3%. That is, in DMRS Type 2, DMRS are assigned to the same antenna port every 4 REs apart.

[0152] For example, as shown in FIG4, the DMRS assigned to antenna ports 1000, 1001, 1006 and 1007 occupy subcarriers 0 and 1, and subcarriers 6 and 7, respectively. From the frequency domain perspective, the subcarriers they occupy are two adjacent subcarriers (e.g., subcarriers 0 and 1 are two adjacent subcarriers) and are distributed with a gap of 4 subcarriers (e.g., there is a gap of 4 subcarriers between subcarriers 1 and 6). From the RE perspective, the REs they occupy are two connected REs and are distributed with a gap of 4 REs. The DMRS assigned to antenna ports 1002, 1003, 1008, and 1009 occupy subcarriers 2 and 3, and subcarriers 8 and 9, respectively. From a frequency domain perspective, these subcarriers are two adjacent subcarriers spaced four subcarriers apart; from an RE perspective, they occupy two consecutive REs spaced four REs apart. Similarly, the DMRS assigned to antenna ports 1004, 1005, 1010, and 1011 occupy subcarriers 4 and 5, and subcarriers 10 and 11, respectively. From a frequency domain perspective, these subcarriers are two adjacent subcarriers spaced four subcarriers apart; from an RE perspective, they occupy two consecutive REs spaced four REs apart.

[0153] Figures 3 and 4 are merely examples. In some possible implementations, the number of OFDM symbols occupied by PDSCH-DMRS may be more or less, and the subcarrier occupied by PDSCH-DMRS may be other subcarriers. In addition, the antenna port corresponding to PDSCH-DMRS may also be other antenna ports. This application does not make any specific limitations on this.

[0154] Here, subcarrier y can represent the subcarrier number or subcarrier index within an RB in ascending frequency order, where y is an integer greater than or equal to 0. For example, within an RB, subcarrier y can be numbered starting from 0 and following an integer order in ascending frequency order. For the sake of brevity, this will not be elaborated further below.

[0155] The subcarrier index shown in the embodiments of this application is merely an example. The subcarrier index can also be other identifiers, such as letters or other numerical values. This application does not impose specific limitations on it.

[0156] 14. Time-domain resources of PDCCH-DMRS: PDCCH-DMRS can occupy the same OFDM symbols as PDCCH. For example, if PDCCH occupies OFDM symbols 0 and 1 in a time slot, then PDCCH-DMRS can occupy OFDM symbols 0 and 1 in that time slot. Similarly, if PDCCH occupies OFDM symbol 0 in a time slot, then PDCCH-DMRS can occupy OFDM symbol 0 in that time slot, and so on.

[0157] 15. Frequency domain resources of PDCCH-DMRS: PDCCH and PDCCH-DMRS can support single-antenna port transmission. The frequency domain resources of PDCCH-DMRS can be three subcarriers in a REG.

[0158] For example, as shown in Figure 5, from a frequency domain perspective, one REG can cover subcarriers 0 to 11, a total of 12 subcarriers. The frequency domain resources of PDCCH-DMRS can be subcarriers 1, 5, and 9 from subcarriers 0 to 11 covered by one REG. From the perspective of REs, PDCCH-DMRS can occupy 3 REs in one REG.

[0159] Figure 5 is only an example. In some possible implementations, the frequency domain resources of PDCCH-DMRS can also be other subcarriers. This application does not specifically limit this.

[0160] 16. A DMRS port can refer to an antenna port used to transmit DMRS data. Each DMRS port can represent an independent channel estimation reference source and can be associated with a specific antenna or antenna array.

[0161] 17. The master information block (MIB) can be a message transmitted on the PBCH. Terminal devices obtain SIB information by reading the MIB information. The MIB can be used to carry scheduling information for system information blocks, etc.

[0162] 18. System messages can include various information used by network devices to notify terminal devices about the system, such as network information of the cell where the terminal device is located, registration area information, public channel information, and information about other cells. System messages can include SIB1 and other system information blocks (OSI).

[0163] SIB1 can be used to carry cell selection information, access control information, initial access-related channel configuration information, and scheduling information for the remaining system information blocks. System messages can be carried on a set of radio frames and can be broadcast via the broadcast channel (BCH).

[0164] The technical solutions of this application embodiment can be applied to various communication systems, including but not limited to: LTE systems, NR systems, and other fifth-generation (5G) communication systems. th This includes various mobile communication systems such as 5G, narrowband Internet of Things (NB-IoT), enhanced machine-type communication (eMTC), enhanced mobile broadband (eMBB), ultra-reliable low-latency communications (URLLC), satellite communication systems, LTE-machine-to-machine (LTE-M) systems, and other systems that evolve after 5G, such as future mobile communication systems.

[0165] Figure 6 is a schematic diagram of a communication system 100. As shown in Figure 6, the communication system 100 includes a wireless access network 110 and a core network 120. Optionally, the communication system 100 may also include an Internet 130. The wireless access network 110 may include at least one network device (111a and 111b in Figure 6) and at least one terminal device (112a-112j in Figure 6). The terminal device is connected to the network device wirelessly. The network device is connected to the core network 120 wirelessly or via a wired connection. The core network 120 may include one or more core network devices. The core network device and the network device may be independent physical devices, or the functions of the core network device and the logical functions of the network device may be integrated on the same physical device, or a single physical device may integrate some of the functions of the core network device and some of the functions of the network device. Terminal devices and network devices can be interconnected via wired or wireless connections. Terminal devices can communicate wirelessly with each other, network devices with each other, and terminal devices with each other via air interface resources. For example, air interface resources may include at least one of time-domain resources, frequency-domain resources, code resources, and spatial resources. Figure 6 is only a schematic diagram, and the communication system 100 may also include other network devices, such as wireless relay devices and wireless backhaul devices, which are not shown in Figure 6.

[0166] Network devices are sometimes also referred to as access network devices or access network nodes. It is understood that the names of devices with network device functions may differ in systems employing different wireless access technologies. For ease of description, the embodiments of this application collectively refer to devices providing wireless communication access functions to terminal devices as base stations. In the embodiments of this application, network devices include, but are not limited to: various forms of macro base stations (as shown in Figure 6, 111a), micro base stations or indoor stations (as shown in Figure 6, 111b), pico base stations, small stations, balloon stations, relay stations, access points, etc. Among them, micro base stations can be referred to as small stations. Network equipment may include evolved node B (eNB or eNodeB) in LTE, radio controllers in cloud radio access network (CRAN) scenarios, network equipment in future public land mobile networks (PLMNs), access points (APs), radio relay nodes, radio backhaul nodes, transmission points (TPs) or transmission reception points (TRPs) in wireless fidelity (WiFi) systems, etc. It may also include next-generation NodeB (gNB) or transmission points (TRPs or TPs) in 5G systems, one or a group of antenna panels (including multiple antenna panels) of base stations in 5G systems, network nodes constituting gNBs or transmission points, such as baseband units (BBUs) or distributed units (DUs), and network equipment, servers, wearable devices, or vehicle-mounted devices in future mobile communication systems and other networks that evolve after 5G. Network equipment can also be modules or units that perform some of the functions of a base station; for example, it can be a central unit (CU) or a unit (DU). Furthermore, network equipment can be understood as a collective term for all equipment on the network side (including sites); for example, multiple sites can be collectively referred to as network equipment. A site refers to a transmission node located in a specific physical location. In other words, network equipment conceptually includes sites.

[0167] In this embodiment, the means for implementing the function of the network device can be the network device itself, or it can be a means that enables the network device to implement the function, such as a chip system or a chip, which can be installed in the network device. The chip system can be composed of chips, or it can include chips and other discrete components.

[0168] In another possible scenario, multiple network devices collaborate to assist the terminal in achieving wireless access, with each network device performing a portion of the base station's functions. For example, network devices could be CUs, DUs, CUs (control plane, CP), CUs (user plane, UP), or radio units (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 equipment or radio units, such as remote radio units (RRUs), active antenna units (AAUs), or remote radio heads (RRHs).

[0169] 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, in an O-RAN system, CU can also be called O-CU (Open CU), DU can also be called O-DU, CU-CP can also be called O-CU-CP, CU-UP can also be called O-CU-UP, and RU can also be called O-RU. For ease of description, this application uses CU, CU-CP, CU-UP, DU, and RU as examples. Any of the units among CU (or CU-CP, CU-UP), DU, and RU in this application can be implemented through software modules, hardware modules, or a combination of software modules and hardware modules. The embodiments of this application do not limit the specific technology or specific device form used in the network device.

[0170] Terminal equipment can be a device that provides voice and / or data connectivity to users; it can also be a device with wireless connectivity. Terminal equipment can be deployed on land, including indoors or outdoors, handheld or vehicle-mounted; it can also be deployed on water (such as on ships); and it can also be deployed in the air (such as on airplanes, balloons, and satellites). Terminal equipment can also be referred to as user equipment (UE), access terminal, terminal, subscriber unit, user station, mobile station (MS), mobile terminal (MT), remote station, remote terminal, mobile device, user terminal, wireless network equipment, user agent, or user device. In this application embodiment, terminal devices include, but are not limited to: cellular phones, mobile phones, wireless data cards, wireless modems, tablets, laptop computers, notebook computers, handheld computers, mobile internet devices (MIDs), computers with wireless transceiver capabilities, cordless phones, session initiation protocol (SIP) phones, smartphones, wireless local loop (WLL) stations, personal digital assistants (PDAs), handsets with wireless communication capabilities, computing devices or other devices connected to wireless modems, in-vehicle devices (e.g., cars, bicycles, electric vehicles, airplanes, ships, trains, high-speed trains, etc.), wearable devices (e.g., smartwatches, smart bracelets, pedometers, smart glasses, etc.), satellite terminals, terminal devices in the Internet of Things or the Internet of Vehicles, as well as any form of terminal in future networks, relay user equipment, or terminals in future evolved PLMNs, etc.Terminal devices can also be virtual reality (VR) devices, augmented reality (AR) devices, smart point-of-sale (POS) machines, customer-premises equipment (CPE), light user equipment (UE), reduced capability user equipment (RedCap UE), machine type communication (MTC) terminals, terminal devices in industrial control, terminal devices in self-driving, terminal devices in remote medical care, terminal devices in smart grids, wireless terminals in transportation safety, terminal devices in smart cities, terminal devices in smart homes, tactile terminal devices, smart home devices (e.g., refrigerators, televisions, air conditioners, electricity meters, etc.), smart robots, robotic arms, workshop equipment, wireless terminals in self-driving, or flying devices (e.g., smart robots, hot air balloons, drones, airplanes), etc. The terminal device can also be a vehicle device, such as a transport vehicle with wireless communication capabilities, a communication module, a complete vehicle device, an on-board module, an on-board chip, an on-board unit (OBU), or a telematics box (T-BOX). The terminal device can also be other devices with terminal functions; for example, it can be a device that acts as a terminal in device-to-device (D2D) communication. This application does not limit the scope of the embodiments.

[0171] In this application 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 or chip system. This device can be installed in the terminal device. The chip system can consist of chips or include chips and other discrete components. In the technical solutions of this application embodiment, the device for implementing the functions of the terminal device is exemplified by the terminal device itself. The terminal device can also be called a terminal. The following description may use a UE (User Equipment) as an example to illustrate the technical solutions provided in this application embodiment.

[0172] The roles of base stations and terminals can be relative. For example, the helicopter or drone 112i in Figure 6 can be configured as a mobile base station. For terminals 112j that access the wireless access network 110 via 112i, terminal 112i is a base station; however, for base station 111a, 112i is a terminal, meaning that 111a and 112i communicate via a wireless air interface protocol. Of course, 111a and 112i can also communicate via a base station-to-base station interface protocol. In this case, relative to 111a, 112i is also a base station. Therefore, both base stations and terminals can be collectively referred to as communication devices. 111a and 111b in Figure 6 can be called communication devices with base station functions, and 112a-112j in Figure 6 can be called communication devices with terminal functions.

