Communication method and apparatus

Abstract

Embodiments of the present application relate to the technical field of communications, and relate to a communication method and apparatus. The method is applied to a network device. The method comprises: at a plurality of first moments, sending channel state information-reference signals (CSI-RSs) to a terminal, wherein the CSI-RSs are weighted by means of beamforming matrices corresponding to the CSI-RSs; at a second moment, receiving a precoding matrix indicator (PMI) sent by the terminal; and determining a beamforming weight of a physical downlink shared channel (PDSCH) on the basis of the PMI received at the second moment and the beamforming matrix corresponding to the CSI-RS sent at a first target moment among the plurality of first moments, wherein the first target moment is a moment closest to the second moment among the first moments whose time intervals with the second moment are greater than or equal to a specified time. In this way, the accuracy of calculation of beamforming weights of PDSCHs by base stations can be improved, and the communication performance can be improved.

Description

A communication method and apparatus

[0001] The present application claims priority from the Chinese patent application No. 202411048269.7 filed on July 31, 2024, and entitled "A communication method and apparatus", the content of which is incorporated herein by reference in its entirety. TECHNICAL FIELD

[0002] Embodiments of the present application relate to the field of communication technology, in particular to a communication method and apparatus. BACKGROUND

[0003] Multi-antenna technology is a major breakthrough in the field of wireless communication, also known as multiple-input multiple-output (MIMO) technology. This technology can improve the capacity and spectrum utilization of a communication system without increasing the bandwidth, and can improve the reliability of the channel without increasing the overall transmission power of the system, and reduce the bit error rate. It is a key technology adopted by the new generation of mobile communication systems.

[0004] In a MIMO system, a precoding technology can be used. Taking a MIMO system using the third generation partnership project (3GPP) release 17 version protocol as an example, the system includes a base station and a terminal. The base station sends a weighted channel state information-reference signal (CSI-RS) to the terminal. The terminal sends a precoding matrix indicator (PMI) to the base station based on the CSI-RS. The base station obtains the beamforming weight of the physical downlink shared channel (PDSCH) according to the PMI. The base station weights the service data based on the beamforming weight of the PDSCH. The base station continuously adjusts the beamforming weight through the PMI fed back by the terminal, so that it is more suitable for the current channel condition, thereby improving the communication quality between the base station and the terminal. However, the calculation of the beamforming weight of the PDSCH by the base station can be inaccurate, resulting in a loss of communication performance. SUMMARY

[0005] Embodiments of the present application provide a communication method and apparatus, which solve the problem that the calculation of the beamforming weight of the PDSCH by the base station in the prior art can be inaccurate, resulting in a loss of communication performance.

[0006] To achieve the above object, the present application adopts the following technical solutions:

[0007] In a first aspect, a communication method is provided, applied to a network device, the method comprising: at a plurality of first time instants, sending channel state information-reference signals (CSI-RSs) to a terminal, the CSI-RSs being weighted by beamforming matrices corresponding to the CSI-RSs; at a second time instant, receiving a precoding matrix indicator (PMI) sent by the terminal; and determining a beamforming weight of a physical downlink shared channel (PDSCH) according to the PMI received at the second time instant and a beamforming matrix corresponding to a CSI-RS sent at a first target time instant among the plurality of first time instants, the first target time instant being a time instant closest to the second time instant among the first time instants having a time interval greater than or equal to a specified time from the second time instant.

[0008] In the above technical solution, the latest CSI-RS at the second time instant can not be the CSI-RS corresponding to the PMI received at the second time instant. Therefore, the first time instant closest to the second time instant can not be the required first target time instant. By adding the condition that the time interval between the first target time instant and the second time instant is greater than or equal to the specified time, the PMI received at the second time instant can be more accurately determined to correspond to the CSI-RS sent at which time instant, so as to perform calculation. In this way, the beamforming matrix actually used in the calculation of the beamforming weight of the PDSCH can be consistent with the beamforming matrix that should be used, so as to improve the accuracy of the calculation of the beamforming weight of the PDSCH and avoid performance loss of communication between the base station and the terminal.

[0009] In a possible implementation manner of the first aspect, the specified time is a time at which the terminal obtains the PMI according to the CSI-RS. In the above possible implementation manner, the specified time is the time at which the terminal obtains the PMI according to the CSI-RS. In this way, it can be determined that the terminal has processed the CSI-RS sent at the first target time instant and obtained the PMI according to the CSI-RS. Therefore, the beamforming weight of the PDSCH can be calculated according to the CSI-RS sent at the first target time instant and the PMI received at the second time instant.

[0010] In a possible implementation manner of the first aspect, the method further includes: receiving, at multiple third time instants, sounding reference signals (SRSs) sent by the terminal; the SRSs are used to determine the beamforming matrix. Storing the beamforming matrix determined according to the previous two new SRSs, the previous two new SRSs being the SRSs received at the most recent two third time instants. In the possible implementation manner, storing the beamforming matrix determined according to the previous two new SRSs can more accurately determine the beamforming matrix used to calculate the beamforming weight of the PDSCH.

[0011] In a possible implementation manner of the first aspect, the method further includes: releasing the beamforming matrix determined according to the less new SRS, the less new SRS being the SRS received at the third time instant before the most recent two third time instants. In the possible implementation manner, releasing the beamforming matrix determined according to the less new SRS can save storage space.

