Communication method and communication apparatus

Abstract

A communication method, comprising: a first communication device receiving first indication information from a second communication device, the first indication information being used for indicating the remaining memory of the second communication device; and sending second indication information to the second communication device on the basis of the remaining memory, the second indication information being used for indicating the size limitation status of a circular buffer of the second communication device. That is, when the first communication device indicates the size limitation status of the circular buffer of the second communication device, reference is made to the remaining memory of the second communication device, so that the problem of insufficient memory of the second communication device can be quickly solved, the risk that the second communication device fails to perform decoding correctly due to insufficient memory is reduced, and transmission performance is improved.

Description

Communication method and communication apparatus

[0001] The present application claims priority from the Chinese patent application No. 202411063646.4 filed on August 2, 2024, and entitled "Communication method and communication apparatus", the content of which is incorporated herein by reference in its entirety. TECHNICAL FIELD

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

[0003] In the evolution of wireless communication systems, high throughput and massive connectivity have always been the core challenges of wireless communication networks. In the 5th generation (5G) or new radio (NR) system and future communication systems, massive multi-input multi-output (MIMO) technology, which can significantly improve system capacity, will still be a key technology to meet the demand for high-speed transmission.

[0004] For massive MIMO scenarios, as the number of streams and bandwidth between terminal devices and network devices increases, the number of code words transmitted between terminal devices and network devices also increases, and the corresponding maximum hybrid automatic repeat request (HARQ) process number also increases. Whether it is uplink or downlink, the memory occupied by the circular buffer of the terminal device will become larger and larger.

[0005] In the current NR communication protocol, limited buffer rate matching (LBRM) parameter I LBRM is configured in the radio resource control (RRC) message to represent the size limit of the circular buffer. However, this way of limiting the size of the circular buffer has low flexibility and is difficult to adapt to the rapid change of the memory remaining amount of the terminal device in the massive MIMO transmission scenario. SUMMARY

[0006] The present application provides a communication method to improve the flexibility of buffer size limit indication.

[0007] In a first aspect, a communication method is provided. The method can be performed by a first communication device. In the absence of special description, the "first communication device" in the present application can refer to the first communication device itself (for example, a network device), a component in the first communication device (for example, a processor, a chip, or a chip system, etc., such as a circuit or a chip responsible for communication functions in a network device (for example, 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)), or a logic module or software capable of realizing all or part of the functions of the first communication device. For ease of description, the following description takes the first communication device as an example.

[0008] The communication method includes: receiving first indication information from a second communication device, the first indication information being used to indicate a memory surplus of the second communication device; and sending second indication information to the second communication device according to the memory surplus, the second indication information being used to indicate a size limitation condition of a circular buffer of the second communication device.

[0009] Based on the above technical solution, the first communication device can indicate the size limitation of the circular buffer according to the memory surplus reported by the second communication device. That is, when the first communication device indicates the size limitation condition of the circular buffer of the second communication device, the memory surplus of the second communication device is referred to, which can quickly respond to the problem of insufficient memory of the second communication device, reduce the risk that the second communication device cannot decode correctly due to insufficient memory, and improve the transmission performance.

[0010] In combination with the first aspect, in some implementations of the first aspect, before the receiving the first indication information from the second communication device, the method further includes: sending third indication information to the second communication device, the third indication information being used to indicate reporting the memory surplus; or sending fourth indication information to the second communication device, the fourth indication information being used to indicate reporting the memory surplus in a case where a first condition is met, wherein the first condition is used to determine whether to report the memory surplus.

[0011] Based on the above technical solution, the first communication device can instruct the second communication device to report the memory surplus, or can instruct the second communication device to report the memory surplus in a case where a certain condition is met, thereby providing different ways of triggering the second communication device to report the memory surplus, and improving the flexibility of the scheme.

[0012] In some implementations of the first aspect, the first condition comprises at least one of: a number of transceiving antennas of the second communication device being greater than a first threshold, a maximum rank number of a channel of the second communication device being greater than a second threshold, a number of streams scheduled by the second communication device being greater than a third threshold, a number of code words of a circular buffer of the second communication device being greater than a fourth threshold, a communication bandwidth of the second communication device being greater than a fifth threshold, a modulation order of data transmitted by the second communication device being greater than a sixth threshold, a retransmission feedback delay of data transmitted by the second communication device being greater than a seventh threshold, a total amount of memory of the second communication device being less than an eighth threshold, or a memory size occupied by other functions of the second communication device being greater than a ninth threshold, wherein the other functions of the second communication device are functions other than storing the code words of the circular buffer of the second communication device.

[0013] According to the above technical solution, the second communication device can determine whether to report the memory surplus based on different conditions, for example, based on the number of transceiving antennas, the number of data streams, or the number of code words of the circular buffer of the second communication device, thereby providing different condition supports for the second communication device to determine by itself.

[0014] In some implementations of the first aspect, the first indication information is used to indicate the memory surplus, and comprises at least one of: the first indication information indicating whether the memory surplus is sufficient; or the first indication information indicating a size of the memory surplus; or the first indication information indicating a ratio of the memory surplus to a memory size required for transmitting data.

[0015] According to the above technical solution, the first indication information can indicate whether the memory surplus is sufficient, or can accurately indicate the size of the memory surplus, or can indicate the ratio of the memory surplus to the memory size required for current data transmission. It can be understood that there are multiple ways for the first indication information to indicate the memory surplus, and the second communication device can only need to know the memory surplus of the first communication device.

[0016] In some implementations of the first aspect, the receiving the first indication information from the second communication device comprises: receiving uplink control information (UCI) from the second communication device, and the first indication information is included in the uplink control information.

[0017] In some implementations of the first aspect, the sending the second indication information to the second communication device comprises: sending, to the second communication device, a downlink control information (DCI) including the second indication information.

[0018] Based on the above technical solution, the configuration of the static LBRM parameter in the RRC in the current NR communication protocol is placed in the dynamic LBRM indication in the DCI, which is more flexible.

[0019] In some implementations of the first aspect, the second indication information indicates at least one of the following information: a modulation order of the transmission data, a code rate of the code word, a number of streams of the transmission data, a transmission bandwidth of the transmission data, or a number of hybrid automatic repeat request (HARQ) processes of the transmission data.

[0020] Based on the above technical solution, the first communication device can indicate at least one of the modulation order of the transmission data, the number of streams of the transmission data, the transmission bandwidth of the transmission data, the code rate of the code word, or the number of HARQ processes of the transmission data through the second indication information, so that the second communication device can perform memory operation according to the indication of the second indication information, thereby limiting the buffer size. Exemplarily, the second indication information can indicate different parameters to assist the second communication device in performing memory operation, thereby improving the flexibility of the solution.

[0021] In some implementations of the first aspect, in a case where the first indication information indicates that the memory size is insufficient to support the number of HARQ processes of the circular buffer of the first communication device, the second indication information indicates at least one of the following: limiting the maximum number of HARQ processes, increasing the code rate of the code word, reducing the modulation order of the transmission data, reducing the number of streams of the transmission data, or reducing the transmission bandwidth of the transmission data.

[0022] Based on the above technical solution, in a case where the second communication device feeds back, through the first indication information, that the memory size is insufficient to support the number of HARQ processes of the circular buffer of the first communication device, the first communication device can indicate at least one of the following through the second indication information: limiting the maximum number of HARQ processes of the transmission data, increasing the code rate of the code word, reducing the modulation order of the transmission data, reducing the number of streams of the transmission data, or reducing the transmission bandwidth of the transmission data, so that the second communication device can perform memory operation according to the second indication information, for example, combining the received code words, reducing the memory; for example, adjusting the maximum number of HARQ processes; for example, clearing the HARQ processes that are no longer used, and the like, thereby reducing the risk of the second communication device failing to decode correctly due to insufficient memory and improving the transmission performance.

[0023] In some implementations of the first aspect, the second indication information occupies one bit, and different values of the bit are used to indicate at least one of a modulation order of the transmission data, a code rate of the codeword, a number of streams of the transmission data, a transmission bandwidth of the transmission data, or a number of hybrid automatic repeat request (HARQ) processes of the transmission data.

[0024] According to the above technical solution, the content of the LBRM indication sent by the first communication device can be based on the current 1-bit design of the LBRM indication, and the bit value is used to indicate that no buffer is used or limited buffer is used. Alternatively, the content of the LBRM indication sent by the first communication device can also be multi-bit indication, representing different levels of code rate of the codeword, modulation order, number of streams, transmission bandwidth, or maximum number of HARQ processes.

[0025] In a second aspect, a communication method is provided. The method can be performed by a second communication device. In the absence of special description, the "second communication device" in the present application can refer to the second communication device itself (for example, a terminal device), a component in the second communication device (for example, a processor, a chip, or a chip system, etc., such as a circuit or a chip responsible for communication functions in a terminal device (for example, a Modem chip, also known as a baseband chip, or a SoC chip or a SIP chip containing a modem core)), or a logic module or software capable of realizing all or part of the functions of the second communication device. For ease of description, the following description takes the second communication device as an example.

[0026] The communication method includes: sending first indication information to a first communication device, the first indication information being used to indicate a memory remaining amount; and receiving second indication information from the first communication device, the second indication information being used to indicate a size limitation condition of a circular buffer of the first communication device, and the second indication information being determined based on the memory remaining amount.

[0027] In some implementations of the second aspect, before determining the memory remaining amount by the second communication device, the method further includes: receiving third indication information from the first communication device, the third indication information being used to indicate reporting of the memory remaining amount; or determining that a first condition is met, the first condition being used to determine whether to report the memory remaining amount.

[0028] With reference to the second aspect, in some implementations of the second aspect, the first condition comprises at least one of: a number of transceiver antennas of the second communication device being greater than a first threshold, a maximum rank number of a channel of the second communication device being greater than a second threshold, a number of streams scheduled by the second communication device being greater than a third threshold, a number of cyclic buffer codewords of the second communication device being greater than a fourth threshold, or a communication bandwidth of the second communication device being greater than a fifth threshold, a modulation order of data transmitted by the second communication device being greater than a sixth threshold, a retransmission feedback latency of data transmitted by the second communication device being greater than a seventh threshold, a total amount of memory of the second communication device being less than an eighth threshold, or a memory size occupied by other functions of the second communication device being greater than a ninth threshold, wherein the other functions of the second communication device are other than storage of the cyclic buffer codewords of the second communication device.

[0029] With reference to the second aspect, in some implementations of the second aspect, the method further comprises: receiving fourth indication information from the first communication device, the fourth indication information being used to indicate that the memory headroom is reported in a case where the first condition is met.

[0030] With reference to the second aspect, in some implementations of the second aspect, the first indication information is used to indicate the memory headroom, comprising at least one of: the first indication information indicating whether the memory headroom is sufficient; or the first indication information indicating a size of the memory headroom; or the first indication information indicating a ratio of the memory headroom to a memory size required for transmitting data.

[0031] With reference to the second aspect, in some implementations of the second aspect, the determining the memory headroom of the first communication device comprises: determining the memory headroom according to at least one of the following parameters corresponding to uplink data: a bandwidth, a number of codewords, a number of streams, a modulation order, a retransmission feedback interval, a subcarrier spacing, a codeword size, a total amount of memory of the second communication device, a memory size occupied by other functions of the second communication device; or determining the memory headroom according to at least one of the following parameters corresponding to downlink data: a bandwidth, a number of codewords, a decoding result, a number of streams, a modulation order, a retransmission feedback interval, a subcarrier spacing, a codeword size, a total amount of memory of the second communication device, a memory size occupied by other functions of the second communication device, wherein the other functions of the second communication device are other than storage of the cyclic buffer codewords of the second communication device.

[0032] With reference to the second aspect, in some implementations of the second aspect, the sending the first indication information to the first communication device comprises: sending, to the first communication device, uplink control information (UCI) including the first indication information.

[0033] With reference to the second aspect, in some implementations of the second aspect, the receiving the second indication information from the first communication device comprises: receiving a downlink control information (DCI) from the first communication device, wherein the second indication information is included in the DCI.

[0034] With reference to the second aspect, in some implementations of the second aspect, the second indication information indicates at least one of: a code rate of a code word, a modulation order of the transmission data, a number of streams of the transmission data, a transmission bandwidth of the transmission data, or a number of hybrid automatic repeat request (HARQ) processes of the transmission data.