[0173] Network devices and terminal devices can communicate via wireless links. The transmission link from a network device to a terminal device can be called a downlink (DL) or downlink channel, used for transmitting downlink signals. The transmission link from a terminal device to a network device can be called an uplink (UL) or uplink channel, used for transmitting uplink signals. The transmission link from a terminal device to a terminal device can be called a sidelink (SL) or sidelink channel. In this application embodiment, multiple network devices can send information to multiple different terminal devices and receive information from multiple different terminal devices; multiple network devices can also send information to the same terminal device and receive information from the same terminal device, and this application is not limited in this respect.

[0174] The communication between different devices involved in the embodiments of this application can refer to direct communication between different devices (i.e., without the need for relaying or forwarding by other devices), or communication between different devices through other devices (i.e., requiring relaying or forwarding by other devices), or communication between functional units within a device and other devices through another functional unit. Information may undergo necessary processing between the source and destination ends, such as format changes, digital-to-analog conversion, amplification, or filtering, but the destination end can understand the valid information from the source end. Similar expressions in this application can be understood in a similar way, and will not be elaborated further here.

[0175] Figure 7 is a schematic block diagram of another communication system. Figure 7 uses the communication between terminal equipment and network equipment as an example.

[0176] As shown in Figure 7, terminal device 210 may include a processor 211, a memory 212, and a transceiver 213. Exemplarily, transceiver 213 may include a transmitter 2131, a receiver 2132, and an antenna 2133. Network device 220 may include a processor 221, a memory 222, and a transceiver 223. Exemplarily, transceiver 223 may include a transmitter 2231, a receiver 2232, and an antenna 2233. Receiver 2132 can be used to receive information from network device 220 via antenna 2133, and transmitter 2131 can be used to send information to network device 220 via antenna 2133. Transmitter 2231 can be used to send information to terminal device 210 via antenna 2233, and receiver 2232 can be used to receive information from terminal device 210 via antenna 2233.

[0177] The network device in this application embodiment may include a chip within the network device. For example, the network device may include a processor 221, a memory 222, and a transceiver 223. The terminal device in this application embodiment may include a chip within the terminal device. For example, the terminal device may include a processor 211, a memory 212, and a transceiver 213.

[0178] Figure 8 is a schematic block diagram of yet another communication system. Figure 8 illustrates an O-RAN system. The O-RAN system in this application may include components other than those shown in Figure 8, or may include only some of the components shown in Figure 8.

[0179] Referring to Figure 8, the network device can communicate with the core network device via the backhaul link 310 and with the terminal device via the air interface. For example, the BBU in the network device can communicate with the core network device via the backhaul link 310. The RU in the network device can communicate with at least one terminal device via the air interface. The BBU can communicate with at least one RU via the fronthaul link 330. The BBU and RU may or may not be co-located. For example, the BBU may include at least one CU and at least one DU. The CU and DU can communicate with each other via at least one midhaul link 320.

[0180] Figure 9 is a schematic diagram of the network element function division and protocol layer structure of an O-RAN system. The O-RAN system in this embodiment can divide the network element functions and protocol layer in part or all of the way shown in Figure 9, or it can be divided in other ways.

[0181] In some examples, the CU can be used as a logical node to carry the RRC layer, Service Data Adaptation Protocol (SDAP) layer, Packet Data Convergence Protocol (PDCP) layer, and other control functions of access network devices. Exemplarily, the CU can connect to network nodes such as the core network through interfaces, which may include interfaces such as E2 interfaces. Optionally, the CU may have some of the core network's functions.

[0182] For example, the CU (e.g., the PDCP layer or a layer higher than PDCP) connects to the DU (e.g., the radio link control (RLC) layer or a layer lower than RLC) through interfaces, such as the F1 interface. In some examples, the aforementioned interface (e.g., the F1 interface) can provide CP and UP functions, such as interface management, system information management, UE context management, RRC message transmission, etc. The F1 interface can employ the F1 application protocol (F1AP).

[0183] In some examples, the CU can be split into CU-CP and CU-UP.

[0184] The CU-CP can be used as a logical node to carry the RRC layer and the control plane part of PDCP (PDCP-C) layer, implementing the control plane functions of the CU. The CU-CP can interact with network elements in the core network used to implement control plane functions. For example, network elements in the core network used to implement control plane functions can be access and mobility function (AMF) network elements, such as the access and mobility management function (AMF) in a 5G system. For example, the AMF network element can be used to handle mobility management in the mobile network, such as terminal device location updates, terminal device registration with the network, and terminal device handover.

[0185] CU-UP can be used as a logical node to carry the SDAP layer and the user plane part of PDCP (PDCP-U) layer, implementing the user plane functions of the CU. CU-UP can interact with network elements in the core network used to implement user plane functions. For example, in a 5G system, the user plane function (UPF) network element can be used to handle data forwarding and reception in terminal equipment.

[0186] The above CU or DU configurations are merely examples; the functions of the CU or DU can be configured as needed. For instance, the CU or DU can be configured to have more protocol layer functions, or to have only some protocol layer processing functions. For example, some RLC layer functions and protocol layer functions above the RLC layer can be placed in the CU, while the remaining RLC layer functions and protocol layer functions below the RLC layer can be placed in the DU. Furthermore, the functions of the CU or DU can be divided according to service type or other system requirements, such as by latency. Functions that require low latency can be placed in the DU, while functions that do not require low latency can be placed in the CU.

[0187] In some examples, a DU can be used as a logical node to carry the RLC layer, medium access control (MAC) layer, higher physical layer (Higher PHY) layer, and other functions. In some examples, a DU can control at least one RU. For example, a DU can connect to an RU through interfaces, which may be fronthaul interfaces. In some examples, the Higher PHY layer may include PHY layer processing functions such as forward error correction (FEC) encoding, decoding, scrambling, modulation, or demodulation.

[0188] In some examples, the RU can be used as a logical node to carry both lower physical layer (PHY) and radio frequency (RF) chain processing. In some examples, the RU can be a 3rd Generation Partnership Project (3GPP) node. rd Entities with TRP, RRH, or other similar functions in the Generation Partnership Project (3GPP). In some examples, the Low PHY layer includes PHY processing functions such as Fast Fourier Transform (FFT), Inverse Fast Fourier Transform (IFFT), digital beamforming, or filtering. The RU can communicate with one or more UEs via a radio link.

[0189] DU and RU may or may not be co-located. For example, DU and RU can exchange control plane and user plane information via a fronthaul link through a lower-layer split control / user / synchronization-plane (LLS-C / U / S) interface. For instance, the O-RAN CUS plane in DU can communicate with the O-RAN CUS plane in RU via the LLS-C / U / S interface. Exemplarily, LLS-C / U / S may include an LLS-control (C) interface and an LLS-user (U) interface providing CP and UP, respectively. In some examples, CP may refer to real-time control between DU and RU. DU and RU can exchange management information via the LLS-management (M) interface of the fronthaul link; the M plane may refer to non-real-time management operations between DU and RU. For example, the O-RAN M plane in DU can communicate with the O-RAN M plane in RU via the LLS-M interface. As another example, the O-RAN M plane in DU or RU can communicate with the management system via the LLS-M interface.

[0190] DUs and RUs can collaborate to implement the functions of the PHY layer. For example, a DU can be connected to one or more RUs. The functions of DUs and RUs 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 (e.g., high PHY) in the PHY layer, and an RU can be configured to implement lower-level functions (e.g., low PHY), or implement both lower-level and RF functions (e.g., RF chain). 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.

[0191] Currently, terminal devices can determine PDSCH time-domain resources through higher-layer parameters and DCI. Among them, higher-layer parameters can be parameters carried in messages such as system information block 1 (SIB1), RRC setup message, security mode command, or RRC reconfiguration message.

[0192] For example, the higher-level parameters can be carried in the PDSCH-time domain resource allocation list field of any of the above messages.

[0193] The PDSCH-time domain resource allocation list may include, for example, the following information:

[0194] k0 INTEGER(0…32);

[0195] mapping type ENUMERRATED{typeA, typeB};

[0196] start symbol and length INTEGER(0…127)}.

[0197] Where k0 can be the time slot offset interval of PDSCH relative to PDCCH, that is, the interval between the time slot where the PDSCH time domain resource is located and the time slot where the PDCCH time domain resource is located. k0 is 0 (the default value), which can indicate that PDSCH and PDCCH are scheduled in the same time slot, that is, the PDSCH time domain resource and the PDCCH time domain resource are in the same time slot. Where mapping type can be used to indicate the mapping type. Where start symbol and length can be used to indicate the starting OFDM symbol and OFDM symbol length of PDSCH.

[0198] Network devices can indicate multiple PDSCH-time domain resource allocation list fields to terminal devices via messages such as SIB1, RRC setup messages, security mode signaling, or RRC configuration messages. For example, up to 16 PDSCH-time domain resource allocation list fields can be indicated, where each PDSCH-time domain resource allocation list field carries different higher-level parameters (k0, mapping type, starting OFDM symbol of PDSCH, and OFDM symbol length). Network devices can further indicate to the terminal device via DCI which specific PDSCH-time domain resource indicates which of the multiple PDSCH-time domain resource allocation list fields.

[0199] In some examples, messages carrying higher-level parameters may be sent at a specific time. Following the order of these messages that can carry higher-level parameters, the terminal device can determine the PDSCH time-domain resources based on the higher-level parameters carried in the previously acquired message and the latest DCI. The latest DCI can be the last DCI acquired by the terminal device.

[0200] For example, before the terminal device parses the SIB1 message, it can determine the PDSCH time-domain resources based on the MIB and the latest DCI. After the terminal device parses the SIB1 message but before parsing the RRC establishment message, it can use the higher-layer parameters carried in the SIB1 message and the latest DCI to determine the PDSCH time-domain resources. After the terminal device parses the RRC establishment message but before parsing the RRC configuration message, it can use the higher-layer parameters carried in the RRC establishment message and the latest DCI to determine the PDSCH time-domain resources. After the terminal device parses the RRC configuration message, it can use the higher-layer parameters carried in the RRC configuration message and the latest DCI to determine the PDSCH time-domain resources.

[0201] Between two consecutive acquisitions of messages carrying higher-layer parameters, the terminal device can receive multiple DCIs from the network device, and the latest DCI can be the DCI most recently received by the terminal device.

[0202] The high-level parameters configure various PDSCH time-domain resources, and the specific PDSCH time-domain resource used can be determined in conjunction with DCI. For example, the terminal device can determine the specific PDSCH time-domain resource to use based on the time domain resource assignment field in DCI 1_0 or DCI 1_1.

[0203] DCI 1_0 or DCI 1_1 can be two formats of DCI. DCI 1_0 can be used for downlink data transmission scheduling and may contain control information required for PDSCH resource allocation and decoding. DCI 1_1 can also be used for downlink data transmission scheduling and can be used in more complex scenarios, such as carrier aggregation or multiple-input multiple-output (MIMO) configurations. DCI 1_1 contains similar information to DCI 1_0, but may include more fields to support complex transmission schemes.

[0204] Furthermore, based on the PDSCH mapping type, the terminal device can determine the preceding DMRS time-domain resources. For example, when the PDSCH time-domain resource allocation method (mapping type) is type A, the starting OFDM symbol of the PDSCH can be OFDM symbol 0 to 3, and the starting position of the preceding DMRS within the time slot can be OFDM symbol 2 or OFDM symbol 3. By default, the starting position of the preceding DMRS within the time slot can be OFDM symbol 2; when DMRS-TypeA-Position = 3 in the MIB, the starting position of the preceding DMRS within the time slot can be OFDM symbol 3, where DMRS-TypeA-Position can be understood as a field in the MIB. When the PDSCH time-domain resource allocation method (mapping type) is type B, the starting OFDM symbol of the PDSCH may be OFDM symbol 0 to 12, then the starting position of the pre-DMRS is located at the first OFDM symbol of the PDSCH; if the first OFDM symbol of the PDSCH belongs to the control-resource set (CORESET), then the starting position of the pre-DMRS is the first OFDM symbol after the last OFDM symbol in the CORESET.

[0205] The control resource set, also known as the control resource collection, can be understood as the set of physical resources used to support DCI, such as RBs or REs used to support DCI.

[0206] For example, an additional DMRS can occupy 1 to 3 OFDM symbols. In high-speed scenarios, network devices can configure the presence or absence of an additional DMRS and the time-domain resources of the additional DMRS through the DMRS-additional position field in the higher-layer parameters.