[0012] In a possible implementation manner of the first aspect, the method further includes: storing a correspondence between the most recent two first time instants and the beamforming matrices corresponding to the two first time instants. In the possible implementation manner, storing the correspondence between the most recent two first time instants and the beamforming matrices corresponding to the two first time instants can determine the correct beamforming matrix through the first time instant, and the calculation result of the beamforming weight of the PDSCH is more accurate.

[0013] In a possible implementation manner of the first aspect, the method further includes: sending downlink service data to the terminal, the downlink service data being weighted by the beamforming weight. In the possible implementation manner, the downlink service data sent to the terminal is weighted by the beamforming weight, which can improve the communication quality.

[0014] In a possible implementation manner of the second aspect, the processing module is specifically configured to: determine the beamforming weight of the PDSCH according to the PMI received at the second time instant and the beamforming matrix corresponding to the CSI-RS sent at the first target time instant in the multiple first time instants; the first target time instant is the time instant closest to the second time instant among the first time instants with a time interval greater than or equal to a specified time from the second time instant.

[0015] In a possible implementation manner of the second aspect, the specified time is a time at which the terminal obtains the PMI according to the CSI-RS.

[0016] In a possible implementation manner of the second aspect, the apparatus further includes a storage module. The receiving module is further configured to receive SRSs sent by the terminal at multiple third time instants; the SRSs are used to determine the beamforming matrix. The storage module is configured to store the beamforming matrix determined according to the two latest SRSs, the two latest SRSs being the SRSs received at the two latest third time instants.

[0017] In a possible implementation manner of the second aspect, the storage module is further configured to release the beamforming matrix determined according to the second latest SRS, the second latest SRS being the SRS received at the third time instant before the two latest third time instants.

[0018] In a possible implementation manner of the second aspect, the storage module is further configured to store a correspondence between the two latest first time instants and the beamforming matrices corresponding to the two latest first time instants.

[0019] In a possible implementation manner of the second aspect, the sending module is further configured to send downlink service data to the terminal, the downlink service data being weighted by the beamforming weight.

[0020] In a third aspect, a communication apparatus is provided, which includes a processor, a memory and a transceiver; the memory is configured to store computer instructions; when the processor executes the instructions, the processor and the transceiver perform the method provided in the first aspect or any possible implementation manner of the first aspect.

[0021] In a fourth aspect, a computer readable storage medium is provided, and the computer readable storage medium stores program codes; the program codes can be invoked by a processor to execute the method provided in the first aspect or any possible implementation manner of the first aspect.

[0022] In a fifth aspect, a computer program product is provided, and when the computer program product runs on a computer, the computer program product causes the computer to execute the method provided in the first aspect or any possible implementation manner of the first aspect.

[0023] It can be understood that any of the communication apparatus, computer storage medium or computer program product provided above are used to execute the corresponding method provided above, and therefore, the beneficial effects achieved by the communication apparatus, computer storage medium or computer program product can refer to the beneficial effects of the corresponding method provided above, which will not be described herein again. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS

[0024] FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram of a communication system provided by an embodiment of the present application;

[0025] FIG. 2 is a communication time slot diagram provided by an embodiment of the present application;

[0026] FIG. 3 is a schematic diagram of a communication method provided by an embodiment of the present application;

[0027] FIG. 4 is a schematic diagram of a communication method according to an embodiment of the present application;

[0028] FIG. 5 is a schematic diagram of a communication device according to an embodiment of the present application;

[0029] FIG. 6 is a schematic diagram of a communication device according to an embodiment of the present application;

[0030] FIG. 7 is a schematic diagram of a communication device according to an embodiment of the present application;

[0031] FIG. 8 is a schematic diagram of a communication method according to an embodiment of the present application;

[0032] FIG. 9 is a schematic diagram of a communication device according to an embodiment of the present application. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0033] In the embodiments of the present application, "at least one" means one or more, and "multiple" means two or more. The "and / or" describes the association relationship of the associated objects, which means that there can be three kinds of relationships, for example, A and / or B, which can represent the following three cases: A exists alone, A and B exist together, and B exists alone, where A and B can be singular or plural. "At least one of the following" or similar expressions means any combination of these items, including any combination of single or multiple items. For example, at least one of a, b or c can represent a, b, c, a-b, a-c, b-c or a-b-c, where a, b and c can be single or multiple. In addition, in the embodiments of the present application, "first", "second", etc. do not limit the quantity and execution order.

[0034] In the embodiments of the present application, the words "exemplary" or "for example" are used to mean serving as an example, instance, or illustration. Any embodiment or design scheme described as "exemplary" or "for example" in the present application should not be interpreted as being more preferred or advantageous than other embodiments or design schemes. Rather, the use of the words "exemplary" or "for example" is intended to present concepts in a particular manner.

[0035] In the embodiments of this application, "information", "signal", "message", "channel", and "signaling" can be used interchangeably at times. It should be pointed out that when the distinction is not emphasized, the meanings expressed are matched. "Of", "corresponding", and "relevant" can be used interchangeably at times. It should be pointed out that when the distinction is not emphasized, the meanings expressed are matched. In addition, " / " mentioned in this application can be used to represent the relationship of "or".

