Communication methods, terminals, network devices, and storage medium

Abstract

The present disclosure relates to communication methods, terminals, network devices, and a storage medium. A communication method comprises: a terminal receives a first downlink reference signal resource configured by a network device, the first downlink reference signal resource being related to the number of transmission layers RANK corresponding to N port groups, and N being a positive integer. The present disclosure improves system performance by means of the communication method.

Description

Communication method, terminal, network device and storage medium TECHNICAL FIELD

[0001] The present disclosure relates to the technical field of communication, and particularly relates to a communication method, a terminal, a network device and a storage medium. BACKGROUND

[0002] At present, a terminal is extended from deploying 2 or 4 receivers (RX), i.e. 2 / 4Rx, to deploying 6 or 8 receivers, i.e. 6 / 8Rx.

[0003] SUMMARY

[0004] The present disclosure provides a communication method, a terminal, a network device and a storage medium.

[0005] According to a first aspect of the present disclosure, a communication method is provided, the method comprising: receiving, by a terminal, a first downlink reference signal resource configured by a network device, the first downlink reference signal resource being related to a transmission rank RANK corresponding to N port groups, the N being a positive integer.

[0006] According to a second aspect of the present disclosure, a communication method is provided, the method comprising: configuring, by a network device, a first downlink reference signal resource for a terminal, the first downlink reference signal resource being related to a transmission rank RANK corresponding to N port groups, the N being a positive integer.

[0007] According to a third aspect of the present disclosure, a communication method is provided, the method comprising: configuring, by a network device, a first downlink reference signal resource for a terminal, the first downlink reference signal resource being related to a transmission rank RANK corresponding to N port groups, the N being a positive integer; and receiving, by the terminal, the first downlink reference signal resource configured by the network device.

[0008] According to a fourth aspect of the present disclosure, a terminal is provided, comprising: a transceiver configured to receive a first downlink reference signal resource configured by a network device, the first downlink reference signal resource being related to a transmission rank RANK corresponding to N port groups, the N being a positive integer.

[0009] According to a fifth aspect of the present disclosure, a network device is provided, comprising: a transceiver configured to configure a first downlink reference signal resource for a terminal, the first downlink reference signal resource being related to a transmission rank RANK corresponding to N port groups, the N being a positive integer.

[0010] According to a sixth aspect of the present disclosure, a terminal is provided, comprising: one or more processors; and wherein the terminal is configured to perform the communication method of the first aspect and any one of the first aspect.

[0011] According to a seventh aspect of the embodiments of the present disclosure, a network device is provided, comprising: one or more processors; and wherein the network device is configured to perform the communication method of the second aspect and any one of the second aspect.

[0012] According to an eighth aspect of the embodiments of the present disclosure, a communication system is provided, comprising a terminal and a network device, wherein the terminal is configured to implement the communication method of the first aspect and any one of the first aspect, and the network device is configured to implement the communication method of the second aspect and any one of the second aspect.

[0013] According to a ninth aspect of the embodiments of the present disclosure, a storage medium is provided, which stores instructions, when the instructions are executed on a communication device, the communication device executes the communication method of the first aspect and any one of the first aspect or the second aspect and any one of the second aspect.

[0014] According to a tenth aspect of the embodiments of the present disclosure, a program product is provided, comprising: a computer program, when the computer program is executed by a communication device, the communication device executes the communication method of the first aspect and any one of the first aspect or the second aspect and any one of the second aspect.

[0015] The present disclosure receives the first downlink reference signal resource configured by the network device through the terminal, the first downlink reference signal resource corresponds to the RANK of the N port group, that is, the first downlink reference signal resource can determine the RANK of the N port group, so as to determine the RANK of each port group more flexibly and more targetedly for the case of the N port group, so as to improve the system performance. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS

[0016] In order to more clearly illustrate the technical solutions in the embodiments of the present disclosure, the following describes the drawings required for the embodiments, and the following drawings are only some embodiments of the present disclosure, and do not specifically limit the protection scope of the present disclosure.

[0017] FIG. 1a is a schematic diagram of 8Rx reception based on two SRS port groups.

[0018] FIG. 1b is a schematic diagram of a communication system architecture according to an embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0019] FIG. 2 is a schematic diagram of a communication method interaction according to an embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0020] FIG. 3 is a flowchart of a communication method according to an embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0021] FIG. 4 is a flowchart of a communication method according to an embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0022] FIG. 5 is a schematic diagram of a communication method interaction according to an embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0023] FIG. 6a is a structural schematic diagram of a terminal according to an embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0024] FIG. 6b is a structural schematic diagram of a network device according to an embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0025] FIG. 7a is a structural schematic diagram of a communication device according to an embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0026] FIG. 7b is a structural schematic diagram of a chip according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0027] The present disclosure provides a communication method, a terminal, a network device and a storage medium.

[0028] In a first aspect, the present disclosure provides a communication method, which includes: a terminal receiving a first downlink reference signal resource configured by a network device, the first downlink reference signal resource being related to a transmission layer number RANK corresponding to N port groups, N being a positive integer.

[0029] In the above embodiment, the terminal receives the first downlink reference signal resource configured by the network device, and the first downlink reference signal resource is related to the RANK corresponding to the N port groups, that is, the RANK corresponding to the N port groups can be determined through the first downlink reference signal resource, so that for the case of the N port groups, the RANK corresponding to each port group can be determined more flexibly and more targeted, thereby improving the system performance.

[0030] In some optional embodiments of the first aspect, the method further includes: the terminal determining the RANK corresponding to the N port groups based on the first downlink reference signal resource.

[0031] In the above embodiment, the terminal can determine the RANK corresponding to the N port groups, so as to report to the network device, thereby facilitating the network device to transmit data based on the RANK of each port group more flexibly and more targeted, and improving the system performance.

[0032] In some optional embodiments of the first aspect, the number of the first downlink reference signal resources is one.

[0033] In the above embodiment, the number of the first downlink reference signal resources can be one, and the network device can configure only one first downlink reference signal resource, and in some cases, other downlink reference signal resources are configured to meet the conditions, thereby saving resources.

[0034] In some possible implementation of the first aspect, the first downlink reference signal resource is associated with the N port groups, and the method further includes: in a case where the RANK values corresponding to the N port groups are greater than M, the terminal receives a second downlink reference signal resource configured by the network device, the second downlink reference signal resource is of N in number, each of the second downlink reference signal resources is associated with a port group, and M is a positive integer.

[0035] In the above embodiment, if the RANK values corresponding to the N port groups are greater than M, the network device can reconfigure a second downlink reference signal resource, so as to determine the RANK values corresponding to the N port groups respectively, to selectively report the RANK, and to improve system performance.

[0036] In some possible implementation of the first aspect, the ports of the first downlink reference signal resource are divided into N partial ports, the N partial ports correspond to the N port groups, and the division of the N partial ports is determined based on antenna port indexes.

[0037] In the above embodiment, the ports of the first downlink reference signal resource can be divided into N partial ports, that is, divided into N groups, and correspond to the N port groups respectively, so as to determine the RANK values corresponding to the N port groups based on the first downlink reference signal resource.

[0038] In some possible implementation of the first aspect, the first downlink reference signal resource is of N in number.

[0039] In the above embodiment, the first downlink reference signal resource is of N in number, which can determine the RANK values corresponding to the N port groups respectively, to improve system performance. On the other hand, in some cases, the network reconfigures other downlink reference signal resources to save resources.

[0040] In some possible implementation of the first aspect, each of the first downlink reference signal resources is associated with a port group, and the method further includes: in a case where the RANK values corresponding to the N port groups are less than or equal to M, the terminal receives a third downlink reference signal resource configured by the network device, the third downlink reference signal resource is of one in number, the third downlink reference signal resource is associated with the N port groups, and M is a positive integer.

[0041] In the above embodiment, if the RANK values corresponding to the N port groups are less than or equal to M, the network device can further configure a third downlink reference signal resource for the terminal, so as to determine one RANK value, to save resources, and to improve efficiency.

[0042] In some optional embodiments of the first aspect, the number of the first downlink reference signal resources is at least N+1, wherein one first reference signal resource is associated with the N port groups, and each of the remaining N first downlink reference signal resources is associated with one port group.

[0043] In the above embodiments, the number of the first downlink reference signal resources can be N+1, that is, one RANK corresponding to the N port groups can be determined, or a RANK corresponding to each port group can be determined, so as to improve the reporting flexibility of the RANK and improve the system performance.

[0044] In some optional embodiments of the first aspect, the method further comprises: the terminal sending first information to the network device, wherein the first information is used to indicate at least one of the following: a maximum value of the RANKs corresponding to the N port groups; a port group with the maximum RANK in the N port groups; a minimum value of the RANKs corresponding to the N port groups; a port group with the minimum RANK in the N port groups; a RANK corresponding to a specified port group in the N port groups, wherein the specified port group is configured by the network device, predefined in a protocol, or determined by the terminal; the specified port group, wherein the specified port group is determined by the terminal; a sum of the RANKs corresponding to the N port groups; an average RANK corresponding to the N port groups, wherein the average RANK is determined based on an average value of downlink channel information of the N port groups, and the downlink channel information is determined based on the downlink reference signal resources; a RANK corresponding to each port group in the N port groups; a channel quality indicator (CQI) corresponding to the N port groups; and a CQI corresponding to each port group in the N port groups.

[0045] In the above embodiments, the terminal can report the RANK and related information in at least one of the above manners, so as to improve the system performance.

[0046] In some possible implementation of the first aspect, in a case where the N port groups correspond to RANK values less than or equal to M, or the terminal receives a second downlink reference signal resource configured by the network device, the first information is used to indicate at least one of: a maximum value of the RANK corresponding to the N port groups; a port group with the maximum RANK in the N port groups; a minimum value of the RANK corresponding to the N port groups; a port group with the minimum RANK in the N port groups; a RANK corresponding to a specified port group in the N port groups, the specified port group being configured by the network device, predefined in a protocol, or determined by the terminal; the specified port group, the specified port group being determined by the terminal; a sum of the RANK corresponding to the N port groups; an average RANK corresponding to the N port groups, the average RANK being determined based on average values of downlink channel information of the N port groups, the downlink channel information being determined based on the downlink reference signal resource; a CQI corresponding to the N port groups; a CQI corresponding to each of the N port groups; wherein the M is a positive integer.

[0047] In the above embodiments, when the above conditions are met, the RANK and related information can be reported in the above manner to save resources and improve efficiency.

[0048] In some possible implementation of the first aspect, the method further includes: the terminal receiving a code word sent by the network device, the code word corresponding to different port groups being the same.

[0049] In the above embodiments, the terminal can receive the code word sent by the network device, that is, the network can transmit data, and the code word corresponding to different port groups can be the same to improve communication performance.

[0050] In some possible implementation of the first aspect, in a case where the N port groups correspond to RANK values greater than M, or the terminal receives a third downlink reference signal resource configured by the network device, the first information is used to indicate at least one of: a RANK corresponding to each of the N port groups; a CQI corresponding to the N port groups; a CQI corresponding to each of the N port groups; wherein the M is a positive integer.

[0051] In the above embodiments, when the above conditions are met, the RANK and related information can be reported in the above manner to improve system performance.

[0052] In some possible implementation of the first aspect, a value range of the RANK corresponding to each port group is 1 to M; or, the value range of the RANK corresponding to each port group is determined based on a protocol.

[0053] In the above embodiments, the range of RANK of each port group can be determined in the above manner to improve communication efficiency.

[0054] In some optional embodiments of the first aspect, the first downlink reference signal resource is associated with an uplink reference signal resource, and the method further includes: the network device sending a precoded uplink reference signal, the precoding being determined based on at least one of the following: downlink channel information; interference information; noise.

[0055] In the above embodiments, the terminal can report a precoded uplink reference signal to facilitate the network device to determine the RANK corresponding to each port group, thereby saving power consumption on the terminal side.

[0056] In some optional embodiments of the first aspect, the method further includes: the terminal receiving interference measurement resources sent by the network device, the interference measurement resources being used to determine the interference information.

[0057] In the above embodiments, the network can configure interference measurement resources for the terminal to determine the precoding of the reported uplink reference signal, thereby improving system performance.

[0058] In some optional embodiments of the first aspect, the interference measurement resources include at least one of the following: channel state information interference measurement resources (CSI-IM); non-zero power channel state information reference signal resources (NZP CSI-RS).

[0059] In the above embodiments, the interference measurement resources include at least one of the above to improve efficiency.

[0060] In some optional embodiments of the first aspect, the downlink reference signal resources received by the terminal and / or the uplink reference signal resources associated with the downlink reference signal resources have at least one of the following time-domain characteristics: periodicity; semi-persistence; aperiodicity; wherein the downlink reference signal resources received by the terminal include at least one of the following: first downlink reference signal resources; second downlink reference signal resources; third downlink reference signal resources.

[0061] In the above embodiments, the reference signal resources can have at least one of the above characteristics to adapt to different communication scenarios and improve flexibility.

[0062] In some optional embodiments of the first aspect, the downlink reference signal resources received by the terminal and / or the uplink reference signal resources associated with the downlink reference signal resources are configured in one or more reference signal resource sets; wherein the downlink reference signal resources received by the terminal include at least one of the following: first downlink reference signal resources; second downlink reference signal resources; third downlink reference signal resources.

[0063] In the above embodiments, the reference signal resources can be configured in one or more reference signal resource sets to adapt to different communication scenarios and improve flexibility.

[0064] In a second aspect, a communication method is provided. The method comprises: configuring, by a network device, a terminal with first downlink reference signal resources, the first downlink reference signal resources being related to a transmission rank RANK corresponding to N port groups, N being a positive integer.

[0065] In some optional embodiments of the second aspect, the number of the first downlink reference signal resources is one.

[0066] In some optional embodiments of the second aspect, the first downlink reference signal resources are associated with the N port groups, and the method further comprises: in a case where the RANK values corresponding to the N port groups are greater than M, configuring, by the network device, the terminal with second downlink reference signal resources, the number of the second downlink reference signal resources being N, each of the second downlink reference signal resources being associated with one port group, M being a positive integer.

[0067] In some optional embodiments of the second aspect, the ports of the first downlink reference signal resources are divided into N partial ports, the N partial ports corresponding to the N port groups, and the division of the N partial ports is determined based on antenna port indexes.

[0068] In some optional embodiments of the second aspect, the number of the first downlink reference signal resources is N.

[0069] In some optional embodiments of the second aspect, each of the first downlink reference signal resources is associated with one port group, and the method further comprises: in a case where the RANK values corresponding to the N port groups are less than or equal to M, configuring, by the network device, the terminal with third downlink reference signal resources, the number of the third downlink reference signal resources being one, the third downlink reference signal resources being associated with the N port groups, M being a positive integer.

[0070] In some optional embodiments of the second aspect, the number of the first downlink reference signal resources is N+1, wherein one first reference signal resource is associated with the N port groups, and each of the remaining N first downlink reference signal resources is associated with one port group.