[0207] Similarly, the terminal device can also determine the PDSCH-DMRS frequency domain resources based on higher-layer parameters and DCI. These higher-layer parameters can be, for example, parameters carried in the RRC establishment message or RRC configuration message. For example, the higher-layer parameters may include the following information:

[0208] Among them, DMRS-type is used to indicate the DMRS type, for example, indicating that the DMRS type is type 2; DMRS-additional position is used to indicate the additional DMRS position; max length is used to indicate the maximum number of OFDM symbols occupied by PDSCH-DMRS, for example, len2 is used to indicate that PDSCH-DMRS occupies a maximum of 2 OFDM symbols.

[0209] Furthermore, network devices can indicate the number of OFDM symbols occupied by the PDSCH-DMRS to terminal devices via DCI. The number of OFDM symbols indicated in the DCI is less than or equal to the maximum number of OFDM symbols occupied by the PDSCH-DMRS as indicated by the max length parameter in the higher layers. For example, if max length is len2, indicating that the maximum number of OFDM symbols occupied by the PDSCH-DMRS is 2 OFDM symbols, then the number of OFDM symbols occupied by the PDSCH-DMRS indicated by the DCI can be either 1 OFDM symbol or 2 OFDM symbols.

[0210] The above illustrates an example of a terminal device determining the time-frequency domain resources of PDSCH-DMRS.

[0211] The time-domain resources of PDCCH-DMRS can be the OFDM symbols occupied by PDCCH. For example, if the time-domain resources of PDCCH are OFDM symbols 0 and 1, then the time-domain resources of PDCCH-DMRS can be OFDM symbols 0 and 1. Furthermore, the frequency-domain resources of PDCCH-DMRS can be referenced in Figure 5.

[0212] For example, for PDSCH and PDCCH transmitted in a time slot, the time-frequency domain resources of PDCCH-DMRS and PDSCH-DMRS can be as shown in Figure 10.

[0213] From a time-domain perspective, the PDSCH mapping type is mapping type A, and the PDSCH occupies OFDM symbols 0 to 13 in one time slot; the PDSCH-DMRS occupies OFDM symbols 2 and 3 in the same time slot; the PDCCH occupies OFDM symbols 0 and 1 in the same time slot; and the PDCCH-DMRS occupies OFDM symbols 0 and 1 in the same time slot.

[0214] From a frequency domain perspective, the PDCCH occupies a subcarrier in one REG, while the PDCCH-DMRS occupies subcarriers 1, 5, and 9 in that REG. The PDSCH occupies subcarriers in two REGs, with the PDSCH-DMRS being type 1, occupying the odd-indexed subcarriers in both REGs. From a frequency domain perspective, it can be seen that the frequency domain resources of the PDCCH-DMRS overlap with those of the PDSCH-DMRS. For example, there are PDCCH-DMRS and PDSCH-DMRS occupying subcarrier 1, subcarrier 5, and subcarrier 9.

[0215] Figure 10 is merely an example and is not limited in this application. For instance, the mapping type of PDSCH and PDSCH-DMRS can also be mapping type B, and the time-domain resources of PDSCH or PDSCH-DMRS can include more or fewer OFDM symbols. Furthermore, PDSCH-DMRS can also be type 2, and the frequency-domain resources of PDSCH or PDSCH-DMRS can include more or fewer subcarriers. For the sake of brevity, they will not be shown one by one here.

[0216] This demonstrates that there is redundancy between the PDCCH-DMRS and PDSCH-DMRS configured in network devices, resulting in a large amount of time-frequency domain resources being consumed by these configurations. Therefore, a method is urgently needed to reduce the total time-frequency domain resources occupied by the DMRS configured for PDSCH and PDCCH.

[0217] In view of this, this application provides a DMRS processing method, in which a network device can configure a first type of DMRS for a terminal device. The terminal device can demodulate information transmitted via PDCCH based on the first type of DMRS, and can also use the first type of DMRS to demodulate information transmitted via PDSCH. The first type of DMRS can be understood as a joint DMRS of PDCCH and PDSCH.

[0218] In this way, network devices can configure a DMRS that can be used in conjunction with PDCCH and PDSCH. Compared with configuring PDCCH-DMRS and PDSCH-DMRS separately, the first type of DMRS occupies less time and frequency domain resources.

[0219] In the embodiments of this application, demodulating PDCCH can also be understood as demodulating information transmitted through PDCCH, and transmitting PDCCH can also be understood as transmitting information through PDCCH; demodulating PDSCH can also be understood as demodulating information transmitted through PDSCH, and transmitting PDSCH can also be understood as transmitting information through PDSCH. For the sake of brevity, these will not be elaborated further below.

[0220] For example, as shown in FIG11, the time-frequency domain resources occupied by the PDCCH are the same as those occupied by the PDCCH shown in FIG10; the time-frequency domain resources occupied by the PDSCH are the same as those occupied by the PDSCH shown in FIG10. However, the time-frequency domain resources of the first type of DMRS are OFDM symbols 0 and 1 occupied by the PDCCH; the frequency-frequency domain resources of the first type of DMRS are subcarrier 1, subcarrier 5, and subcarrier 9 in the two REGs in which the PDSCH is located. This first type of DMRS can function as both the PDSCH-DMRS shown in FIG10 and the PDCCH-DMRS shown in FIG10. However, the REs occupied by this first type of DMRS are less than those occupied by the PDCCH-DMRS and PDSCH-DMRS shown in FIG10. Therefore, the scheme of this application can reduce the time-frequency domain resources occupied by the DMRS configured in the network device.

[0221] Figure 11 is merely an example; the PDSCH frequency domain resources can also be more or fewer subcarriers; the PDSCH time domain resources can be fewer OFDM symbols; the PDCCH time domain resources can be more or fewer symbols; and the PDCCH frequency domain resources can be more or fewer subcarriers. This application does not impose specific limitations in this regard.

[0222] The DMRS processing method of this application is described below. The embodiments shown in this application illustrate the DMRS processing method provided by this application from the perspective of device interaction. The specific forms and quantities of the devices shown are merely examples and should not constitute any limitation on the implementation of the method provided in this application. Below, taking network devices and terminal devices as the implementing entities, the DMRS processing method of the embodiments of this application will be described in detail.

[0223] Figure 12 is a schematic flowchart of a DMRS processing method 1200 provided in an embodiment of this application. Method 1200 can reduce the total time-frequency domain resources occupied by DMRS configured for multiple channels. Optional operations in method 1200 are shown in dashed lines in Figure 12. Method 1200 is described below with reference to Figure 12.

[0224] S1230, the second device determines a first type of DMRS. This first type of DMRS corresponds to N ports. N is an integer greater than 1, or in other words, N can be an integer greater than or equal to 2. N can be a preset number of ports.

[0225] The second device can be the network device itself, a component within the network device (e.g., a processor, chip, or chip system), or a logic module or software capable of implementing all or part of the network device's functions. For ease of description, the following description uses the second device as an example.

[0226] Here, "port" can be understood as an antenna port. For example, "port" can also be replaced with layer, transport layer, DMRS port, antenna port, stream, space stream, data stream, or other names. The "port" in the preset port number can be understood and replaced as described above.

[0227] The preset number of ports can be preset, for example, predefined or preconfigured. However, this application is not limited to this; for example, the preset number of ports can also be indicated by a second device, a first device, or other devices. Exemplarily, the preset number of ports can be N. The preset number of ports can also be referred to as the configured number of ports or other names.

[0228] In some possible implementations, S1230 includes: the second device receiving a first type of DMRS according to a preset number of ports N.

[0229] In some possible implementations, N is the maximum number of ports supported by the first type of DMRS, or in other words, the preset number of ports is the maximum number of ports supported by the first type of DMRS. Based on the above scheme, the preset number of ports can be the maximum number of ports supported by the first type of DMRS. In this way, the first type of DMRS can correspond to more ports, thereby increasing the amount of information sent and improving communication efficiency.

[0230] The maximum number of ports supported by the first type of DMRS can also be understood as the maximum number of ports supported by the first device (e.g., a terminal); or, the configured maximum number of ports; or, the indicated maximum number of ports; or, the maximum number of ports supported by the signal carrying the first type of DMRS (hereinafter referred to as the first signal), etc. The term "port" in the maximum number of ports can be understood and replaced with the above.

[0231] In some possible implementations, S1230 includes: the second device generating or determining the first signal; or, the second device generating or determining the first signal based on a preset number of ports. The first signal is used to carry a first type of DMRS. Some examples of the second device generating the first signal are described below.

[0232] When the actual number of transmission layers (or actual number of ports) M of PDCCH and PDSCH is less than N, the second device can dummy NM data streams, where M is a positive integer. For example, the dummy NM data streams can be filled with 0; in other words, the symbols in the dummy NM data streams can all be 0; in other words, the dummy data stream signals are all 0.

[0233] In this way, the second device can obtain an N-stream signal, which includes N data streams, of which M data streams include PDCCH information and PDSCH, and the other data streams are 0. The N-stream signal can also be referred to as an N-port signal.

[0234] When the actual number of transmission layers (or actual number of ports) M of PDCCH and PDSCH is equal to N, the second device can determine the N-stream signal, which includes N data streams, wherein the N data streams include information from PDCCH and PDSCH.

[0235] In both of the above cases, the second device obtains the N-stream signal. The second device can insert a first type of DMRS into the N-stream signal, for example, by inserting the signal of each stream in the N-stream signal into the first type of DMRS to form a first signal. The first signal can be used to carry the first type of DMRS. For example, the first signal can be a signal transmitted on the resource corresponding to the first type of DMRS in Figure 11.

[0236] Furthermore, the second device can precode and transmit the N-stream signal inserted after the first type of DMRS.

[0237] For example, the N-stream signal may further include a second signal and a third signal. The second signal can be used to carry PDCCH information, and the third signal can be used to carry PDSCH. For instance, when the actual number of transport layers is less than N, the N-stream signal may include a first signal (for carrying a first type of DMRS), a second signal, a third signal, and a virtual data stream signal. As another example, when the actual number of transport layers is equal to N, the N-stream signal may include the first signal, the second signal, and the third signal.

[0238] S1240, the second device outputs a first type of DMRS. Correspondingly, the first device receives the first type of DMRS, wherein the first type of DMRS corresponds to N ports.

[0239] In some possible implementations, S1240 includes: the second device outputting a first signal, the first signal being used to carry DMRS. In some possible implementations, S1240 includes: the first device receiving a first type of DMRS according to a preset number of ports N; or, the first device receiving the first signal according to a preset number of ports to obtain the first type of DMRS; or, the first device receiving the first signal and demodulating the first signal according to the preset number of ports to obtain the first type of DMRS.

[0240] In some possible implementations, the first device can determine the time-frequency resource location of the first type of DMRS, and demodulate the time-frequency resource location according to a preset number of ports N to obtain the first type of DMRS. For example, the first device can determine the time-frequency resource location of the first type of DMRS based on the configuration information of the first type of DMRS. Another example is that the first device can demodulate the time-frequency resource location according to the orthogonal cover code (OCC) corresponding to the preset number of ports N to obtain the first type of DMRS.

[0241] The first type of DMRS corresponds to N ports. This can be understood as follows: the first type of DMRS can be used to demodulate signals on N ports; or, the first type of DMRS is transmitted on N ports; or, the first type of DMRS carries signals on N ports; or, the first type of DMRS is used to receive signals on N ports.

[0242] For example, the first device can perform channel estimation and equalization based on the configured ports (i.e., N ports) to obtain the first type of DMRS.

[0243] S1250, the second device outputs PDCCH information (or PDCCH), which corresponds to the first port among the N ports. Correspondingly, the first device receives the PDCCH information (or PDCCH).

[0244] In some possible implementations, S1250 includes: the second device outputting a second signal for carrying PDCCH information; or, the second device outputting PDCCH. In some possible implementations, S1250 includes: the first device receiving PDCCH information according to a first type DMRS; or, the first device receiving the second signal (or PDCCH) according to the first type DMRS to obtain PDCCH information; or, the first device receiving the second signal and demodulating the second signal (or PDCCH) according to the first type DMRS to obtain PDCCH information.