[0035] With reference to the second aspect, in some implementations of the second aspect, in a case where the first indication information indicates that the memory is insufficient to support a number of HARQ processes of a circular buffer of the first communication device, the second indication information indicates at least one of: a maximum number of HARQ processes of the transmission data to be limited, a code rate of the code word to be increased, a modulation order of the transmission data to be decreased, a number of streams of the transmission data to be decreased, or a transmission bandwidth of the transmission data to be decreased.

[0036] With reference to the second aspect, in some implementations of the second aspect, the second indication information occupies one bit, and a value of the bit is used to indicate whether to limit use of the circular buffer or not; or the second indication information occupies a plurality of bits, and different values of the bits are used to indicate different at least one of: a modulation order of the transmission data, a code rate of the code word, a number of streams of the transmission data, a transmission bandwidth of the transmission data, or a number of HARQ processes of the transmission data.

[0037] With reference to the second aspect, in some implementations of the second aspect, the method further comprises: processing, by the second communication device, the received code word, processing the encoded code word, or adjusting a maximum number of HARQ processes according to the second indication information, wherein the processing the received code word comprises performing combining processing on the received code word based on a code rate of the code word, and the processing the encoded code word comprises performing puncturing processing on the encoded code word based on the code rate of the code word.

[0038] The technical effects of the method shown in the above second aspect and possible designs thereof can refer to the technical effects in the first aspect and possible designs thereof.

[0039] In a third aspect, a communication apparatus is provided. The communication apparatus is configured to perform the method in the first aspect and any of the implementation forms thereof. Specifically, the communication apparatus includes a processor and a memory storing a computer program. The processor is configured to invoke and run the computer program from the memory, so that the communication apparatus performs the method in the first aspect and any of the implementation forms thereof.

[0040] In an implementation form, the communication apparatus is a network device. When the communication apparatus is a network device, the transceiver unit can be a transceiver, or an input / output interface. The processing unit can be at least one processor. Optionally, the transceiver can be a transceiver circuit. Optionally, the input / output interface can be an input / output circuit.

[0041] In another implementation form, the communication apparatus can be a chip, a chip system or a circuit in a network device. In this case, the transceiver unit can be an input / output interface, an interface circuit, an output circuit, an input circuit, a pin or related circuit on the chip, the chip system or the circuit; the processing unit can be at least one processor, a processing circuit or a logic circuit.

[0042] In a fourth aspect, a communication apparatus is provided. The communication apparatus is configured to perform the method in the second aspect and any of the implementation forms thereof. Specifically, the communication apparatus includes a processor and a memory storing a computer program. The processor is configured to invoke and run the computer program from the memory, so that the communication apparatus performs the method in the second aspect and any of the implementation forms thereof.

[0043] In an implementation form, the communication apparatus is a terminal device. When the communication apparatus is a terminal device, the transceiver unit can be a transceiver, or an input / output interface. The processing unit can be at least one processor. Optionally, the transceiver can be a transceiver circuit. Optionally, the input / output interface can be an input / output circuit.

[0044] In another implementation form, the communication apparatus can be a chip, a chip system or a circuit in a terminal device. In this case, the transceiver unit can be an input / output interface, an interface circuit, an output circuit, an input circuit, a pin or related circuit on the chip, the chip system or the circuit; the processing unit can be at least one processor, a processing circuit or a logic circuit.

[0045] In a fifth aspect, a computer readable storage medium is provided. The computer readable storage medium stores a computer program which, when executed, causes the method in any of the implementation forms of the first aspect and the second aspect to be performed.

[0046] In a sixth aspect, a computer program product is provided. The computer program product, when executed, causes any of the methods provided by the first aspect and the second aspect to be performed.

[0047] In a seventh aspect, a chip is provided. The chip includes a processor and a communication interface. The processor reads instructions through the communication interface and executes any of the methods provided by the first aspect and the second aspect.

[0048] Optionally, as an implementation form, the chip further includes a memory. The memory stores a computer program or instructions. The processor is configured to execute the computer program or instructions stored in the memory. When the computer program or instructions are executed, the processor is configured to execute any of the methods provided by the first aspect and the second aspect.

[0049] In an eighth aspect, a communication system is provided. The communication system includes the communication device of the third aspect and the communication device of the fourth aspect.

[0050] In a ninth aspect, a computer program is provided. The computer program, when executed, causes any of the methods provided by the first aspect and the second aspect to be performed. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS

[0051] FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram of a wireless communication system suitable for embodiments of the present application.

[0052] FIG. 2 is another schematic diagram of a wireless communication system suitable for embodiments of the present application.

[0053] FIG. 3 is a schematic flowchart of a communication method according to an embodiment of the present application.

[0054] FIG. 4 is a schematic block diagram of a communication device according to an embodiment of the present application.

[0055] FIG. 5 is a schematic diagram of another communication device according to an embodiment of the present application.

[0056] FIG. 6 is a schematic diagram of a chip system according to an embodiment of the present application. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0057] To facilitate understanding of the embodiments of the present application, the following points are explained:

[0058] (1) In the present application, the terms and / or descriptions of different embodiments are consistent and can be mutually referred to if there is no special description and no logical conflict. The technical features in different embodiments can be combined to form new embodiments according to their inherent logical relationship.

[0059] (2) In the present application, "at least one" means one or more, and "multiple" means two or more. The association relationship of "and / or" between the associated objects indicates that there can be three relationships, for example, A and / or B can represent the following cases: A exists alone, A and B exist together, and B exists alone, where A and B can be singular or plural. In the textual description of the present application, the character " / " generally represents an "or" relationship between the associated objects. "At least one of the following" or similar expressions means any combination of these items, including any combination of single item or multiple items. For example, at least one of a, b and c can represent: a, or b, or c, or a and b, or a and c, or b and c, or a, b and c. Where a, b and c can be single or multiple.

[0060] (3) In the present application, "first", "second", and various numerical designations indicate differentiation for the purpose of description, and are not intended to limit the scope of the embodiments of the present application. For example, different messages are distinguished, rather than being used to describe a specific order or sequence. It should be understood that the objects thus described can be interchanged as appropriate to describe schemes other than the embodiments of the present application.

[0061] (4) In the present application, "when", "in the case of", "if", and the like all refer to the case where the device will make a corresponding processing under certain objective circumstances, and are not limited to time, nor do they require the device to have a judgment action when implemented, nor do they imply the existence of other limitations.

[0062] (5) In the present application, "indicate" or "for indicating" can include direct indication and indirect indication. When describing that certain indication information is used to indicate A, it can include that the indication information directly indicates A or indirectly indicates A, and it does not mean that A must be carried in the indication information.

[0063] The indication method involved in the embodiments of the present application should be understood to cover various methods that can enable the to-be-indicated party to know the to-be-indicated information. The to-be-indicated information can be sent as a whole, or can be sent separately in multiple sub-information, and the sending period and / or sending opportunity of these sub-information can be the same or different, and the present application does not limit the sending method.

[0064] The "indication information" in the embodiments of the present application can be explicit indication, that is, direct indication through signaling, or obtained according to the parameters indicated by the signaling, in combination with other rules or in combination with other parameters or through derivation. It can also be implicit indication, that is, obtained according to rules or relationships, or according to other parameters, or through derivation. The present application does not make specific limitations on this.

[0065] (6) In the present application, "protocol" can refer to a standard protocol in the field of communication, which can include, for example, a 5th generation (5G) protocol, a new radio (NR) protocol, and a related protocol applied to a future communication system, and the present application does not limit the same. "Predefined" can include predefinition. For example, a protocol definition. "Preconfigured" can be implemented by pre-storing corresponding codes, tables or other means for indicating related information in a device, and the present application does not limit the implementation manner thereof.

[0066] (7) In the present application, "communication" can also be described as "communication", "information transmission", "data processing", etc. "Transmission" includes "sending" and "receiving". "Transmission" can be described as "output".

[0067] (8) In the present application, "message", "information", "signal" or "information element (IE)" and the like can be used interchangeably, and the name of the message or information is not limited in any way, as long as the corresponding function can be implemented.

[0068] "Sending information to XX (device)" can be understood as that the destination of the information is the device. It can include directly or indirectly sending information to the device. "Receiving information from XX (device), or receiving information from XX (device)" can be understood as that the source of the information is the device, and it can include directly or indirectly receiving information from the device. The information can be processed as necessary between the source and the destination of the information transmission, such as format change, etc., but the destination can understand the valid information from the source. Similar expressions in the present application can be understood similarly, and will not be repeated here. In addition, "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 be carried out between devices, for example, sending or receiving through the air interface between network devices and terminal devices, and "sending" or "receiving" can also be carried out within the device, for example, sending or receiving between components, modules, chips, software modules or hardware modules within the device through a bus, wire or interface.

[0069] (9) In this application, the words "exemplary," "for example," and the like are used to mean serving as an example, instance, or illustration. Any implementation or design scheme described in this application as "exemplary" is not necessarily to be construed as preferred or advantageous over other implementations or design schemes. Rather, use of the word "exemplary" is intended to present concepts in a concrete manner. In this application, "of", "corresponding", "corresponding" and "associated" are sometimes mixed. It should be pointed out that when the distinction is not emphasized, the meanings expressed are consistent.

[0070] (10) In this application, the configuration can be a signaling configuration, such as a radio resource control (RRC) message, downlink control information (DCI), or system information block (SIB). Alternatively, the signaling configuration can be configured to the terminal device by pre-configuration, or configured to the terminal device by pre-configuration. Here, pre-configuration is to define or configure the value of the corresponding parameter in advance in the protocol, and store it in the terminal device when communicating with the terminal device. The pre-configured message can be modified or updated under the condition that the terminal device is connected to the network.

[0071] The technical solutions in the embodiments of this application can be applied to various communication systems, such as a 5th generation (5G) or new radio (NR) system, a long term evolution (LTE) system, an LTE frequency division duplex (FDD) system, an LTE time division duplex (TDD) system, etc. The technical solutions provided in this application can also be applied to future communication systems. The technical solutions provided in this application can also be applied to device to device (D2D) communication, vehicle-to-everything (V2X) communication, machine to machine (M2M) communication, machine type communication (MTC), and internet of things (IoT) communication systems. The technical solutions provided in this application can also be applied to low frequency scenarios, high frequency scenarios, terahertz, etc.

[0072] The technical solutions provided in the application can also be applied to non-terrestrial network (NTN) systems such as inter-satellite communication and satellite communication. As an example, a satellite communication system includes a satellite base station and a terminal device. The satellite base station provides communication services for the terminal device. The satellite base station can also communicate with a base station. The satellite can act as a base station or a terminal device. The satellite can refer to a drone, a hot air balloon, a low-orbit satellite, a medium-orbit satellite, a high-orbit satellite, and the like. The satellite can also refer to a non-ground base station or a non-ground device.

[0073] A device in a communication system can send a signal to another device or receive a signal from another device. The signal can include information, signaling, or data, etc. The device can also be replaced by an entity, a network entity, a network element, a communication device, a communication module, a node, a communication node, etc. The device is taken as an example for description in the application. For example, the communication system can include at least one terminal device and at least one network device. The network device can send a downlink signal to the terminal device, and / or the terminal device can send an uplink signal to the network device.