[0071] In some possible embodiments of the second aspect, the method further includes: receiving, by the network device, first information sent by the terminal, the first information being used to indicate at least one of: a maximum value of RANKs corresponding to the N port groups; a port group with the maximum value of RANKs in the N port groups; a minimum value of RANKs corresponding to the N port groups; a port group with the minimum value of RANKs in the N port groups; a RANK corresponding to a specified port group in the N port groups, the specified port group being configured by the network device, predefined in a protocol, or determined by the terminal; the specified port group, the specified port group being determined by the terminal; a sum of RANKs corresponding to the N port groups; an average RANK corresponding to the N port groups, the average RANK being determined based on an average value of downlink channel information of the N port groups, the downlink channel information being determined based on the downlink reference signal resource; a RANK corresponding to each of the N port groups; a channel quality indicator (CQI) corresponding to the N port groups; and a CQI corresponding to each of the N port groups.

[0072] In some possible embodiments of the second aspect, the RANK values corresponding to the N port groups are less than or equal to M, or the terminal receives a second downlink reference signal resource configured by the network device, the first information being used to indicate at least one of: a maximum value of RANKs corresponding to the N port groups; a port group with the maximum value of RANKs in the N port groups; a minimum value of RANKs corresponding to the N port groups; a port group with the minimum value of RANKs in the N port groups; a RANK corresponding to a specified port group in the N port groups, the specified port group being configured by the network device, predefined in a protocol, or determined by the terminal; the specified port group, the specified port group being determined by the terminal; a sum of RANKs corresponding to the N port groups; an average RANK corresponding to the N port groups, the average RANK being determined based on an average value of downlink channel information of the N port groups, the downlink channel information being determined based on the downlink reference signal resource; a CQI corresponding to the N port groups; a CQI corresponding to each of the N port groups; wherein the M is a positive integer.

[0073] In some possible embodiments of the second aspect, the method further includes: sending, by the network device, a code word to the terminal, the code word corresponding to different port groups being the same.

[0074] In some possible embodiments of the second aspect, the RANK corresponding to the N port groups is greater than M, or the terminal receives the third downlink reference signal resource configured by the network device, the first information is used to indicate at least one of the following: the RANK corresponding to each port group in the N port groups; the CQI corresponding to the N port groups; the CQI corresponding to each port group in the N port groups; wherein the M is a positive integer.

[0075] In some possible embodiments of the second aspect, the RANK corresponding to each port group ranges from 1 to M; or the RANK corresponding to each port group is determined based on a protocol.

[0076] In some possible embodiments of the second aspect, the first downlink reference signal resource is associated with an uplink reference signal resource, and the method further comprises: the network device receives a precoded uplink reference signal sent by the terminal, the precoded uplink reference signal is used to determine the RANK corresponding to the N port groups, and the precoding is determined based on at least one of the following: downlink channel information; interference information; noise.

[0077] In some possible embodiments of the second aspect, the method further comprises: the network device sends an interference measurement resource to the terminal, the interference measurement resource is used to determine the interference information.

[0078] In some possible embodiments of the second aspect, the interference measurement resource comprises at least one of the following: a channel state information interference measurement resource CSI-IM; a non-zero power channel state information reference signal resource NZP CSI-RS.

[0079] In some possible embodiments of the second aspect, the downlink reference signal resource configured by the network device and / or the uplink reference signal resource associated with the downlink reference signal resource has at least one of the following time domain characteristics: periodicity; semi-persistence; aperiodicity; wherein the downlink reference signal resource configured by the network device comprises at least one of the following: a first downlink reference signal resource; a second downlink reference signal resource; a third downlink reference signal resource.

[0080] In some possible embodiments of the second aspect, the downlink reference signal resource configured by the network device and / or the uplink reference signal resource associated with the downlink reference signal resource is configured in one or more reference signal resource sets; wherein the downlink reference signal resource configured by the network device comprises at least one of the following: a first downlink reference signal resource; a second downlink reference signal resource; a third downlink reference signal resource.

[0081] In a third aspect, a communication method is provided. The method comprises: configuring, by a network device, a terminal with a first downlink reference signal resource, the first downlink reference signal resource being related to a transmission rank RANK corresponding to N port groups, N being a positive integer; and receiving, by the terminal, the first downlink reference signal resource configured by the network device.

[0082] In a fourth aspect, a terminal is provided. The terminal comprises: a transceiver configured to receive a first downlink reference signal resource configured by a network device, the first downlink reference signal resource being related to a transmission rank RANK corresponding to N port groups, N being a positive integer.

[0083] In some embodiments of the fourth aspect, the terminal further comprises a processing module configured to determine the RANK corresponding to the N port groups based on the first downlink reference signal resource.

[0084] In some embodiments of the fourth aspect, the number of the first downlink reference signal resource is one.

[0085] In some embodiments of the fourth aspect, the first downlink reference signal resource is associated with the N port groups, and the transceiver is further configured to receive a second downlink reference signal resource configured by the network device in a case where the RANK corresponding to the N port groups is greater than M, the number of the second downlink reference signal resource being N, each of the second downlink reference signal resource being associated with one port group, M being a positive integer.

[0086] In some embodiments of the fourth aspect, the ports of the first downlink reference signal resource are divided into N partial ports, the N partial ports corresponding to the N port groups, the division of the N partial ports being determined based on antenna port indexes.

[0087] In some embodiments of the fourth aspect, the number of the first downlink reference signal resource is N.

[0088] In some embodiments of the fourth aspect, each of the first downlink reference signal resource is associated with one port group, and the transceiver is further configured to receive a third downlink reference signal resource configured by the network device in a case where the RANK corresponding to the N port groups is less than or equal to M, the number of the third downlink reference signal resource being one, the third downlink reference signal resource being associated with the N port groups, M being a positive integer.

[0089] In some embodiments of the fourth aspect, the number of the first downlink reference signal resource is at least N+1, wherein one first reference signal resource is associated with the N port groups, and each of the remaining N first downlink reference signal resources is associated with one port group.

[0090] In some optional embodiments of the fourth aspect, the transceiving module is further configured to: send, to the network device, first information, the first information being used to indicate at least one of: a maximum value of RANKs corresponding to the N port groups; a port group of the N port groups with the maximum value of RANKs; a minimum value of RANKs corresponding to the N port groups; a port group of the N port groups with the minimum value of RANKs; a RANK corresponding to a specified port group of the N port groups, the specified port group being configured by the network device, predefined in a protocol, or determined by the terminal; the specified port group, the specified port group being determined by the terminal; a sum of RANKs corresponding to the N port groups; an average RANK corresponding to the N port groups, the average RANK being determined based on an average of downlink channel information of the N port groups, the downlink channel information being determined based on the downlink reference signal resource; a RANK corresponding to each port group of the N port groups; a channel quality indicator (CQI) corresponding to the N port groups; a CQI corresponding to each port group of the N port groups.

[0091] In some optional embodiments of the fourth aspect, the RANK values corresponding to the N port groups are less than or equal to M, or the terminal receives a second downlink reference signal resource configured by the network device, the first information is used to indicate at least one of: a maximum value of RANKs corresponding to the N port groups; a port group of the N port groups with the maximum value of RANKs;

[0092] a minimum value of RANKs corresponding to the N port groups; a port group of the N port groups with the minimum value of RANKs; a RANK corresponding to a specified port group of the N port groups, the specified port group being configured by the network device, predefined in a protocol, or determined by the terminal; the specified port group, the specified port group being determined by the terminal; a sum of RANKs corresponding to the N port groups; an average RANK corresponding to the N port groups, the average RANK being determined based on an average of downlink channel information of the N port groups, the downlink channel information being determined based on the downlink reference signal resource; a CQI corresponding to the N port groups; a CQI corresponding to each port group of the N port groups; wherein the M is a positive integer.

[0093] In some optional embodiments of the fourth aspect, the transceiving module is further configured to: receive, by the terminal, a codeword sent by the network device, the codeword corresponding to different port groups being the same.

[0094] In some embodiments of the fourth aspect, the RANK corresponding to the N port groups is greater than M, or the terminal receives a third downlink reference signal resource configured by the network device, the first information is used to indicate at least one of: the RANK corresponding to each port group in the N port groups; the CQI corresponding to the N port groups; the CQI corresponding to each port group in the N port groups; wherein the M is a positive integer.

[0095] In some embodiments of the fourth aspect, the RANK corresponding to each port group ranges from 1 to M; or the RANK corresponding to each port group is determined based on a protocol.

[0096] In some embodiments of the fourth aspect, the first downlink reference signal resource is associated with an uplink reference signal resource, and the method further comprises: the network device sends a precoded uplink reference signal, and the precoding is determined based on at least one of: downlink channel information; interference information; noise.

[0097] In some embodiments of the fourth aspect, the transceiver is further configured to: receive, by the terminal, an interference measurement resource sent by the network device, and the interference measurement resource is used to determine the interference information.

[0098] In some embodiments of the fourth aspect, the interference measurement resource includes at least one of: a channel state information interference measurement resource CSI-IM; a non-zero power channel state information reference signal resource NZP CSI-RS.

[0099] In some embodiments of the fourth aspect, the downlink reference signal resource received by the terminal and / or the uplink reference signal resource associated with the downlink reference signal resource has at least one of the following time domain characteristics: periodicity; semi-persistence; aperiodicity; wherein the downlink reference signal resource received by the terminal includes at least one of: a first downlink reference signal resource; a second downlink reference signal resource; a third downlink reference signal resource.

[0100] In some embodiments of the fourth aspect, the downlink reference signal resource received by the terminal and / or the uplink reference signal resource associated with the downlink reference signal resource is configured in one or more reference signal resource sets; wherein the downlink reference signal resource received by the terminal includes at least one of: a first downlink reference signal resource; a second downlink reference signal resource; a third downlink reference signal resource.

[0101] In a fifth aspect, a network device is provided, comprising: a transceiver configured to configure a first downlink reference signal resource for a terminal, the first downlink reference signal resource being related to a number of transmission layers RANK corresponding to N port groups, and the N being a positive integer.

[0102] In some embodiments of the fifth aspect, the number of the first downlink reference signal resources is one.

[0103] In some embodiments of the fifth aspect, the first downlink reference signal resources are associated with the N port groups, and the transceiver is further configured to: in a case where the RANK values corresponding to the N port groups are greater than M, configure, by the network device, second downlink reference signal resources for the terminal, the number of the second downlink reference signal resources being N, each of the second downlink reference signal resources being associated with one port group, and M being a positive integer.

[0104] In some embodiments of the fifth aspect, the ports of the first downlink reference signal resources are divided into N partial ports, the N partial ports corresponding to N port groups, and the division of the N partial ports being determined based on antenna port indexes.

[0105] In some embodiments of the fifth aspect, the number of the first downlink reference signal resources is N.

[0106] In some embodiments of the fifth aspect, each of the first downlink reference signal resources is associated with one port group, and the transceiver is further configured to: in a case where the RANK values corresponding to the N port groups are less than or equal to M, configure, by the network device, third downlink reference signal resources for the terminal, the number of the third downlink reference signal resources being one, the third downlink reference signal resources being associated with the N port groups, and M being a positive integer.

[0107] In some embodiments of the fifth aspect, the number of the first downlink reference signal resources is N+1, wherein one of the first downlink reference signal resources is associated with the N port groups, and each of the remaining N first downlink reference signal resources is associated with one port group.

[0108] In some optional embodiments of the fifth aspect, the transceiving module is further configured to receive first information sent by the terminal, the first information being used to indicate at least one of: a maximum value of RANKs corresponding to the N port groups; a port group of the N port groups with the maximum value of RANK; a minimum value of RANKs corresponding to the N port groups; a port group of the N port groups with the minimum value of RANK; a RANK corresponding to a specified port group of the N port groups, the specified port group being configured by the network device, predefined in a protocol, or determined by the terminal; the specified port group, the specified port group being determined by the terminal; a sum of RANKs corresponding to the N port groups; an average RANK corresponding to the N port groups, the average RANK being determined based on average values of downlink channel information of the N port groups, the downlink channel information being determined based on the downlink reference signal resource; a RANK corresponding to each of the N port groups; channel quality indicators (CQIs) corresponding to the N port groups; and a CQI corresponding to each of the N port groups.

[0109] In some optional embodiments of the fifth aspect, when the RANK values corresponding to the N port groups are less than or equal to M, or when the terminal receives a second downlink reference signal resource configured by the network device, the first information is used to indicate at least one of: a maximum value of RANKs corresponding to the N port groups; a minimum value of RANKs corresponding to the N port groups; a RANK corresponding to a specified port group of the N port groups, the specified port group being configured by the network device, predefined in a protocol, or determined by the terminal; the specified port group, the specified port group being determined by the terminal; a sum of RANKs corresponding to the N port groups; an average RANK corresponding to the N port groups, the average RANK being determined based on average values of downlink channel information of the N port groups, the downlink channel information being determined based on the downlink reference signal resource; CQIs corresponding to the N port groups; and a CQI corresponding to each of the N port groups; wherein the M is a positive integer.

[0110] In some optional embodiments of the fifth aspect, the transceiving module is further configured to: send, by the network device, codewords to the terminal, the codewords corresponding to different port groups being the same.

[0111] In some optional embodiments of the fifth aspect, when the RANK values corresponding to the N port groups are greater than M, or when the terminal receives a third downlink reference signal resource configured by the network device, the first information is used to indicate at least one of: a RANK corresponding to each of the N port groups; CQIs corresponding to the N port groups; and a CQI corresponding to each of the N port groups; wherein the M is a positive integer.

[0112] In some optional embodiments of the fifth aspect, the RANK corresponding to each port group ranges from 1 to M; or, the RANK corresponding to each port group is determined based on a protocol.

[0113] In some optional embodiments of the fifth aspect, the first downlink reference signal resource is associated with an uplink reference signal resource, and the method further comprises: receiving, by the network device, a precoded uplink reference signal transmitted by the terminal, the precoded uplink reference signal being used to determine the RANK corresponding to the N port groups, the precoding being determined based on at least one of the following: downlink channel information; interference information; noise.

[0114] In some optional embodiments of the fifth aspect, the transceiver is further configured to: transmit, by the network device, interference measurement resources to the terminal, the interference measurement resources being used to determine the interference information.

[0115] In some optional embodiments of the fifth aspect, the interference measurement resources include at least one of the following: channel state information interference measurement resources (CSI-IM); non-zero power channel state information reference signal resources (NZP CSI-RS).

[0116] In some optional embodiments of the fifth aspect, the downlink reference signal resources configured by the network device and / or the uplink reference signal resources associated with the downlink reference signal resources have at least one of the following time-domain characteristics: periodicity; semi-persistent; aperiodicity; wherein the downlink reference signal resources configured by the network device include at least one of the following: first downlink reference signal resources; second downlink reference signal resources; third downlink reference signal resources.

[0117] In some optional embodiments of the fifth aspect, the downlink reference signal resources configured by the network device and / or the uplink reference signal resources associated with the downlink reference signal resources are configured in one or more reference signal resource sets; wherein the downlink reference signal resources configured by the network device include at least one of the following: first downlink reference signal resources; second downlink reference signal resources; third downlink reference signal resources.

