Communication method and apparatus

Abstract

Embodiments of the present application provide a communication method and apparatus, used for reducing the receiving power consumption of a terminal device. In the present application, by enabling a terminal device to receive a downlink control channel by means of some antennas, the receiving power consumption of the terminal device can be reduced, especially the receiving power consumption of the terminal device in a scenario where the terminal device receives only a PDCCH. Moreover, a network device configures some antenna ports having good performance under the current channel condition, so that the downlink communication performance is improved.

Description

A communication method and apparatus

[0001] Cross Reference to Related Applications

[0002] This application claims priority to the Chinese Patent Application No. 202411395842.1, filed on September 30, 2024, and entitled "A communication method and apparatus", the content of which is incorporated herein by reference in its entirety. TECHNICAL FIELD

[0003] The present application relates to the field of communication technology, and in particular, to a communication method and apparatus. BACKGROUND

[0004] At present, a network device transmits a physical downlink control channel (PDCCH) according to a weight value related to a downlink measurement signal or a transmission weight value of a synchronization signal / physical broadcast channel block (SSB), and a terminal device receives the PDCCH with all antenna panels.

[0005] According to the current PDCCH transmission method, the power consumption of the terminal device is relatively large, and therefore, how to reduce the power consumption of the terminal device in receiving the PDCCH becomes a problem to be solved. SUMMARY

[0006] The present application provides a communication method and apparatus for reducing the power consumption of a terminal device.

[0007] In a first aspect, the present application provides a communication method, the execution subject of the method can be a terminal device, a processor, a chip, a chip system or a circuit on the terminal device side, or a logic module or software capable of realizing all or part of the functions of the terminal device. Taking the terminal device as an example, the method comprises: receiving first information and monitoring a first downlink channel through an antenna port indicated by the first information. The first information is used to indicate R antenna ports for downlink reception, wherein R is less than or equal to the total number N of antenna ports for reception of the terminal device, and R and N are integers greater than 0.

[0008] In the present application, by enabling the terminal device to receive a downlink control channel through part of the antennas, the power consumption of the terminal device in receiving can be reduced, especially the power consumption of the terminal device in receiving only the PDCCH. Moreover, by configuring the network device with part of the antenna ports with better performance under the current channel condition, the downlink communication performance is improved.

[0009] In a possible design, the method further includes: receiving a downlink measurement signal; and determining, according to the downlink measurement signal, to use the partial antenna ports or the partial antenna ports for downlink reception. In the above manner, the terminal device judges whether to enable partial antenna port reception and reports by using the downlink measurement signal, which can avoid using partial antenna ports in a poor channel condition, and thus the above manner is beneficial to guaranteeing communication performance.

[0010] In a possible design, the method further includes: sending second information, where the second information is used to indicate to use the partial antenna ports for downlink reception.

[0011] In a possible design, the method further includes: receiving third information, where the third information is used to configure an uplink reference signal; and sending the uplink reference signal through the N antenna ports, where the ports of the uplink reference signal have a mapping relationship with the N antenna ports. Since the ports of the uplink reference signal have a mapping relationship with the N antenna ports, the network device can determine the channel quality corresponding to the N antenna ports after receiving the uplink reference signal, and thus can select the R antenna ports according to the channel quality of the N antenna ports, which is beneficial to guaranteeing communication performance.

[0012] In a possible design, the mapping relationship between the ports of the uplink reference signal and the N antenna ports is one-to-one. In the above manner, the network device can determine the channel quality corresponding to the N antenna ports respectively after receiving the uplink reference signal, and thus can select the R antenna ports according to the channel quality of the N antenna ports, which is further beneficial to guaranteeing communication performance.

[0013] In a possible design, the mapping relationship between the ports of the uplink reference signal and the N antenna ports is one-to-many. In the above manner, the network device can select the R antenna ports according to the channel quality of the N antenna ports, which is beneficial to guaranteeing communication performance.

[0014] In a possible design, the mapping relationship between the ports of the uplink reference signal and the N antenna ports can be indicated by the network device, reported by the terminal device, or defined by a protocol.

[0015] In a possible design, the method further includes: receiving fourth information, where the fourth information is used to indicate to start downlink reception through the N antenna ports at a first time, and the first time is later than the reception time of the first downlink channel; and receiving a second downlink channel through the N antenna ports starting at the first time. In the above manner, the transmission performance of the second downlink channel can be guaranteed.

[0016] In a possible design, the method further includes: not receiving the second downlink channel in a first time range, and continuing to monitor the first downlink channel using the R antenna ports after the first time range, where a start time of the first time range is not earlier than the first time. In this way, power consumption can be further reduced.

[0017] In a possible design, the method further includes: sending fifth information, where the fifth information is used to indicate that the terminal device supports downlink reception through partial antenna ports.

[0018] In a possible design, the first downlink channel is a PDCCH.

[0019] In a second aspect, the present application provides a communication method, an execution subject of the method can be a network device, a processor, a chip, a chip system or a circuit on the network device side, or a logic module or software capable of realizing all or part of the network device functions. Taking the network device as an example, the method includes: sending first information, where the first information is used to indicate R antenna ports used for downlink reception, R is less than or equal to a total number N of antenna ports used for reception of the terminal device, and R and N are integers greater than 0; and sending a first downlink channel.

[0020] In the present application, by enabling the terminal device to receive a downlink control channel through partial antenna ports, the power consumption of the terminal device for reception can be reduced, especially in the scenario of receiving only a PDCCH. Moreover, by configuring the network device with partial antenna ports having better performance under current channel conditions, the downlink communication performance is improved.