[0074] The terminal device in the embodiments of the present application can be a device or module with corresponding communication functions for accessing the above-mentioned communication system. The terminal device can include various devices with wireless communication functions, which can be used to connect people, things, machines, etc. The terminal device is usually provided with a communication module, circuit or chip for executing corresponding communication functions. The terminal also has program instructions configured to execute corresponding communication functions. The terminal device can be widely used in various scenarios, such as cellular communication, D2D, V2X, peer to peer, M2M, MTC, IoT, virtual reality (VR), augmented reality (AR), industrial control, autonomous driving, remote medical treatment, smart power grid, smart furniture, smart office, smart wear, smart transportation, smart city UAV, robot, remote sensing, passive sensing, positioning, navigation and tracking, autonomous delivery, etc. The terminal device can be a terminal in any of the above scenarios, such as an MTC terminal, an IoT terminal, etc. The terminal device can be a user equipment (UE) of the 3rd generation partnership project (3GPP) standard, a terminal, a fixed device, a mobile station device or a mobile device, a subscriber unit, a handset, a vehicle-mounted device, a wearable device, a cellular phone, a smart phone, a session initiation protocol (SIP) phone, a wireless data card, a personal digital assistant (PDA), a computer, a tablet computer, a notebook computer, a wireless modem, a handset, a laptop computer, a computer with wireless transceiver function, a smart book, a vehicle, a satellite, a global positioning system (GPS) device, a target tracking device, an aircraft (such as a drone, a helicopter, a multi-copter, a quad-copter, or an airplane, etc.), a ship, a remote control device, a smart home device, an industrial device, a transport vehicle with wireless communication function, a communication module, a road side unit (RSU) with terminal function, or a device built-in the above-mentioned device (such as a communication module, a modem or a chip in the above-mentioned device, etc.), or other processing devices connected to the wireless modem. For the sake of description, the terminal device will be described as an example of a terminal or UE hereinafter.

[0075] It should be understood that in certain scenarios, the UE can also be used to act as a base station. For example, the UE can act as a scheduling entity that provides sidelink signals between UEs in V2X, D2D, or end-to-end scenarios, etc.

[0076] In the embodiments of the present application, the device for realizing the function of the terminal device, i.e., the terminal device, can be a terminal device or a device capable of supporting the terminal device to realize the function, such as a chip system or a chip or a circuit or a communication module (i.e., a communication module performing a communication function), which can be installed in the terminal device. In the embodiments of the present application, the chip system can be composed of a chip or can include a chip and other discrete devices. In addition, program instructions for performing corresponding communication functions can also be configured in the device.

[0077] The network device in the embodiments of the present application can be a device or module with corresponding communication function. The network device can be a device for communicating with a terminal device, and the network device can also be referred to as an access network device or a radio access network device, for example, the network device can be a base station. The network device in the embodiments of the present application can refer to a radio access network (RAN) node (or device) for accessing a terminal device to a wireless network. The base station can broadly cover various names in the following or be replaced by the following names, such as: Node B (NodeB), evolved Node B (eNB), base station in future communication network (NodeB, gNB), relay station, access point, transmitting and receiving point (TRP), transmitting point, primary station, secondary station, motor slide retainer (MSR) node, home base station, network controller, access node, wireless node, access point (AP), transmission node, transceiver node, baseband unit (BBU), remote radio unit (RRU), active antenna unit (AAU), remote radio head (RRH), central unit (CU), distributed unit (DU), positioning node, etc. The base station can be a macro base station, a micro base station, a relay node, a donor node or the like, or a combination thereof. The base station can also refer to a communication module, modem or chip for being arranged in the foregoing device or apparatus. The base station can also be a mobile switching center and a device assuming a base station function in D2D, V2X, M2M communication, a network side device in future network, a device assuming a base station function in future communication system, etc. The base station can support networks of the same or different access technologies. The embodiments of the present application do not limit the specific technology and specific device form of the network device.

[0078] The base station can be fixed or mobile. For example, a helicopter or a drone can be configured to act as a mobile base station, and one or more cells can move according to the location of the mobile base station. In other examples, the helicopter or the drone can be configured to act as a device communicating with another base station.

[0079] In some deployments, the network devices mentioned by embodiments of the application can be devices including a CU, or a DU, or devices including a CU and a DU, or a control plane CU node (central unit-control plane (CU-CP)) and a user plane CU node (central unit-user plane (CU-UP)), and a DU node. For example, the network device can include a gNB-CU-CP, a gNB-CU-UP, and a gNB-DU.

[0080] In some deployments, wireless access is assisted for a terminal by cooperation of multiple RAN nodes, and different RAN nodes respectively implement part of the functions of a base station. For example, the RAN node can be a CU, a DU, a CU-CP, a CU-UP, or a radio unit (RU) (or radio frequency unit), etc. The CU and the DU can be separately arranged, or can be included in the same network element, such as a BBU. The RU can be included in a radio frequency device or a radio frequency unit, such as an RRU, an AAU, or an RRH.

[0081] In some deployments, the CU is a logical node that carries the RRC layer, the service data adaptation protocol (SDAP) layer, the packet data convergence protocol (PDCP) layer, and other control functions of the access network device. The CU is connected to network nodes such as a core network through some interfaces, which can be an E2 interface, etc. Optionally, the CU has part of the functions of the core network. The CU (for example, the PDCP layer and higher layers) is connected to the DU (for example, the radio link control (RLC) layer and lower layers) through some interfaces, which can be an F1 interface, etc. In some examples, these interfaces (for example, the F1 interface) can provide control plane (C-Plane) and user plane (U-Plane) functions (for example, interface management, system information management, UE context management, RRC message transmission, etc.). The F1 application protocol (F1AP) is an application protocol for the F1 interface, which defines signaling procedures for the F1 in some examples. The F1 interface supports a control plane (F1 control plane, F1-C), a user plane (F1 user plane, F1-U).

[0082] In some deployments, a CU can be split into a CU-CP and a CU-UP. The CU-CP is a logical node that carries the control plane part of PDCP (PDCP-C) layer and RRC layer, and is used to implement the control plane function of the CU. The CU-CP can interact with a network element in the core network that is used to implement the control plane function. The network element in the core network that is used to implement the control plane function can be an access and mobility function network element. The CU-UP is a logical node that carries the user plane part of PDCP (PDCP-U) layer and SDAP layer, and is used to implement the user plane function of the CU. The CU-UP can interact with a network element in the core network that is used to implement the user plane function. The network element in the core network that is used to implement the user plane function. The above configurations of the CU and the DU are merely examples, and the CU and the DU can have other functions according to needs. For example, the CU or the DU can be configured to have more protocol layer functions, or the CU or the DU can be configured to have partial processing functions of the protocol layers. For example, partial functions of the RLC layer and functions of the protocol layers above the RLC layer are arranged in the CU, and the remaining functions of the RLC layer and functions of the protocol layers below the RLC layer are arranged in the DU. For another example, the functions of the CU or the DU can be divided according to service types or other system requirements. For example, functions that need to meet a relatively short delay requirement in processing time are arranged in the DU, and functions that do not need to meet the delay requirement are arranged in the CU.

[0083] In some deployments, a DU is a logical node that carries an RLC layer, a medium access control (MAC) layer, a higher physical (Higher PHY) layer, and other functions. In some examples, a DU can control at least one RU. The DU is connected to the RU through some interfaces, which can be a front-haul interface. In some examples, the Higher PHY layer includes part of the PHY layer processing, such as forward error correction (FEC) encoding and decoding, scrambling, modulation and demodulation, and other processing functions.

[0084] In some deployments, a RU is a logical node that hosts lower physical layer (Lower PHY) and radio frequency (RF) processing. In some examples, a RU can be a TRP or a RRH or other similar functional entity. In some examples, a Low-PHY includes portions of PHY processing such as fast Fourier transform (FFT), inverse fast Fourier transformation (IFFT), digital beamforming and filtering, and other processing functions. A RU communicates with one or more UEs over a wireless link.

[0085] A DU and a RU can or can not be co-located. A DU and a RU exchange control plane and user plane information over a front-haul link via a lower-layer split-control, user and synchronization (LLS-CUS) interface. The LLS-CUS can include interfaces that provide control plane and user plane separately. In some examples, the control plane refers to real-time control between a DU and a RU. A DU and a RU have a lower-layer split management (LLS-M) interface to exchange management information over a front-haul link, and a management plane (M-Plane) refers to non-real-time management operations between a DU and a RU.

[0086] A DU and a RU can cooperate to collectively implement the functionality of a PHY layer. One DU can be connected to one or more RUs. The functionality that a DU and a RU have can be configured in multiple ways according to design. For example, a DU is configured to implement baseband functionality, and a RU is configured to implement mid- RF functionality. As another example, a DU is configured to implement high-layer functionality in a PHY layer, and a RU is configured to implement low-layer functionality in the PHY layer or to implement the low-layer functionality and RF functionality. High-layer functionality in a PHY layer can include a portion of functionality of a PHY layer that is closer to a MAC layer, and low-layer functionality in a PHY layer can include another portion of functionality of a PHY layer that is closer to a mid-RF side.

[0087] In one possible design, a processing unit in a BBU that implements baseband functionality is referred to as a base band high (BBH) unit, and a processing unit in a RRU / AAU / RRH that implements baseband functionality is referred to as a base band low (BBL) unit.

[0088] In different systems, the CU (including open CU-CP (O-CU-CP) and open CU-UP (O-CU-UP), DU or RU can also have different names, but those skilled in the art can understand their meanings. For example, in an open radio access network (O-RAN or ORAN) system, the CU can also be referred to as an open central unit (O-CU), the DU can also be referred to as an open distributed unit (O-DU), the CU-CP can also be referred to as an O-CU-CP, the CU-UP can also be referred to as an O-CU-UP, and the RU can also be referred to as an open radio unit (O-RU). For the convenience of description, the CU, CU-CP, CU-UP, DU and RU are taken as examples for description in this application. Any one of the CU (or CU-CP, CU-UP), DU and RU in this application can be implemented by a software module, a hardware module, or a combination of a software module and a hardware module.

[0089] In the embodiments of the present application, the device for implementing the function of the network device can be a network device, or a device capable of supporting the network device to implement the function, such as a chip system or a chip or a circuit or a communication module (i.e., a communication module performing a communication function), which can be installed in the network device. In the embodiments of the present application, the chip system can be composed of a chip, or can include a chip and other discrete devices. In addition, program instructions for performing corresponding communication functions can also be configured in the device. In the embodiments of the present application, only the device for implementing the function of the network device is taken as an example for description, and the scheme of the embodiments of the present application is not limited.

[0090] The network device and the terminal device can be deployed on land, including indoors or outdoors, handheld or vehicle-mounted; can also be deployed on the water surface; and can also be deployed on aircraft, balloons and satellites in the air. The scenarios in which the network device and the terminal device are located are not limited in the embodiments of the present application. In addition, the terminal device and the network device can be hardware devices, or software functions running on special-purpose hardware, software functions running on general-purpose hardware, such as virtualized functions instantiated on a platform (for example, a cloud platform), or entities including special-purpose or general-purpose hardware devices and software functions. The specific forms of the terminal device and the network device are not limited in the present application.

[0091] The technical solutions in the present application will be described below with reference to the accompanying drawings.

[0092] Figure 1 is a schematic diagram of a wireless communication system to which embodiments of the application can be applied. As shown in Figure 1, the wireless communication system includes a radio access network 100. The radio access network 100 can be a (e.g. higher version) radio access network in future networks, or a legacy (e.g. 5G or 4G) radio access network. One or more terminal devices (120a-120j, collectively referred to as 120) can be connected to each other or to one or more network devices (110a, 110b, collectively referred to as 110) in the radio access network 100. Network elements in the wireless communication system are connected to each other through interfaces (e.g. NG, Xn), or over the air.

[0093] Figure 1 is a schematic diagram of a wireless communication system to which embodiments of the application can be applied. As shown in Figure 1, the wireless communication system includes a radio access network 100. The radio access network 100 can be a (e.g. higher version) radio access network in future networks, or a legacy (e.g. 5G or 4G) radio access network. One or more terminal devices (120a-120j, collectively referred to as 120) can be connected to each other or to one or more network devices (110a, 110b, collectively referred to as 110) in the radio access network 100. Network elements in the wireless communication system are connected to each other through interfaces (e.g. NG, Xn), or over the air.

[0094] Figure 2 is another schematic diagram of a wireless communication system to which embodiments of the application can be applied. As shown in Figure 2, the wireless communication system can include core network devices, access network devices (e.g. RAN), terminal devices, the access network devices communicate with the core network devices over backhaul links, and communicate with the terminal devices over the air. For example, a BBU in the access network device communicates with the core network over a backhaul link, and a RU in the access network device communicates with the terminal devices over the air. The BBU can communicate with the RU over a front-haul link, and the BBU and the RU can or can not be co-located. In some deployments, the BBU includes at least one CU and at least one DU, and the CU and the DU can communicate over a mid-haul link.