[0118] The sixth aspect provides a terminal, comprising: one or more processors; wherein the terminal is configured to perform the first aspect and any one of the communication methods in the first aspect.

[0119] The seventh aspect provides a network device, comprising: one or more processors; wherein the network device is configured to perform the second aspect and any one of the communication methods in the second aspect.

[0120] In an eighth aspect, a communication system is provided, including a terminal configured to implement the first aspect and any one of the communication methods in the first aspect, and a network device configured to implement the second aspect and any one of the communication methods in the second aspect.

[0121] In a ninth aspect, a storage medium is provided, which stores instructions that, when executed on a communication device, cause the communication device to perform the communication method in the first aspect and any one of the optional implementation manners of the first aspect or the second aspect and any one of the optional implementation manners of the second aspect.

[0122] In a tenth aspect, a program product is provided, which, when executed by a communication device, causes the communication device to perform the method described in the first aspect or the optional implementation manner of the second aspect.

[0123] In an eleventh aspect, a computer program is provided, which, when executed on a computer, causes the computer to perform the method described in the first aspect or the optional implementation manner of the second aspect.

[0124] In a twelfth aspect, a chip or chip system is provided. The chip or chip system includes processing circuitry configured to perform the method described in the first aspect or the optional implementation manner of the second aspect.

[0125] It can be understood that the terminal, the access network device, the first network element, the other network element, the core network device, the communication system, the storage medium, the program product, the computer program, the chip or the chip system involved in the embodiments of the present disclosure are all used to execute the method proposed in the embodiments of the present disclosure. Therefore, the beneficial effects that can be achieved thereby can refer to the beneficial effects in the corresponding method, which will not be described here again.

[0126] The embodiments of the present disclosure propose a communication method, a terminal, a network device and a storage medium. In some embodiments, the terms of communication method and information processing method can be replaced with each other, the terms of communication device and information processing device can be replaced with each other, and the terms of information processing system and communication system can be replaced with each other.

[0127] The embodiments of the present disclosure are not exhaustive, but only illustrate some embodiments, and are not specific limitations on the protection scope of the present disclosure. In the case of no contradiction, each step in an embodiment can be implemented as an independent embodiment, and the steps can be combined arbitrarily, for example, the scheme after removing part of the steps in an embodiment can also be implemented as an independent embodiment, and the order of the steps in an embodiment can be exchanged arbitrarily, in addition, the optional implementation in an embodiment can be combined arbitrarily; in addition, the embodiments can be combined arbitrarily, for example, part or all steps of different embodiments can be combined arbitrarily, an embodiment can be combined with optional implementation of other embodiments arbitrarily.

[0128] In each embodiment of the present disclosure, the terms and / or descriptions between the embodiments are consistent if there is no special description and logical conflict, and can be referred to each other, and the technical environment in different embodiments can be combined to form a new embodiment according to its inherent logical relationship.

[0129] The terms used in the embodiments of the present disclosure are only for the purpose of describing the specific embodiments, and not as a limitation on the present disclosure.

[0130] In the embodiments of the present disclosure, unless otherwise specified, the elements expressed in singular form, such as "one", "a", "the", "above", "said", "preceding", "this" and the like, can represent "one and only one", and can also represent "one or more", "at least one" and the like. For example, in the case of using articles such as "a", "an", "the" and the like in English, the noun after the article can be understood as singular expression, and can also be understood as plural expression.

[0131] In the embodiments of the present disclosure, "plurality" means two or more.

[0132] In some embodiments, the terms "at least one of", "one or more", "a plurality of", "multiple" and the like can be replaced with each other.

[0133] In some embodiments, "at least one of A, B", "A and / or B", "in one case A, in another case B", "responsive to case A, responsive to case B" and the like, can be interpreted to include both cases, A and B, in some embodiments, A (A is performed regardless of B), in some embodiments, B (B is performed regardless of A), in some embodiments, selected from the group consisting of A and B (the selection between A and B is an option), in some embodiments, A and B (both A and B are performed).

[0134] In some embodiments, "A or B" and the like, can be interpreted to include both cases, A and B, in some embodiments, A (A is performed regardless of B), in some embodiments, B (B is performed regardless of A), in some embodiments, selected from the group consisting of A and B (the selection between A and B is an option).

[0135] The prefix words "first", "second" and the like in the embodiments of the present disclosure are merely intended to distinguish different description objects, and do not constitute limitation on the position, order, priority, quantity or content of the description objects. The description objects are described in the claims or embodiments in the context, and should not be construed as redundant limitation because of the use of the prefix words. For example, the description object is "field", and the ordinal words before "field" in "first field" and "second field" do not limit the position or order between "fields", and "first" and "second" do not limit whether the "fields" modified thereby are in the same message or not, nor limit the order of "first field" and "second field". For another example, the description object is "level", and the ordinal words before "level" in "first level" and "second level" do not limit the priority between "levels". For another example, the quantity of the description object is not limited by the ordinal words, and can be one or more. For example, "first device", wherein the quantity of "device" can be one or more. In addition, the objects modified by different prefix words can be the same or different, for example, the description object is "device", and "first device" and "second device" can be the same device or different devices, and the types thereof can be the same or different. For another example, the description object is "information", and "first information" and "second information" can be the same information or different information, and the contents thereof can be the same or different.

[0136] In some embodiments, "including A", "containing A", "for indicating A", "carrying A" can be interpreted as directly carrying A, or indirectly indicating A.

[0137] In some embodiments, the terms "in response to", "in response to determining", "in the case of", "when", "when", "if", "if" and the like can be replaced with each other.

[0138] In some embodiments, the terms "greater than", "greater than or equal to", "not less than", "more than", "more than or equal to", "not less than", "higher than", "higher than or equal to", "not lower than", "above", and the like can be replaced with each other, and the terms "less than", "less than or equal to", "not greater than", "fewer than", "fewer than or equal to", "not more than", "lower than", "lower than or equal to", "not higher than", "below", and the like can be replaced with each other.

[0139] In some embodiments, the apparatuses and devices can be interpreted as physical or virtual, and their names are not limited to the names described in the embodiments, and in some cases can also be understood as "equipment", "device", "circuit", "network element", "node", "function", "unit", "section", "system", "network", "chip", "chip system", "entity", "subject", and the like.

[0140] In some embodiments, "network" can be interpreted as an apparatus included in the network, such as an access network device, a core network device, and the like.

[0141] In some embodiments, an “access network device (AN device)” can also be referred to as a “radio access network device (RAN device),” a “base station (BS),” a “radio base station,” a “fixed station,” and in some embodiments can also be understood as a “node,” an “access point,” a “transmission point (TP),” a “reception point (RP),” a “transmission / reception point (TRP),” a “panel,” an “antenna panel,” an “antenna array,” a “cell,” a “macro cell,” a “small cell,” a “femto cell,” a “pico cell,” a “sector,” a “cell group,” a “serving cell,” a “carrier,” a “component carrier,” a “bandwidth part (BWP),” and the like.

[0142] In some embodiments, a "terminal" or "terminal device" can be referred to as a "user equipment" (UE), a "user terminal," a "mobile station" (MS), a "mobile terminal" (MT), a subscriber station, a mobile unit, a subscriber unit, a wireless unit, a remote unit, a mobile device, a wireless device, a wireless communication device, a remote device, a mobile subscriber station, an access terminal, a mobile terminal, a wireless terminal, a remote terminal, a handset, a user agent, a mobile client, a client, and / or the like.

[0143] In some embodiments, data, information and / or the like can be obtained in compliance with laws and regulations of the country in which the data, information and / or the like is obtained.

[0144] In some embodiments, data, information and / or the like can be obtained after consent is given by a user.

[0145] Further, each element, each row, or each column in a table of an embodiment of the present disclosure can be implemented as an independent embodiment, and a combination of any element, any row, or any column can be implemented as an independent embodiment.

[0146] When a terminal deploys 2 or 4 receivers (RX) (which can also be called receiving antennas), i.e., 2 / 4Rx, the terminal's transmission rate experience is limited. Therefore, to improve the user's rate experience, 6 or 8 receivers can be deployed on the UE side, i.e., 6 / 8Rx, to enable the transmission of more data streams. However, the processing complexity of the receiver (which can be, for example, a hardware component within the terminal responsible for receiving and demodulating wireless signals) increases exponentially with the increase in the number of receiving antennas or transmission layers. Compared to 2 / 4Rx, 6 / 8Rx receivers not only have increased processing complexity but also increase the terminal's cost and power consumption, making it impossible for 6 / 8Rx to achieve good cost-effectiveness or energy efficiency gains.

[0147] In some embodiments, to address this problem, a method of port grouping by sounding reference signal (SRS) is proposed, that is, grouping the total P... SRS = 6 or 8 ports are divided into two groups, and each SRS port group contains P SRS / 2 SRS ports. P SRS Each SRS port can be determined by multiple configured SRS resources. Then, based on the SRS resource index and the SRS port index within the resource, the index of each PSRS SRS port can be determined. Let the first P... SRS Two SRS ports correspond to the first SRS port group, and the other ports correspond to the second SRS port group. Each SRS port group corresponds to one codeword, supporting a maximum of 4 layers of data transmission. The gNB can send downlink data transmissions to each port group individually according to the SRS port groups defined above, transmitting a maximum of 4 layers of data. Since each SRS port group is associated with a different receiving antenna, the UE can use different receiving antennas to receive independently. Figure 1a is a schematic diagram of 8Rx reception based on two SRS port groups. As shown in Figure 1a, the diagonally filled and dotted parts in the figure represent the codewords corresponding to the two port groups, respectively. On the UE side, the UE uses the 4 receiving antennas associated with each SRS port group to receive the corresponding codewords. Since each codeword corresponds to a maximum of 4 streams of transmission, the UE only processes a maximum of 4 streams of data for each port group, and its processing complexity is the same as 4Rx. Therefore, when transmitting 8 streams of data, the processing complexity of the UE can be significantly reduced.

[0148] In a Time Division Duplex (TDD) system, a gNB (i.e., a network device, taking the gNB as an example, but not limited to) configures one or more SRS resources for a UE to obtain uplink channel information. The gNB can calculate the precoding of downlink data transmission by receiving the channel estimated by the SRS. In order to obtain the current link quality information or the number of layers of data that can be transmitted, the gNB sends a beamformed Channel State Information-Reference Signal (CSI-RS) to the UE, wherein the beam of the CSI-RS is the precoding of the data transmission calculated by the gNB. After receiving the beamformed CSI-RS, the UE estimates the effective channel information of the downlink, and then measures the CSI according to the effective channel information, wherein the measured CSI includes information such as Rank Indication (RI) and Channel Quality Indicator (CQI), and finally reports to the gNB.

[0149] In some embodiments, the gNB determines the number of layers of downlink transmission according to the received RI. When the rank value indicated by the RI is greater than 4, the gNB will send the corresponding codewords according to the above-mentioned division of two SRS port groups. For example, the first SRS port group corresponds to the first codeword, and the second SRS port group corresponds to the fixed mapping mode of the second codeword. The relationship between the codeword and the layer can refer to Table 1 as follows:

[0150] Table 1

[0151] However, assuming Rank = 5, according to the existing standard protocol, the first codeword and the second codeword correspond to 2-layer and 3-layer data transmission respectively. If the above-mentioned fixed mapping mode is adopted, the UE receives 2-layer data transmission according to the receiving antenna associated with the first SRS port group, and receives 3-layer data transmission according to the receiving antenna associated with the second SRS port group. If the downlink channel quality corresponding to the first SRS port group is better than the downlink channel quality corresponding to the second SRS port group, the fixed mapping mode will cause the system performance to decline, because in this case of channel quality, the UE should receive 3-layer data transmission according to the receiving antenna associated with the first SRS port group, and receive 2-layer data transmission according to the receiving antenna associated with the second SRS port group. That is, according to the fixed codeword mapping mode, if it cannot match the channel quality, it may cause the system performance to decline.

[0152] Therefore, the present disclosure proposes a communication method, a terminal receives a first downlink reference signal resource configured by a network device, the first downlink reference signal resource corresponds to a RANK of a N port group, that is, the RANK of the N port group corresponding to the first downlink reference signal resource can be determined, so as to determine the RANK of each port group more flexibly and more targeted for the case of the N port group, so as to improve the system performance.

[0153] FIG. 1b is a schematic diagram of a communication system architecture according to an embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0154] As shown in FIG. 1b, the communication system 100 includes a terminal 101 and a network device 102.

[0155] In some embodiments, the terminal 101 includes at least one of a mobile phone, a wearable device, an Internet of Things device, a car with communication function, a smart car, a tablet computer (Pad), a computer with wireless transceiver function, a virtual reality (VR) terminal device, an augmented reality (AR) terminal device, a wireless terminal device in industrial control, a wireless terminal device in self-driving, a wireless terminal device in remote medical surgery, a wireless terminal device in smart grid, a wireless terminal device in transportation safety, a wireless terminal device in smart city, a wireless terminal device in smart home, but is not limited thereto.

[0156] In some embodiments, the network device 102 can include at least one of an access network device and a core network device.

[0157] In some embodiments, the access network device is, for example, a node or device that accesses a terminal to a wireless network, and can include at least one of an evolved NodeB (eNB) in a 5G communication system, a next generation eNB (ng-eNB), a next generation NodeB (gNB), a node B (NB), a home node B (HNB), a home evolved node B (HeNB), a wireless backhaul device, a radio network controller (RNC), a base station controller (BSC), a base transceiver station (BTS), a base band unit (BBU), a mobile switching center, a base station in a 6G communication system, an open base station (Open RAN), a cloud base station (Cloud RAN), a base station in other communication systems, an access node in a Wi-Fi system, but is not limited thereto.

[0158] In some embodiments, the technical solutions of the present disclosure can be applied to an Open RAN architecture, at this time, the interfaces between or within the access network devices involved in the embodiments of the present disclosure can become internal interfaces of the Open RAN, and the processes and information interactions between these internal interfaces can be realized through software or programs.

[0159] In some embodiments, the access network device can be composed of a central unit (CU) and a distributed unit (DU), wherein the CU can also be referred to as a control unit. The CU-DU structure can split the protocol layers of the access network device, and some of the protocol layers are controlled by the CU, and the rest or all of the protocol layers are distributed in the DU and controlled by the CU, but is not limited thereto.

[0160] In some embodiments, the core network device can be one device including one or more network elements, or can be multiple devices or device groups including all or part of the above-mentioned one or more network elements. The network element can be virtual or physical. The core network includes, for example, at least one of an evolved packet core (EPC), a 5G core network (5GCN), and a next generation core (NGC).

[0161] It can be understood that the communication system described in the embodiments of the present disclosure is for more clearly illustrating the technical solutions of the embodiments of the present disclosure, and does not constitute a limitation on the technical solutions proposed by the embodiments of the present disclosure. Those skilled in the art can know that, with the evolution of system architecture and the appearance of new business scenarios, the technical solutions proposed by the embodiments of the present disclosure are also applicable to similar technical problems.