[0036] The embodiments of this application will present various aspects, embodiments or features around a system that can include multiple devices, components, modules, etc. It should be understood and appreciated that each system can include additional devices, components, modules, etc., and / or can not include all the devices, components, modules, etc. discussed in conjunction with the accompanying drawings. In addition, various embodiments can also constitute complete solutions in a permutation and combination manner.

[0037] For the convenience of understanding the embodiments of this application, first, a communication system suitable for the embodiments of this application is described in detail taking a communication system as an example. The communication system of the embodiments of this application can comply with the wireless communication standard of the third generation partnership project (3GPP), or can comply with other wireless communication standards, such as the wireless communication standard of the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE) 802 series (such as 802.11, 802.15, or 802.20). As shown in FIG. 1, the communication system of the embodiments of this application includes devices (such as core network elements and access network devices) that provide wireless network services and devices (such as terminals) that use wireless network services.

[0038] Exemplarily, the devices that provide wireless network services refer to devices that constitute a wireless communication network, which can be referred to as network devices or network elements. Network elements can be referred to as network elements. Network devices are usually attributed to operators or infrastructure providers. Network devices can be further divided into radio access network (RAN) devices and core network (CN) elements. In the embodiments of this application, radio access network devices are referred to as access network devices.

[0039] The access network device is configured to implement access-related functions, and can provide access functions for authorized users in a specific area, and can determine transmission links with different qualities to transmit user data according to the level of a user, the demand of a service, and the like. The access network device forwards control signals and user data between a terminal and a core network element. The access network device includes a base station (BS). The base station can also be referred to as a wireless access point (AP) or a transmission reception point (TRP). Specifically, the base station can be a general Node B (gNB) in a 5G new radio (NR) system, an evolutional Node B (eNB) of a 4G long term evolution (LTE) system. According to the physical form or the transmission power of the base station, the base station can be divided into a macro base station or a micro base station. The micro base station is also sometimes referred to as a small base station or a small cell. In future mobile communication systems, the access network device can also have other naming methods, which are all included in the protection scope of the embodiments of the present application, and the present application does not make any limitation on this.

[0040] Further, the core network element is mainly responsible for maintaining the subscription data of the mobile network, and provides the terminal with functions such as session management, mobility management, policy management, and security authentication. The core network element includes network elements such as a user plane function (UPF), an authentication server function (AUSF), an access and mobility management function (AMF), a session management function (SMF), a network slice selection function (NSSF), a network exposure function (NEF), a network function repository function (NRF), a policy control function (PCF), a unified data management (UDM), a unified data repository (UDR), and an application function (AF).

[0041] In addition, the access network device can be connected with the core network element in a wireless or wired manner, and the core network element and the access network device can be set as independent and different physical devices, or the functions of the core network element and the logical functions of the access network device can be integrated on the same physical device, or a physical device can integrate part of the functions of the core network element and part of the functions of the access network device.

[0042] Exemplarily, a device using wireless network service is usually located at the edge of the network, which can be simply referred to as a terminal. The terminal can establish a connection with a network device and provide wireless communication services for users based on the services of the network device. Since the terminal is more closely related to the user, the terminal is sometimes also referred to as user equipment (UE) or subscriber unit (SU). In addition, compared with the base station which is usually placed in a fixed location, the terminal tends to move with the user and is sometimes also referred to as a mobile station (MS). In addition, some network devices, such as relay nodes (RN) or wireless routers, etc., can also be considered as terminals because they have UE identity or belong to users. When the terminal is located in the service range of the access network device, the access network device can access the terminal to the wireless communication network, and the core network element can manage the terminal. The terminal in the embodiments of the present application can be a mobile phone, a cellular phone, a smart phone, a tablet computer (Pad), a wireless data card, a personal digital assistant computer (PDA), a wireless modem, a handset, a laptop computer, a machine type communication (MTC) terminal, a computer with wireless transceiver function, a virtual reality (VR) terminal, an augmented reality (AR) terminal, a smart home device (for example, a refrigerator, a television, an air conditioner, an electricity meter, etc.), a smart robot, a mechanical arm, a workshop device, a wireless terminal in industrial control, a wireless terminal in self driving, a wireless terminal in remote medical, a wireless terminal in smart grid, a wireless terminal in transportation safety, a wireless terminal in smart city, a wireless terminal in smart home, a vehicle-mounted terminal, a road side unit (RSU) with terminal function, etc., a flight device (for example, a smart robot, a hot air balloon, a drone, an airplane), etc. The terminal in the embodiments of the present application can also be a vehicle-mounted module, a vehicle-mounted module, a vehicle-mounted component, a vehicle-mounted chip or a vehicle-mounted unit built in a vehicle as one or more components or units.

[0043] Multi-antenna technology, also known as multiple-input multiple-output (MIMO) technology, is a key technology in the field of wireless communication to improve the robustness of wireless links or improve the spectral efficiency. One principle of multi-antenna technology is to use some characteristics of the channel to form multi-layer transmission matching the characteristics of the channel, and the radiation direction of the signal is very targeted, which can effectively improve the system performance and obtain significant performance improvement without increasing bandwidth and power.