[0095] Figure 2 is another schematic diagram of a wireless communication system to which embodiments of the application can be applied. As shown in Figure 2, the wireless communication system can include core network devices, access network devices (e.g. RAN), terminal devices, the access network devices communicate with the core network devices over backhaul links, and communicate with the terminal devices over the air. For example, a BBU in the access network device communicates with the core network over a backhaul link, and a RU in the access network device communicates with the terminal devices over the air. The BBU can communicate with the RU over a front-haul link, and the BBU and the RU can or can not be co-located. In some deployments, the BBU includes at least one CU and at least one DU, and the CU and the DU can communicate over a mid-haul link.

[0096] Some basic concepts related to the technical solutions of the application are introduced for the convenience of understanding the technical solutions of the application.

[0097] 1. Multi-input multi-output (MIMO) technology: Wireless communication systems have evolved from the first generation of analog communication to 5G NR technology. In this complex evolution, high throughput and large connectivity have always been the core challenge of wireless communication networks. In the various solutions of 5G NR and future communications, the Massively MIMO technology, which can significantly improve the system capacity, will still be a key technology to meet the high-speed transmission demand.

[0098] MIMO technology utilizes spatial dimension resources, and makes signal obtain array gain, multiplexing and diversity gain, and interference cancellation gain in space without increasing system bandwidth, thereby doubling the capacity and spectral efficiency of the communication system.

[0099] 2. Channel estimation: In a communication system, it is necessary to estimate uplink or downlink channels in order to transmit and receive data, obtain system synchronization, and feedback channel information. Channel estimation refers to a process of reconstructing or recovering a received signal in order to compensate for signal distortion caused by channel fading and noise generated by fading. The time domain and frequency domain variations of the channel are measured using a reference signal known by the transmitter and the receiver.

[0100] The reference signal can also be referred to as a pilot signal or a reference signal (RS). The reference signal is distributed on different resource elements (REs) within an orthogonal frequency division multiplexing (OFDM) symbol and has a known amplitude and phase.

[0101] In a MIMO system, each transmit antenna (virtual antenna or physical antenna) has an independent channel. For example, in the uplink and downlink, in order to measure the channel quality of the multi-antenna system, the NR system defines a plurality of pilot signals, such as channel state information-reference signals (CSI-RS), demodulation reference signals (DMRS), and sounding reference signals (SRS). Among them, the DMRS is used to assist the demodulation of the physical downlink shared channel (PDSCH); the CSI-RS is used for downlink channel measurement corresponding to the physical antenna port, and the receiver estimates the channel for each antenna port transmitted by the base station, and uses the estimation result to perform channel state information (CSI) feedback, including channel quality indicator (CQI), precoding matrix indicator (PMI), layer indicator (LI), or rank indicator (RI) and other related information. In the uplink channel measurement process, the base station estimates the uplink channel through the received SRS, and can perform frequency selection resource scheduling, power control, timing estimation and modulation, coding scheme order selection, and downlink precoding generation in TDD based on the information.

[0102] 3. Circular buffer: In the uplink transmission process, in order to ensure that the code word of the uplink transmission can be successfully decoded by the base station, the circular buffer of the code word will not be emptied before the base station feeds back the acknowledgement (ACK) signal of the successful transmission.

[0103] In the downlink transmission process, when the terminal device fails to decode, it will feed back the ACK signal of the decoding failure to the base station. In order to ensure that the code word of the downlink transmission can be successfully decoded, the terminal device will not empty the circular buffer of the code word before the information of the code word is successfully decoded, and will continuously superimpose the received retransmission information until the decoding is successful or the maximum number of retransmissions is reached.

[0104] 4. Hybrid Automatic Repeat Request (HARQ) process: This refers to the data transmission process that uses HARQ technology. In LTE and NR systems, HARQ technology can be used during data transmission to improve data transmission reliability.

[0105] In HARQ technology, the receiving end can use cyclic redundancy check (CRC) to detect whether the received data packet is erroneous. After receiving an erroneous data packet, the receiving end will retain the data packet and send a retransmission request to the sending end. After the sending end retransmits the data packet, the receiving end will merge the erroneous data packet and the retransmitted data packet together for decoding, thereby improving the decoding success rate. For a HARQ process, there is an independent HARQ buffer at the receiving end of the data transmission to save erroneous data packets so that they can be merged with the subsequently received retransmitted data packets.

[0106] Taking uplink transmission between a terminal device and an access network device as an example, a physical uplink shared channel (PUSCH) for uplink data transmission corresponds to a HARQ process number, uniquely identifying a HARQ process. When an error occurs in the data received by the access network device and retransmission scheduling is performed, the HARQ process number can be used to indicate to the terminal device which PUSCH the data carried on has an error and needs to be retransmitted. This facilitates the terminal device in retransmitting the corresponding data. The terminal device can use the PUSCH with the same HARQ process number for retransmission. In this way, the access network device can merge the data stored in the corresponding HARQ buffer with the retransmitted data; this process is called soft merging.

[0107] 5. Codeword: This can be encoded bits (e.g., including channel coding). The codeword is scrambled to generate scrambled bits.

[0108] 6. Limited Buffer Rate Matching (LBRM) parameter: denoted as I LBRM Parameters are used to limit the minimum bit rate and truncate codewords. In the NR communication protocol, an I parameter is configured in the RRC. LBRM The parameter is used to indicate the size limit of the circular buffer.

[0109] For example, for uplink transmission: the buffer size N of the uplink shared channel HARQ cb This is affected by whether LBRM is enabled. When I LBRMN when parameter = 0, i.e. non-restricted buffer cb = N; when I LBRM N when parameter = 0, i.e. restricted buffer cb = min(N, N ref ).

[0110] Exemplarily, for downlink transmission, I LBRM = 1 by default, indicating that the restricted buffer is to be used.

[0111] Specifically, in the NR communication protocol, the network device can calculate the transmission block (TB) size according to the parameters such as bandwidth, modulation, number of streams, and maximum code rate, for example, the actual maximum number of transmitted information bits = the number of resource elements (REs) of the active bandwidth * the number of bits modulated in each RE * the number of streams * the maximum code rate.

[0112] Further, the network device calculates the maximum code block size N LBRM according to the number of transmission blocks and the new code rate R LBRM determined by I ref , i.e. the maximum code block size = the actual maximum number of transmitted information bits divided by the number of code blocks divided by R LBRM , and the number of code blocks is C. The maximum code block size is compared with the current encoded code block size. When I LBRM = 0, the current code block size is directly used. When I LBRM = 1, the smaller one (min) of the above two is obtained, which is the real code block size.

[0113] The above briefly introduces the scenarios to which the communication method provided by the embodiments of the present application can be applied, and introduces the basic concepts that can be involved in the embodiments of the present application, and introduces the MIMO technology and the setting mode of the I LBRM parameter in the basic concepts. For the large-scale MIMO scenario, as the number of transmission streams and the bandwidth increase, the number of code words for transmission also increases accordingly, at this time, the corresponding maximum HARQ process number also increases, at this time, whether uplink or downlink, the memory occupied by the circular buffer of the terminal device will become larger and larger, and the situation that the terminal device has insufficient free memory to support the size of the circular buffer can occur. The terminal device memory surplus changes rapidly with the change of the Rank number, the change of the bandwidth, and the memory usage of other services of the terminal device. The above I LBRM parameter based on RRC configuration is not flexible enough to adapt to the rapid change of the terminal device memory surplus in the large-scale MIMO high-throughput transmission scenario, and the situation that the terminal device memory surplus is insufficient to perform HARQ retransmission (or the terminal device memory redundancy) can occur, which can affect the transmission performance.

[0114] To solve the above-mentioned I LBRM In order to solve the above-mentioned problems, the present application provides a communication method, which can improve the flexibility of buffer size limit indication and ensure transmission performance.

[0115] The communication method provided by the embodiments of the present application can be applied to a system communicating through multi-antenna technology, for example, the communication system 100 shown in FIG. 1. The communication system can include at least one network device and at least one terminal device.

[0116] The embodiments shown below do not particularly limit the specific structure of the subject performing the method provided by the embodiments of the present application, as long as the subject can communicate according to the method provided by the embodiments of the present application by running a program in which the code of the method provided by the embodiments of the present application is recorded. For example, the method provided by the embodiments of the present application can be performed by a first communication device, and in the case of no special description, the "first communication device" in the present application can refer to the first communication device itself (for example, a network device), a component (for example, a processor, a chip, or a chip system, etc.) in the first communication device, or a logic module or software capable of realizing all or part of the functions of the first communication device. For another example, the method provided by the embodiments of the present application can be performed by a second communication device, and in the case of no special description, the "second communication device" in the present application can refer to the second communication device itself (for example, a terminal device), a component (for example, a processor, a chip, or a chip system, etc.) in the second communication device, or a logic module or software capable of realizing all or part of the functions of the second communication device.

[0117] FIG. 3 is a schematic flowchart of a communication method provided by an embodiment of the present application, including the following steps:

[0118] S310, the first communication device receives first indication information from the second communication device, and correspondingly, the second communication device sends the first indication information to the first communication device.

[0119] Exemplarily, the second communication device can send the first indication information to the first communication device through uplink control information (UCI). For example, the second communication device sends UCI to the first communication device, the UCI includes the first indication information, or the UCI is the first indication information.

[0120] Specifically, the first indication information is used to indicate a status of a memory size of the second communication device. The memory size is used to support storage of a cyclic buffer code word of the first communication device. For example, in a case where the memory size of the first communication device is not sufficient to support a cyclic buffer size of the first communication device, HARQ retransmission can not be performed, which can affect transmission performance.

[0121] Optionally, the first indication information used to indicate the status of the memory size of the second communication device includes, but is not limited to, the following possible manners:

[0122] Manner 1.1: The first indication information indicates whether the memory size is sufficient.

[0123] For example, the first indication information occupies 1 bit, and when a bit value of the first indication information is 0, it indicates that the memory size is not sufficient, and when the bit value of the first indication information is 1, it indicates that the memory size is sufficient.

[0124] Manner 1.2: The first indication information indicates the memory size.

[0125] For example, the first indication information occupies at least one bit, and a value of the at least one bit can accurately indicate a current memory size of the first communication device. As an example but not limitation, the first indication information can indicate an index, and different indexes correspond to different memory size values.

[0126] Manner 1.3: The first indication information indicates a ratio of the memory size to a memory size required for transmission data. The transmission data can be downlink data received by the second communication device or can be uplink data sent by the second communication device.

[0127] It should be understood that the above manners 1.1 to 1.3 are only examples, and do not constitute any limitation to the protection scope of the present application. The first indication information can also indicate the status of the memory size in other manners, for example, the first indication information indicates a difference between a current memory size and a last reported memory size, and the like, which will not be illustrated one by one here.

[0128] Optionally, a manner in which the first communication device reports the memory size through the first indication information can be configured by the second communication device. For example, the second communication device indicates, through third indication information, a manner in which the first communication device reports the memory size in a case where the second communication device indicates that the first communication device reports the memory size.

[0129] For example, the third indication information includes information #1, the information #1 is used to indicate whether the memory remaining amount reported by the first communication device is sufficient; for another example, the third indication information includes information #2, the information #2 is used to indicate the size of the memory remaining amount reported by the first communication device; for yet another example, the third indication information includes information #3, the information #3 is used to indicate the ratio of the memory remaining amount reported by the first communication device to the memory size required for transmitting data, and the like.

[0130] It should be noted that at least one of the information #1, the information #2, or the information #3 can not be carried in the third indication information, for example, the first communication device can indicate the specific manner of reporting the memory remaining amount by the second communication device through other information in addition to the third indication information.

[0131] In this application, the second communication device determines the memory remaining amount of the second communication device before transmitting the first indication information, and the method flow shown in FIG. 3 further includes:

[0132] S301, the second communication device determines the memory remaining amount of the second communication device.

[0133] As a possible implementation manner, for uplink transmission, the second communication device can determine the current memory remaining amount according to at least one of the following parameters corresponding to the currently transmitted uplink data:

[0134] The bandwidth, the number of codewords, the number of streams, the modulation order, the retransmission feedback interval, the subcarrier spacing, the codeword size, the total memory amount of the second communication device, or the current memory size occupied by other functions of the second communication device, and the like determine the current memory remaining amount.