[0162] The following embodiments of the present disclosure can be applied to the communication system 100 shown in FIG. 1b or part of the subjects, but are not limited thereto. The subjects shown in FIG. 1b are exemplary, and the communication system can include all or part of the subjects in FIG. 1b, or other subjects other than FIG. 1b. The number and form of each subject is arbitrary, each subject can be real or virtual, the connection relationship between each subject is exemplary, each subject can not be connected or can be connected, the connection can be in any way, can be direct connection or indirect connection, can be wired connection or wireless connection.

[0163] Embodiments of the present disclosure can be applied to Long Term Evolution (LTE), LTE-Advanced (LTE-A), LTE-Beyond (LTE-B), SUPER 3G, IMT-Advanced, 4th generation mobile communication system (4G), 5th generation mobile communication system (5G), 6th generation mobile communication system (6G), 5G new radio (NR), Future Radio Access (FRA), New-Radio Access Technology (RAT), New Radio (NR), New radio access (NX), Future generation radio access (FX), Global System for Mobile communications (GSM (registered trademark)), CDMA2000, Ultra Mobile Broadband (UMB), IEEE 802.11 (Wi-Fi (registered trademark)), IEEE 802.16 (WiMAX (registered trademark)), IEEE 802.20, Ultra-WideBand (UWB), Bluetooth (Bluetooth (registered trademark)), Public Land Mobile Network (PLMN) network, Device-to-Device (D2D) system, Machine to Machine (M2M) system, Internet of Things (IoT) system, Vehicle-to-Everything (V2X), system using other communication methods, next-generation system expanded based thereon, and the like. In addition, a plurality of systems can be combined (for example, combination of LTE or LTE-A and 5G, and the like).

[0164] FIG. 2 is an interaction diagram illustrating a communication method according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. As shown in FIG. 2, the present embodiment relates to a communication method for the communication system 100, the above-mentioned method comprising:

[0165] In step S2101, the network device 102 configures the terminal 101 with the first downlink reference signal resource.

[0166] In some embodiments, the terminal 101 receives the first downlink reference signal resource configured by the network device 102. The first downlink reference signal resource is related to the number of transmission layers (RANK) corresponding to the N port groups. The RANK can also be referred to as the data transmission layer. The N port groups can be, for example, N SRS port groups. That is, the first downlink reference signal resource can be related to the RANK corresponding to the N SRS port groups. The N is a positive integer, and the size of N is not limited by the present disclosure.

[0167] In some embodiments, the terminal can determine the RANK corresponding to the N port groups according to the first downlink reference signal resource. For example, one RANK corresponding to the N port groups can be determined according to the first downlink reference signal resource, or N RANKs corresponding to the N port groups can be determined according to the first downlink reference signal resource.

[0168] Optionally, if the first downlink reference signal resource determines one RANK corresponding to the N port groups, the RANK value corresponding to the N port groups is the one RANK.

[0169] Optionally, if the first downlink reference signal resource determines N RANKs corresponding to the N port groups, the RANK value corresponding to the N port groups is the sum of the N RANKs.

[0170] It can be understood that the RANK corresponding to the N port groups can be one RANK corresponding to the N port groups, or N RANKs corresponding to the N port groups. The RANK value corresponding to the N port groups is a numerical value, which can be the RANK or the sum of the N RANKs.

[0171] In some embodiments, the terminal determines the RANK corresponding to the N port groups by the following steps:

[0172] (1) The terminal sends an uplink reference signal to the network device according to the uplink reference signal resource associated with the first downlink reference signal resource. The uplink reference signal is used for estimation of uplink channel information. The network device receives the uplink reference signal and estimates the uplink channel information.

[0173] (2) The network device calculates a beam according to the estimated uplink channel information, and sends a beamformed downlink reference signal to the terminal. The number of downlink reference signals can be one or more. If the number of downlink reference signals is more than one, the multiple downlink reference signals can be sent in one or more adjacent time slots, or in the same symbol or multiple symbols in a time slot.

[0174] (3) The terminal can estimate the downlink effective channel information according to one downlink reference signal, and measure a channel state information (CSI) according to the estimated downlink effective channel information. The CSI includes the RI and the CQI. The RI is the indication information of the RANK corresponding to the N port groups. The CQI is the indication information of the channel quality corresponding to the N port groups. The terminal can also estimate the downlink effective channel information according to multiple downlink reference signals, and measure multiple CSIs according to the estimated downlink effective channel information. Each of the CSIs includes the RI and the CQI, corresponding to one port group. For example, the RI in each of the CSIs is the indication information of the RANK of one port group, and the CQI in each of the CSIs is the channel quality of one port group.

[0175] In some embodiments, the first downlink reference signal resource can be one or N or N+1.

[0176] Optionally, the number of the first downlink reference signal resources is one. For example, one first downlink reference signal resource can be associated with the N port groups. If the RANK value corresponding to the N port groups is greater than M, the terminal can receive the second downlink reference signal resource sent by the network device, as shown in step S2102, and the specific scheme can refer to the embodiments of step S2102. Wherein, M is a positive integer, and the size of M is not limited by the present disclosure. M may, for example, be a fixed value specified in the protocol, may, for example, be determined by the network device and configured to the terminal, or may, for example, be determined by the terminal and reported to the network device. Exemplarily, M can be 4, but is not limited thereto. For example, the ports of one first downlink reference signal resource can be divided into N partial ports, and the N partial ports correspond to the N port groups. That is, the first downlink reference signal resource can be divided into N parts, and each part corresponds to one of the N port groups. For example, N is 2, the ports of the first downlink reference signal resource can be divided into two parts, the ports of the first part correspond to the first port group, and the ports of the second part correspond to the second port group. Wherein, the division of the N partial ports can be determined based on the index of the antenna port. For example, the number of ports is P, and the index of the port is 1-P, then the first partial port can be 1-P / 2, and the second partial port can be P / 2+1-P. Or the ports with odd indexes can be divided into the first partial port, and the others are the second partial port, which is not limited by the present disclosure.

[0177] Optionally, the number of the first downlink reference signal resources is N. For example, each of the N first downlink reference signal resources is associated with one port group. If the RANK values corresponding to the N port groups are less than or equal to M, the terminal can receive the third downlink reference signal resource sent by the network device, as shown in step S2103, and the specific scheme can refer to the embodiments of step S2103. M is a positive integer, and the size of M is not limited by the present disclosure. For example, M can be a fixed value specified in a protocol, or M can be determined by the network device and configured to the terminal, or M can be determined by the terminal and reported to the network device.

[0178] Optionally, the number of the first downlink reference signal resources is N+1, one of the first downlink reference signal resources is associated with N port groups, and each of the remaining N first downlink reference signal resources is associated with one port group. The terminal can determine one RANK corresponding to the N port groups according to one first downlink reference signal resource. The N port groups can each correspond to a RANK according to the remaining N first downlink reference signal resources.

[0179] In some embodiments, the terminal can determine the RANK corresponding to the N port groups according to any combination of one or N or N+1 first downlink reference signal resources, second downlink reference signal resources, and third downlink reference signal resources, and selectively report the RANK through the first information, as shown in step S2104, and the specific scheme can refer to the embodiments of step S2104.

[0180] In some embodiments, if the number of downlink reference signal resources configured by the network device is multiple, the multiple downlink reference signal resources can be configured in one reference signal resource set or multiple reference signal resource sets. The downlink reference signal resources configured by the network include at least one of the first downlink reference signal resources, the second downlink reference signal resources, and the third downlink reference signal resources.

[0181] In some embodiments, the first downlink reference signal resource can be associated with one or more uplink reference signal resources. If multiple uplink reference signal resources are associated, the multiple uplink reference signal resources can be in one reference signal resource set or multiple reference signal resource sets.

[0182] In some embodiments, the network device configures the downlink reference signal resource with at least one of the following time domain characteristics: periodicity; semi-persistent; aperiodic. That is, the network device can configure a periodic downlink reference signal resource, a semi-persistent downlink reference signal resource, or an aperiodic downlink reference signal resource. The downlink reference signal resource configured by the network device includes at least one of a first downlink reference signal resource, a second downlink reference signal resource, and a third downlink reference signal resource.

[0183] In some embodiments, the first downlink reference signal resource can be associated with one or more uplink reference signal resources. The uplink reference signal resource has at least one of the following time domain characteristics: periodicity; semi-persistent; aperiodic.

[0184] In some embodiments, the first downlink reference signal resource can be, for example, a CSI-RS resource, but is not limited thereto.

[0185] At step S2102, the network device 102 configures the terminal 101 with the second downlink reference signal resource.

[0186] In some embodiments, the terminal 101 receives the second downlink reference signal resource configured by the network device. The number of the second downlink reference signal resource is N. For example, when the number of the first reference signal resource is one, and the first reference signal resource is associated with N port groups, and one RANK corresponding to the N port groups is greater than M, the terminal receives the second downlink reference signal resource configured by the network device. For example, when one RANK (also referred to as the RANK value corresponding to the N port groups) corresponding to the N port groups is greater than M, the number of layers corresponding to the codeword can be determined according to the mapping relationship shown in Table 1, that is, the RANK corresponding to the codeword. However, due to the limitation of the mapping relationship in Table 1, in some cases, the system performance will be reduced, therefore, the network device can further configure the terminal with the second downlink reference signal resource for determining the RANK corresponding to each of the N port groups, so that the RANK corresponding to each port group is positively correlated with the channel quality, thereby improving the system performance.

[0187] In some embodiments, the number of the second downlink reference signal resource can be N, but is not limited thereto. Each of the N second downlink reference signal resources is associated with a port group. After the terminal receives the second downlink reference signal resource configured by the network device, the terminal can determine the RANK corresponding to each of the N port groups based on the second reference signal resource. The terminal determines the RANK corresponding to each of the N port groups based on the second downlink reference signal resource, which can refer to the embodiments of step S2101 described above, and the disclosure will not be repeated here.

[0188] In step S2103, the network device 102 configures the terminal 101 with the third downlink reference signal resource.

[0189] In some embodiments, the terminal 101 receives the third downlink reference signal resource configured by the network device 102. The number of the third downlink reference signal resource is one. For example, when the number of the first downlink reference signal resource is N, and each of the first downlink reference signal resource is associated with a port group, and the sum of the RANK corresponding to each of the N port groups, i.e., the sum of the N RANK, is less than or equal to M, the terminal can receive the third downlink reference signal resource configured by the network device. For example, when the sum of the RANK corresponding to each of the N port groups, i.e., the sum of the N RANK, is less than or equal to M, the network device can send the same code word on different port groups, and the RANK corresponding to the same code word can be the same or different. If the RANK corresponding to the same code word is the same, the network device can configure the terminal with the third downlink reference signal resource for determining one RANK corresponding to the N port groups.

[0190] In some embodiments, the number of the third downlink reference signal resource is one, but is not limited thereto. One third downlink reference signal resource is associated with the N port groups. After the terminal receives the third downlink reference signal resource, the terminal can determine one RANK corresponding to the N port groups based on the third downlink reference signal resource. The terminal determines the RANK corresponding to the N port groups based on the third downlink reference signal resource, which can refer to the embodiments of step S2101 described above, and the disclosure will not be repeated here.

[0191] In step S2104, the terminal 101 sends the first information to the network device 102.

[0192] In some embodiments, the network device 102 receives the first information sent by the terminal 101.

[0193] In some embodiments, the first information is used to indicate at least one of the following: the maximum value in the RANK corresponding to the N port groups; the port group with the maximum RANK in the N port groups; the minimum value in the RANK corresponding to the N port groups; the port group with the minimum RANK in the N port groups; the RANK corresponding to a specified port group in the N port groups, the specified port group being configured by the network device, predefined in a protocol, or determined by the terminal; the specified port group, the specified port group being determined by the terminal; the sum of the RANK corresponding to the N port groups; the average RANK corresponding to the N port groups, the average RANK being determined based on the average of the downlink channel information of the N port groups, the downlink channel information being determined based on the downlink reference signal resource; the RANK corresponding to each of the N port groups; the channel quality indicator (CQI) corresponding to the N port groups; and the CQI corresponding to each of the N port groups.

[0194] Optionally, the first information can be used to indicate the maximum value in the RANK corresponding to the N port groups. For example, the terminal can determine the RANK corresponding to each of the N port groups, i.e., determine N RANKs, and report the maximum value in the N RANKs. For example, if the RANK values corresponding to the N port groups are less than or equal to M, the maximum value in the N RANKs can be reported. For another example, if the RANK values corresponding to the N port groups are greater than M, and the terminal receives the second downlink reference signal resource sent by the network device, and determines the RANK corresponding to each of the N port groups based on the second downlink reference signal resource, the maximum value in the N RANKs can also be reported. The first information is, for example, CSI, and the CSI includes an RI, which is used to indicate the maximum value in the RANK corresponding to the N port groups. For example, if the terminal reports the maximum value in the RANK corresponding to the N port groups to the network device, the codewords corresponding to different port groups can be the same when the network device transmits data to the terminal, and the RANK corresponding to the codeword can all be the maximum value reported by the terminal. The terminal can also indicate to the network device which port group has the maximum RANK, for example, by using 1 bit to indicate the port group with the maximum RANK.

[0195] Optionally, the first information can be used to indicate the port group with the maximum RANK in the N port groups. That is, the first information can be used to indicate which port group in the N port groups has the maximum RANK. For example, the terminal can determine the port group with the maximum RANK and report it to the network device. For another example, the terminal can report the maximum value in the RANK corresponding to the N port groups to the network device, and report the port group corresponding to the maximum value to the network device. For example, the port group with the maximum RANK in the N port groups can be indicated by using bits. In this case, represents the ceiling symbol, log represents the exponential operator symbol, log2N represents the logarithm of N with base 2, and N is the number of port groups.

[0196] Optionally, the first information can be used to indicate the minimum value in the RANKs corresponding to the N port groups. For example, the terminal can determine the RANKs corresponding to the N port groups respectively, i.e., determine N RANKs, and report the minimum value in the N RANKs. For example, if the RANK values corresponding to the N port groups are less than or equal to M, the minimum value in the N RANKs can be reported. For another example, if the RANK values corresponding to the N port groups are greater than M, and the terminal receives the second downlink reference signal resource sent by the network device, and determines the RANKs corresponding to the N port groups based on the second downlink reference signal resource, the minimum value in the N RANKs can also be reported. The first information is, for example, CSI, and the CSI includes RI, which is used to indicate the minimum value in the RANKs corresponding to the N port groups. For example, if the terminal reports the minimum value in the RANKs corresponding to the N port groups to the network device, the codewords corresponding to different port groups can be the same when the network device transmits data to the terminal, and the RANKs corresponding to the codewords can all be the minimum value reported by the terminal.