[0245] Receiving PDCCH information can also be understood as receiving PDCCH, or receiving information transmitted on PDCCH.

[0246] In some possible implementations, the first device can perform a blind detection of the PDCCH on the first port according to the first type of DMRS to obtain the PDCCH information.

[0247] For example, the information in the PDCCH may include the DCI. For instance, the first device can demodulate the PDCCH according to a first type of DMRS to obtain the PDCCH information (e.g., the DCI).

[0248] The first port can be one or more of the N ports.

[0249] The information in the PDCCH corresponds to the first port. This can be understood as follows: the information in the PDCCH can be carried on the signal of the first port; or, the information in the PDCCH can be sent on the first port; or, the first port can be used to receive the information in the PDCCH.

[0250] Optionally, the first port is the first of the N ports. For example, the index of the first port can be the first of the indices of the N ports (e.g., 1000).

[0251] Based on the above scheme, the first device can receive PDCCH information on the first of the N ports, and then demodulate the other ports of the N ports according to the PDCCH information. This scheme allows the first device to acquire information sequentially according to the port order, improving its processing efficiency and thus enhancing its receiving performance.

[0252] The above are merely examples; this application does not limit the specific number or position of the first port. For instance, the first port may not be the first of the N ports, but any other port. Alternatively, the first port may not just be the first of the N ports, but one of the first n ports (where n is a positive integer less than or equal to N). Furthermore, the first port may be any one or more of the N ports.

[0253] Furthermore, this application does not limit the index of the first port; the first of the indices of the N ports can be 1000 or other values.

[0254] S1260, the second device outputs a PDSCH, which corresponds to some or all of the N ports except the first port. Correspondingly, the first device receives the PDSCH.

[0255] In some possible implementations, S1260 includes: the second device outputting a third signal for carrying PDSCH; or, the second device outputting PDSCH. In some possible implementations, S1260 includes: the first device receiving PDSCH (or PDSCH information) based on information from a first type and / or PDCCH; or, the first device receiving a third signal (or PDSCH) based on information from a first type DMRS and / or PDCCH to obtain PDSCH information; or, the first device receiving a third signal based on PDCCH information, demodulating the third signal (or PDSCH) based on the first type DMRS to obtain PDSCH information.

[0256] Receiving PDSCH can also be understood as receiving information from PDSCH, or as receiving information or data transmitted on PDSCH.

[0257] In some possible implementations, the first device may receive data according to the first type of DMRS on some or all of the N ports except for the first port, and obtain PDSCH.

[0258] For example, the PDSCH or (PDSCH information) may include data. For instance, the PDSCH may include the M data streams mentioned above. For example, the first device can demodulate the PDSCH according to the first type of DMRS to obtain M data streams (or data).

[0259] For ease of description, the port corresponding to PDSCH can be referred to as the second port. Some or all of the aforementioned N ports, excluding the first port, may include the second port. For example, the second port corresponding to the PDSCH may include: information about the second port corresponding to the PDSCH.

[0260] The second port can be one or more ports.

[0261] For example, the second port is a subset of the N ports other than the first port. In other words, the N ports can include the first port, the second port, and other ports (denoted as the third port). The third port can be used to transmit a virtual data stream consisting entirely of zeros.

[0262] For example, the second port is all the ports other than the first port among the aforementioned N ports. In other words, the N ports can include the first port and the second port.

[0263] In the above S1260, the first device receiving PDSCH may include at least the following three examples, referred to as Example 1 to Example 3 respectively.

[0264] Example 1: The first device demodulates the signals at the second port and the third port, and then filters them to obtain the PDSCH.

[0265] With N ports, including a first port, a second port, and a third port, the first device can demodulate the signals from the second port and the third port to obtain a PDSCH and a virtual data stream, respectively. Furthermore, the first device can filter out the PDSCH from the aforementioned PDSCH and virtual data stream.

[0266] In other words, in Example 1, after demodulating the signal at the first port, the first device can demodulate the signals at the other ports among the N ports, or in other words, the signals at the second port and the third port.

[0267] Example 2: The first device demodulates the signal at the second port and the signal at the third port to obtain the PDSCH signal at the second port.

[0268] In the case of N ports, including the first port, the second port, and the third port, the first device can demodulate the signal of the second port only to obtain the PDSCH.

[0269] In other words, in Example 2, after demodulating the signal of the first port, the first device can demodulate the signal of the second port (or some ports) among the N ports to obtain PDSCH.

[0270] Example 3: The first device demodulates the signal at the second port to obtain PDSCH.

[0271] In the case where N ports include only the first port and the second port, the first device can demodulate the signals of the other ports among the N ports, or in other words, the signal of the second port, after demodulating the signal of the first port, to obtain the PDSCH.

[0272] Based on the above scheme, the first type of DMRS can be used to demodulate both PDCCH and PDSCH. Compared to the total time-frequency domain resources occupied by PDCCH-DMRS and PDSCH-DMRS, the first type of DMRS occupies fewer time-frequency domain resources. Furthermore, the above scheme can reduce DMRS overhead by enabling the reception of PDSCH and PDCCH based on the first type of DMRS.

[0273] Optionally, the information in the PDCCH can be used to indicate the second port. For example, the information in the PDCCH could be a DCI, which can be used to indicate the second port. Exemplarily, "indicating the second port" can also be implemented using an index indicating the second port.

[0274] In some possible implementations, S1260 includes: the first device receiving the PDSCH or PDSCH data or PDSCH information corresponding to the second port; or, the first device receiving the PDSCH or PDSCH data or PDSCH information corresponding to the second port according to the first type DMRS. For example, the first device can obtain the index of the second port through the PDCCH information, and thus receive the PDSCH according to the second port corresponding to the index.

[0275] The second port can also be understood as the port used by PDSCH (or DMRS port). PDSCH can include M data streams.

[0276] Receiving PDSCH can also be understood as receiving information from PDSCH, or as receiving information or data transmitted on PDSCH.

[0277] For example, when the N-stream signal generated by the first device includes virtual data streams, the first device can determine the M data streams actually carrying data based on the second port, ignoring the NM virtual data streams. In other words, the first device can demodulate only the M data streams actually carrying data based on the second port, and not demodulate the NM virtual data streams. In other words, the first device can receive the M data streams actually carrying data based on the second port, and not receive the NM virtual data streams.

[0278] Based on the above scheme, the first device can receive signals to the corresponding port (e.g., the second port) based on the indication of the PDCCH information to obtain the PDSCH. The above scheme can avoid receiving information other than the PDSCH (e.g., virtual data streams), thereby avoiding the processing overhead of filtering the PDSCH from various types of information and reducing processing latency.

[0279] Optionally, the symbols or data corresponding to the ports other than the first port and the second port (denoted as the third port) among the N ports are filled with 0.

[0280] For example, the first device can generate NM virtual data streams. The symbols corresponding to these NM virtual data streams are all filled with 0. The signal at the third port can be used to carry these NM virtual data streams.

[0281] Based on the above scheme, data streams other than PDCCH (corresponding to the first port) and PDSCH (corresponding to the second port) can be filled with 0. In this way, the processing flow of the sending end (e.g., the second device) and the receiving end (e.g., the first device) is simple and easy to implement.

[0282] However, this application does not limit this; for example, the symbol corresponding to the third port can also be filled with other values.

[0283] The following are some other examples of method 1200.

[0284] In some possible implementations, method 1200 includes: S1210, a first device (e.g., a terminal device) sends capability information to a second device (e.g., a network device). Correspondingly, the second device receives the capability information from the first device.

[0285] For example, capability information can be used to indicate whether a first device (e.g., a terminal) supports a first type of DMRS. The capability information can be sent proactively by the first device or sent by the first device based on a request (or inquiry) from a second device.

[0286] The first device supporting the first type of DMRS can be understood as the first device being able to demodulate (or receive) PDCCH and PDSCH using the first type of DMRS.

[0287] If the first device supports the first type of DMRS, the first device may send capability information to the second device to indicate that the first device supports the first type of DMRS.

[0288] If the first device does not support the first type of DMRS, the first device may not send capability information to the second device. That is, if the first device does not send capability information to the second device, it is assumed by default that the first device does not support the first type of DMRS. Alternatively, the first device may send capability information to the second device, which indicates that the first device does not support the first type of DMRS.

[0289] Capability information may also be called capability indication information, indication information, information or other names, and this application does not limit it.

[0290] Based on capability information, the second device can determine whether the first device supports the first type of DMRS. Therefore, if the first device supports the first type of DMRS, the second device will configure the first type of DMRS for the first device; otherwise, it will not configure an invalid DMRS for the first device. This scheme results in high communication quality between the first and second devices.

[0291] In some possible implementations, method 1200 includes: S1220, a second device (e.g., a network device) sends DMRS configuration information to a first device (e.g., a terminal device). Correspondingly, the first device receives the DMRS configuration information from the second device.

[0292] The DMRS configuration information can be used to configure the first type of DMRS. The DMRS configuration information can also be called DMRS indication information, indication information, information, or other names.

[0293] DMRS configuration information can take many forms; some examples are provided below.

[0294] For example, DMRS configuration information is used to indicate whether or not the first type of DMRS is activated.

[0295] When the DMRS configuration information is used to indicate the activation of the first type of DMRS, the DMRS configuration information can also be understood as the DMRS configuration information used to indicate that the state of the first switch is on. The first switch can be understood as a field used to indicate whether the first type of DMRS is activated. For example, the DMRS configuration information can be 1 or on, indicating that the first type of DMRS is activated.

[0296] The above activation can also be replaced with enabling, etc., and this application does not make specific restrictions on it.

[0297] If the second device instructs the first device not to activate the first type of DMRS, the second device may not send DMRS configuration information to the first device. That is, if the second device does not send DMRS configuration information to the first device, the first type of DMRS is not activated by default. Alternatively, the second device may send DMRS configuration information to the first device, indicating that the first type of DMRS is not activated.

[0298] The DMRS configuration information can indicate whether the first switch is in an "on" state, i.e., the first type of DMRS is activated, or in a "off" state, i.e., the first type of DMRS is not activated. For example, a DMRS configuration information of 0 or "off" can indicate an "off" state; and a DMRS configuration information of 1 or "on" can indicate an "on" state.

[0299] When the DMRS configuration information is used to indicate that the configured DMRS is a first type of DMRS, the DMRS configuration information can be information indicating the first type. The first device (e.g., a terminal device) can determine from the DMRS configuration information that the DMRS configured by the second device (e.g., a network device) is a first type of DMRS, or it can be understood that the first device can determine from the DMRS configuration information that the DMRS received by the first device is a first type of DMRS.

[0300] In the embodiments of this application, the first type may also be referred to as joint DMRS, type 3, type C, first mode, or first pattern, etc., and the first switch may also be referred to as joint DMRS switch, etc. This application does not specifically limit the name of this type of DMRS.

[0301] Optionally, DMRS configuration information can be carried in higher-level parameters or RRC parameters, such as in the time domain resource allocation list field. For example, DMRS configuration information can be carried in MIB, SIB1 messages, RRC establishment messages, or RRC configuration messages. Alternatively, DMRS configuration information can also be carried in DCI. This application does not impose specific limitations on this.

[0302] In some possible implementations, if the second device (e.g., a network device) determines that the first type of DMRS is to be used, the second device may execute the above-described S1260, wherein the DMRS configuration information is used to indicate the activation of the first type of DMRS.

[0303] In some possible implementations, if the second device determines to use the first type of DMRS, the second device can perform DMRS mapping according to the time-frequency resource mapping scheme of the first type of DMRS, and transmit PDCCH and PDSCH (e.g., execute S1230, S1240 and S1250). Accordingly, the first device can receive the first type of DMRS according to the time-frequency resource location of the first type of DMRS.

[0304] Optionally, prior to S1230, S1240 and S1250, the second device further executes S1220, indicating the activation of the first type of DMRS via DMRS configuration information.

[0305] Optionally, prior to S1220, the first device may also execute S1210, indicating via capability information that the first device supports the first type of DMRS.

[0306] The time-frequency resources of the first type of DMRS are described below, denoted as the first time-domain resource and the first frequency-domain resource. The following description uses an example where the first device is a terminal device and the second device is a network device.