[0044] The communication system of the embodiments of the present application can be a MIMO system, and a precoding technology is adopted. Taking an example of the communication system including a network device and a terminal, the network device receives a sounding reference signal (SRS) sent by the terminal. The network device calculates a beamforming matrix of a channel state information-reference signal (CSI-RS) according to the SRS. The network device obtains a weighted CSI-RS according to the beamforming matrix, and the network device sends the CSI-RS to the terminal. The terminal sends a precoding matrix indicator (PMI) to the network device based on the CSI-RS. The network device obtains a beamforming weight of a physical downlink shared channel (PDSCH) according to the PMI and the beamforming matrix of the CSI-RS. The network device weights service data based on the beamforming weight of the PDSCH. The network device continuously adjusts the beamforming weight through the PMI fed back by the terminal, so that the beamforming weight is more suitable for the current channel condition, thereby improving the communication quality between the network device and the terminal.

[0045] Exemplarily, as shown in FIG. 2, the network device receives SRSs at multiple third time instants. For example, SRS1 is received at TC1, and SRS2 is received at TC2. The network device calculates a beamforming matrix (the beamforming matrix is referred to as a matrix for short) for weighting CSI-RS according to the SRSs. For example, the network device calculates matrix 1 according to SRS1, and calculates matrix 2 according to SRS2. The network device transmits CSI-RSs weighted by the beamforming matrix to the terminal at multiple first time instants. For example, the network device transmits CSI-RS1 to the terminal at TA1, transmits CSI-RS2 to the terminal at TA2, transmits CSI-RS3 to the terminal at TA3, and transmits CSI-RS4 to the terminal at TA4. Exemplarily, the network device can continuously receive SRSs, and in order to save computing overhead, the network device only uses part of the SRSs to calculate the beamforming matrix. In the embodiment of the present application, the SRSs received at the multiple third time instants refer to the SRSs used to calculate the beamforming matrix among all the SRSs received by the network device. The time interval for the network device to calculate the beamforming matrix according to the SRSs is relatively long, for example, 320 milliseconds; and the time interval for the network device to transmit the CSI-RS to the terminal is relatively short, for example, 40 milliseconds. As can be seen from FIG. 2, CSI-RS1, CSI-RS2 and CSI-RS3 are weighted by matrix 1, and CSI-RS4 is weighted by matrix 2. The network device receives PMIs sent by the terminal at multiple second time instants. For example, PMI1 is received at TB1, PMI2 is received at TB2, PMI3 is received at TB3, and PMI4 is received at TB4. PMI1 is obtained by the terminal according to CSI-RS1, PMI2 is obtained by the terminal according to CSI-RS2, PMI3 is obtained by the terminal according to CSI-RS3, and PMI4 is obtained by the terminal according to CSI-RS4. Since the terminal needs a period of time to receive and process the CSI-RS, there is a time interval (for example, TB1-TA1) between the second time instant at which the network device receives the PMI and the first time instant of the CSI-RS corresponding to the PMI. After receiving the PMI, the network device calculates the beamforming weight of PDSCH according to the PMI and the beamforming matrix of the CSI-RS corresponding to the PMI. For example, the network device receives PMI1 at TB1, calculates the beamforming weight according to PMI1 and matrix 1 of CSI-RS1 corresponding to PMI1.

[0046] In a possible implementation, when the network device receives the PMI at the second time, the network device selects the beamforming matrix corresponding to the latest CSI-RS to calculate the beamforming weight of the PDSCH. For example, the network device receives the PMI3 at the TB3 time. Since the terminal sends the PMI3 later than the network device sends the CSI-RS4, the CSI-RS4 is the latest CSI-RS. In this way, the network device calculates the beamforming weight of the PDSCH according to the matrix 2 corresponding to the PMI3 and the CSI-RS4. However, the correct algorithm should be that the network device calculates according to the matrix 1 corresponding to the PMI3 and the CSI-RS3. In this implementation, in the process of calculating the beamforming weight of the PDSCH, the actual beamforming matrix used in the calculation is inconsistent with the beamforming matrix that should be used, which causes the communication performance loss between the network device and the terminal. For example, the communication performance between the sending time of the CSI-RS3 and the CSI-RS4 is affected. The performance loss in the affected period can reach 10% to 20%, and the overall performance loss (such as download speed) can reach 1.25% to 2.5%.

[0047] In another possible implementation, when the network device receives the PMI at the second time, if the second time is very close to the sending time of the latest CSI-RS, it can be considered that the terminal has not had time to process the latest CSI-RS and send the corresponding PMI. Therefore, the network device selects the beamforming matrix corresponding to the CSI-RS before the latest CSI-RS to calculate the beamforming weight of the PDSCH. In this implementation, the problem that the terminal sends the PMI late (for example, the terminal sends the PMI3 later than the network device sends the CSI-RS4) is considered. That is, it is considered that the latest CSI-RS at the second time may not be the CSI-RS corresponding to the PMI received at the second time. Therefore, it can be avoided that the actual beamforming matrix used in the calculation is inconsistent with the beamforming matrix that should be used in the process of calculating the beamforming weight of the PDSCH. Therefore, the communication performance loss between the network device and the terminal can be avoided.