[0197] Optionally, the first information can be used to indicate the port group with the minimum RANK in the N port groups. That is, the first information can be used to indicate which port group has the minimum RANK in the N port groups. For example, the terminal can determine the port group with the minimum RANK and report it to the network device. For another example, the terminal can report the minimum value in the RANKs corresponding to the N port groups to the network device, and report the port group corresponding to the minimum value to the network device. For example, the port group with the minimum RANK in the N port groups can be indicated by bits. In this case, represents the upward rounding symbol, log represents the exponential operator symbol, log2N represents the logarithm of N with base 2, and N is the number of port groups.

[0198] Optionally, the first information can be used to indicate the RANK corresponding to a specified port group in the N port groups. The specified port group can be specified by the network device, i.e., the network device configures the specified port group to the terminal. Or, it can be specified in the protocol, i.e., the terminal determines the specified port group according to a predefined rule, for example, the RANK corresponding to the first port group is reported by default. Or, it can be determined by the terminal, and if the terminal determines the specified port group and reports the RANK corresponding to the specified port group to the network device, it can also indicate to the network device which port group the specified port group is. The first information is, for example, CSI, and the CSI includes RI, which is used to indicate the RANK corresponding to the specified port group in the N port groups.

[0199] Optionally, the first information can be used to indicate the specified port group in the N port groups. For example, the terminal can determine the specified port group and report it to the network device. For another example, the terminal can report the RANK corresponding to the specified port group to the network device, and the specified port group is determined by the terminal. Then, the terminal can report which port group is the specified port group while reporting the RANK of the specified port group. For example, the first information can be CSI, and the CSI can include RI, and the RI can be used to indicate the specified port group in the N port groups. For example, the specified port group in the N port groups can be indicated by bits, i.e., which port group is the specified port group determined by the terminal. For example, represents the upward rounding symbol, log represents the exponential operator symbol, log2 N represents the logarithm of N with base 2, and N is the number of port groups.

[0200] Optionally, the first information can be used to indicate the sum of the RANKs corresponding to the N port groups. For example, the network device can determine the RANK corresponding to each codeword according to the sum of the RANKs corresponding to the N port groups and according to the mapping relationship shown in Table 1. For another example, the network device can determine the RANK corresponding to each codeword according to the sum of the RANKs corresponding to the N port groups and according to other manners, thereby improving the system performance. For example, the first information can be CSI, and the CSI can include RI, and the RI can be used to indicate the sum of the RANKs corresponding to the N port groups.

[0201] Optionally, the first information can be used to indicate the average RANK corresponding to the N port groups, and the average RANK is determined based on the average of the downlink channel information of the N port groups, and the downlink channel information is determined based on the downlink reference signal resource. For example, the terminal can determine the downlink channel information of the N port groups, calculate the average, calculate the RANK based on the average, and report the RANK. For example, when the RANK values corresponding to the N port groups are less than or equal to M, the first information can indicate the average RANK corresponding to the N port groups, but is not limited thereto.

[0202] Optionally, the first information can be used to indicate the CQI corresponding to the N port groups. For example, the terminal can determine one CQI corresponding to the N port groups and report it to the network device through the first information. For example, the first information can be CSI, and the CSI can include the CQI.

[0203] Optionally, the first information can be used to indicate the CQI corresponding to each port group. For example, the terminal can determine one CQI corresponding to each port group in the N port groups and report it to the network device through the first information. For example, the first information can be CSI, and the CSI can include the CQI.

[0204] In some embodiments, if the first information indicates one RANK, for example, indicates the maximum value, or the minimum value, etc. of the RANK corresponding to the N port groups, it can simultaneously indicate whether the one RANK corresponds to one port group of the N port groups or all port groups. If the one RANK corresponds to one port group of the N port groups, the first information can also indicate which port group the reported RANK corresponds to. Or through the second information to indicate which port group the reported RANK corresponds to. For example, indicating which port group the reported RANK corresponds to, the occupied bit width can be wherein, represents the rounding up symbol, log represents the exponential operator symbol, log2 N represents the logarithm of N with base 2, and N is the number of port groups.

[0205] In some embodiments, if the RANK value corresponding to the N port groups is less than or equal to M, or the terminal receives the second downlink reference signal resource configured by the network device, the first information is used to indicate at least one of the following: the maximum value of the RANK corresponding to the N port groups; the minimum value of the RANK corresponding to the N port groups; the RANK corresponding to a specified port group of the N port groups, the specified port group being configured by the network device, or being predefined in the protocol, or being determined by the terminal; the specified port group, the specified port group being determined by the terminal; the sum of the RANK corresponding to the N port groups; the average RANK corresponding to the N port groups, the average RANK being determined based on the average value of the downlink channel information of the N port groups, the downlink channel information being determined based on the downlink reference signal resource; the CQI corresponding to the N port groups; the CQI corresponding to each port group of the N port groups; wherein M is a positive integer.

[0206] Optionally, the terminal also receives the code word sent by the network device, the code word corresponding to different port groups is the same, and the RANK corresponding to the code word can be the same.

[0207] Optionally, the terminal also receives the code word sent by the network device, the code word corresponding to different port groups is the same, and the RANK corresponding to the code word can be different.

[0208] In some embodiments, if the RANK value corresponding to the N port groups is greater than M, or the terminal receives the third downlink reference signal resource configured by the network device, the first information is used to indicate at least one of the following: the RANK corresponding to each port group of the N port groups; the CQI corresponding to the N port groups; the CQI corresponding to each port group of the N port groups; wherein M is a positive integer.

[0209] Optionally, the RANK corresponding to each port group ranges from 1 to M.

[0210] Optionally, the value range of the RANK corresponding to each port group is determined based on a protocol.

[0211] In some embodiments, the name of the first information is not limited, which can be, for example, “channel state information”, “indication information”, “reporting information”, etc.

[0212] In step S2105, the network device 102 configures the interference measurement resource to the terminal 101.

[0213] In some embodiments, the terminal 101 receives the interference measurement resource sent by the network device 102. The interference measurement resource is used to determine the interference information. The interference information is used to determine the precoding together with at least one of the downlink channel information and the noise, so that the terminal sends the precoded uplink reference signal based on the uplink reference signal resource associated with the first downlink reference signal, and the network device determines the RANK corresponding to each port group based on the uplink reference signal.

[0214] In some embodiments, the interference measurement resource includes at least one of the following: channel state information interference measurement resource (CSI Interference Measurement, CSI-IM); non-zero power channel state information reference signal resource (Non-Zero Power CSI-RS, NZP CSI-RS).

[0215] In step S2106, the terminal 101 sends the precoded uplink reference signal to the network device 102.

[0216] In some embodiments, the network device 102 receives the precoded uplink reference signal sent by the terminal 101. For example, the terminal determines the interference information based on the interference measurement resource configured by the network device, and determines the precoding based on at least one of the interference information, the downlink channel information and the noise. Based on the uplink reference signal resource associated with the first downlink reference signal resource, the precoded uplink reference signal is sent to the network device.

[0217] In some embodiments, the network device can determine the RANK corresponding to each port group based on the uplink reference signal, and can also determine the CQI of each port group.

[0218] In step S2107, the network device 102 sends the code word to the terminal 101 based on the RANK of each port group.

[0219] In some embodiments, the terminal 101 receives the code word sent by the network device 102.

[0220] In some embodiments, the RANK of each port group can be determined by the terminal and reported to the network device, or determined by the network device, or the terminal reports an intermediate value, for example, reports a RANK, and the network device determines the RANK corresponding to each port group. The network device determines the RANK corresponding to each port group in order to send the codeword. For example, the first codeword can be sent on the first port group, and the RANK corresponding to the first codeword is the RANK corresponding to the first port group. The second codeword can be sent on the second port group, and the RANK corresponding to the second codeword is the RANK corresponding to the second port group.

[0221] In some embodiments, each port group can correspond to a RANK, or each port group can correspond to a RANK. That is, the RANKs corresponding to different port groups can be the same or different. For example, the network device can send codewords on different port groups based on the same RANK. For another example, the network device can send codewords based on different RANKs for each port group.

[0222] The communication method related to the embodiments of the present disclosure can include at least one of steps S2101-S2107. For example, step S2101 can be implemented as an independent embodiment, but is not limited thereto.

[0223] In some embodiments, steps S2102-S2107 are optional, and one or more of steps S2102-S2107 can be omitted or replaced in different embodiments.

[0224] In some embodiments, step S2102 is optional. For example, the terminal can determine the RANKs corresponding to the N port groups based on the first downlink reference signal resource, and selectively report through the first information, so that step S2102 can be omitted, that is, steps S2101 and S2104 are executed. For another example, the terminal can determine the RANKs corresponding to the N port groups based on the first reference signal resource and the third reference signal resource, and selectively report through the first information, so that step S2102 can be omitted, that is, steps S2101, S2103 and S2104 are executed. For another example, the terminal can send a precoded uplink reference signal to the network device, and the network device determines the RANKs corresponding to the N port groups, so that step S2102 can be omitted, and steps S2101, S2105 and S2106 are executed.

[0225] In some embodiments, step S2103 is optional. For example, the terminal can determine the RANK corresponding to the N port groups based on the first downlink reference signal resource, and selectively report the RANK through the first information, and then step S2103 can be omitted, i.e., steps S2101 and S2104 are executed. For another example, the terminal can determine the RANK corresponding to the N port groups based on the first reference signal resource and the second reference signal resource, and selectively report the RANK through the first information, and then step S2103 can be omitted, i.e., steps S2101, S2102 and S2104 are executed. For another example, the terminal can send a precoded uplink reference signal to the network device, and the network device can determine the RANK corresponding to the N port groups, and then step S2103 can be omitted, i.e., steps S2101, S2105 and S2106 are executed.

[0226] In some embodiments, step S2104 is optional. For example, the terminal can send a precoded uplink reference signal to the network device, and the network device can determine the RANK corresponding to the N port groups, and then step S2104 can be omitted.

[0227] In some embodiments, steps S2105 and S2106 are optional. For example, the terminal can determine the RANK corresponding to the N port groups and report the RANK to the network device, and then steps S2105 and S2106 can be omitted.

[0228] In some embodiments, step S2107 is optional. For example, the network device can only determine the RANK corresponding to the N port groups, and temporarily does not send a code word based on the RANK, and then step S2107 is optional.

[0229] Of course, the above optional cases are exemplary, and the disclosure is not limited thereto.

[0230] In some embodiments, other optional implementations described before or after the description of FIG. 2 can be referred to.

[0231] FIG. 3 is a flowchart of a communication method according to an embodiment of the disclosure. As shown in FIG. 3, the embodiment of the disclosure relates to a communication method, which is executed by the terminal 101, and the above method comprises:

[0232] Step S3101: obtaining a first downlink reference signal resource.

[0233] The optional implementation of step S3101 can refer to the optional implementation of step S2101 of FIG. 2, and other related parts in the embodiments involved in FIG. 2, which will not be described here.

[0234] In some embodiments, the terminal 101 receives the first downlink reference signal resource sent by the network device 102, but is not limited thereto, and can also receive the first downlink reference signal resource sent by other subjects.

[0235] In some embodiments, the terminal 101 acquires the first downlink reference signal resource specified by a protocol.

[0236] In some embodiments, the terminal 101 acquires the first downlink reference signal resource from upper layer(s).

[0237] In some embodiments, the terminal 101 processes to obtain the first downlink reference signal resource.

[0238] In some embodiments, the step S3101 is omitted, and the terminal 101 autonomously implements the function indicated by the first downlink reference signal resource, or the above function is default or default.

[0239] Step S3102, acquiring a second downlink reference signal resource.

[0240] The optional implementation of step S3102 can refer to the optional implementation of step S2102 in FIG. 2 and other associated parts in the embodiments involved in FIG. 2, which will not be repeated here.

[0241] In some embodiments, the terminal 101 receives the second downlink reference signal resource sent by the network device 102, but is not limited thereto, and can also receive the second downlink reference signal resource sent by other subjects.

[0242] In some embodiments, the terminal 101 acquires the second downlink reference signal resource specified by a protocol.

[0243] In some embodiments, the terminal 101 acquires the second downlink reference signal resource from upper layer(s).

[0244] In some embodiments, the terminal 101 processes to obtain the second downlink reference signal resource.

[0245] In some embodiments, the step S3102 is omitted, and the terminal 101 autonomously implements the function indicated by the second downlink reference signal resource, or the above function is default or default.

[0246] Step S3103, acquiring a third downlink reference signal resource.

[0247] The optional implementation of step S3103 can refer to the optional implementation of step S2103 in FIG. 2 and other associated parts in the embodiments involved in FIG. 2, which will not be repeated here.

[0248] In some embodiments, the terminal 101 receives the third downlink reference signal resource sent by the network device 102, but is not limited thereto, and can also receive the third downlink reference signal resource sent by other subjects.

[0249] In some embodiments, the terminal 101 acquires the third downlink reference signal resource specified by a protocol.

[0250] In some embodiments, the terminal 101 acquires the third downlink reference signal resource from upper layer(s).

[0251] In some embodiments, the terminal 101 processes to obtain the third downlink reference signal resource.

[0252] In some embodiments, the step S3103 is omitted, and the terminal 101 autonomously implements the function indicated by the third downlink reference signal resource, or the above function is default or default.

[0253] Step S3104, sending the first information.

[0254] The optional implementation of the step S3104 can refer to the optional implementation of the step S2104 in FIG. 2 and other associated parts in the embodiments involved in FIG. 2, which will not be repeated here.

[0255] In some embodiments, the terminal 101 sends the first information to the network device 102, but is not limited thereto, and can also send the first information to other entities.

[0256] Step S3105, acquiring the interference measurement resource.

[0257] The optional implementation of the step S3105 can refer to the optional implementation of the step S2105 in FIG. 2 and other associated parts in the embodiments involved in FIG. 2, which will not be repeated here.

[0258] In some embodiments, the terminal 101 receives the interference measurement resource sent by the network device 102, but is not limited thereto, and can also receive the interference measurement resource sent by other subjects.

[0259] In some embodiments, the terminal 101 acquires the interference measurement resource specified by a protocol.

[0260] In some embodiments, the terminal 101 acquires the interference measurement resource from upper layer(s).

[0261] In some embodiments, the terminal 101 processes to obtain the interference measurement resource.

[0262] In some embodiments, step S3105 is omitted, and the terminal 101 autonomously implements the function indicated by the interference measurement resource, or the above function is default or default.

[0263] Step S3106, sending the precoded uplink reference signal.

[0264] The optional implementation of step S3106 can refer to the optional implementation of step S2106 in FIG. 2 and other associated parts in the embodiments involved in FIG. 2, which will not be repeated here.

[0265] In some embodiments, the terminal 101 sends the precoded uplink reference signal to the network device 102, but is not limited thereto, and can also send the precoded uplink reference signal to other entities.

[0266] Step S3107, obtaining the codeword.

[0267] The optional implementation of step S3107 can refer to the optional implementation of step S2107 in FIG. 2 and other associated parts in the embodiments involved in FIG. 2, which will not be repeated here.