[0307] The first time domain resource can be defined by a protocol or configured by the network device through signaling, and the first frequency domain resource can be defined by a protocol or configured by the network device through signaling. Please refer to the description below for details.

[0308] The first time-domain resource may be, for example, one or more time units, such as one or more OFDM symbols, and the first frequency-domain resource may be, for example, one or more frequency-domain units, such as one or more subcarriers.

[0309] The granularity of time-domain resources can be a time unit, which can be an OFDM symbol, or it can be a time slot or other time granularity. The granularity of frequency-domain resources can be a frequency-domain unit, which can be a subcarrier, or it can be other frequency-domain granularity. This application does not impose specific limitations in this regard.

[0310] Optionally, the time domain resources occupied by the first time domain, the time domain resources occupied by the PDCCH, and the time domain resources occupied by the PDSCH can belong to the same time slot.

[0311] The time-domain resources occupied by PDCCH can also be understood as the time-domain resources used to transmit information through PDCCH, such as at least one OFDM symbol; the time-domain resources occupied by PDSCH can also be understood as the time-domain resources used to transmit information through PDSCH, such as at least one OFDM symbol.

[0312] Thus, because the degree of channel change may be low over a shorter period of time, the accuracy of demodulating information transmitted via PDCCH and PDSCH using Type I DMRS is relatively high.

[0313] For example, the first frequency domain resource may occupy one or more RBs. These one or more RBs may carry at least one of the information transmitted via PDCCH and information transmitted via PDSCH. In other words, the resource range of the first frequency domain resource may be the frequency domain resource occupied by PDCCH or the frequency domain resource occupied by PDSCH. And / or, the resource range of the first time domain resource may be one or more time slots occupied by PDCCH or one or more time slots occupied by PDSCH. That is, each time slot within this resource range may transmit first type DMRS.

[0314] This allows the terminal device to more accurately demodulate at least one of the information transmitted via PDCCH and PDSCH based on the first type of DMRS. Furthermore, the terminal device can also determine the first frequency domain resource based on the frequency domain resources occupied by the PDCCH or the PDSCH.

[0315] The terminal device demodulates the information transmitted in the PDCCH and PDSCH based on the first type of DMRS, but it is not limited to using the first type of DMRS only for demodulating the information transmitted in the PDCCH and PDSCH. For example, the terminal device can also use the first type of DMRS for channel estimation of at least one of the PDCCH and PDSCH. This application does not impose specific limitations in this regard.

[0316] The first time-domain resource used by the first type of DMRS can be determined in the following way.

[0317] For example, the first time-domain resource is determined based on one or more of the following: a second time-domain resource, a third time-domain resource, or a first quantity. The second time-domain resource is the time-domain resource of the PDCCH; the third time-domain resource is the time-domain resource of the PDSCH; and the first quantity is the maximum number of time units that the first type of DMRS can occupy.

[0318] The time-domain resources occupied by the PDCCH can be the time-domain resources used for transmitting information via the PDCCH. The time-domain resources occupied by the PDSCH can be the time-domain resources used for transmitting information via the PDSCH. The maximum number of time units that the first type of DMRS can occupy can be the maximum number of time units included in the first time-domain resources. For example, if the first number is 2 OFDM symbols, it means that the first type of DMRS can occupy a maximum of 2 OFDM symbols.

[0319] The first type of DMRS is used to demodulate information transmitted via PDCCH and PDSCH. Therefore, the first time-domain resource is related to the time-domain resources of either PDCCH or PDSCH. Furthermore, the number of time units included in the first time-domain resource can be less than or equal to a first quantity. Based on this, terminal devices and network devices can determine the first time-domain resource in several ways.

[0320] In a first possible implementation, the first time-domain resource is determined based on the second time-domain resource.

[0321] The second time-domain resource can be one or more time units. For example, the second time-domain resource can be one or more OFDM symbols in a time slot. The first time-domain resource can be some or all of the time units in the second time-domain resource, as detailed in Method 1 or Method 2 below.

[0322] Method 1: The first time domain resource is a portion of the time units in the second time domain resource.

[0323] In some examples, the first time-domain resource can be the first Z time units in the second time-domain resource, where Z is a positive integer.

[0324] The first Z time units can be understood as the Z time units that occur first in chronological order. For example, assuming Z is 2, and the second time domain resource is OFDM symbol 0, OFDM symbol 1, and OFDM symbol 2 in a time slot, then the first time domain resource is OFDM symbol 0 and OFDM symbol 1.

[0325] Z can also be 1, in which case the first time domain resource is the first time unit in the second time domain resource.

[0326] For example, the first time-domain resource and the second time-domain resource can be as shown in Figure 13. The second time-domain resource (the time-domain resource of the PDCCH) is OFDM symbol 0 and OFDM symbol 1 in a time slot, and the first time-domain resource is OFDM symbol 0 in the same time slot.

[0327] Comparing Figure 13 and Figure 10, it can be seen that the first type of DMRS configured by the network device can occupy less time domain resources compared to configuring PDCCH-DMRS and PDSCH-DMRS respectively.

[0328] In other examples, the first time-domain resource can also be the last V time units in the second time-domain resource, where V is a positive integer. The last V time units can be understood as the last V time units that occur in chronological order. For example, assuming V is 1, and the second time-domain resource is OFDM symbol 0 and OFDM symbol 1 in a time slot, then the first time-domain resource is OFDM symbol 1.

[0329] For example, if V can be 1, then the first time domain resource is the last time unit in the second time domain resource. The first time domain resource can be OFDM symbol 1 in Figure 13 (currently, the OFDM symbol in Figure 13 does not include the first time domain resource; Figure 13 is only an example of time-frequency resource structure).

[0330] It is understood that the first time-domain resource is not limited to the first Z time units or the last V time units in the second time-domain resource; it can also be one or more time units located in the middle of the second time-domain resource. For example, if the second time-domain resource is OFDM symbol 0, OFDM symbol 1, and OFDM symbol 2 in a time slot, then the first time-domain resource can be OFDM symbol 1. For the sake of simplicity, they will not be shown one by one here.

[0331] Optionally, in Method 1, the first time-domain resource can be agreed upon by a protocol or configured by the network device via signaling. For example, it can be indicated via DMRS configuration information.

[0332] Method 2: The first time domain resource is all time units in the second time domain resource.

[0333] In this approach, if the terminal device can determine the second time-domain resource, then the terminal device can determine the first time-domain resource.

[0334] Optionally, the network device can indicate the second time-domain resource to the terminal device via messages such as SIB1, RRC establishment messages, or RRC configuration messages. For example, the network device can indicate to the terminal device the number u of OFDM symbols occupied by the second time-domain resource, where u is a positive integer. In this way, the terminal device can determine that the second time-domain resource is the first u OFDM symbols in a time slot. Furthermore, the terminal device can determine that the first time-domain resource is the first u OFDM symbols in a time slot.

[0335] The above-described method of network device indicating second time domain resources to terminal device is merely an example, and the embodiments of this application do not specifically limit the method of network device indicating second time domain resources to terminal device.

[0336] For example, if the second time-domain resource is the first two OFDM symbols in a time slot, then the first and second time-domain resources can be as shown in Figure 11. Both the second and first time-domain resources are OFDM symbol 0 and OFDM symbol 1 in a time slot.

[0337] Optionally, in Method 2, the first time-domain resource can be agreed upon by a protocol or configured by the network device via signaling. For example, it can be indicated by DMRS configuration information.

[0338] In a second possible implementation, the first time-domain resource is determined based on the third time-domain resource.

[0339] The third time-domain resource can be one or more time units. For example, the third time-domain resource can be one or more OFDM symbols in a time slot.

[0340] For details on the third time domain resources, please refer to the description of PDSCH for mapping type A and mapping type B above. Network devices can indicate the third time domain resources to terminal devices through higher-layer parameters and DCI. The method by which network devices indicate the third frequency domain resources to terminal devices can be referred to the description above, and will not be repeated here.

[0341] Similar to the first possible implementation, the first time domain resource can also be part or all of the time units in the third time domain resource, as can be seen in the first and second cases below.

[0342] In the first case, if the PDSCH is mapping type A, then within a time slot, the OFDM symbols (third time-domain resource) occupied by the PDSCH start from the OFDM symbol position {0,1,2,3}, with a symbol length of 3 to 14 OFDM symbols, and cannot exceed the time slot boundary. The starting position of the first time-domain resource can be the s-th OFDM symbol in a time slot, where s is a positive integer, such as 2, 3, or 4, etc., and the first time-domain resource can include r OFDM symbols, where r is a positive integer, such as 1 or 2, etc.

[0343] The first time-domain resource is similar to the time-domain resource of PDSCH-DMRS of mapping type A. The first and third time-domain resources can be illustrated in Figure 14. Here, PDSCH is the PDSCH of mapping type A, and the first time-domain resource is the third OFDM symbol in this time slot, i.e., OFDM symbol 2. Furthermore, the first time-domain resource comprises a portion of the OFDM symbols in the third time-domain resource.

[0344] Comparing Figure 14 and Figure 10, it can be seen that the first type of DMRS configured by the network device can occupy less time domain resources compared to configuring PDCCH-DMRS and PDSCH-DMRS respectively.

[0345] Figure 14 is just an example. The number of OFDM symbols included in the first time domain resource can be more, and the OFDM symbols included in the first time domain resource can also be other OFDM symbols. For the sake of brevity, they will not be shown one by one here.

[0346] The aforementioned first time-domain resources can be agreed upon by a protocol or configured by network devices via signaling. For example, they can be indicated through DMRS configuration information.

[0347] Optionally, the DMRS configuration information is also used to indicate the mapping type of the first time-domain resource. The mapping type of the first time-domain resource can indicate that the starting position of the first time-domain resource is the s-th OFDM symbol in a time slot.

[0348] The mapping type of the first time-domain resource can be called mapping type C or mapping type 1a, etc., and this application does not make a specific limitation on it.

[0349] Optionally, the DMRS configuration information is also used to indicate that the first time-domain resource includes r OFDM symbols.

[0350] The DMRS configuration information can be a single piece of information that has all the functions of DMRS configuration information, or it can be multiple pieces of information that each has some of the functions of DMRS configuration information. These pieces of information can be carried in the same message or signaling, or they can be carried in different messages or signaling.

[0351] In the first case, the method for determining the third time-domain resource (e.g., the PDSCH time-domain resource) is similar to the method for determining the PDSCH time-domain resource of mapping type A, and can be referred to the description above, which will not be repeated here.

[0352] In the first case, if the s-th OFDM symbol in a time slot belongs to the control resource set, then the starting position of the first time-domain resource can be the first OFDM symbol after the last OFDM symbol in the control resource set. For example, referring to Figure 14, the control resource set can include OFDM symbol 0 and OFDM symbol 1 in this time slot. If s is 1 or 2, then the s-th OFDM symbol in this time slot belongs to the control resource set, so the starting position of the first time-domain resource is the first OFDM symbol after the control resource set, i.e., OFDM symbol 2.

[0353] In the second case, if the PDSCH is mapping type B, meaning that within a time slot, the OFDM symbols (third time-domain resource) occupied by the PDSCH start from OFDM symbols {0,1,…,12}, with a symbol length of 2, 4, or 7 OFDM symbols, and cannot exceed the time slot boundary. The starting position of the first time-domain resource can be the c-th OFDM symbol in the third time-domain resource, where c is a positive integer, such as 1 or 2; and the first time-domain resource can include d OFDM symbols, where d is a positive integer, such as 1 or 2.

[0354] The first time-domain resource is similar to the time-domain resource of PDSCH-DMRS of mapping type B. The first and third time-domain resources can be shown in Figure 15. Here, PDSCH is the PDSCH of mapping type B, the third time-domain resource is OFDM symbols 8 to 11 in one time slot, and the first time-domain resource is the first OFDM symbol in the third time-domain resource, namely OFDM symbol 8.

[0355] Comparing Figure 15 and Figure 10, it can be seen that the first type of DMRS configured by the network device can occupy less time domain resources compared to configuring PDCCH-DMRS and PDSCH-DMRS respectively.