[0135] For example, the second communication device can determine the current memory remaining amount after transmitting the uplink data to the first communication device; for another example, the second communication device can determine the current memory remaining amount before transmitting the uplink data to the first communication device.

[0136] In this implementation manner, the communication method can further include that the second communication device transmits uplink data to the first communication device, for example, the second communication device transmits PUSCH to the first communication device. Optionally, the first communication device can transmit HARQ feedback to the second communication device, wherein the uplink HARQ feedback can refer to the description of the uplink HARQ feedback in the related art, which will not be described in detail here.

[0137] It should be understood that the manner of determining the current memory remaining amount by the second communication device according to the relevant parameters of the currently transmitted uplink data is only an example, and does not constitute any limitation on the protection scope of the present application, and in the scenario of uplink transmission, the memory remaining amount can also be determined by other manners, for example, the memory remaining amount is determined according to the transmission situation of the relevant historical data in the uplink transmission process, and the like, which will not be illustrated one by one here.

[0138] For the convenience of understanding, the following will briefly introduce the way for the second communication device to determine the current memory surplus for uplink transmission in combination with specific examples.

[0139] Example one:

[0140] Firstly, the second communication device calculates the size of the uplink data transmitted in a certain bandwidth and a certain time, i.e., the size of the memory occupied by the uplink data.

[0141] Secondly, the second communication device determines the size of the memory occupied by other functions of the second communication device.

[0142] Then, the memory surplus is calculated, such as memory surplus = total memory of the second communication device - size of the memory occupied by the uplink data - size of the memory occupied by other functions.

[0143] Exemplarily, the second communication device can calculate the size of the memory occupied by the uplink data based on parameters such as the number of streams, transmission bandwidth, carrier spacing, modulation order, etc. of the uplink data in a certain bandwidth and a certain time, for example, the size of the memory occupied by the uplink data = number of streams * frequency domain transmission bandwidth / carrier spacing * bit number corresponding to each RE before modulation * number of symbols corresponding to the time length from signaling to retransmission feedback / 8, wherein the number of symbols corresponding to the time length from signaling to retransmission feedback / 8 is to convert from bits to bytes (Byte). For example, the size of the memory occupied by the uplink data is 1.17e9 Byte = 1.1 GB under the condition of 20 streams, 500 MHz bandwidth, 1024 quadrature amplitude modulation (QAM) modulation, 30 kHz carrier spacing, 10 bits, 14 symbols, and 100 ms HARQ feedback delay.

[0144] Exemplarily, the second communication device can calculate the size of the memory occupied by the uplink data based on parameters such as the number of streams, the number of streams corresponding to each code word, the size of the code word, and the number of code words, for example, the size of the memory occupied by the uplink data = size of the code word (bit number) * number of code words * number of streams corresponding to each code word * number of streams.

[0145] As another possible implementation, for downlink transmission, the second communication device can determine the current memory surplus according to at least one of the following parameters corresponding to the currently received downlink data:

[0146] bandwidth, number of code words, decoding result of the downlink data, number of streams, modulation order, retransmission feedback interval, subcarrier spacing, size of the code word, total amount of memory of the second communication device, or size of the memory occupied by other functions of the second communication device, etc.

[0147] In this implementation, the communication method can further include that the first communication device sends downlink data to the second communication device, for example, the second communication device sends PDSCH to the first communication device. In addition, after the second communication device receives the downlink data, the second communication device can perform data decoding. Optionally, the second communication device can send HARQ feedback to the first communication device, wherein the downlink HARQ feedback can refer to the description of the downlink HARQ feedback in the related art, which will not be described in detail here.

[0148] It should be understood that the above-mentioned manner in which the second communication device determines the current memory surplus according to the relevant parameters of the currently transmitted downlink data is only an example and does not constitute any limitation on the protection scope of the present application. In the downlink transmission scenario, the memory surplus can also be determined in other manners, which will not be described one by one here.

[0149] For the convenience of understanding, the manner in which the second communication device determines the current memory surplus for downlink transmission will be briefly introduced below with specific examples.

[0150] Example two:

[0151] Firstly, the second communication device calculates the size of the downlink data transmitted in a certain bandwidth and a certain time, i.e., the size of the memory occupied by the downlink data.

[0152] Secondly, the second communication device determines the size of the memory occupied by other functions of the second communication device.

[0153] Then, the memory surplus is calculated, for example, memory surplus = total memory of the second communication device - size of the memory occupied by the downlink data - size of the memory occupied by other functions.

[0154] Exemplarily, the second communication device can calculate the size of the memory occupied by the downlink data based on the number of streams, transmission bandwidth, carrier spacing, modulation order and other parameters of the uplink data in a certain bandwidth and a certain time to calculate the memory occupied by the uplink data, for example, size of the memory occupied by the downlink data = number of streams * frequency domain transmission bandwidth / carrier spacing * bit number corresponding to each RE before modulation * number of symbols corresponding to the time length of the feedback of the retransmission signal / 8. For example, the size of the memory occupied by the downlink data under 1024QAM modulation for 20 streams, 500MHz bandwidth and 100ms HARQ feedback delay is: 20*500MHz / 30kHz*10bit / 8*14*200 = 1.17e9 Byte = 1.1GB.

[0155] Exemplarily, the second communication device calculates the downlink data memory size based on the number of streams of the downlink data, the number of streams corresponding to each codeword, the size of the codeword, the number of codewords, and the like. For example, the downlink data memory size = the size of the codeword (bit number) * the number of codewords * the number of streams corresponding to each codeword * the number of streams.

[0156] It should be understood that the above implementation is only an example, and does not limit the protection scope of the present application. The second communication device can also determine the current memory size in other manners. For example, the second communication device determines the current memory size according to historical communication data. For another example, the second communication device determines the current memory size according to an indication of a management device (such as an operation administration and maintenance (OAM) device). Details are not described herein.

[0157] Specifically, after receiving the first indication information, the first communication device determines the current memory size of the second communication device based on the first indication information, and sends second indication information (such as an I LBRM ), to the second communication device, indicating the second communication device to perform a memory operation. The method flow shown in FIG. 3 further includes:

[0158] S320, the first communication device sends second indication information to the second communication device. Correspondingly, the second communication device receives the second indication information from the first communication device.

[0159] Specifically, the second indication information is used to indicate the size limitation of the circular buffer of the second communication device. The second indication information is determined based on the memory size reported by the second communication device.

[0160] Exemplarily, the first communication device can send the second indication information to the second communication device through downlink control information (DCI). For example, the first communication device sends DCI to the second communication device, and the DCI includes the second indication information, or the DCI is the second indication information.

[0161] Optionally, the second indication information is used to indicate one of the following information:

[0162] a code rate of the code word, a modulation order of the transmission data, a number of streams of the transmission data, a transmission bandwidth of the transmission data, or a number of HARQ processes of the transmission data, etc. The transmission data can be reception of downlink data by the second communication device or transmission of uplink data by the second communication device. For example, the modulation order of the transmission data can be a modulation order of the downlink data received by the second communication device or a modulation order of the uplink data transmitted by the second communication device.

[0163] By way of example and not limitation, the first communication device determines, according to the memory surplus of the second communication device and the actual maximum number of transmitted information bits, that the memory surplus is less than the actual maximum number of transmitted information bits, and reduces the actual number of transmitted bits. By way of example, the actual number of transmitted bits can be reduced by the following ways:

[0164] For example, the modulation order of the transmission data is reduced, such as the modulation order of the transmission data is adjusted from 1024 quadrature amplitude modulation (QAM) to 256 QAM.

[0165] For another example, the transmission bandwidth of the transmission data is reduced, such as the transmission bandwidth of the transmission data is adjusted from 100 MHz to 50 MHz.

[0166] For another example, the number of streams of the transmission data is reduced, such as the number of streams of the transmission data is adjusted from 20 streams to 10 streams.

[0167] For another example, the code rate of the code word is increased, such as the number of transmitted information bits is not reduced, the transmission of check bits is reduced, etc. By way of example, the first communication device determines the code rate of the code word according to the memory surplus of the second communication device, including:

[0168] The first communication device determines the actual number of HARQ processes that can be supported according to the memory surplus and the memory size occupied by each HARQ process multiplied by the number of HARQ processes. If the memory surplus is less than the actual maximum number of transmitted information bits, the actual maximum number of transmitted information bits is reduced, i.e. the code rate of the code word is increased, such as the number of transmitted information bits remains unchanged, the transmission of check bits is reduced. Optionally, the smaller the memory surplus, the greater the code rate of the code word determined by the first communication device.

[0169] By way of example, the first communication device determines the number of HARQ processes according to the memory surplus of the second communication device, including:

[0170] The first communication device determines the actual number of HARQ processes that can be supported according to the "memory remaining" and "memory size occupied by each HARQ process * the number of HARQ processes", and if the memory remaining is less than the actual maximum number of transmitted information bits, the number of HARQ processes can be reduced.

[0171] To facilitate understanding, the following illustrates the indication manner of the second indication information in combination with specific examples:

[0172] Example 1:

[0173] The second indication information can indicate different cyclic buffer usage restrictions, for example, the second indication information can indicate multiple different code rates (for example, the code rates that can be indicated are 0.5, 0.7, 0.8, and 0.9, which can be indicated by 2 bits, 00 indicates 0.5, 01 indicates 0.7, 10 indicates 0.8, and 11 indicates 0.9). The first communication device determines that the code rate that the second communication device can support according to the memory remaining is code rate #1 (for example, 0.75), so that the first communication device can determine the code rate indicated by the second indication information according to the determined code rate #1 and the multiple code rates that the second indication information can indicate, for example, the second indication information is 10, indicating that the code rate is 0.8.

[0174] Exemplarily, when the memory remaining reported by the second communication device through the first indication information is less than the memory threshold, the first communication device can instruct the second communication device to adjust the currently executed service, for example, to reduce, adjust, or suspend some services. For example, instructing the second communication device to close high-precision services.

[0175] Optionally, when the memory remaining of the second communication device is insufficient to support the number of HARQ processes of the current cyclic buffer, the first communication device can limit the maximum number of HARQ processes of the transmitted data, improve the code rate of the code word, reduce the modulation order of the transmitted data, reduce the number of streams of the transmitted data, or reduce the transmission bandwidth of the transmitted data through the second indication information (for example, dynamic LBRM indication).

[0176] Exemplarily, when the memory remaining reported by the second communication device through the first indication information indicates that the memory remaining of the second communication device is sufficient to support the number of HARQ processes of the current cyclic buffer, the first communication device can increase the maximum number of HARQ processes of the transmitted data, reduce the code rate of the code word, improve the modulation order of the transmitted data, improve the number of streams of the transmitted data, or improve the transmission bandwidth of the transmitted data through the second indication information (for example, dynamic LBRM indication).

[0177] Optionally, the second indication information can occupy one bit, and a value of the one bit is used to indicate that the use of the circular buffer is limited or the use of the circular buffer is not limited. The use of the circular buffer being limited can be understood as indicating the use of a limited buffer, and the use of the circular buffer not being limited can be understood as indicating the non-use of a limited buffer. For example, a value of 0 of the bit indicates the non-use of a limited buffer, and a value of 1 of the bit indicates the use of a limited buffer. That is, in this application, the content indicated by the second indication information can refer to the 1-bit design of the existing LBRM indication, and the corresponding content is indicated by one bit. However, it should be noted that the second indication information in this application is determined based on the memory remaining amount reported by the second communication device. Compared with the existing LBRM indication, the memory remaining amount of the second communication device is considered, the risk of the second communication device being unable to decode correctly due to insufficient memory is reduced, and the transmission performance is improved.

[0178] Optionally, the second indication information can occupy a plurality of bits, and different values of the plurality of bits are used to indicate at least one of different code rates of different code words, different modulation orders of different transmission data, different numbers of different transmission data streams, different transmission bandwidths of different transmission data, or different numbers of different HARQ processes. That is, the plurality of bits can be more flexible for indication. If the values of the bits are different, the indicated parameters are also different. For example, different values of the code rate of the code word can be implemented by different values of the plurality of bits.