[0268] In some embodiments, the terminal 101 receives the codeword sent by the network device 102 based on the RANK corresponding to each port group, but is not limited thereto, and can also receive the codeword sent by other subjects.

[0269] In some embodiments, the terminal 101 obtains the codeword specified by the protocol.

[0270] In some embodiments, the terminal 101 obtains the codeword from the upper layer(s).

[0271] In some embodiments, the terminal 101 processes to obtain the codeword.

[0272] In some embodiments, step S3107 is omitted, and the terminal 101 autonomously implements the function indicated by the codeword, or the above function is default or default.

[0273] FIG. 4 is a flow chart of a communication method according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. As shown in FIG. 4, the embodiment of the present disclosure relates to a communication method, which is performed by the network device 102, and the above method comprises:

[0274] Step S4101, configuring a first downlink reference signal resource.

[0275] The optional implementation of step S4101 can refer to the optional implementation of step S2101 in FIG. 2 and other associated parts in the embodiments involved in FIG. 2, which will not be repeated here.

[0276] In some embodiments, the network device 102 configures the first downlink reference signal resource to the terminal 101, but is not limited thereto, and can configure the first downlink reference signal resource to other entities.

[0277] In step S4102, the second downlink reference signal resource is configured.

[0278] The optional implementation of step S4102 can refer to the optional implementation of step S2102 in FIG. 2 and other associated parts in the embodiments involved in FIG. 2, which will not be repeated here.

[0279] In some embodiments, the network device 102 configures the second downlink reference signal resource to the terminal 101, but is not limited thereto, and can configure the second downlink reference signal resource to other entities.

[0280] In step S4103, the third downlink reference signal resource is configured.

[0281] The optional implementation of step S4103 can refer to the optional implementation of step S2103 in FIG. 2 and other associated parts in the embodiments involved in FIG. 2, which will not be repeated here.

[0282] In some embodiments, the network device 102 configures the third downlink reference signal resource to the terminal 101, but is not limited thereto, and can configure the third downlink reference signal resource to other entities.

[0283] In step S4104, the first information is obtained.

[0284] The optional implementation of step S4104 can refer to the optional implementation of step S2104 in FIG. 2 and other associated parts in the embodiments involved in FIG. 2, which will not be repeated here.

[0285] In some embodiments, the network device 102 receives the first information sent by the terminal 101, but is not limited thereto, and can receive the first information sent by other subjects.

[0286] In some embodiments, the network device 102 obtains the first information specified by a protocol.

[0287] In some embodiments, the network device 102 obtains the first information from upper layer(s).

[0288] In some embodiments, the network device 102 processes to obtain the first information.

[0289] In some embodiments, step S4104 is omitted, and the network device 102 autonomously implements the function indicated by the first information, or the above function is default or default.

[0290] In step S4105, the network device configures the interference measurement resource.

[0291] The optional implementation of step S4105 can refer to the optional implementation of step S2105 in FIG. 2 and other associated parts in the embodiments involved in FIG. 2, which will not be repeated here.

[0292] In some embodiments, the network device 102 configures the interference measurement resource to the terminal 101, but is not limited thereto, and can configure the interference measurement resource to other entities.

[0293] In step S4106, the network device obtains the precoded uplink reference signal.

[0294] The optional implementation of step S4106 can refer to the optional implementation of step S2106 in FIG. 2 and other associated parts in the embodiments involved in FIG. 2, which will not be repeated here.

[0295] In some embodiments, the network device 102 receives the precoded uplink reference signal sent by the terminal 101, but is not limited thereto, and can receive the precoded uplink reference signal sent by other entities.

[0296] In some embodiments, the network device 102 obtains the precoded uplink reference signal specified by the protocol.

[0297] In some embodiments, the network device 102 obtains the precoded uplink reference signal from the upper layer(s).

[0298] In some embodiments, the network device 102 processes to obtain the precoded uplink reference signal.

[0299] In some embodiments, step S4106 is omitted, and the network device 102 autonomously implements the function indicated by the precoded uplink reference signal or the above-mentioned function is default or default.

[0300] In step S4107, the network device sends the codeword.

[0301] The optional implementation of step S4107 can refer to the optional implementation of step S2107 in FIG. 2 and other associated parts in the embodiments involved in FIG. 2, which will not be repeated here.

[0302] In some embodiments, the network device 102 sends the codeword to the terminal 101, but is not limited thereto, and can send the codeword to other entities.

[0303] In some embodiments, the codeword is sent based on the RANK corresponding to each port group.

[0304] FIG. 5 is an interaction diagram of a communication method according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. As shown in FIG. 5, the embodiment of the present disclosure relates to a communication method, and the method comprises:

[0305] In step S5101, the network device 102 configures a first downlink reference signal resource for the terminal 101.

[0306] In step S5102, the terminal 101 receives the first downlink reference signal resource configured by the network device 102.

[0307] In some embodiments, the above method can include the method of the above-mentioned embodiments related to the communication system 100, the terminal 101, and the network device 102, which will not be described here.

[0308] The present disclosure provides a CSI measurement method for a downlink channel:

[0309] In some embodiments, the NW configures at least two downlink reference signal resources, each of which is associated with a SRS port group. The NW independently sends beamformed downlink reference signals to different SRS port groups, and the UE independently feeds back the CSI corresponding to each SRS port group according to the estimated downlink effective channel information.

[0310] Optionally, the following gives the processing procedures of the UE and the NW related to CSI measurement:

[0311] (1) The NW configures at least two downlink reference signal resources, such as CSI-RS, for the terminal. The downlink reference signal resources can be one or more of periodic, semi-persistent, or aperiodic. The configured multiple downlink reference signal resources are associated with one or more uplink reference signal resources. The uplink reference signal resources can be one or more of periodic, semi-persistent, or aperiodic. Among them, the downlink reference signal resources can be configured in one or more reference signal resource sets. The uplink reference signal resources can also be configured in one or more reference signal resource sets.

[0312] (2) The terminal sends an uplink reference signal to the NW according to the configured uplink signal resource for uplink channel information measurement. The NW estimates the uplink channel information through the received uplink reference signal, and sends at least two beamformed downlink reference signals to the terminal. Among them, the beam of the reference signal resource is calculated by the NW according to the estimated uplink channel information. The sending of multiple beamformed downlink reference signals can be sent in one or more adjacent time slots, or in the same symbol or multiple symbols in a time slot.

[0313] (3) The terminal estimates the downlink effective channel information corresponding to each port group according to the downlink reference signals received by each SRS port group respectively, and then measures the CSI according to the estimated effective channel information and reports the measured CSI to the NW.

[0314] (4) The NW determines the number of data layers or the corresponding code word transmitted to each SRS port group according to the CSI reported by the UE. For example, if the sum of the rank values corresponding to each SRS port group is less than 4, the NW sends the same code word and data transmission layer to each SRS port group, and the transmission layer is the maximum or minimum value of the rank values corresponding to each SRS port group, or the sum of the rank values.

[0315] In some embodiments, the NW configures at least three downlink reference signal resources, wherein each of a part of the downlink reference signal resources is associated with an SRS port group, and at least one downlink reference signal resource is associated with all SRS port groups. The method of sending beamformed downlink reference signal resources to different SRS port groups can be divided into the following three types:

[0316] (1) The NW first sends beamformed downlink reference signals to different SRS port groups independently, and the UE feeds back the CSI corresponding to each SRS port group according to the estimated downlink effective channel information. If the sum of the transmission layers corresponding to each SRS port group fed back by the UE is greater than 4, the NW no longer sends a beamformed downlink reference signal to the combination of all SRS port groups. Otherwise, the NW sends an independent beamformed downlink reference signal to the combination of all SRS port groups, and the UE measures the CSI based on the downlink effective channel information estimated from the received beamformed downlink reference signal and reports it.

[0317] (2) The NW sends beamformed downlink reference signals to different SRS port groups independently, in addition, the NW also sends a beamformed downlink reference signal to the combination of all SRS port groups in the same or different time slots.

[0318] (3) The NW first sends a beamformed downlink reference signal to the combination of all SRS port groups, and the UE feeds back the measured CSI corresponding to all SRS port groups according to the estimated downlink effective channel information. If the value indicated by the reported RI is greater than 4, the NW sends beamformed downlink reference signals to different SRS port groups independently, and the UE feeds back the CSI corresponding to each SRS port group according to the estimated downlink effective channel information.

[0319] In this embodiment, the UE and NW side processing process related to measuring CSI is similar to the measuring CSI process in the above-mentioned embodiments.

[0320] In some embodiments, the reporting method of the measured CSI of the downlink channel corresponding to each SRS port group is as follows:

[0321] Each SRS port independently reports an RI / CQI, and the value range of the reported RI for each port group is a positive integer greater than or equal to N. Optionally, when the rank measured by the UE for two SRS port groups is less than or equal to X (X is a positive integer), the UE reports the RI (indicating the value of the rank) in the following ways:

[0322] (1) Report one RI, which corresponds to one of the SRS port groups. The port group can be determined by predefinition through UE and gNB negotiation, or can be indicated by the UE to the NW through indication information. The bit width of the indication information is bits, and N = 2 indicates the number of SRS port groups.

[0323] (2) Report one RI, which corresponds to the RI of the two SRS port groups.

[0324] When the rank is greater than X, the UE independently reports the RI / CQI for each SRS port group. When the rank is independently reported, it can be reported in the following ways:

[0325] (a) The value range of the reported rank for each SRS port group is [1, Zmax], where Zmax is the maximum number of transmission layers supported by a single code word.

[0326] (b) The value range of the reported rank for each SRS port group is determined according to a pre-defined manner in the protocol.

[0327] In some embodiments, the gNB determines the RI of each SRS port group and the precoding of each port group based on the precoded SRS. For example, the UE sends a precoded SRS to the gNB, where the precoding is determined by the UE according to the measured downlink channel information, interference information, or noise. The gNB also configures interference measurement resources for the UE to obtain the interference information of the downlink transmission data. The interference measurement resource can be a CSI-IM and / or NZP CSI-RS resource, and the interference measurement resource can be periodic / semi-persistent / non-periodic.

[0328] The present disclosure provides the following specific examples for convenience of understanding:

[0329] Embodiment 1 (configuration of one CSI-RS resource):

[0330] Assume that the UE side deploys 4 transmitting 8 receiving (4T8R) antennas for receiving downlink data transmission, i.e. receiving downlink data transmission through 8 Rx receiving antennas and transmitting uplink information through 4 transmitting radio frequency links. It is assumed that the gNB configures two periodic SRS resources for the UE, and each SRS resource contains 4 SRS ports. The UE can transmit the two SRS resources through antenna switching for the gNB to obtain uplink channel information.

[0331] When the UE receives downlink data, the predefined SRS port groups can receive downlink data respectively. Each SRS port group corresponds to a codeword transmission. The gNB transmits data corresponding to the codeword after precoding. If the SRS port group is divided into two groups, the gNB can obtain the precoding W corresponding to the downlink data transmission of each SRS port group based on the estimated uplink channel information H, and then obtain the precoding W corresponding to the downlink data transmission of each SRS port group through the zero forcing (ZF) algorithm. The precoding is the beam for transmitting the CSI-RS.

[0332] In order to obtain the link quality CQI or the number of possible transmission layers corresponding to each SRS port group, the gNB can send the precoded CSI-RS to the UE for the UE to obtain the downlink effective channel information H^, and the UE can calculate the RI and CQI according to the estimated H^. The gNB can configure a CSI-RS resource for the UE. It is assumed that an aperiodic CSI-RS resource is configured, and the number of ports of the CSI-RS resource is N. The value of N can be determined according to the maximum number of transmission layers or the maximum number of allowed transmission layers configured by the gNB for the UE according to scheduling requirements. The UE estimates the downlink effective channel information based on the received beamformed CSI-RS, and determines the indicated values of RI and CQI according to the effective channel information and the maximum number of allowed transmission layers configured by the NW, and reports them to the NW. Alternatively, the UE estimates the downlink effective channel information corresponding to each SRS port group respectively, and when the transmission rank rank≤4, the UE determines the RI according to the following two ways.

[0333] (1) According to the downlink effective channel information corresponding to each SRS port group, the rank corresponding to each SRS port group is calculated. Then the SRS port group with the largest rank is indicated to the gNB through 1 bit. Or according to the predefinition negotiated by the UE and the gNB, only the rank corresponding to the first SRS port group is reported.

[0334] (2) The UE calculates the rank according to the arithmetic average of the downlink effective channel information corresponding to each SRS port group.

[0335] When rank > 4, UE calculates rank corresponding to each SRS port group according to the effective downlink channel information corresponding to each SRS port group. When reporting, UE can report only one total rank, or report rank corresponding to each SRS port group, and each SRS port group corresponds to a codeword. When reporting RI and CQI independently for each SRS port group, the rank indicated by RI can take values {1, 2, 3, 4}, wherein 4 represents the maximum number of transmission layers allowed for a single SRS port group. Alternatively, the rank corresponding to each SRS port group is the number of transmission layers agreed by the protocol. As currently agreed by the protocol, when two codewords are transmitted, the mapping relationship between codeword and layer is shown in Table 1. According to the mapping of the table, the rank corresponding to each SRS port group can take values {2, 3, 4}. Alternatively, if the UE and the gNB predefine that the first SRS port group corresponds to the first codeword and the second SRS port group corresponds to the second codeword, the rank corresponding to the first SRS port group can take values {2, 3, 4}, and the rank corresponding to the second SRS port group can take values {3, 4}. After UE calculates the rank and CQI corresponding to each SRS port group, it reports RI / CQI to gNB through Physical Uplink Control Channel (PUCCH) or Physical Uplink Shared Channel (PUSCH). The gNB determines the number of layers, the number of codewords, and the Modulation and Coding Scheme (MCS) for transmitting downlink data according to the received RI and CQI.

[0336] Embodiment 2 (configure two CSI-RS resources):

[0337] The assumption conditions are the same as in Embodiment 1. However, in this example, the gNB configures two CSI-RS resources for CSI measurement reporting for UE, and each SRS port group corresponds to a CSI-RS resource. The gNB sends two beamformed CSI-RSs to the UE, wherein the beams of the CSI-RSs are calculated by the gNB. The beam calculation of the CSI-RS is the same as in Embodiment 1. The gNB can send two beamformed CSI-RSs in one or two adjacent slots. The frequency domain density, time domain behavior, power control factor, etc. of the two CSI-RS resources configured by the gNB are the same. The two CSI-RS resources can be configured in one or more CSI-RS resource sets.

[0338] The UE estimates the downlink effective channel information corresponding to each SRS port group based on the received beamformed CSI-RS, and then calculates the rank and CQI of each SRS port group through the downlink effective channel information. The manner of determining the rank and CQI is the same as that in Embodiment 1, which will not be described here.