[0356] Figure 15 is for illustrative purposes only. The starting position of the third time-domain resource can be other positions, and the number of OFDM symbols included in the third time-domain resource can be more or less. Furthermore, the first time-domain resource can also be other OFDM symbols in the third time-domain resource, such as OFDM symbol 9; the number of OFDM symbols included in the first time-domain resource can also be greater. For the sake of brevity, they will not be shown one by one here.

[0357] The aforementioned first time-domain resources can be agreed upon by a protocol or configured by network devices via signaling. For example, they can be indicated through DMRS configuration information.

[0358] Optionally, the DMRS configuration information is also used to indicate that the first time-domain resource includes d OFDM symbols.

[0359] In the second case, the method for determining the third time-domain resource (the time-domain resource occupied by PDSCH) is similar to the method for determining the PDSCH time-domain resource of mapping type B. Please refer to the description above, and it will not be repeated here.

[0360] In the second case, if the c-th OFDM symbol in a time slot belongs to the control resource set, then the starting position of the first time-domain resource can be the first OFDM symbol after the last OFDM symbol in the control resource set. For example, referring to Figure 15, the control resource set includes OFDM symbol 0 and OFDM symbol 1 in this time slot. If the c-th time unit in the third time-domain resource is OFDM symbol 0 or OFDM symbol 1, then the starting position of the first time-domain resource is the first OFDM symbol after the control resource set, i.e., OFDM symbol 2.

[0361] In a third possible implementation, the first temporal resource is determined based on a first quantity.

[0362] The first quantity can be the maximum number of time units that the first type of DMRS can occupy. For example, the first quantity can be 1 OFDM symbol or 2 OFDM symbols, etc.

[0363] The first quantity can be agreed upon by a protocol, or it can be configured by the network device through signaling. For example, it can be indicated through DMRS configuration information.

[0364] Optionally, the DMRS configuration information is also used to indicate a first quantity. This allows the terminal device to determine the maximum number of time units that the first time-domain resource can occupy.

[0365] For example, information indicating the first quantity can be carried in the maximum length field of the RRC parameter, and the second information can be, for example, len2 or len1, where len2 can represent 2 OFDM symbols and len1 can represent 1 OFDM symbol.

[0366] Furthermore, the network device can also indicate to the terminal device via DCI the number of time units included in the first time-domain resource, which can be denoted as the second number. The second number can be less than or equal to the first number. The second number can be, for example, one OFDM symbol or two OFDM symbols. In this way, the terminal device can determine the number of time units included in the first time-domain resource.

[0367] Based on the number of time units included in the first time domain resource, the terminal device can determine the first time domain resource by combining the starting position of the first time domain resource.

[0368] The starting position of the first time-domain resource can be located in the second or third time-domain resource. Furthermore, the starting position of the first time-domain resource can be agreed upon by a protocol or configured by the network device through signaling. The method by which the terminal device determines the starting position of the first time-domain resource can refer to the first or second possible implementation method, which will not be elaborated here.

[0369] The first to third possible implementations described above can also be combined. For example, the terminal device can determine the starting position of the first time-domain resource according to the first or second possible implementation, and can determine the number of time units included in the first time-domain resource according to the third possible implementation. For the sake of brevity, these will not be elaborated further here.

[0370] In addition to the first to third possible implementations described above, the network device may also directly indicate the first time domain resource to the terminal device.

[0371] Optionally, the DMRS configuration information is also used to indicate the first time-domain resource. For example, it indicates the starting position and the second quantity of the first time-domain resource.

[0372] The above section introduced an example of determining the first time-domain resource. Below, we introduce an example of how to determine the first frequency-domain resource. The first frequency-domain resource can be determined through the following methods. These methods can also be combined, as detailed below.

[0373] In the first approach, the first frequency domain resource is determined based on the second or third frequency domain resource. The second frequency domain resource is the frequency domain resource occupied by the PDCCH, and the third frequency domain resource is the frequency domain resource occupied by the PDSCH.

[0374] The frequency domain resources occupied by the PDCCH can be those used for transmitting information via the PDCCH. The frequency domain resources occupied by the PDSCH can be those used for transmitting information via the PDSCH. The first, second, or third frequency domain resources can each include one or more adjacent frequency domain units.

[0375] The first type of DMRS is used to demodulate information transmitted via PDCCH and PDSCH. Therefore, the first frequency domain resource is related to the frequency domain resources occupied by PDCCH or PDSCH. For example, the first frequency domain resource can be some or all of the frequency domain units in the second frequency domain resource; or, the first frequency domain resource can be some or all of the frequency domain units in the third frequency domain resource.

[0376] In the first approach, the second and third frequency domain resources can be agreed upon by a protocol or configured by the network device through signaling. This application embodiment does not specifically limit the method by which the terminal device determines the second and third frequency domain resources.

[0377] In the second approach, the first frequency domain resource is the i+a×j-th subcarrier in each of at least one RB, where i, a, and j are integers greater than or equal to 0, and i+a×j is less than or equal to 12.

[0378] In the case where an RB includes 12 subcarriers, i+a×j is less than or equal to 12. At least one RB can be, for example, a second frequency domain resource or a third frequency domain resource.

[0379] In this embodiment, the subcarrier index is an integer greater than or equal to 0, and the subcarrier index starts from 0 and increases sequentially according to the frequency from smallest to largest. Therefore, the (i+a×j)th subcarrier is subcarrier (i+a×j-1). For example, referring to Figure 11, the first frequency domain resource is the 2nd, 6th, and 10th subcarriers in each RB, where the 2nd subcarrier is subcarrier 1, the 6th subcarrier is subcarrier 5, and the 10th subcarrier is subcarrier 9.

[0380] Where i can represent that the starting position of the first frequency domain resource in each RB is the i-th subcarrier. For example, referring to Figure 11, the starting position of the first frequency domain resource in each RB is the 2nd subcarrier (subcarrier index is 1, called subcarrier 1); j can be understood as the difference between two adjacent subcarrier indices in the first frequency domain resource. For example, referring to Figure 11, the difference between two adjacent subcarrier indices in the first frequency domain resource is 4 (for example, the difference between subcarrier 1 and subcarrier 5 is 4); a is an integer greater than or equal to 0, and a can take values ​​from 0 to a. max a max It is a positive integer, and i+a max ×j is less than or equal to 12. For example, referring to Figure 11, a can be 0, 1 or 2.

[0381] When the subcarrier index is not a sequentially arranged integer greater than or equal to 0, j can be understood as the sum of the number of spaced subcarriers between two adjacent subcarriers in the first frequency domain resource and 1.

[0382] In the second approach, the first frequency domain resource is similar to the PDCCH-DMRS frequency domain resource. The PDCCH-DMRS frequency domain resource is the 2nd, 6th, and 10th subcarriers in each RB, i.e., subcarrier 1, subcarrier 5, and subcarrier 9. Similarly, assuming i is 2, j is 4, and a can take values ​​of 0, 1, and 2, then the first frequency domain resource is the 2nd, 6th, and 10th subcarriers in each RB, as shown in Figure 11 or Figure 13. Alternatively, the first frequency domain resource can be subcarrier 1, subcarrier 5, and subcarrier 9 of each of the two RBs. The third frequency domain resource is the subcarriers included in the two RBs; that is, the first frequency domain resource is a subset of the subcarriers in the third frequency domain resource.

[0383] Figures 11 and 13 are merely examples. The first frequency domain resource can also be a portion of the subcarriers in the second frequency domain resource. For example, referring to Figure 11, the first frequency domain resource can be subcarriers 1, 5, and 9 in an RB occupied by the PDCCH, meaning that the RB above does not carry the first type of DMRS. This application does not impose specific limitations on this.

[0384] Figures 11 and 13 are merely examples. In this case, the first time-domain resource can also be some or all of the time units in the third time-domain resource. Therefore, in Figures 11 and 13, the first time-domain resource can, for example, be one or more OFDM symbols from OFDM symbol 2 to OFDM symbol 13. In other words, in the second approach, the first time-domain resource can be determined according to any of the methods described above. For the sake of brevity, they will not be shown individually here.

[0385] Figures 11 and 13 are merely examples; the values ​​of i, a, and j may vary. For instance, if i is 0, j is 4, and a can take values ​​from 1 to 3, then the first frequency domain resource is the 4th, 8th, and 12th subcarriers in each RB. For simplicity, these values ​​will not be shown individually here.

[0386] Furthermore, in this approach, the first frequency domain resource can be defined by a protocol or configured by the network device via signaling. For example, the DMRS configuration information may indicate that the first frequency domain resource is type 3. Here, type 3 is merely an example; type 3 can have other names, such as type c. Moreover, "the first frequency domain resource is type 3" can also be understood as, from a frequency domain perspective, the first type of DMRS is type 3.

[0387] For example, the protocol can specify the values ​​of i and j in i+a×j. For instance, if i is specified as 2 and j as 4, then since i+a×j is less than or equal to 12, a can take any of 0, 1, and 2. Alternatively, the protocol can specify the values ​​of i+a×j, for example, i+a×j can be specified as 2, 6, and 10. Or, the protocol can specify the first frequency domain resource as subcarrier 1, subcarrier 5, and subcarrier 9, which is equivalent to i+a×j being 2, 6, and 10. Based on this, the protocol can also specify a type 3 frequency domain resource, which is the i+a×j-th subcarrier in each RB. Thus, when the network device indicates type 3 to the terminal device via signaling, the terminal device can determine that the first frequency domain resource is the i+a×j-th subcarrier in each RB.

[0388] In the third approach, in each of the at least one RB, the first frequency domain resource includes at least one sub-frequency domain resource, each of the at least one sub-frequency domain resources includes Q adjacent subcarriers, the starting subcarriers of two adjacent sub-frequency domain resources are spaced P subcarriers apart, each of the at least one RB carries at least one of the information transmitted by PDCCH and the information transmitted by PDSCH, where P and Q are positive integers, and P is greater than or equal to Q.

[0389] At least one RB can be an RB occupied by the PDCCH or the PDSCH. Adjacent Q subcarriers can also be understood as Q consecutive subcarriers. For example, as shown in Figure 15, subcarrier 0 and subcarrier 1 are two adjacent subcarriers (Q=2); subcarrier 0, subcarrier 1, and subcarrier 2 are three adjacent subcarriers (Q=3), and so on. A gap of P subcarriers can also be understood as these P subcarriers not carrying Type I DMRS. For example, as shown in Figure 15, subcarrier 2 and subcarrier 0 are separated by one subcarrier, i.e., subcarrier 1, and subcarrier 1 does not carry Type I DMRS.

[0390] For example, referring to Figures 13, 14, or 15, at least one RB can be two RBs occupied by the PDSCH. The adjacent Q subcarriers can also be replaced by one subcarrier, such as in the first type DMRS shown in Figure 14, where each sub-frequency domain resource is one subcarrier, and there is a one-subcarrier interval between adjacent subcarriers. Alternatively, the adjacent Q subcarriers can be two adjacent subcarriers, and there can be a four-subcarrier interval between the starting subcarriers of two adjacent sub-frequency domain resources, such as in the first type DMRS shown in Figure 16.

[0391] Furthermore, the interval of P subcarriers between the starting subcarriers of two adjacent sub-frequency domain resources can also be replaced by: the interval of P subcarriers between the last subcarriers of two adjacent sub-frequency domain resources, or, in two adjacent sub-frequency domain resources, the interval of P subcarriers between the o-th subcarrier of one sub-frequency domain resource and the o-th subcarrier of the other sub-frequency domain resource, where o is a positive integer less than or equal to Q. This application does not impose specific limitations on this.

[0392] In Case 1, the first frequency domain resources are similar to those in DMRS Type 1. That is, the first frequency domain resources can be distributed at intervals.

[0393] For example, P can be 1 and Q can be 1, then the first frequency domain resources are distributed with a spacing of 1 subcarrier. The first frequency domain resources can be as shown in Figure 14 or Figure 15.

[0394] In this case, the first frequency domain resource can be a portion of the subcarriers in the third frequency domain resource, as shown in Figure 14 or Figure 15, where the first frequency domain resource is 50% of the subcarriers in the third frequency domain resource. In some possible implementations, the first frequency domain resource can also be made to be all the subcarriers in the third frequency domain resource through frequency division multiplexing or other methods. In this case, the first frequency domain resource is similar to the type 1 PDSCH-DMRS frequency domain resource shown in Figure 3.