[0179] For example, the second indication information occupies two bits. When the bit values are 00, it indicates that the code rate of the code word is code rate #1, and the maximum number of HARQ processes is HARQ process number #1. When the bit values are 01, it indicates that the code rate of the code word is code rate #2, and the maximum number of HARQ processes is HARQ process number #2. When the bit values are 10, it indicates that the code rate of the code word is code rate #3, and the maximum number of HARQ processes is HARQ process number #3. When the bit values are 11, it indicates that the code rate of the code word is code rate #4, and the maximum number of HARQ processes is HARQ process number #4. Among them, code rate #1 is less than code rate #2, code rate #2 is less than code rate #3, and code rate #3 is less than code rate #4. HARQ process number #1 is less than HARQ process number #2, HARQ process number #2 is less than HARQ process number #3, and HARQ process number #3 is less than HARQ process number #4.

[0180] Further, after the second communication device receives the second indication information described above, the second communication device can perform memory operation based on the second indication information. Therefore, the method flow shown in FIG. 3 further includes:

[0181] S330, the second communication device performs memory operation.

[0182] As a possible implementation, for downlink transmission, the second communication device combines the received code word according to the code rate indicated by the second indication information, reduces the memory, and changes the corresponding maximum HARQ process number while emptying the unused HARQ process, according to the code rate, modulation order, stream number, transmission bandwidth, or maximum HARQ process number limit of the code word indicated by the second indication information. After the above operation, the second communication device decodes.

[0183] Exemplarily, in this implementation, the combining of the received code word by the second communication device according to the code rate indicated by the second indication information includes:

[0184] After the first communication device determines the total code word bits to be transmitted, the first communication device indicates whether the circular buffer is opened and whether the actual transmission code rate (such as the code rate of the code word) is adjusted through the second indication information described above, and the second communication device can combine the received code word according to the indication of the second indication information.

[0185] For the convenience of understanding, the process of code word combining of the second communication device is described in combination with a specific example.

[0186] Example two:

[0187] Step one: the first communication device determines that the total code word bits to be transmitted are: 01010101111100000000010000.

[0188] Step two: the first communication device indicates that the buffer is opened through the second indication information described above, that is, the actual code word bits to be transmitted are: 01010101111100000.

[0189] Step three: during the first transmission (initial transmission) process, the first communication device sends a part (or all) of the code word bits: 010101011111 to the second communication device according to the actual situation.

[0190] Step four: the second communication device fails to decode, and the second communication device sends a retransmission request message to the first communication device, the retransmission request message being used to request the first communication device to retransmit information.

[0191] Step five: the first communication device retransmits to the second communication device.

[0192] Optionally, in order to give the second communication device more different information as much as possible, the first communication device can shift a position according to the code word bits in the first transmission process during the retransmission process, and then transmit the code word bits, such as the retransmitted code word bits: 101111100000. Step six: the second communication device combines the code word.

[0193] Exemplarily, the code word merging by the second communication device comprises merging the decoding soft information of the bits with the same actual positions in the initial transmission and the retransmission, for example, for the bits 1011111 with the same actual positions in the initial transmission and the retransmission, the second communication device can merge the results of the two times of decoding of 1011111 to improve the decoding accuracy. Specifically, the second communication device can learn the bits that can be merged based on the second indication information.

[0194] As another possible implementation, for uplink transmission, the second communication device truncates the coded code word by a corresponding proportion according to the code rate, the modulation order, the number of streams, the transmission bandwidth, or the maximum HARQ process number limit indicated by the second indication information (or compares the code rate indicated by the second indication information with the minimum code rate to set a new code rate and truncates according to the code rate), and changes the corresponding maximum HARQ process number. After the above operation, the second communication device performs the next round of uplink data transmission according to the DCI retransmission scheduling or the ACK feedback or the HARQ feedback of the first communication device.

[0195] Exemplarily, in this implementation, the second communication device truncates the coded code word by a corresponding proportion comprises:

[0196] After the second communication device determines the total code word bits to be transmitted, the second communication device determines whether the circular buffer is enabled and the corresponding transmission code rate through the second indication information, so that the second communication device can truncate the coded code word by a corresponding proportion according to the indication of the second indication information.

[0197] For ease of understanding, the process of the second communication device truncating the coded code word by a corresponding proportion is described in combination with a specific example.

[0198] Example three:

[0199] Step one: The second communication device determines that the total code word bits to be transmitted are: 010101011111000000000100000.

[0200] Step two: the second communication device determines whether the circular buffer is opened and the code rate (e.g., the actual code rate and / or the code rate indicated by the second indication information) after being opened according to the second indication information of the first communication device, so as to determine the size of the buffer. For example, if the second indication information indicates that the code rate is 2 / 3, the length of the bit information is 18. For another example, for the actual code rate, the actual code rate of the original length of 27 is 1 / 3, that is, the actual information is 9, and the second indication information indicates that the new actual code rate is 1 / 2, that is, the new information length is 18. The code rate and the new code rate indicated by the second indication information are determined according to the value of the second indication information.

[0201] Step three: the second communication device performs code word truncation, for example, the truncated code word bits are: 010101011111000000.

[0202] In addition, the first communication device can determine the number of HARQ processes that can be actually supported according to the number of bits of each HARQ process and the size of the memory remaining reported by the second communication device (e.g., the number of HARQ processes that can be actually supported = the number of bits of each HARQ process ÷ the size of the memory remaining). wherein, the second indication information can indicate the number of HARQ processes that can be actually supported, so that the second communication device can adjust the number of HARQ processes based on the second indication information.

[0203] By way of example and not limitation, in this embodiment, the trigger mode of the first communication device for determining and reporting the memory remaining includes but is not limited to the following two modes:

[0204] Mode one: the first communication device triggers the second communication device to perform the remaining calculation and report by the third indication information.

[0205] In the case shown in mode one, the method flow shown in FIG. 3 further includes:

[0206] S302, the first communication device sends the third indication information to the second communication device, and correspondingly, the second communication device receives the third indication information from the first communication device.

[0207] Specifically, the third indication information is used to indicate the reporting of the memory remaining.

[0208] Exemplarily, the first communication device can send the above-mentioned third indication information by at least one of the following information:

[0209] DCI, RRC, or MAC control element (CE), etc.

[0210] It should be understood that the above-mentioned manner of sending the third indication information by the DCI, the RRC, or the MAC CE is only an example, and the protection scope of the present application is not limited in any way, and the first communication device can also send the third indication information to the second communication device in other manners, for example, sending the third indication information to the second communication device by newly added signaling.

[0211] As a possible implementation manner, the first communication device can send the third indication information to the second communication device in an initial access stage of the second communication device.

[0212] For example, when the second communication device initially accesses, the second communication device sends capability information to the first communication device, the capability information being used to indicate the communication capability of the second communication device, and the first communication device sends the third indication information to the second communication device.

[0213] Manner two: The second communication device determines whether a preset first condition is met, and performs the margin calculation and reports in the case where the first condition is met.

[0214] In the case shown in the manner two, the method flow shown in FIG. 3 further includes:

[0215] S303: The second communication device determines that the first condition is met.

[0216] Specifically, the first condition is used to determine whether to report the memory margin. For example, in the case where the first condition is met, it is determined to report the memory margin; and for another example, in the case where the first condition is not met, it is determined not to report the memory margin.

[0217] Optionally, the first condition includes but is not limited to at least one of the following:

[0218] The number of transceiving antennas of the second communication device is greater than a first threshold, the maximum rank number of a channel of the second communication device is greater than a second threshold, the number of streams scheduled by the second communication device is greater than a third threshold, the number of code words of a circular buffer of the second communication device is greater than a fourth threshold, the communication bandwidth of the second communication device is greater than a fifth threshold, the modulation order of data transmitted by the second communication device is greater than a sixth threshold, the retransmission feedback delay of data transmitted by the second communication device is greater than a seventh threshold, the total amount of memory of the second communication device is less than an eighth threshold, or the memory size occupied by other functions of the second communication device is greater than a ninth threshold, wherein the other functions of the second communication device are other functions except for supporting the storage of the code words of the circular buffer of the second communication device. In the present application, the first threshold, the second threshold, the third threshold, the fourth threshold, the fifth threshold, the sixth threshold, the seventh threshold, the eighth threshold, or the ninth threshold are not limited in any way, and can be the threshold negotiated by the second communication device and the first communication device, can be the threshold configured by the first communication device, can be the threshold predefined by a protocol, and the like.

[0219] Exemplarily, the maximum rank number of the channel of the second communication device is related to the number of transceiving antennas of the second communication device, where the transmission antennas of the second communication device to the reception antennas of the second communication device form a channel matrix, and the more the transceiving antennas of the second communication device, the larger the channel matrix, and thus the rank of the channel matrix is increased.

[0220] Exemplarily, the number of streams scheduled by the second communication device is related to the channel matrix corresponding to the transceiving antennas of the second communication device, where the larger the rank of the channel matrix, the more the number of streams that can be transmitted. The number of streams scheduled by the second communication device (or the number of streams transmitted by the second communication device) can be less than the rank number.

[0221] Exemplarily, the modulation order of the data transmitted by the second communication device can be the modulation order of the data received by the second communication device, or the modulation order of the data transmitted by the second communication device. Similarly, the retransmission feedback delay of the data transmitted by the second communication device can be the retransmission feedback delay of the data received by the second communication device, or the retransmission feedback delay of the data transmitted by the second communication device.

[0222] As an example but not limitation, if the first condition is that the number of transceiving antennas of the second communication device is greater than a first threshold, it can be understood that the more the number of transceiving antennas of the terminal device, the more the number of streams transmitted by the second communication device, and thus the more the number of codewords transmitted, and the maximum HARQ process number is also increased. At this time, whether it is uplink or downlink, the memory occupied by the circular buffer of the terminal device will become larger and larger, which may cause insufficient memory.

[0223] If the first condition is that the maximum rank number of the channel of the second communication device is greater than a second threshold, it can be understood that the larger the maximum rank number of the terminal device, the larger the maximum number of streams transmitted by the second communication device in the data transmission process, and thus the more the number of codewords transmitted, and the maximum HARQ process number is also increased. At this time, whether it is uplink or downlink, the memory occupied by the circular buffer of the terminal device will become larger and larger, which may cause insufficient memory.

[0224] If the first condition is that the number of streams scheduled by the second communication device is greater than a third threshold, it can be understood that the more the number of streams scheduled by the second communication device, the more the number of codewords transmitted, and the maximum HARQ process number is also increased. At this time, whether it is uplink or downlink, the memory occupied by the circular buffer of the terminal device will become larger and larger, which may cause insufficient memory.

[0225] If the first condition is that the number of code words in the circular buffer of the second communication device is greater than a fourth threshold value, it can be understood that the number of code words in the circular buffer of the second communication device is large, that is, the number of 01 bits transmitted is large, the memory occupied is large, and the memory occupied by the circular buffer of the terminal device will become larger and larger, which can cause insufficient memory.

[0226] If the first condition is that the communication bandwidth of the second communication device is greater than a fifth threshold value, it can be understood that the greater the bandwidth, the more data is transmitted under the same spectrum effect, the memory occupied is large, and the memory occupied by the circular buffer of the terminal device will become larger and larger, which can cause insufficient memory.

[0227] If the first condition is that the modulation order (such as 256QAM, 1024QAM, etc.) of the data transmitted by the second communication device is greater than a sixth threshold value, it can be understood that the greater the data modulation order, the larger the memory occupied by the data, and the memory occupied by the circular buffer of the terminal device will become larger and larger, which can cause insufficient memory.

[0228] If the first condition is that the retransmission feedback delay of the data transmitted by the second communication device is greater than a seventh threshold value, it can be understood that the greater the retransmission feedback delay of the data, the greater the maximum HARQ process delay, and the memory occupied by the circular buffer of the terminal device will become larger and larger, which can cause insufficient memory.

[0229] If the first condition is that the total amount of memory of the second communication device is less than an eighth threshold value, it can be understood that the smaller the total amount of memory of the second communication device, the smaller the available memory of the circular buffer of the terminal device will become, which can cause insufficient memory.

[0230] If the first condition is that the memory size occupied by other functions of the second communication device is greater than a ninth threshold value, it can be understood that the greater the memory size occupied by other functions of the second communication device, the smaller the available memory of the circular buffer of the terminal device will become, which can cause insufficient memory.

[0231] Optionally, the first condition can be embodied in the form of a table.