[0339] Embodiment 3 (determining the downlink data transmission precoding corresponding to each SRS port group based on SRS):

[0340] The assumption conditions are the same as those in Embodiment 1. Different from the above two embodiments, the gNB determines the RI / CQI corresponding to each SRS port group based on the received SRS. The gNB not only configures the SRS resource, but also configures the CSI-IM and / or the NZP CSI-RS resource for measuring interference, which are respectively used for inter-cell interference and / or interference between users. The UE tests the interference information based on the received interference measurement signal, and then calculates the precoding of the transmitted SRS, which is the process of whitening the interference information. The gNB can estimate the RI / CQI corresponding to each SRS port group based on the received SRS. Alternatively, the gNB can also receive the CSI measurement report in Embodiments 1 and 2, and the UE independently reports the RI / CQI of each SRS port group as the reference information for the gNB to schedule the downlink data transmission.

[0341] The embodiments of the present disclosure also propose a device for implementing any of the above methods, for example, a device including units or modules for implementing each step performed by the terminal in any of the above methods. For another example, another device is also proposed, which includes units or modules for implementing each step performed by the network device (such as an access network device, a core network function node, a core network device, etc.) in any of the above methods.

[0342] It should be understood that the division of each unit or module in the above apparatus is only a logical function division, and all or part of them can be integrated into a physical entity or physically separated in actual implementation. In addition, the units or modules in the apparatus can be implemented in the form of processor calling software: for example, the apparatus includes a processor connected with a memory, the memory stores instructions, and the processor calls the instructions stored in the memory to implement any of the above methods or realize the functions of each unit or module of the above apparatus, wherein the processor is, for example, a general processor such as a central processing unit (CPU) or a microprocessor, and the memory is a memory within the apparatus or a memory outside the apparatus. Alternatively, the units or modules in the apparatus can be implemented in the form of hardware circuit, and the functions of part or all of the units or modules can be realized by the design of the hardware circuit. The above hardware circuit can be understood as one or more processors; for example, in one implementation, the above hardware circuit is an application-specific integrated circuit (ASIC), and the functions of part or all of the above units or modules are realized by the design of the logical relationship of the elements in the circuit; for example, in another implementation, the above hardware circuit is a programmable logic device (PLD), and a field programmable gate array (FPGA) is taken as an example, which can include a large number of logic gate circuits, and the connection relationship between the logic gate circuits is configured by a configuration file, so as to realize the functions of part or all of the above units or modules. All units or modules of the above apparatus can be implemented in the form of processor calling software, or all units or modules can be implemented in the form of hardware circuit, or part of the units or modules are implemented in the form of processor calling software, and the remaining part is implemented in the form of hardware circuit.

[0343] In the embodiments of the present disclosure, the processor is a circuit with signal processing capability. In one implementation, the processor can be a circuit with instruction reading and running capability, such as a central processing unit (CPU), a microprocessor, a graphics processing unit (GPU) (which can be understood as a microprocessor), a digital signal processor (DSP), or the like. In another implementation, the processor can implement certain functions through a logical relationship of hardware circuits, and the logical relationship of the hardware circuits is fixed or can be reconfigured. For example, the processor is a hardware circuit implemented by an application-specific integrated circuit (ASIC) or a programmable logic device (PLD), such as an FPGA. In the reconfigurable hardware circuit, the processor loads a configuration document to implement the configuration of the hardware circuit. It can be understood that the processor loads instructions to implement the functions of the above part or all units or modules. In addition, it can also be a hardware circuit designed for artificial intelligence, which can be understood as an ASIC, such as a neural network processing unit (NPU), a tensor processing unit (TPU), a deep learning processing unit (DPU), and the like.

[0344] FIG. 6a is a structural schematic diagram of a terminal according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. As shown in FIG. 6a, the terminal 6100 can include at least one of a transceiver module 6101 and a processing module 6102. The transceiver module 6101 is configured to

[0345] In some embodiments, the terminal further includes the processing module 6102, configured to determine the RANK corresponding to the N port groups based on the first downlink reference signal resource.

[0346] In some embodiments, the number of the first downlink reference signal resources is one.

[0347] In some embodiments, the first downlink reference signal resource is associated with the N port groups. The transceiver module 6101 is further configured to, in a case where the RANK corresponding to the N port groups is greater than M, receive a second downlink reference signal resource configured by the network device, the number of the second downlink reference signal resources is N, each second downlink reference signal resource is associated with one port group, and M is a positive integer.

[0348] In some embodiments, the ports of the first downlink reference signal resource are divided into N partial ports, the N partial ports correspond to N port groups, and the division of the N partial ports is determined based on antenna port indexes.

[0349] In some embodiments, the number of the first downlink reference signal resources is N.

[0350] In some embodiments, each of the first downlink reference signal resources is associated with one port group, and the transceiver 6101 is further configured to: in a case where the RANKs corresponding to the N port groups are less than or equal to M, receive a third downlink reference signal resource configured by the network device, the number of the third downlink reference signal resource is one, the third downlink reference signal resource is associated with the N port groups, and M is a positive integer.

[0351] In some embodiments, the number of the first downlink reference signal resources is at least N+1, wherein one of the first reference signal resources is associated with the N port groups, and each of the remaining N first downlink reference signal resources is associated with one port group.

[0352] In some embodiments, the transceiver 6101 is further configured to: send, to the network device, first information, the first information being used to indicate at least one of: a maximum value of the RANKs corresponding to the N port groups; a minimum value of the RANKs corresponding to the N port groups; a RANK corresponding to a specified port group of the N port groups, the specified port group being configured by the network device, predefined in a protocol, or determined by the terminal; the specified port group, the specified port group being determined by the terminal; a sum of the RANKs corresponding to the N port groups; an average RANK corresponding to the N port groups, the average RANK being determined based on an average value of downlink channel information of the N port groups, the downlink channel information being determined based on the downlink reference signal resource; a RANK corresponding to each of the N port groups; a channel quality indicator (CQI) corresponding to the N port groups; or a CQI corresponding to each of the N port groups.

[0353] In some embodiments, the first information is used to indicate at least one of: a maximum value of the RANK corresponding to the N port groups; a minimum value of the RANK corresponding to the N port groups; a RANK corresponding to a specified port group of the N port groups, the specified port group being configured by the network device, predefined in a protocol, or determined by the terminal; the specified port group, the specified port group being determined by the terminal; a sum of the RANK corresponding to the N port groups; an average RANK corresponding to the N port groups, the average RANK being determined based on an average value of downlink channel information of the N port groups, the downlink channel information being determined based on the downlink reference signal resource; a CQI corresponding to the N port groups; a CQI corresponding to each port group of the N port groups; wherein M is a positive integer.

[0354] In some embodiments, the transceiver 6101 is further configured to: receive, by the terminal, a code word sent by the network device, the code word corresponding to different port groups being the same.

[0355] In some embodiments, the first information is used to indicate at least one of: a RANK corresponding to each port group of the N port groups; a CQI corresponding to the N port groups; a CQI corresponding to each port group of the N port groups; wherein M is a positive integer.

[0356] In some embodiments, a value range of the RANK corresponding to each port group is 1 to M; or, a value range of the RANK corresponding to each port group is determined based on a protocol.

[0357] In some embodiments, the first downlink reference signal resource is associated with an uplink reference signal resource, and the method further comprises: sending, by the network device, a precoded uplink reference signal, the precoding being determined based on at least one of: downlink channel information; interference information; noise.

[0358] In some embodiments, the transceiver 6101 is further configured to: receive, by the terminal, an interference measurement resource sent by the network device, the interference measurement resource being used to determine the interference information.

[0359] In some embodiments, the interference measurement resource comprises at least one of: a channel state information interference measurement resource CSI-IM; a non-zero power channel state information reference signal resource NZP CSI-RS.

[0360] In some embodiments, the downlink reference signal resource received by the terminal and / or the uplink reference signal resource associated with the downlink reference signal resource has at least one of the following time domain characteristics: periodicity; semi-persistent; aperiodicity; wherein the downlink reference signal resource received by the terminal includes at least one of the following: a first downlink reference signal resource; a second downlink reference signal resource; a third downlink reference signal resource.

[0361] In some embodiments, the downlink reference signal resource received by the terminal and / or the uplink reference signal resource associated with the downlink reference signal resource is configured in one or more reference signal resource sets; wherein the downlink reference signal resource received by the terminal includes at least one of the following: a first downlink reference signal resource; a second downlink reference signal resource; a third downlink reference signal resource.

[0362] FIG. 6b is a structural schematic diagram of a network device according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. As shown in FIG. 6b, the network device 6200 can include at least one of a transceiver module 6201 and a processing module 6202. The transceiver module 6201 is configured to configure a terminal with a first downlink reference signal resource, the first downlink reference signal resource being related to a transmission layer number RANK corresponding to N port groups, N being a positive integer.

[0363] In some embodiments, the number of the first downlink reference signal resource is one.

[0364] In some embodiments, the first downlink reference signal resource is associated with N port groups, and the transceiver module 6201 is further configured to, in a case where the RANK value corresponding to the N port groups is greater than M, configure the terminal with a second downlink reference signal resource, the number of the second downlink reference signal resource being N, each second downlink reference signal resource being associated with one port group, M being a positive integer.

[0365] In some embodiments, the ports of the first downlink reference signal resource are divided into N partial ports, the N partial ports corresponding to the N port groups, and the division of the N partial ports is determined based on an antenna port index.

[0366] In some embodiments, the number of the first downlink reference signal resource is N.

[0367] In some embodiments, each first downlink reference signal resource is associated with one port group, and the transceiver module 6201 is further configured to, in a case where the RANK value corresponding to the N port groups is less than or equal to M, configure the terminal with a third downlink reference signal resource, the number of the third downlink reference signal resource being one, the third downlink reference signal resource being associated with the N port groups, M being a positive integer.

[0368] In some embodiments, the number of the first downlink reference signal resources is N+1, one of the first reference signal resources is associated with N port groups, and each of the remaining N first downlink reference signal resources is associated with one port group.

[0369] In some embodiments, the transceiver 6201 is further configured to receive first information sent by the terminal, the first information being used to indicate at least one of: a maximum value of RANKs corresponding to the N port groups; a port group with the maximum value of RANKs in the N port groups; a minimum value of RANKs corresponding to the N port groups; a port group with the minimum value of RANKs in the N port groups; a RANK corresponding to a specified port group in the N port groups, the specified port group being configured by the network device, predefined in a protocol, or determined by the terminal; the specified port group, the specified port group being determined by the terminal; a sum of RANKs corresponding to the N port groups; an average RANK corresponding to the N port groups, the average RANK being determined based on an average of downlink channel information of the N port groups, the downlink channel information being determined based on the downlink reference signal resources; a RANK corresponding to each of the N port groups; a channel quality indicator (CQI) corresponding to the N port groups; and a CQI corresponding to each of the N port groups.

[0370] In some embodiments, when the RANK values corresponding to the N port groups are less than or equal to M, or the terminal receives the second downlink reference signal resources configured by the network device, the first information is used to indicate at least one of: a maximum value of RANKs corresponding to the N port groups; a port group with the maximum value of RANKs in the N port groups; a minimum value of RANKs corresponding to the N port groups; a port group with the minimum value of RANKs in the N port groups; a RANK corresponding to a specified port group in the N port groups, the specified port group being configured by the network device, predefined in a protocol, or determined by the terminal; the specified port group, the specified port group being determined by the terminal; a sum of RANKs corresponding to the N port groups; an average RANK corresponding to the N port groups, the average RANK being determined based on an average of downlink channel information of the N port groups, the downlink channel information being determined based on the downlink reference signal resources; a CQI corresponding to the N port groups; and a CQI corresponding to each of the N port groups; wherein M is a positive integer.

[0371] In some embodiments, the transceiver 6201 is further configured to send, by the network device, a code word to the terminal, the code words corresponding to different port groups being the same.

[0372] In some embodiments, the RANK corresponding to the N port groups is greater than M, or the terminal receives the third downlink reference signal resource configured by the network device, the first information is used to indicate at least one of the following: the RANK corresponding to each port group in the N port groups; the CQI corresponding to the N port groups; the CQI corresponding to each port group in the N port groups; wherein M is a positive integer.

[0373] In some embodiments, the RANK corresponding to each port group ranges from 1 to M; or the value range of the RANK corresponding to each port group is determined based on a protocol.

[0374] In some embodiments, the first downlink reference signal resource is associated with an uplink reference signal resource, and the method further comprises: the network device receiving a precoded uplink reference signal sent by the terminal, the precoded uplink reference signal being used to determine the RANK corresponding to the N port groups, and the precoding being determined based on at least one of the following: downlink channel information; interference information; noise.

[0375] In some embodiments, the transceiver module 6201 is further configured to: the network device sends an interference measurement resource to the terminal, the interference measurement resource being used to determine the interference information.

[0376] In some embodiments, the interference measurement resource includes at least one of the following: channel state information interference measurement resource CSI-IM; non-zero power channel state information reference signal resource NZP CSI-RS.

[0377] In some embodiments, the downlink reference signal resource configured by the network device and / or the uplink reference signal resource associated with the downlink reference signal resource has at least one of the following time domain characteristics: periodicity; semi-persistence; aperiodicity; wherein the downlink reference signal resource configured by the network device includes at least one of the following: the first downlink reference signal resource; the second downlink reference signal resource; the third downlink reference signal resource.

[0378] In some embodiments, the downlink reference signal resource configured by the network device and / or the uplink reference signal resource associated with the downlink reference signal resource is configured in one or more reference signal resource sets; wherein the downlink reference signal resource configured by the network device includes at least one of the following: the first downlink reference signal resource; the second downlink reference signal resource; the third downlink reference signal resource.

[0379] FIG. 7a is a structural schematic diagram of a communication device according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. The communication device 7100 can be a network device, a terminal, a chip, a chip system, a processor, or the like supporting the network device to implement any of the above methods, or a chip, a chip system, a processor, or the like supporting the terminal to implement any of the above methods. Optionally, the network device can be an access network device, a core network device, or the like. Optionally, the terminal can be a user equipment, or the like. The communication device 7100 can be used to implement the methods described in the above method embodiments, and details can be referred to the descriptions in the above method embodiments.

[0380] As shown in FIG. 7a, the communication device 7100 includes one or more processors 7101. The processor 7101 can be a general purpose processor, a special purpose processor, or the like, for example, a baseband processor or a central processing unit. The baseband processor can be used to process communication protocols and communication data, and the central processing unit can be used to control the communication device, execute programs, and process data of the programs. The communication device 7100 is used to implement any of the above methods. Optionally, the communication device can be a base station, a baseband chip, a terminal device, a terminal device chip, a DU, a CU, or the like.

[0381] In some embodiments, the communication device 7100 further includes one or more memories 7102 for storing instructions. Optionally, all or part of the memory 7102 can also be outside the communication device 7100.

[0382] In some embodiments, the communication device 7100 further includes one or more transceivers 7103. When the communication device 7100 includes one or more transceivers 7103, the transceiver 7103 performs the communication steps S2101 such as transmitting and / or receiving in the above methods, and the processor 7101 performs other steps.