[0048] Embodiments of the present application provide a communication method applied to the above communication system, which can be executed by the network device. Embodiments of the present application can be applied to various wireless communication network technologies such as 4G network, 5G network, wireless fidelity (WiFi) network, and the like. As shown in FIG. 3, the method at least includes the following steps:

[0049] S110: At a plurality of first times, the network device sends a CSI-RS to a terminal.

[0050] Exemplarily, the first time can be a time predefined or configured by a protocol for sending the CSI-RS, or a sending occasion, or any other possible expression, and the embodiments of the present application do not make any limitation in this aspect. The multiple first times can be periodic times or non-periodic times. For example, the multiple first times can be TA1, TA2, TA3 and TA4 in FIG. 2. The CSI-RS is weighted by the beamforming matrix corresponding to the CSI-RS.

[0051] S120: At the second time, the network device receives the PMI sent by the terminal.

[0052] Exemplarily, the second time can be a time predefined or configured by a protocol for the terminal to feed back the report information, or a sending occasion, or any other possible expression, and the embodiments of the present application do not make any limitation in this aspect. The report information can be the PMI. The multiple second times can be periodic times. For example, the multiple second times can be TB1, TB2, TB3 and TB4 in FIG. 2.

[0053] S130: The network device determines the beamforming weight of the PDSCH according to the PMI received at the second time and the beamforming matrix corresponding to the CSI-RS sent at the first target time in the multiple first times.

[0054] Exemplarily, the first target time can be a time closest to the second time in the first times with a time interval greater than or equal to a specified time. The specified time can be a time required by the terminal to process signals / data, which can also be referred to as a processing delay, and specifically can be a time for the terminal to obtain the PMI according to the CSI-RS. In this way, it can be determined that the terminal has processed the CSI-RS sent at the first target time, and the terminal obtains the PMI according to the CSI-RS. Therefore, the beamforming weight of the PDSCH can be calculated according to the CSI-RS sent at the first target time and the PMI received at the second target time.

[0055] For another example, the network device can receive the PMI at a second target time in the plurality of second times. The network device determines that a time interval between the second target time and a first time is greater than or equal to the specified time, and that a time closest to the second target time in the first time is the first target time. The network device calculates the beamforming weight of the PDSCH according to the PMI and the beamforming matrix corresponding to the CSI-RS sent at the first target time. For example, in FIG. 3, the network device sends the CSI-RS3 at TA3 and the CSI-RS4 at TA4. The network device receives the PMI3 at TB3. The time interval 1 between the TA4 at which the network device sends the CSI-RS4 and the TB3 at which the network device receives the PMI3 is less than the specified time. The terminal has not finished processing the CSI-RS4 at the TB3, and the CSI-RS4 is not the CSI-RS corresponding to the PMI3, so the TA4 is not the first target time. The time interval 2 between the TA3 at which the network device sends the CSI-RS3 and the TB3 at which the network device receives the PMI3 is greater than or equal to the specified time. The terminal has finished processing the CSI-RS3 at the TB3, and the CSI-RS3 is the CSI-RS corresponding to the PMI3, so the TA3 is the first target time. In some cases, the time at which the terminal sends the PMI after finishing processing the CSI-RS to obtain the PMI also needs to be considered. Therefore, the time interval between the TB3 and the TA3 is usually greater than the specified time. The network device determines the beamforming weight of the PDSCH according to the PMI3 and the beamforming matrix corresponding to the CSI-RS3.

[0056] In this embodiment, the latest CSI-RS at the second target time can not be the CSI-RS corresponding to the PMI received at the second target time. Therefore, the first time closest to the second target time can not be the required first target time. By adding the condition that the time interval between the first target time and the second target time is greater than or equal to the specified time, the PMI received at the second target time can be more accurately determined to correspond to the CSI-RS sent at which time to perform the calculation. In this way, the beamforming matrix actually used in the calculation of the beamforming weight of the PDSCH can be consistent with the beamforming matrix that should be used, so that the communication performance loss between the network device and the terminal can be avoided.

[0057] In some possible embodiments, the method can further include at least one of the following steps:

[0058] S101: The network device receives the SRS sent by the terminal at a plurality of third times. The SRS is used to determine the beamforming matrix. For example,

[0059] The protocol predefines or configures multiple sending times of the SRS sent by the terminal, or sending occasions, or any other possible expressions, and embodiments of the present application do not limit this. The third time is the time of sending the SRS for determining the beamforming matrix in the multiple sending times. For example, the multiple third times can be TC1 and TC2 in FIG. 2.

[0060] S102: The network device stores the beamforming matrix determined according to the previous two new SRSs. For example, the previous two new SRSs can be the SRSs received at the last two third times. The last two third times are relative to the current time. For example, in FIG. 2, after the network device calculates the matrix 2 according to the SRS 2, the last two third times are TC1 and TC2. The beamforming matrix determined according to the last two third times is the matrix 1 and the matrix 2. In this embodiment, storing the beamforming matrix determined according to the previous two new SRSs can more accurately determine the beamforming matrix used for calculating the beamforming weight of the PDSCH.