[0232] Exemplarily, the setting of the first condition described above can be determined based on the configuration of the terminal device in the current NR communication system. If the configuration of the second communication device conforms to the configuration of the terminal device in the current NR communication system, the second communication device can determine not to report the memory surplus, for example, in the case that the number of transceiving antennas of the second communication device is less than or equal to a first threshold value, the second communication device can not report the memory surplus. If the configuration of the second communication device does not conform to the configuration of the terminal device in the current NR communication system, the second communication device can determine to report the memory surplus, for example, in the case that the number of transceiving antennas of the second communication device is greater than the first threshold value, the second communication device determines to report the memory surplus.

[0233] It should be understood that the specific forms of the first condition described above are merely examples and do not limit the protection scope of the present application, and the second communication device can also determine whether to report the memory remaining amount through other conditions, for example, according to the capability information of the second communication device, the frequency point information where the second communication device is currently located, and the like, which will not be illustrated one by one here.

[0234] Optionally, in the case shown in Mode Two, the first communication device determining whether to report the memory remaining amount according to whether the first condition is met can be indicated by the second communication device, and the method flow shown in FIG. 3 further includes:

[0235] S304, the first communication device sends fourth indication information to the second communication device, and correspondingly, the second communication device receives the fourth indication information from the first communication device.

[0236] Specifically, the fourth indication information is used to instruct the second communication device to report the memory remaining amount in the case where the first condition is met. Optionally, the fourth indication information is used to instruct that the memory remaining amount can not need to be reported in the case where the first condition is not met; or the fourth indication information is used to instruct that the memory remaining amount can not need to be reported in the case where the second condition is met.

[0237] Exemplarily, the first communication device can send the fourth indication information described above through RRC and / or MAC CE.

[0238] Optionally, in this embodiment, the second communication device can determine the first time for sending the first indication information according to a reporting period of the memory remaining amount or a reference time, wherein the reporting period indicates a period for reporting the memory remaining amount, and the reference time includes a time for sending uplink data, a time for sending uplink hybrid automatic repeat request (HARQ) feedback, or a time for receiving downlink data.

[0239] For example, the second communication device can periodically report the memory remaining amount to the second communication device; for another example, for an uplink transmission scenario, the second communication device can report the memory remaining amount to the first communication device within a period of time after sending uplink data to the first communication device; for another example, for a downlink transmission scenario, the second communication device can report the memory remaining amount to the first communication device within a period of time after sending uplink HARQ feedback to the first communication device; for another example, for a downlink transmission scenario, the second communication device can report the memory remaining amount to the first communication device within a period of time after receiving downlink data from the first communication device.

[0240] By way of example, and not limitation, the timing for the second communication device to report the memory remaining amount can be protocol predefined, or negotiated by the first communication device and the second communication device, or can be indicated by the first communication device through the fifth indication information.

[0241] For example, the fifth indication information is further used to indicate that the second communication device reports the memory surplus after a first time duration after reporting the uplink data, where the first time duration can be a preset value, which can be referred to as a time interval. For example, the fifth indication information includes information #4, which is used to indicate that the second communication device reports the current memory surplus to the first communication device after a first time duration after each time of uploading the uplink data.

[0242] For example, the fifth indication information is further used to indicate that the second communication device reports the memory surplus after a first time duration after reporting the uplink data, where the first time duration can be a preset value, which can be referred to as a time interval. For example, the fifth indication information includes information #4, which is used to indicate that the second communication device reports the current memory surplus to the first communication device after a first time duration after each time of uploading the uplink data.

[0243] For example, the fifth indication information is further used to indicate that the second communication device reports the memory surplus after a first time duration after reporting the uplink data, where the first time duration can be a preset value, which can be referred to as a time interval. For example, the fifth indication information includes information #4, which is used to indicate that the second communication device reports the current memory surplus to the first communication device after a first time duration after each time of uploading the uplink data.

[0244] For example, the fifth indication information is further used to indicate that the second communication device reports the memory surplus after a first time duration after reporting the uplink data, where the first time duration can be a preset value, which can be referred to as a time interval. For example, the fifth indication information includes information #4, which is used to indicate that the second communication device reports the current memory surplus to the first communication device after a first time duration after each time of uploading the uplink data.

[0245] For example, the fifth indication information is further used to indicate that the second communication device reports the memory surplus after a first time duration after reporting the uplink data, where the first time duration can be a preset value, which can be referred to as a time interval. For example, the fifth indication information includes information #4, which is used to indicate that the second communication device reports the current memory surplus to the first communication device after a first time duration after each time of uploading the uplink data.

[0246] In the communication method shown in FIG. 3, the first communication device can perform indication of size limitation of the circular buffer according to the memory surplus reported by the second communication device, that is, when the first communication device indicates the size limitation of the circular buffer of the second communication device, the memory surplus of the second communication device is referred to, the problem of insufficient memory of the second communication device can be quickly responded, the risk that the second communication device cannot decode correctly due to insufficient memory is reduced, and the transmission performance is improved.

[0247] It should be understood that the size of the serial number of each process described above does not mean the order of execution, and the execution order of each process should be determined according to its function and inherent logic, and should not constitute any limitation on the implementation process of the embodiments of the present application.

[0248] It should also be understood that, in the various embodiments of the present application, the terms and / or descriptions between different embodiments are consistent and can be referred to each other if there is no special description and logical conflict, and the technical features in different embodiments can be combined to form new embodiments according to their inherent logical relationship.

[0249] It should also be understood that, in some of the above embodiments, the devices in the existing network architecture are mainly exemplarily described, and it should be understood that the specific forms of the devices are not limited in the embodiments of the present application. For example, devices that can realize the same functions in the future are also applicable to the embodiments of the present application.

[0250] It can be understood that, in each of the above method embodiments, the methods and operations implemented by the devices (such as the first communication device and the second communication device) can also be implemented by components (such as chips or circuits) that can be used for the devices.

[0251] It can also be understood that some optional features in the embodiments of the present application can not depend on other features in some scenarios, or can be combined with other features in some scenarios, and are not limited.

[0252] The above describes the communication method provided by the embodiments of the present application in detail in combination with FIG. 3. The above communication method is mainly introduced from the perspective of the interaction between the first communication device and the second communication device. It can be understood that the first communication device and the second communication device contain corresponding hardware structures and / or software modules for executing various functions in order to realize the above functions.

[0253] Those skilled in the art should realize that the units and algorithm steps of the examples described in combination with the embodiments disclosed in the present text can be realized in the form of hardware or a combination of hardware and computer software. Whether a certain function is realized in the form of hardware or computer software driving hardware depends on the specific application and design constraints of the technical solution. Professional technicians can use different methods to realize the described functions for each specific application, but such implementation should not be considered beyond the scope of the present application.

[0254] The following describes the communication apparatus provided by the embodiments of the present application in detail in combination with FIG. 4 to FIG. 6. It should be understood that the description of the apparatus embodiments corresponds to the description of the method embodiments, and therefore, the content not described in detail can be referred to the above method embodiments, and some content will not be described again for brevity.

[0255] The embodiments of the present application can divide the function modules of the first communication device and the second communication device according to the above method examples. For example, each function module can be divided according to each function, or two or more functions can be integrated in one processing module. The integrated module can be realized in the form of hardware or in the form of a software function module. It should be noted that the division of the modules in the embodiments of the present application is illustrative, and is only a logical function division. In actual implementation, another division manner can be used. The following will be described taking the example of dividing each function module according to each function.

[0256] FIG. 4 is a schematic block diagram of the communication apparatus 10 provided by the embodiments of the present application. The apparatus 10 includes a transceiver module 11 and a processing module 12. The transceiver module 11 can realize corresponding communication functions, and the processing module 12 is configured to perform data processing. In other words, the transceiver module 11 is configured to perform receiving and sending related operations, and the processing module 12 is configured to perform other operations except receiving and sending. The transceiver module 11 can also be referred to as a communication interface or a communication unit. The transceiver module 11 can include a receiving module and / or a sending module. The receiving module is configured to perform receiving related operations, and the sending module is configured to perform sending related operations.

[0257] Optionally, the apparatus 10 can further include a storage module 13. The storage module 13 can be configured to store instructions and / or data. The processing module 12 can read the instructions and / or data in the storage module, so that the apparatus realizes the actions of the device in the foregoing method embodiments. The above modules can also be referred to as units, such as a transceiver unit, a processing unit, a storage unit, and the like.

[0258] In one design, the apparatus 10 can correspond to the first communication device in the above method embodiments, or be a component (such as a chip) of the first communication device.

[0259] The apparatus 10 can realize the steps or processes performed by the first communication device in the above method embodiments. The transceiver module 11 can be configured to perform the receiving and sending related operations of the first communication device in the above method embodiments. The processing module 12 can be configured to perform the processing related operations of the first communication device in the above method embodiments.

[0260] In one possible implementation, the transceiver module 11 is configured to receive first indication information from a second communication device. The first indication is used to indicate a memory remaining amount of the second communication device. The transceiver module 11 is further configured to send second indication information to the second communication device according to the memory remaining amount. The second indication information is used to indicate a size limitation condition of a circular buffer of the second communication device.

[0261] When the apparatus 10 is configured to perform the method in FIG. 3, the transceiver module 11 can be configured to perform the steps of receiving / transmitting information in the method, such as steps S302, S304, S310, S320; the processing module 12 can be configured to perform the processing steps in the method.

[0262] It should be understood that the specific procedures of each unit performing the corresponding steps are described in detail in the above method embodiments, and are not described here for brevity.

[0263] In another design, the apparatus 10 can correspond to, or be a component (such as a chip) of, the second communication device in the above method embodiments.

[0264] The apparatus 10 can implement the steps or procedures performed by the second communication device in the above method embodiments, wherein the transceiver module 11 can be configured to perform the operations related to receiving / transmitting of the second communication device in the above method embodiments, and the processing module 12 can be configured to perform the operations related to processing of the second communication device in the above method embodiments.

[0265] In one possible implementation, the transceiver module 11 is configured to transmit first indication information to the first communication device, the first indication information being used to indicate the memory headroom. The transceiver module 11 is configured to receive second indication information from the first communication device, the second indication information being used to indicate the size limitation of the circular buffer of the first communication device, and the second indication information being determined based on the memory headroom.

[0266] When the apparatus 10 is configured to perform the method in FIG. 3, the transceiver module 11 can be configured to perform the steps of receiving / transmitting information in the method, such as steps S302, S304, S310, S320; the processing module 12 can be configured to perform the processing steps in the method, such as steps S303, S301, S330.

[0267] It should be understood that the specific procedures of each unit performing the corresponding steps are described in detail in the above method embodiments, and are not described here for brevity.

[0268] It should also be understood that the apparatus 10 herein is embodied in the form of a functional block diagram. The term "module" herein can refer to an application specific integrated circuit (ASIC), an electronic circuit, a processor (shared, dedicated or group) and memory that execute one or more software or firmware programs, a combinational logic circuit, and / or other suitable components that provide the described functionality. In one optional example, those skilled in the art can understand that the apparatus 10 can be embodied in the form of the mobile management network element in the above-mentioned embodiments, and can be used to execute the processes and / or steps corresponding to the mobile management network element in the above-mentioned method embodiments. Alternatively, the apparatus 10 can be embodied in the form of the terminal device in the above-mentioned embodiments, and can be used to execute the processes and / or steps corresponding to the terminal device in the above-mentioned method embodiments. To avoid repetition, details are not described herein.

[0269] The apparatus 10 of each of the above-mentioned schemes has the function of implementing the corresponding steps performed by the device (e.g., the first communication device and the second communication device) in the above-mentioned methods. The function can be implemented by hardware, or by hardware executing corresponding software. The hardware or software includes one or more modules corresponding to the above-mentioned functions; for example, the transceiver module can be replaced by a transceiver (e.g., the sending unit in the transceiver module can be replaced by a transmitter, and the receiving unit in the transceiver module can be replaced by a receiver), and other units, such as the processing module, can be replaced by a processor, which respectively performs the transceiving operations and related processing operations in each of the method embodiments.

[0270] In addition, the above-mentioned transceiver module 11 can also be a transceiver circuit (e.g., which can include a receiving circuit and a sending circuit), and the processing module can be a processing circuit.