[0383] In some embodiments, the transceiver can include a receiver and / or a transmitter, which can be separate or integrated together. Optionally, the terms of transceiver, transceiving unit, transceiver, transceiving circuit, and the like can be replaced with each other, the terms of transmitter, transmitting unit, transmitter, transmitting circuit, and the like can be replaced with each other, and the terms of receiver, receiving unit, receiver, receiving circuit, and the like can be replaced with each other.

[0384] In some embodiments, the communication device 7100 can include one or more interface circuits 7104. Optionally, the interface circuit 7104 is connected with the memory 7102, and the interface circuit 7104 can be used to receive signals from the memory 7102 or other devices, and can be used to send signals to the memory 7102 or other devices. For example, the interface circuit 7104 can read instructions stored in the memory 7102 and send the instructions to the processor 7101.

[0385] The communication device 7100 described in the above embodiments can be a network device or a terminal, but the scope of the communication device 7100 described in the present disclosure is not limited thereto, and the structure of the communication device 7100 can not be limited by FIG. 7a. The communication device can be a standalone device or can be part of a larger device. For example, the communication device can be: 1) a standalone integrated circuit (IC), or a chip, or a chip system or subsystem; (2) a set of one or more ICs, which can optionally also include storage components for storing data, programs; (3) an ASIC, such as a modem; (4) a module that can be embedded in other devices; (5) a receiver, a terminal device, a smart terminal device, a cellular phone, a wireless device, a handset, a mobile unit, a vehicle-mounted device, a network device, a cloud device, an artificial intelligence device, and the like; (6) and the like.

[0386] FIG. 7b is a schematic diagram of a chip structure according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. For the case where the communication device 7100 is a chip or a chip system, the structure of the chip 7200 can be as shown in FIG. 7b, but is not limited thereto.

[0387] The chip 7200 includes one or more processors 7201, and the chip 7200 is configured to execute any of the above methods.

[0388] In some embodiments, the chip 7200 further includes one or more interface circuits 7202. Optionally, the interface circuit 7202 is connected to the memory 7203, and the interface circuit 7202 can be configured to receive signals from the memory 7203 or other devices, and the interface circuit 7202 can be configured to send signals to the memory 7203 or other devices. For example, the interface circuit 7202 can read instructions stored in the memory 7203 and send the instructions to the processor 7201.

[0389] In some embodiments, the interface circuit 7202 performs the communication steps S2101 of sending and / or receiving in the above methods, and the processor 7201 performs other steps.

[0390] In some embodiments, the terms interface circuit, interface, transceiver pin, and transceiver can be replaced by each other.

[0391] In some embodiments, the chip 7200 further includes one or more memories 7203 for storing instructions. Optionally, all or part of the memory 7203 can be outside the chip 7200.

[0392] The present disclosure further provides a storage medium having stored instructions which, when executed on the communication device 7100, cause the communication device 7100 to perform any of the above methods. Optionally, the storage medium is an electronic storage medium. Optionally, the storage medium is a computer-readable storage medium, but is not limited thereto and can also be a storage medium readable by other apparatuses. Optionally, the storage medium can be a non-transitory storage medium, but is not limited thereto and can also be a transitory storage medium.

[0393] The present disclosure further provides a program product which, when executed by the communication device 7100, causes the communication device 7100 to perform any of the above methods. Optionally, the program product is a computer program product.

[0394] The present disclosure further provides a computer program which, when executed on a computer, causes the computer to perform any of the above methods.

Claims

A communication method characterized by comprising: The method comprises: The terminal receives a first downlink reference signal resource configured by a network device, the first downlink reference signal resource being related to a transmission layer number RANK corresponding to N port groups, N being a positive integer. The method of claim 1, wherein The method further comprises: The terminal determines the RANK corresponding to the N port groups based on the first downlink reference signal resource. The method according to claim 2, characterized in that The number of the first downlink reference signal resource is one. The method according to claim 3, characterized in that The first downlink reference signal resource is associated with the N port groups, and the method further comprises: In a case where the RANK value corresponding to the N port groups is greater than M, the terminal receives a second downlink reference signal resource configured by the network device, the number of the second downlink reference signal resource being N, and each of the second downlink reference signal resources being associated with one port group, M being a positive integer. The method according to claim 3, characterized in that The ports of the first downlink reference signal resource are divided into N partial ports, the N partial ports corresponding to N port groups, and the division of the N partial ports being determined based on antenna port indexes. The method according to claim 2, characterized in that The number of the first downlink reference signal resource is N. The method according to claim 6, characterized in that Each of the first downlink reference signal resources is associated with one port group, and the method further comprises: In a case where the RANK value corresponding to the N port groups is less than or equal to M, the terminal receives a third downlink reference signal resource configured by the network device, the number of the third downlink reference signal resource being one, and the third downlink reference signal resource being associated with the N port groups, M being a positive integer. The method according to claim 2, characterized in that The number of the first downlink reference signal resource is N+1, wherein one first reference signal resource is associated with the N port groups, and each of the remaining N first downlink reference signal resources is associated with one port group. The method according to any one of claims 2-8, characterized in that The method further comprises: The terminal sends first information to the network device, the first information being used to indicate at least one of the following: a maximum value in the RANK corresponding to the N port groups; a port group with a maximum RANK in the N port groups; a minimum value in the RANK corresponding to the N port groups; a port group with a minimum RANK in the N port groups; a RANK corresponding to a specified port group in the N port groups, the specified port group being configured by the network device, predefined in a protocol, or determined by the terminal; the specified port group, the specified port group being determined by the terminal; a sum of the RANK corresponding to the N port groups; an average RANK corresponding to the N port groups, the average RANK being determined based on an average value of downlink channel information of the N port groups, the downlink channel information being determined based on the downlink reference signal resource; a RANK corresponding to each of the N port groups; a channel quality indicator CQI corresponding to the N port groups; a CQI corresponding to each of the N port groups. The method of claim 9, wherein In a case where the RANK value corresponding to the N port groups is less than or equal to M, or the terminal receives the second downlink reference signal resource configured by the network device, the first information is used to indicate at least one of the following: a maximum value in the RANK corresponding to the N port groups; a port group with a maximum RANK in the N port groups; a minimum value in the RANKs corresponding to the N port groups; a port group with a minimum RANK in the N port groups; a RANK corresponding to a specified port group in the N port groups, the specified port group being configured by the network device, predefined in a protocol, or determined by the terminal; the specified port group, the specified port group being determined by the terminal; a sum of the RANKs corresponding to the N port groups; an average RANK corresponding to the N port groups, the average RANK being determined based on an average value of downlink channel information of the N port groups, the downlink channel information being determined based on the downlink reference signal resource; a CQI corresponding to the N port groups; a CQI corresponding to each port group in the N port groups; wherein the M is a positive integer. The method of claim 10, wherein The method further comprises: The terminal receives a code word sent by the network device, and the code word corresponding to different port groups is the same. The method of claim 9, wherein In a case where the RANK values corresponding to the N port groups are greater than M, or the terminal receives a third downlink reference signal resource configured by the network device, the first information is used to indicate at least one of the following: a RANK corresponding to each port group in the N port groups; a CQI corresponding to the N port groups; a CQI corresponding to each port group in the N port groups. wherein the M is a positive integer. The method according to claim 12, wherein, a value range of the RANK corresponding to each port group is 1 to M; or, a value range of the RANK corresponding to each port group is determined based on a protocol. The method of claim 1, wherein The first downlink reference signal resource is associated with an uplink reference signal resource, and the method further comprises: The terminal sends a precoded uplink reference signal to the network device, the precoded uplink reference signal being used to determine the RANK corresponding to the N port groups, and the precoding being determined based on at least one of the following: downlink channel information; interference information; noise. The method of claim 14, wherein The method further comprises: The terminal receives an interference measurement resource sent by the network device, the interference measurement resource being used to determine the interference information. The method of claim 15, wherein The interference measurement resource comprises at least one of the following: a channel state information interference measurement resource (CSI-IM); a non-zero power channel state information reference signal resource (NZP CSI-RS). The method according to any one of claims 1-16, wherein: The downlink reference signal resource received by the terminal and / or the uplink reference signal resource associated with the downlink reference signal resource has at least one of the following time domain characteristics: periodicity; semi-persistence; aperiodicity; wherein the downlink reference signal resource received by the terminal comprises at least one of the following: a first downlink reference signal resource; a second downlink reference signal resource; a third downlink reference signal resource. The method according to any one of claims 1-17, wherein: The downlink reference signal resource received by the terminal and / or the uplink reference signal resource associated with the downlink reference signal resource is configured in one or more reference signal resource sets; The downlink reference signal resources received by the terminal comprise at least one of the following: first downlink reference signal resources; second downlink reference signal resources; and third downlink reference signal resources. A communication method characterized by comprising: The method comprises: The network device configures the terminal with first downlink reference signal resources, the first downlink reference signal resources being related to the number of transmission layers RANK corresponding to the N port groups, N being a positive integer. The method of claim 19, wherein The number of the first downlink reference signal resources is one. The method of claim 20, wherein The first downlink reference signal resources are associated with the N port groups, and the method further comprises: When the RANK values corresponding to the N port groups are greater than M, the network device configures the terminal with second downlink reference signal resources, the number of the second downlink reference signal resources being N, and each of the second downlink reference signal resources being associated with one port group, M being a positive integer. The method of claim 20, wherein The ports of the first downlink reference signal resources are divided into N partial ports, the N partial ports corresponding to the N port groups, and the division of the N partial ports being determined based on antenna port indexes. The method of claim 19, wherein The number of the first downlink reference signal resources is N. The method of claim 23, wherein Each of the first downlink reference signal resources is associated with one port group, and the method further comprises: When the RANK values corresponding to the N port groups are less than or equal to M, the network device configures the terminal with third downlink reference signal resources, the number of the third downlink reference signal resources being one, and the third downlink reference signal resources being associated with the N port groups, M being a positive integer. The method of claim 19, wherein The number of the first downlink reference signal resources is N+1, wherein one first reference signal resource is associated with the N port groups, and each of the remaining N first downlink reference signal resources is associated with one port group. The method according to any one of claims 19-25, characterized in that The method further comprises: The network device receives first information sent by the terminal, the first information being used to indicate at least one of the following: The maximum value in the RANK values corresponding to the N port groups; The port group with the maximum RANK value in the N port groups; The minimum value in the RANK values corresponding to the N port groups; The port group with the minimum RANK value in the N port groups; The RANK value corresponding to a specified port group in the N port groups, the specified port group being configured by the network device, predefined in a protocol, or determined by the terminal; The specified port group, the specified port group being determined by the terminal; The sum of the RANK values corresponding to the N port groups; The average RANK value corresponding to the N port groups, the average RANK value being determined based on the average value of downlink channel information of the N port groups, the downlink channel information being determined based on the downlink reference signal resources; The RANK value corresponding to each of the N port groups; The channel quality indicator CQI corresponding to the N port groups; The CQI corresponding to each of the N port groups. The method of claim 26, wherein When the RANK values corresponding to the N port groups are less than or equal to M, or the terminal receives the second downlink reference signal resources configured by the network device, the first information is used to indicate at least one of the following: a maximum value in RANK corresponding to the N port groups; a port group with a maximum value in RANK in the N port groups; a minimum value in RANK corresponding to the N port groups; a port group with a minimum value in RANK in the N port groups; RANK corresponding to a specified port group in the N port groups, the specified port group being configured by the network device, predefined in a protocol, or determined by the terminal; the specified port group, the specified port group being determined by the terminal; a sum of RANK corresponding to the N port groups; average RANK corresponding to the N port groups, the average RANK being determined based on average values of downlink channel information of the N port groups, the downlink channel information being determined based on the downlink reference signal resource; CQI corresponding to the N port groups; CQI corresponding to each port group in the N port groups; wherein the M is a positive integer. The method of claim 27, wherein The method further comprises: the network device sending a code word to the terminal, the code word corresponding to different port groups being the same. The method of claim 26, wherein In a case where RANK values corresponding to the N port groups are greater than M, or the terminal receives a third downlink reference signal resource configured by the network device, the first information is used to indicate at least one of the following: RANK corresponding to each port group in the N port groups; CQI corresponding to the N port groups; CQI corresponding to each port group in the N port groups. wherein the M is a positive integer. The method according to claim 29, wherein, a value range of RANK corresponding to each port group is 1 to M; or, a value range of RANK corresponding to each port group is determined based on a protocol. The method of claim 19, wherein The first downlink reference signal resource is associated with an uplink reference signal resource, and the method further comprises: the network device receiving a precoded uplink reference signal sent by the terminal, the precoded uplink reference signal being used to determine RANK corresponding to the N port groups, the precoding being determined based on at least one of the following: downlink channel information; interference information; noise. The method of claim 31, wherein The method further comprises: the network device sending an interference measurement resource to the terminal, the interference measurement resource being used to determine the interference information. The method of claim 32, wherein The interference measurement resource comprises at least one of the following: a channel state information interference measurement resource (CSI-IM); a non-zero power channel state information reference signal resource (NZP CSI-RS). The method according to any one of claims 19-33, wherein the downlink reference signal resource configured by the network device and / or the uplink reference signal resource associated with the downlink reference signal resource has at least one of the following time domain characteristics: periodicity; semi-persistence; aperiodicity; wherein the downlink reference signal resource configured by the network device comprises at least one of the following: a first downlink reference signal resource; a second downlink reference signal resource; a third downlink reference signal resource. The method according to any one of claims 19-34, wherein The downlink reference signal resource configured by the network device and / or the uplink reference signal resource associated with the downlink reference signal resource are configured in one or more reference signal resource sets; The downlink reference signal resource configured by the network device includes at least one of the following: a first downlink reference signal resource; a second downlink reference signal resource; and a third downlink reference signal resource. A communication method characterized by comprising: The method includes: The network device configures a first downlink reference signal resource for a terminal, the first downlink reference signal resource being related to a transmission layer number RANK corresponding to N port groups, N being a positive integer; The terminal receives the first downlink reference signal resource configured by the network device. A terminal, characterized by comprising: Comprise: The transceiver module is configured to receive the first downlink reference signal resource configured by the network device, the first downlink reference signal resource being related to a transmission layer number RANK corresponding to N port groups, N being a positive integer. A network device, characterized in that Comprise: The transceiver module is configured to configure a first downlink reference signal resource for a terminal, the first downlink reference signal resource being related to a transmission layer number RANK corresponding to N port groups, N being a positive integer. A terminal, characterized by comprising: Comprise: One or more processors; The processor is configured to perform the communication method of any one of claims 1-18. A network device, characterized in that Comprise: One or more processors; The processor is configured to perform the communication method of any one of claims 19-35. A communication system characterized by Comprise: A terminal and a network device, wherein the terminal is configured to implement the communication method of any one of claims 1-18, and the network device is configured to implement the communication method of any one of claims 19-35. A storage medium characterized by comprising: Comprise: The storage medium stores instructions, when the instructions run on a communication device, cause the communication device to perform the communication method of any one of claims 1-18 or 19-35. A program product, characterized in that Comprise: A computer program, when executed by a communication device, causes the communication device to perform the communication method of any one of claims 1-18 or 19-35.

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