[0061] S103: The network device releases the beamforming matrix determined according to the less new SRS. For example, the less new SRS can be the SRS received at the third time before the last two third times. After the network device calculates the matrix 2 according to the SRS 2, the less new third time is the time before the time of TC1 (not shown in FIG. 2). The network device stores the previous two new matrices and releases the previous matrix, thereby updating the beamforming matrix. In this embodiment, releasing the beamforming matrix determined according to the less new SRS can save storage space.

[0062] After S110, S111 can also be included: the network device stores the correspondence between the last two first times and the beamforming matrices corresponding to the two first times. For example, the last two first times are relative to the current time (for example, the second time). The beamforming matrix corresponding to the first time refers to the beamforming matrix used for weighting the CSI-RS sent at the first time. In this embodiment, storing the correspondence between the last two first times and the beamforming matrices corresponding to the two first times, the network device can obtain the beamforming matrix corresponding to the first target time according to the correspondence. By determining the correct beamforming matrix through the first target time, the calculation result of the beamforming weight of the PDSCH is more accurate.

[0063] After S130, S140 can also be included: the network device sends downlink service data to the terminal, and the downlink service data is weighted by the beamforming weight. In this embodiment, the downlink service data sent to the terminal is weighted by the beamforming weight, which can improve the communication quality.

[0064] Exemplarily, as shown in FIG. 4, the network device receives SRS1 at time TC1, and stores matrix 1 determined according to SRS1. The network device weights to obtain CSI-RS1 according to matrix 1, stores the correspondence between time TA1 corresponding to CSI-RS1 and matrix 1, and transmits CSI-RS1 to the terminal at time TA1. …… The network device weights to obtain CSI-RS3 according to matrix 1, stores the correspondence between time TA3 corresponding to CSI-RS3 and matrix 1, and transmits CSI-RS3 to the terminal at time TA3. The network device receives SRS2 at time TC2, and stores matrix 2 determined according to SRS2. The network device weights to obtain CSI-RS4 according to matrix 2, stores the correspondence between time TA4 corresponding to CSI-RS4 and matrix 2, and transmits CSI-RS4 to the terminal at time TA4. The network device receives PMI3 at time TB3. The network device determines that the time interval 1 between TB3 and TA4 is less than the specified time, and thus TA4 is not the first target time. The network device determines that the time interval 1 between TB3 and TA3 is greater than or equal to the specified time, and thus TA3 is the first target time. The network device determines the beamforming weight of PDSCH according to PMI3 and the beamforming matrix (matrix 1) corresponding to CSI-RS3. The network device weights the downlink service data according to the beamforming weight, and transmits the weighted downlink service data to the terminal.

[0065] The communication method provided by the embodiments of the present application is described above in combination with FIG. 3 and FIG. 4. The communication apparatus for performing the communication method provided by the embodiments of the present application is described below in combination with FIG. 5, FIG. 6 and FIG. 7. As shown in FIG. 5, the communication apparatus 300 is applied to a network device. The communication apparatus 300 can include a sending module 310, a receiving module 320 and a processing module 330.

[0066] In some possible implementation, the sending module 310 is configured to send, to a terminal, channel state information reference signals (CSI-RSs) at a plurality of first times, the CSI-RSs being weighted by beamforming matrices corresponding to the CSI-RSs. The receiving module 320 is configured to receive, at a second time, a precoding matrix indicator (PMI) sent by the terminal. The processing module 330 is configured to determine a beamforming weight of a physical downlink shared channel (PDSCH) according to the PMI received by the receiving module 320 at the second time and the beamforming matrix corresponding to the CSI-RS sent by the sending module 310 at a first target time in the plurality of first times. The first target time is the time closest to the second time among the first times having a time interval greater than or equal to a specified time from the second time.

[0067] In some possible implementation, the specified time is a time for the terminal to obtain the PMI according to the CSI-RS.

[0068] In some possible implementation manners, the communication apparatus 300 further includes a storage module. The receiving module 320 is further configured to receive, at a plurality of third time instants, sounding reference signals (SRSs) transmitted by the terminal, the SRSs being used for determining a beamforming matrix. The storage module is configured to store the beamforming matrix determined according to the first two new SRSs received by the receiving module 320, the first two new SRSs being the SRSs received at the last two third time instants.

[0069] In some possible implementation manners, the storage module is further configured to release the beamforming matrix determined according to the second new SRS received by the receiving module 320, the second new SRS being the SRS received at the third time instant before the last two third time instants.

[0070] In some possible implementation manners, the storage module is further configured to store a correspondence between the last two first time instants and the beamforming matrices corresponding to the two first time instants.

[0071] In some possible implementation manners, the sending module 310 is further configured to send, to the terminal, downlink service data, the downlink service data being weighted by the beamforming weight.