[0271] Figure 5 is a schematic diagram of another communication apparatus 20 provided by the embodiments of the present application. The apparatus 20 includes a processor 21, which is used to execute computer programs or instructions stored in a memory 22, or read data / signaling stored in the memory 22, to perform the methods in the above-mentioned method embodiments. Optionally, the processor 21 is one or more.

[0272] Optionally, as shown in Figure 5, the apparatus 20 further includes the memory 22, which is used to store computer programs or instructions and / or data. The memory 22 can be integrated with the processor 21, or can be separately arranged. Optionally, the memory 22 is one or more.

[0273] Optionally, as shown in FIG. 5, the apparatus 20 further includes a transceiver 23 for receiving and / or sending signals. For example, the processor 21 is configured to control the transceiver 23 to receive and / or send signals. The transceiver 23 can include a receiver and / or a transmitter. The receiver is configured to receive signals, and the transmitter is configured to send signals. If the apparatus 20 is a chip, the transceiver 23 is an input / output interface of the chip, where the output corresponds to the sending, and the input corresponds to the receiving.

[0274] As an option, the apparatus 20 is configured to implement operations performed by the first communication device or the second communication device in the various method embodiments.

[0275] It should be understood that the processor mentioned in the embodiments of the present application can be a central processing unit (CPU), and can also be other general-purpose processors, digital signal processors (DSP), application specific integrated circuits (ASIC), field programmable gate arrays (FPGA) or other programmable logic devices, discrete gates or transistor logic devices, discrete hardware components, etc. The general-purpose processor can be a microprocessor, or the processor can also be any conventional processor.

[0276] It should also be understood that the memory mentioned in the embodiments of the present application can be a volatile memory and / or a non-volatile memory. 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). For example, the RAM can be used as an external cache. As an example but not limitation, the RAM includes the following various forms: static RAM (SRAM), dynamic RAM (DRAM), synchronous DRAM (SDRAM), double data rate SDRAM (DDR SDRAM), enhanced SDRAM (ESDRAM), synchlink DRAM (SLDRAM) and direct rambus RAM (DR RAM).

[0277] It should be noted that when the processor is a general processor, a DSP, an ASIC, a FPGA or other programmable logic device, a discrete gate or transistor logic device, a discrete hardware component, the memory (storage module) can be integrated in the processor.

[0278] It should also be noted that the memory described herein is intended to include, but not limited to, these and any other suitable type of memory.

[0279] FIG. 6 is a schematic diagram of a chip system 30 provided by an embodiment of the present application. The chip system 30 (or also can be referred to as a processing system) includes a logic circuit 31 and an input / output interface 32.

[0280] Among them, the logic circuit 31 can be a processing circuit in the chip system 30. The logic circuit 31 can be coupled to a storage unit, call instructions in the storage unit, so that the chip system 30 can realize the method and function of each embodiment of the present application. The input / output interface 32 can be an input / output circuit in the chip system 30, output the information processed by the chip system 30, or input the data or signaling information to be processed into the chip system 30 for processing.

[0281] As a solution, the chip system 30 is configured to implement operations performed by the terminal device or the network device in the above method embodiments.

[0282] For example, the logic circuit 31 is configured to implement processing-related operations performed by the terminal device in the above method embodiments; and the input / output interface 32 is configured to implement sending and / or receiving-related operations performed by the terminal device in the above method embodiments.

[0283] The embodiments of the present application further provide a computer readable storage medium, having stored thereon computer instructions for implementing the method performed by the device in the above method embodiments.

[0284] For example, the computer program, when executed by a computer, enables the computer to implement the method performed by the first communication device or the second communication device in the above method embodiments.

[0285] The embodiments of the present application further provide a computer program product, containing instructions, which, when executed by a computer, implement the method performed by the first communication device or the second communication device in the above method embodiments.

[0286] The embodiments of the present application further provide a communication system, comprising the first communication device and the second communication device as described above.

[0287] The above-described any one of the devices provides the explanation and beneficial effects of the related content, which can refer to the corresponding method embodiments provided above, and will not be repeated here.

[0288] In the several embodiments provided by the present application, it should be understood that the disclosed device and method can be implemented in other ways. For example, the device embodiments described above are only schematic. The division of the units is only a logical function division. There can be another division manner for actual implementation. For example, a plurality of units or components can be combined or integrated into another system, or some features can be ignored or not executed. In addition, the coupling or direct coupling or communication connection between the units shown or discussed can be indirect coupling or communication connection through some interface, device or unit, and can be electrical, mechanical or in other forms.

[0289] In the above embodiments, all or part of the embodiments can be implemented by software, hardware, firmware or any combination thereof. When implemented by software, all or part of the embodiments can be implemented in the form of a computer program product. The computer program product includes one or more computer instructions. When the computer program instructions are loaded and executed on a computer, all or part of the processes or functions described in the embodiments of the present application are generated. The computer can be a general-purpose computer, a special-purpose computer, a computer network, or other programmable apparatus. For example, the computer can be a personal computer, a server, a network device, etc. The computer instructions can be stored in a computer-readable storage medium or transferred from one computer-readable storage medium to another computer-readable storage medium, for example, the computer instructions can be transferred from one website, computer, server or data center to another website, computer, server or data center through wired (such as coaxial cable, optical fiber, digital subscriber line (DSL)) or wireless (such as infrared, wireless, microwave, etc.) manner. The computer-readable storage medium can be any available medium that can be accessed by a computer or a data storage device such as a server, data center, etc. integrated with one or more available media sets. The available media can be a magnetic medium (such as a floppy disk, a hard disk, a magnetic tape), an optical medium (such as a DVD), or a semiconductor medium (such as a solid state disk (SSD), etc. For example, the foregoing available media includes but is not limited to: a variety of media that can store program codes such as a U disk, a mobile hard disk, a read-only memory (ROM), a random access memory (RAM), a magnetic disk or an optical disk, etc.

[0290] The above is only 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 within 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 first communication device, and the method comprises: receiving first indication information from a second communication device, the first indication information being used to indicate a memory surplus of the second communication device; sending second indication information to the second communication device according to the memory surplus, the second indication information being used to indicate a size limitation condition of a circular buffer of the second communication device.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein, Before the receiving of the first indication information from the second communication device, the method further comprises: sending third indication information to the second communication device, the third indication information being used to instruct the second communication device to report the memory surplus; or sending fourth indication information to the second communication device, the fourth indication information being used to instruct the second communication device to report the memory surplus in a case where a first condition is met, wherein the first condition is used to determine whether to report the memory surplus.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein, The first condition comprises at least one of the following: a number of transceiving antennas of the second communication device is greater than a first threshold value, a maximum rank number of a channel of the second communication device is greater than a second threshold value, a number of streams scheduled by the second communication device is greater than a third threshold value, a number of code words of the circular buffer of the second communication device is greater than a fourth threshold value, a communication bandwidth of the second communication device is greater than a fifth threshold value, a modulation order of data transmitted by the second communication device is greater than a sixth threshold value, a retransmission feedback delay of the data transmitted by the second communication device is greater than a seventh threshold value, a total amount of memory of the second communication device is less than an eighth threshold value, or a memory size occupied by other functions of the second communication device is greater than a ninth threshold value, wherein the other functions of the second communication device are functions other than supporting storage of the code words of the circular buffer of the second communication device.

4. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 3, characterized in that, The first indication information used to indicate the memory surplus comprises at least one of the following: the first indication information indicates whether the memory surplus is sufficient; or the first indication information indicates a size of the memory surplus; or the first indication information indicates a ratio of the memory surplus to a memory size required for transmission data.

5. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 4, characterized in that, The receiving of the first indication information from the second communication device comprises: receiving uplink control information (UCI) from the second communication device, the UCI comprising the first indication information.

6. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 5, characterized in that, The sending of the second indication information to the second communication device comprises: sending downlink control information (DCI) to the second communication device, the DCI comprising the second indication information.

7. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 6, characterized in that, The second indication information indicates at least one of the following: a code rate of a code word, a modulation order of transmission data, a number of streams of the transmission data, a transmission bandwidth of the transmission data, or a number of hybrid automatic repeat request (HARQ) processes of the transmission data.

8. The method of claim 7, wherein, In a case where the first indication information indicates that the memory surplus is insufficient to support a number of HARQ processes of the circular buffer of the second communication device, the second indication information indicates at least one of the following: limiting a maximum number of HARQ processes of transmission data, increasing a code rate of a code word, decreasing a modulation order of transmission data, decreasing a number of streams of the transmission data, or decreasing a transmission bandwidth of the transmission data.

9. The method according to claim 7 or 8, characterized in that, The second indication information occupies one bit, and the bit value is used to indicate that the use of the circular buffer area is limited or the use of the circular buffer area is not limited. The second indication information occupies multiple bits, and different values of the bits are used to indicate at least one of the following: modulation order of the transmitted data, code rate of the code word, number of streams of the transmitted data, transmission bandwidth of the transmitted data, or number of hybrid automatic repeat request (HARQ) processes of the transmitted data.

10. A communication method characterized by comprising: The method applied to the second communication device comprises: determining the memory remaining amount of the second communication device; sending first indication information to the first communication device, the first indication information being used to indicate the memory remaining amount; receiving second indication information from the first communication device, the second indication information being used to indicate the size limitation condition of the circular buffer area of the first communication device, and the second indication information being determined based on the memory remaining amount.

11. The method of claim 10, wherein, Before determining the memory remaining amount of the second communication device, the method further comprises: receiving third indication information from the first communication device, the third indication information being used to indicate that the memory remaining amount is reported; or determining that a first condition is met, the first condition being used to determine whether the memory remaining amount is reported.

12. The method of claim 11, wherein, The method further comprises: receiving fourth indication information from the first communication device, the fourth indication information being used to indicate that the memory remaining amount is reported when the first condition is met.

13. The method according to any one of claims 10 to 12, characterized in that, The determination of the memory remaining amount of the first communication device comprises: determining the memory remaining amount according to at least one of the following parameters corresponding to the uplink data: bandwidth, number of code words, number of streams, modulation order, retransmission feedback interval, subcarrier spacing, code word size, total memory amount of the second communication device, and memory size occupied by other functions of the second communication device; or determining the memory remaining amount according to at least one of the following parameters corresponding to the downlink data: bandwidth, number of code words, decoding result, number of streams, modulation order, retransmission feedback interval, subcarrier spacing, code word size, total memory amount of the second communication device, and memory size occupied by other functions of the second communication device, wherein the other functions of the second communication device are functions other than supporting the storage of the circular buffer code word of the second communication device.

14. The method according to any one of claims 10 to 13, characterized in that, The sending of the first indication information to the first communication device comprises: sending uplink control information (UCI) to the first communication device, and the first indication information is included in the uplink control information.

15. The method according to any one of claims 10 to 14, characterized in that, The receiving of the second indication information from the first communication device comprises: receiving downlink control information (DCI) from the first communication device, and the second indication information is included in the downlink control information.

16. The method according to any one of claims 10 to 15, characterized in that, The method further comprises: processing the received code word, processing the encoded code word, or adjusting the maximum number of hybrid automatic repeat request (HARQ) processes according to the second indication information, wherein the processing of the received code word comprises merging processing of the received code word based on the code rate of the code word, and the processing of the encoded code word comprises truncation processing of the encoded code word based on the code rate of the code word.

17. A communications device, characterized by comprising means for implementing the method of any one of claims 1 to 9; or comprising means for implementing the method of any one of claims 10 to 16.

18. A communications device, characterized by comprising at least one processor configured to execute computer program or instructions to cause the method of any one of claims 1 to 9 to be performed; or to cause the method of any one of claims 10 to 16 to be performed.

19. The communication apparatus according to claim 18, wherein, the communication apparatus further comprises a memory for storing the computer program or instructions; and / or, the communication apparatus further comprises a communication interface coupled to the at least one processor, the communication interface being configured to input and / or output information.

20. A computer-readable storage medium, characterized in that, a computer readable storage medium storing a computer program which, when run on a computer, causes the method of any one of claims 1 to 16 to be performed.

21. A computer program product, characterised in that, a computer program or instructions which, when executed by a processor, cause the method of any one of claims 1 to 16 to be performed.

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