[0395] For example, as shown in FIG17, the first frequency domain resource is all the subcarriers in the third frequency domain resource. Among them, the first type of DMRS mapped to antenna ports 1000, 1001, 1004, and 1005 occupies 50% of the subcarriers in the third frequency domain resource, and these subcarriers are distributed with a spacing of 1 subcarrier; the first type of DMRS mapped to antenna ports 1002, 1003, 1006, and 1007 occupies the remaining 50% of the subcarriers in the third frequency domain resource, and these subcarriers are also distributed with a spacing of 1 subcarrier.

[0396] Figures 14, 15, and 17 are merely examples. In this case, the first frequency domain resource can also be some or all of the subcarriers in the second frequency domain resource. In Figures 14, 15, and 17, the RBs not occupied by the PDCCH do not carry the first type of DMRS, that is, the RBs above do not carry the first type of DMRS.

[0397] Figures 14, 15, and 17 are merely examples; in this case, the first time-domain resource can occupy more OFDM symbols. Alternatively, the first time-domain resource can also be some or all of the time units in the second time-domain resource, in which case, in Figures 14, 15, and 17, the first time-domain resource can also be OFDM symbol 0 and / or OFDM symbol 1. In case 1, the first time-domain resource can be determined in any of the ways described above. For simplicity, they will not be shown one by one here.

[0398] In Case 2, the first frequency domain resource is similar to the frequency domain resource of DMRS Type 2. That is, the first frequency domain resource can be distributed with a spacing of 4 subcarriers, and every 2 subcarriers are connected together.

[0399] For example, P can be 4 and Q can be 2, then the first frequency domain resource is distributed with 4 subcarriers spaced apart, and every 2 subcarriers are connected together. In this case, the first frequency domain resource is similar to the type 2 PDSCH-DMRS frequency domain resource shown in Figure 4.

[0400] For example, as shown in FIG16, the first frequency domain resource is all the subcarriers in the third frequency domain resource. The first type of DMRS mapped to antenna ports 1000, 1001, 1006, and 1007 occupies 33.3% of the subcarriers in the third frequency domain resource, and these subcarriers are also distributed at intervals of 4 subcarriers, with every 2 subcarriers connected together; the first type of DMRS mapped to antenna ports 1002, 1003, 1008, and 1009 occupies 33.3% of the subcarriers in the third frequency domain resource, and these subcarriers are also distributed at intervals of 4 subcarriers, with every 2 subcarriers connected together; the first type of DMRS mapped to antenna ports 1004, 1005, 1010, and 1011 occupies 33.3% of the subcarriers in the third frequency domain resource, and these subcarriers are also distributed at intervals of 4 subcarriers, with every 2 subcarriers connected together.

[0401] Figure 16 is merely an example. The first frequency domain resource can also be a portion of the subcarriers in the third frequency domain resource. For instance, referring to Figure 16, the first frequency domain resource is the subcarriers occupied by the first type of DMRS mapped to antenna ports 1000, 1001, 1006, and 1007; or, the first frequency domain resource is the subcarriers occupied by the first type of DMRS mapped to antenna ports 1000, 1001, 1006, and 1007, and the subcarriers occupied by the first type of DMRS mapped to antenna ports 1002, 1003, 1008, and 1009, etc. For simplicity, they will not be shown one by one here.

[0402] Figure 16 is just an example. In this case, the first frequency domain resource can also be some or all of the subcarriers in the second frequency domain resource. In Figure 16, the RBs not occupied by the PDCCH do not carry the first type of DMRS, that is, the RBs above do not carry the first type of DMRS.

[0403] Figure 16 is merely an example; in this case, the first time-domain resource can occupy more OFDM symbols. Alternatively, the first time-domain resource can also be some or all of the time units in the second time-domain resource, in which case, in Figure 16, the first time-domain resource can also be OFDM symbol 0 and / or OFDM symbol 1. That is, in case 2, the first time-domain resource can be determined in any of the ways described above. For the sake of brevity, they will not be shown one by one here.

[0404] Furthermore, in this approach, the first frequency domain resource can be defined by a protocol or configured by the network device via signaling. For example, it can be type 1a or type 2a indicated by DMRS configuration information. The terminal device can then determine the first frequency domain resource. Here, type 1a or type 2a is merely an example; type 1a or type 2a can have other names, such as type 3 or type 4. Moreover, "the first frequency domain resource is type 1a" can also be understood as "the first type of DMRS is type 1a from a frequency domain perspective"; similarly, "the first frequency domain resource is type 1b" can also be understood as "the first type of DMRS is type 1b from a frequency domain perspective."

[0405] For example, the protocol may define frequency domain resources of type 1a, such as the first frequency domain resources shown in case 1; the protocol may define frequency domain resources of type 2a, such as the first frequency domain resources shown in case 2.

[0406] Based on the above embodiments, the first frequency domain resources can be agreed upon by the protocol or configured by the network device through signaling.

[0407] For example, the protocol may specify the subcarriers included in the first frequency domain resource, such as specifying the index of the subcarriers included in the first frequency domain resource; or, the network device may indicate the subcarriers included in the first frequency domain resource to the terminal device via signaling, such as indicating the index of the subcarriers included in the first frequency domain resource to the terminal device via signaling, and this index may be indicated by a formula or various parameters. The formula may be, for example, i + a × j, and the parameters may be, for example, P and Q. Furthermore, the formula may be of other forms, and the parameters may be other parameters. Alternatively, the protocol may directly specify, or the network device may indicate to the terminal device, the index of the subcarriers included in the first frequency domain resource. For example, the first frequency domain resource may include subcarrier 1, subcarrier 5, and subcarrier 9, etc.

[0408] The first type of DMRS in the embodiments of this application may be a front-end DMRS, or it may be other DMRS that can be used to demodulate information transmitted through PDCCH and PDSCH. This application does not make any specific limitation on this.

[0409] The communication device provided in the embodiments of this application will be described in detail below with reference to Figures 18 to 21. The description of the device embodiments corresponds to the description of the method embodiments. Therefore, for content not described in detail, please refer to the method embodiments above. For the sake of brevity, some content will not be repeated.

[0410] This application embodiment can divide the communication device into functional modules according to the above method example. For example, each function can be divided into its own functional modules, or two or more functions can be integrated into one processing module. The integrated modules can be implemented in hardware, software, or a combination of both. The module division in this application embodiment is illustrative and only represents one logical functional division; other division methods may be used in actual implementation. The following description uses the division of functional modules according to each function as an example.

[0411] Figure 18 is an exemplary block diagram of the communication device 10 provided in an embodiment of this application.

[0412] As shown in FIG18, for example, the communication device 10 may include a chip system 110, a memory 120, a bus 130, a power management module 140, or a transceiver 150, etc.

[0413] The chip system 110 can be an integrated circuit chip with signal processing capabilities. In implementation, each step of the above method can be completed through integrated logic circuits in the hardware of the chip system 110 or through software instructions.

[0414] By way of example and not limitation, chip system 110 may include circuitry or chips responsible for signal processing (such as a modem chip, also known as a baseband chip, or a system-on-chip (SoC) chip or system-in-package (SIP) chip containing a modem core).

[0415] Optionally, the chip system 110 may also include a memory (such as a cache) for storing instructions and data. In some embodiments, the memory in the chip system 110 is a cache memory. This memory can store instructions or data that the chip system 110 has just used or that are used repeatedly. If the chip system 110 needs to use the instruction or data again, it can directly retrieve it from the memory. This avoids repeated accesses, reduces the waiting time of the chip system 110, and thus improves the efficiency of the system.

[0416] In some embodiments, the chip system 110 may include one or more interfaces. Interfaces may include an inter-integrated circuit (I2C) interface, an inter-integrated circuit sound (I2S) interface, a pulse code modulation (PCM) interface, a universal asynchronous receiver / transmitter (UART) interface, a mobile industry processor interface (MIPI), a general-purpose input / output (GPIO) interface, a subscriber identity module (SIM) interface, and / or a universal serial bus (USB) interface, etc.

[0417] Memory 120 may include random access memory (RAM) and read-only memory (ROM). Memory 120 may store computer-readable, computer-executable code, including instructions that, when executed, cause the processor to perform the various functions described in this application.

[0418] Optionally, the code may include instructions for implementing various aspects of the embodiments of this application, such as instructions for sending first information. The code may be stored in a non-transitory computer-readable medium such as system memory or other types of memory. In some cases, the code may not be directly executable by the chip system 110, but may enable a computer (e.g., at compile and execution time) to perform the functions described in this application. In some cases, memory 120 may contain a basic I / O system that controls basic hardware or software operations, such as interaction with peripheral components or devices.

[0419] For example, the chip system 110 executes various functional applications and data processing of the communication device 10 by running instructions stored in the memory 120. For instance, when the communication device 10 transfers files with other devices (which may also be terminals or access network devices), the chip system 110 of the communication device 10 can call the computer-executable program code stored in the memory 120 to implement the communication method provided in the embodiments of this application.

[0420] In addition, the memory 120 can be integrated into the chip system 110 or independent of the chip system 110.

[0421] For example, bus 130 may be USB for supporting communication between various parts of communication device 10.

[0422] The power management module 140 is used to receive charging input from the charger. Optionally, the power management module 140 can also supply power to the communication device 10 while charging it (e.g., the battery module of the communication device 10). By way of example and not limitation, the power management module 140 can also supply power to other devices besides the communication device 10.

[0423] Transceiver 150 can communicate bidirectionally via one or more antennas, wired links, or wireless links. For example, transceiver 150 can represent a wireless transceiver and can communicate bidirectionally with another wireless transceiver. Transceiver 150 may also include a modem for modulating packets and providing the modulated packets to the antenna for transmission, and for demodulating packets received from the antenna. Transceiver 150 may include a receiver and a transmitter, the receiver performing the function of receiving information and the transmitter performing the function of transmitting information.

[0424] In some cases, a wireless device may include a single antenna. However, in other cases, the device may have more than one antenna, such as antenna 1 and antenna 2 as shown in FIG. 18, which may be capable of simultaneously transmitting or receiving multiple wireless transmissions. Exemplarily, antenna 1 and antenna 2 are used to transmit and receive electromagnetic wave signals. Each antenna in communication device 10 can be used to cover one or more communication frequency bands. Different antennas can also be multiplexed to improve antenna utilization. For example, antenna 1 can be multiplexed as a diversity antenna for a wireless local area network. In other embodiments, the antennas can be used in conjunction with a tuning switch. Communication device 10 can transfer files to other devices via wireless communication functions.

[0425] In one design, the communication device 20 may correspond to the first device in the above method embodiment.

[0426] The device 10 can implement the steps or processes corresponding to those performed by the first device in the above method embodiments. The transceiver 150 can be used to perform transmission and reception related operations of the first device in the above method embodiments, such as performing steps S1240, S1250 and S1260 in the above method embodiments. The chip system 110 can be used to perform processing related operations of the first device in the above method embodiments.

[0427] In another design, the communication device 10 may correspond to the second device in the above method embodiment.

[0428] The device 10 can implement the steps or processes corresponding to those performed by the second device in the above method embodiments. The transceiver 150 can be used to perform transmit / receive related operations of the second device in the above method embodiments, such as executing steps S1240, S1250, and S1260. The chip system 110 can be used to perform processing related operations of the second device in the above method embodiments, such as S1230.

[0429] In the design of the communication device 20 corresponding to the first device, the communication device 10 may include modules such as the short-range communication module 164, sensor 161, display 162, or camera 163 as shown in FIG18.

[0430] The short-range communication module 164 may include modules that support short-range communication, such as WiFi and Bluetooth.

[0431] For example, sensor 161 may include pressure sensor, gyroscope sensor, barometric pressure sensor, magnetic sensor, accelerometer, distance sensor, proximity sensor, fingerprint sensor, temperature sensor, touch sensor, ambient light sensor, bone conduction sensor, etc.