[0072] Exemplarily, as shown in FIG. 6, taking the application of the communication device 300 to a network device as an example. The communication device 300 can include a distributed unit (DU) and a radio unit (RU), the distributed unit can include a base band higher (BBH) module, and the radio unit can include a base band lower (BBL) module. The sending module 310 can be a weight weighting module 310A, the receiving module 320 can be a weight management module 320A, and the processing module 330 can be a weight calculation module 330A. The weight weighting module 310A can be deployed on the BBL module, the weight calculation module 330A can be deployed on the BBH module, and the weight management module 320A can be deployed on the distributed unit. The weight calculation module 330A and the weight weighting module 310A can transmit the beamforming matrix through a DU-RU interface. The weight management module 320A and the weight calculation module 330A can transmit the beamforming matrix through a DU internal interface. Alternatively, as shown in FIG. 7, the sending module 310 can be a weight weighting module 310B, the receiving module 320 can be a weight management module 320B, and the processing module 330 can be a weight calculation module 330B. The weight weighting module 310B and the weight calculation module 330B can be deployed on the BBL module, and the weight management module 320B can be deployed on the distributed unit. The weight calculation module 330B and the weight weighting module 310B can transmit the beamforming matrix through a RU internal interface. The weight weighting module 310B and the BBH module can transmit the beamforming matrix through a DU-RU interface. The weight management module 320B and the BBH module can transmit the beamforming matrix through a DU internal interface.

[0073] With the deployment mode shown in FIG. 6 as an example, the process of the communication method performed by the communication device 300 is introduced. As shown in FIG. 8, the weight management module 320A confirms that the communication method is selected to improve the communication quality. The weight management module 320A sends a start instruction to the weight calculation module 330A. The weight calculation module 330A updates and stores the beamforming matrix according to the start instruction. The weight calculation module 330A sends notification information to the weight management module 320A. The weight management module 320A updates and stores the beamforming matrix according to the notification information. The weight management module 320A sends the beamforming matrix to the weight weighting module 310A. The weight weighting module 310A calculates the weighted CSI-RS according to the beamforming matrix. The weight weighting module 310A sends the CSI-RS to the terminal. The storage module can be arranged in the weight management module 320A, and the weight management module 320A can record the time of sending the CSI-RS and the beamforming matrix corresponding to each CSI-RS in the storage module. The terminal receives and measures the CSI-RS to obtain the PMI. The terminal sends the PMI to the weight management module 320A. The weight management module 320A receives the PMI and determines the beamforming matrix of the CSI-RS corresponding to the PMI according to the time sequence. The weight management module 320A sends the PMI and the beamforming matrix corresponding to the PMI to the weight calculation module 330A. The weight calculation module 330A calculates the beamforming weight of the PDSCH according to the PMI and the beamforming matrix corresponding to the PMI.

[0074] It can be understood that each component of the communication device 300 can be used to implement the corresponding steps in the foregoing method embodiments, and since the steps have been described in detail in the foregoing method embodiments, they will not be described here.

[0075] The communication device for performing the communication method provided by the embodiments of the present application is described below with reference to FIG. 9. As shown in FIG. 9, the communication device 400 is applied to a network device. The communication device 400 includes a processor 410, a memory 420 and a transceiver 430. The memory 420 stores instructions, and when the processor 410 executes the instructions, the processor 410 and the transceiver 430 are configured to implement one or more steps in the above-described method embodiments. In an example, the transceiver 430 is configured to: at a plurality of first time instants, transmit channel state information reference signals (CSI-RSs) to a terminal, the CSI-RSs being weighted by beamforming matrices corresponding to the CSI-RSs; and at a second time instant, receive a precoding matrix indicator (PMI) sent by the terminal. The processor 410 is configured to: determine a beamforming weight of a physical downlink shared channel (PDSCH) according to the PMI received at the second time instant and a beamforming matrix corresponding to a CSI-RS transmitted at a first target time instant in the plurality of first time instants, the first target time instant being a time instant closest to the second time instant among the first time instants having a time interval greater than or equal to a specified time from the second time instant.

[0076] It can be understood that each component of the above-described communication device 400 can be configured to implement the corresponding steps in the above-described method embodiments, and since each step has been described in detail in the above-described method embodiments, no further description is given here.

[0077] The embodiments of the present application also provide a computer-readable storage medium, which stores program codes. When the program codes are run on a device (which can be a single-chip microcomputer, a chip, a computer or a processor, etc.), the program codes can be invoked by a processor to perform one or more steps in the above-described method embodiments.

[0078] Based on the understanding, the embodiments of the present application further provide a computer program product containing instructions. The technical solutions of the present application essentially or partly or all or part thereof can be embodied in the form of a software product. The computer software product is stored in a storage medium, and includes a number of instructions for causing a computer device (which can be a personal computer, a server, or a network device, etc.) or a processor therein to execute all or part of the steps of the methods described in the embodiments of the present application.

[0079] The processor involved in the embodiments of the present application can be a chip. For example, it can be a field programmable gate array (FPGA), an application specific integrated circuit (ASIC), a system on chip (SoC), a central processor unit (CPU), a network processor (NP), a digital signal processor (DSP), a micro controller unit (MCU), a programmable logic device (PLD) or other integrated chip.

[0080] The memory involved in the embodiments of the present application can be a volatile memory or a non-volatile memory, or can include both volatile and non-volatile memories. Among them, the non-volatile memory can be a read-only memory (ROM), a programmable read-only memory (PROM), an erasable programmable read-only memory (EPROM), an electrically EPROM (EEPROM) or a flash memory. The volatile memory can be a random access memory (RAM) used as an external cache. By way of example and not limitation, many forms of RAM can be used, such as static random access memory (SRAM), dynamic random access memory (DRAM), synchronous dynamic random access memory (SDRAM), double data rate synchronous dynamic random access memory (DDR SDRAM), enhanced SDRAM (ESDRAM), synchlink DRAM (SLDRAM) and direct rambus RAM (DR RAM). It should be noted that the memory of the system and method described herein is intended to include but not limited to these and any other suitable types of memory.