[0432] For example, display 162 is used to display images, videos, etc. The display includes a display panel. The display panel may be a liquid crystal display (LCD), an organic light-emitting diode (OLED), an active-matrix organic light-emitting diode (AMOLED), a flexible light-emitting diode (FLED), a mini light-emitting diode (LED), a micro LED, a micro OLED, a quantum dot light-emitting diode (QLED), etc. For example, in this embodiment, the display can be used to display the interface required by the communication device 10. For example, the communication device 10 implements display functions through a graphics processing unit (GPU), a display, and an application processor. The GPU is a microprocessor for image processing, connected to the display and the application processor. The GPU is used to perform mathematical and geometric calculations for graphics rendering. The chip system 110 may include one or more GPUs that execute program instructions to generate or modify display information.

[0433] For example, camera 163 is used to acquire images, videos, etc.

[0434] It is understood that the structure shown in Figure 18 does not constitute a specific limitation on the communication device 10, and the specific structure of the terminal device and / or access network device can be referred to Figure 18. In some embodiments, the communication device 10 may also include more or fewer components than shown in Figure 18, or combine some components, or split some components, or have different component arrangements, etc. Alternatively, some components shown in Figure 18 may be implemented in hardware, software, or a combination of software and hardware, and the terminal device and / or access network device may add or remove components based on the structure given in Figure 18.

[0435] Figure 19 is a schematic block diagram of the communication device 20 provided in an embodiment of this application.

[0436] As shown in Figure 19, the communication device 20 may include a baseband unit 210, which can communicate with external devices via a cellular radio frequency (RF) transceiver 220 (e.g., if the communication device 20 is a terminal device, the baseband unit 210 can communicate with access network devices via the cellular RF transceiver 220; or, if the communication device 20 is an access network device, the baseband unit 210 can communicate with terminal devices and / or core network devices via the cellular RF transceiver 220).

[0437] Exemplarily, baseband unit 210 may include a computer-readable medium / memory. Baseband unit 210 may be responsible for general processing, including the execution of software stored on the computer-readable medium / memory. When executed by baseband unit 304, the software causes baseband unit 210 to perform the various functions described above. The computer-readable medium / memory may also be used to store data manipulated by baseband unit 210 during software execution.

[0438] Optionally, the baseband unit 210 further includes a receiving unit 201, a management unit 202, and a transmitting unit 203. The management unit 202, also called a processing unit, includes the one or more sub-units shown in FIG. 19. For example, at least one of a first-type DMRS demodulation sub-unit, a PDCCH demodulation sub-unit, or a PDSCH demodulation sub-unit. The first-type DMRS demodulation sub-unit can be used to demodulate the first-type DMRS in the above method embodiments. The PDCCH demodulation sub-unit can be used to demodulate the PDCCH in the above method embodiments. The PDSCH demodulation sub-unit can be used to demodulate the PDSCH in the above method embodiments. The units within the management unit 201 can be stored in a computer-readable medium / memory and / or configured as hardware within the baseband unit 210. The receiving unit 201 and the transmitting unit 203 can be combined into a transceiver unit.

[0439] When the communication device 20 is used to implement the functions of the first device in the above method embodiments, the receiving unit 201 is used to execute the receiving step of the first device, the sending unit 203 is used to execute the sending step of the first device, and the management unit 202 is used to execute the processing steps of the first device other than sending and receiving.

[0440] For example, when the communication device 20 is used to implement the function of the first device in the above method embodiments, the receiving unit 201 receives a first type of DMRS, wherein the first type of DMRS corresponds to N ports, N is a preset number of ports, and N is an integer greater than 1. The receiving unit 201 is used to receive PDCCH information, the PDCCH information corresponding to the first port among the N ports. The receiving unit 201 is used to receive PDSCH, the PDSCH corresponding to some or all of the ports among the N ports except the first port.

[0441] For example, when the device 20 is used to perform the method in FIG12, the receiving unit 201 can be used to perform the step of receiving information in the method; the management unit 202 can be used to perform the processing step in the method; and the sending unit 203 can be used to perform the step of sending information in the method.

[0442] When the communication device 20 is used to implement the function of the second device in the above method embodiments, the receiving unit 201 is used to execute the receiving step of the second device, the sending unit 203 is used to execute the sending step of the second device, and the management unit 202 is used to execute the processing step of the second device.

[0443] For example, when the communication device 20 is used to implement the function of the second device in the above method embodiments, the management unit 202 is used to determine the first type of DMRS, wherein the first type of DMRS corresponds to N ports, N is a preset number of ports, and N is an integer greater than 1; the sending unit 203 is used to output the information of the first DMRS, PDCCH and PDSCH, wherein the information of the PDCCH corresponds to the first port among the N ports, and the PDSCH corresponds to some or all of the ports other than the first port among the N ports.

[0444] For example, when the device 20 is used to perform the method in FIG12, the receiving unit 201 can be used to perform the step of receiving information in the method; the management unit 202 can be used to perform the processing steps other than sending and receiving in the method; and the sending unit 203 can be used to perform the step of sending information in the method.

[0445] For a more detailed description of the receiving unit 201, management unit 202 and sending unit 203, please refer to the relevant descriptions in the above method embodiments, which will not be repeated here.

[0446] By way of example and not limitation, the chip system in this application is shown in FIG20, which is a schematic block diagram of the chip system 30 provided in an embodiment of this application. The chip system includes, but is not limited to, a modem chip, also known as a baseband chip, or a system-on-chip (SoC) chip or a system-in-package (SIP) chip containing a modem core.

[0447] As can be seen from Figure 20, the chip system (or processing system) includes a processor 310 and an input / output interface 330, and may further include a memory 320. The memory may be located within the chip system, built into the processor, or be an independent memory outside the chip system.

[0448] The processor 310 can be a processing circuit in the chip system (including at least one processor, such as processor 1 and processor 2 as shown in FIG. 20). The processor 310 can be coupled to the memory 320 to call the instructions in the memory 320, so that the chip system can implement the methods and functions of the various embodiments of this application. The input / output interface 330 can be an input / output circuit in the chip system, which outputs the information processed by the chip system, or inputs the data or signaling information to be processed into the chip system for processing.

[0449] As one approach, the chip system is used to implement the operations performed by the first or second device in the various method embodiments described above.

[0450] For example, processor 310 is used to implement the processing-related operations performed by the first device or the second device in the above method embodiments, as described in the foregoing embodiments; input / output interface 330 is used to implement the sending and / or receiving-related operations performed by the first device or the second device in the above method embodiments, as described in the foregoing embodiments.

[0451] As an example and not a limitation, the chip system in this application is shown in FIG21, which is a schematic block diagram of the chip system 40 provided in an embodiment of this application.

[0452] As shown in Figure 21, the chip system (or processing system) includes an input / output interface 410 and logic circuitry 420. The input / output interface 410 can be an input / output circuit within the chip system, outputting processed information or inputting data or signaling information to be processed. For details, please refer to the description in the preceding embodiments, such as the embodiment shown in Figure 12. The logic circuitry 420 is used to execute the aforementioned communication method, and for details, please refer to the description in the preceding embodiments.

[0453] As one approach, the chip system is used to implement the operations performed by the first or second device in the various method embodiments described above.

[0454] For example, logic circuit 420 is used to implement processing-related operations performed by the first device or the second device in the above method embodiments; input / output interface 410 is used to implement sending and / or receiving-related operations performed by the first device or the second device in the above method embodiments.

[0455] This application also provides a computer-readable storage medium storing computer instructions for implementing the methods executed by the device in the above-described method embodiments.

[0456] For example, when the computer program is executed by a computer, it enables the computer to implement the methods performed by the first or second device in the various embodiments of the above methods.

[0457] This application also provides a computer program product comprising instructions which, when executed by a computer, implement the methods performed by the first or second device in the above-described method embodiments.

[0458] This application also provides a communication system, including the aforementioned first device and second device.

[0459] 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.

[0460] Those skilled in the art will recognize that the units and algorithm steps of the various examples described in conjunction with the embodiments disclosed herein can be implemented in electronic hardware, or a combination of computer software and electronic hardware. Whether these functions are implemented in hardware or software depends on the specific application and design constraints of the technical solution. Those skilled in the art can use different methods to implement the described functions for each specific application, but such implementation should not be considered beyond the scope of this application.

[0461] Those skilled in the art will understand that, for the sake of convenience and brevity, the specific working processes of the systems, devices, and units described above can be referred to the corresponding processes in the foregoing method embodiments, and will not be repeated here.

[0462] In the several embodiments provided in this application, it should be understood that the disclosed systems, apparatuses, and methods can be implemented in other ways. For example, the apparatus embodiments described above are merely illustrative; for instance, the division of units is only a logical functional division, and in actual implementation, there may be other division methods. For example, multiple units or components may be combined or integrated into another system, or some features may be ignored or not executed. Furthermore, the coupling or direct coupling or communication connection shown or discussed may be through some interfaces; the indirect coupling or communication connection between apparatuses or units may be electrical, mechanical, or other forms.

[0463] The units described as separate components may or may not be physically separate. The components shown as units may or may not be physical units; that is, they may be located in one place or distributed across multiple network units. Some or all of the units can be selected to achieve the purpose of this embodiment according to actual needs.

[0464] In addition, the functional units in the various embodiments of this application can be integrated into one processing unit, or each unit can exist physically separately, or two or more units can be integrated into one unit.

[0465] If the aforementioned functions are implemented as software functional units and sold or used as independent products, they can be stored in a computer-readable storage medium. Based on this understanding, the technical solution of this application, in essence, or the part that contributes to the prior art, or a portion of the technical solution, can be embodied in the form of a software product. This computer software product is stored in a storage medium and includes several instructions to cause a computer device (which may be a personal computer, server, or network device, etc.) to execute all or part of the steps of the methods described in the various embodiments of this application. The aforementioned storage medium includes various media capable of storing program code, such as USB flash drives, portable hard drives, read-only memory (ROM), random access memory (RAM), magnetic disks, or optical disks.

Claims

1. A method for demodulation reference signal (DMRS) -based communication, the method comprising: The method comprises: receiving a first type of DMRS, wherein the first type of DMRS corresponds to N ports, N being a preset number of ports, N being an integer greater than 1; receiving information of a physical downlink control channel (PDCCH), the information of the PDCCH corresponding to a first port of the N ports; receiving a physical downlink shared channel (PDSCH), the PDSCH corresponding to part or all of the N ports except the first port.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein, The N ports further include a second port, and the information of the PDCCH is used to indicate the second port. The receiving the PDSCH comprises: receiving the PDSCH corresponding to the second port. 3.A method for demodulation reference signal (DMRS) -based communication, comprising: It comprises: determining a first type of DMRS, wherein the first type of DMRS corresponds to N ports, N being a preset number of ports, N being an integer greater than 1; outputting the first type of DMRS, information of a physical downlink control channel (PDCCH), and a physical downlink shared channel (PDSCH), the information of the PDCCH corresponding to a first port of the N ports, and the PDSCH corresponding to part or all of the N ports except the first port.

4. The method of claim 3, wherein, The N ports further include a second port, and the information of the PDCCH is used to indicate the second port.

5. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 4, characterized in that, The N is the maximum number of ports supported by the first type of DMRS.

6. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 5, characterized in that, The information of the PDCCH is downlink control information (DCI).

7. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 6, characterized in that, The index of the first port is the first one in the indexes of the N ports.

8. The method of claim 7, wherein, The index of the first port is 1000.

9. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 8, characterized in that, The N ports further include a second port, and the second port corresponds to the PDSCH; wherein The ports of the N ports except the first port and the second port correspond to 0 symbol or data padding.

10. A communications device, characterized by It comprises at least one module or at least one unit, and the at least one module or the at least one unit is used to execute the method in any one of claims 1 to 9.

11. A communications device, characterized by It comprises: a processor, configured to execute the method in any one of claims 1 to 9 by executing computer programs or instructions.

12. The communication apparatus according to claim 11, wherein, The communication device further comprises a memory, configured to store the computer programs or the instructions.

13. A computer-readable storage medium, characterized in that, The computer readable storage medium stores computer programs or instructions, and when the computer programs or the instructions are executed, the method in any one of claims 1 to 9 is executed.

14. A computer program product, characterised in that, It comprises computer programs or instructions, and when the computer programs or the instructions are executed, the method in any one of claims 1 to 9 is realized.

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