[0081] Those skilled in the art can understand that the modules and algorithm steps of each example described in combination with the embodiments disclosed herein can be realized by electronic hardware or a combination of computer software and electronic hardware. Whether the functions are performed 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 the present application.

[0082] In several embodiments provided in the present application, it should be understood that the disclosed system, device and method can be implemented in other ways. For example, the device embodiments described above are merely illustrative, for example, the division of the modules is only a logical function division, and actual implementation can have another division manner, for example, a plurality of modules or components can be combined or integrated into another device, or some features can be ignored or not executed. In addition, the coupling or direct coupling or communication connection between the displayed or discussed each other can be indirect coupling or communication connection through some interfaces, devices or modules, and can be electrical, mechanical or other forms.

[0083] In addition, each functional module in each embodiment of the present application can be integrated in one device, or each module can exist physically, or two or more modules can be integrated in one device.

[0084] The above is merely a specific implementation of the present application, but the protection scope of the present application is not limited thereto, any person skilled in the art can easily think of changes or replacements within the technical range disclosed in the present application, which should be covered in the protection scope of the present application. Therefore, the protection scope of the present application should be subject to the protection scope of the claims.

Claims

1. A communication method characterized by comprising: The method is applied to a network device, and comprises the following steps: At multiple first time instants, a channel state information reference signal (CSI-RS) is sent to a terminal, wherein the CSI-RS is weighted by a beamforming matrix corresponding to the CSI-RS; At a second time instant, a precoding matrix indicator (PMI) sent by the terminal is received; A beamforming weight of a physical downlink shared channel (PDSCH) is determined according to the PMI received at the second time instant and a beamforming matrix corresponding to the CSI-RS sent at a first target time instant among the multiple first time instants, wherein the first target time instant is a time instant closest to the second time instant among the first time instants with a time interval greater than or equal to a specified time.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein, The specified time is a time for the terminal to obtain the PMI according to the CSI-RS.

3. The method according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that, The method further comprises the following steps: At multiple third time instants, a sounding reference signal (SRS) sent by the terminal is received, wherein the SRS is used to determine the beamforming matrix; A beamforming matrix determined according to the previous two new SRSs is stored, wherein the previous two new SRSs are SRSs received at the last two third time instants.

4. The method of claim 3, wherein, The method further comprises the following steps: A beamforming matrix determined according to a new SRS is released, wherein the new SRS is an SRS received at a third time instant before the last two third time instants.

5. The method according to claim 3 or 4, characterized in that, The method further comprises the following steps: A correspondence between the last two first time instants and the beamforming matrices corresponding to the two first time instants is stored.

6. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 5, characterized in that, The method further comprises the following steps: Downlink service data is sent to the terminal, wherein the downlink service data is weighted by the beamforming weight.

7. A communication device, characterized by The device is applied to a network device, and comprises a sending module, a receiving module and a processing module. The sending module is configured to send, at multiple first time instants, a channel state information reference signal (CSI-RS) to a terminal, wherein the CSI-RS is weighted by a beamforming matrix corresponding to the CSI-RS. The receiving module is configured to receive, at a second time instant, a precoding matrix indicator (PMI) sent by the terminal. The processing module is configured to determine a beamforming weight of a physical downlink shared channel (PDSCH) according to the PMI received at the second time instant and a beamforming matrix corresponding to the CSI-RS sent at a first target time instant among the multiple first time instants, wherein the first target time instant is a time instant closest to the second time instant among the first time instants with a time interval greater than or equal to a specified time.

8. The apparatus of claim 7, wherein, The specified time is a time for the terminal to obtain the PMI according to the CSI-RS.

9. The apparatus of claim 7 or 8, wherein, The device further comprises a storage module. The receiving module is further configured to receive, at multiple third time instants, a sounding reference signal (SRS) sent by the terminal, wherein the SRS is used to determine the beamforming matrix. The storage module is configured to store a beamforming matrix determined according to the previous two new SRSs, wherein the previous two new SRSs are SRSs received at the last two third time instants.

10. The device according to claim 9, wherein The storage module is further configured to release the beamforming matrix determined according to the second new SRS, the second new SRS being an SRS received at a third time point before the two latest third time points.

11. The apparatus of claim 9 or 10, wherein, The storage module is further configured to store a correspondence between the two latest first time points and the beamforming matrices corresponding to the two latest first time points.

12. The apparatus of any one of claims 7-11, wherein, The sending module is further configured to send downlink service data to the terminal, the downlink service data being weighted by the beamforming weight.

13. A communications device, characterized by The apparatus includes a processor, a memory, and a transceiver; the memory is configured to store computer instructions, when the processor executes the instructions, the processor and the transceiver perform the method of any one of claims 1-6.

14. A computer-readable storage medium, characterized in that, The computer readable storage medium stores program codes, the program codes can be invoked by a processor to execute the method of any one of claims 1-6.

15. A computer program product, characterised in that, When the computer program product runs on a computer, it makes the computer execute the method of any one of claims 1-6.

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