[0021] In a possible design, the method further includes: sending the first downlink channel according to a codebook corresponding to the R antenna ports. In this way, the transmission performance of the first downlink channel is improved.

[0022] In a possible design, the method further includes: receiving an uplink measurement signal; and determining, according to the uplink measurement signal, that the number of antenna ports used for downlink reception of the terminal device is R. In this way, the network device enables partial antenna port reception through the uplink measurement signal, which can avoid using partial antenna ports in a poor channel condition, and thus the communication performance is improved.

[0023] In a possible design, the method further includes: receiving second information, where the second information is used to indicate that downlink reception is performed through partial antenna ports. In this way, the terminal device judges whether to enable partial antenna port reception through the downlink measurement signal and reports, which can avoid using partial antenna ports in a poor channel condition, and thus the communication performance is improved.

[0024] In a possible design, the method further includes: sending third information, where the third information is used for configuring an uplink reference signal, and ports of the uplink reference signal have a mapping relationship with the N antenna ports of the terminal device; receiving the uplink reference signal; and determining the R antenna ports according to the uplink reference signal and the mapping relationship. Since the ports of the uplink reference signal have a mapping relationship with the N antenna ports, the network device can determine the channel quality corresponding to the N antenna ports after receiving the uplink reference signal, and thus can select the R antenna ports according to the channel quality of the N antenna ports, which is beneficial to guaranteeing communication performance.

[0025] In a possible design, the mapping relationship between the ports of the uplink reference signal and the N antenna ports is one-to-one. In this way, the network device can determine the channel quality corresponding to the N antenna ports respectively after receiving the uplink reference signal, and thus can select the R antenna ports according to the channel quality of the N antenna ports, which is further beneficial to guaranteeing communication performance.

[0026] In a possible design, the mapping relationship between the ports of the uplink reference signal and the N antenna ports is one-to-many. In this way, the network device can select the R antenna ports according to the channel quality of the N antenna ports, which is beneficial to guaranteeing communication performance.

[0027] In a possible design, the mapping relationship between the ports of the uplink reference signal and the N antenna ports can be indicated by the network device, reported by the terminal device, or defined by a protocol.

[0028] In a possible design, the method further includes: sending fourth information, where the fourth information is used for instructing the terminal device to perform downlink reception through the N antenna ports starting at a first time, and the first time is later than the reception time of the first downlink channel. In this way, the transmission performance of the second downlink channel can be guaranteed.

[0029] In a possible design, the method further includes: not receiving the second downlink channel within a first time range, and continuing to monitor the sending of the first downlink channel after the first time range, where the start time of the first time range is later than the first time. In this way, power consumption can be further reduced.

[0030] In a possible design, the method further includes: receiving fifth information, where the fifth information is used for instructing the terminal device to support downlink reception through part of the antenna ports.

[0031] In a possible design, the first downlink channel is a PDCCH.

[0032] In a third aspect, the present application also provides a communication apparatus for performing any of the methods provided in the first aspect. The communication apparatus can be implemented in hardware, or in hardware and software in combination. The hardware or software includes one or more units or modules corresponding to the functions described above.

[0033] In a possible implementation, the communication apparatus includes a processor configured to support the communication apparatus to perform the corresponding functions of the terminal device in the above method. The communication apparatus can further include a memory, which can be coupled to the processor. The memory stores program instructions or data for implementing any of the methods provided in the first aspect. Optionally, the communication apparatus further includes an interface circuit, which is configured to support the communication between the communication apparatus and other devices, such as network devices.

[0034] In a possible implementation, the communication apparatus includes corresponding functional modules for performing the steps in the above method. The functions can be implemented in hardware, or in combination of hardware and software. The hardware or software includes one or more modules corresponding to the functions described above.

[0035] In a possible implementation, the communication apparatus includes a processing unit and a communication unit, which can perform the corresponding functions in the above method examples. For details, refer to the description of the methods provided in the first aspect, which will not be repeated here.

[0036] In a fourth aspect, the present application also provides a communication apparatus for performing any of the methods provided in the second aspect. The communication apparatus can be implemented in hardware, or in hardware and software in combination. The hardware or software includes one or more units or modules corresponding to the functions described above.

[0037] In a possible implementation, the communication apparatus includes a processor configured to support the communication apparatus to perform the corresponding functions of the network device in the above method. The communication apparatus can further include a memory, which can be coupled to the processor. The memory stores program instructions or data for implementing any of the methods provided in the second aspect. Optionally, the communication apparatus further includes an interface circuit, which is configured to support the communication between the communication apparatus and other devices, such as terminal devices.

[0038] In a possible implementation, the communication apparatus includes corresponding functional modules for performing the steps in the above method. The functions can be implemented in hardware, or in combination of hardware and software. The hardware or software includes one or more modules corresponding to the functions described above.

[0039] In a possible implementation, the communication apparatus comprises a processing unit and a communication unit, which can perform the corresponding functions in the above method examples, and the details are described in the method provided in the second aspect, which will not be repeated here.

[0040] In a fifth aspect, a communication apparatus is provided, which comprises a processor and an interface circuit, the interface circuit is configured to receive signals from other communication apparatuses outside the communication apparatus and transmit the signals to the processor or send signals from the processor to other communication apparatuses outside the communication apparatus, and the processor is configured to implement the method in the first aspect and any possible design by logic circuit or code instruction.

[0041] In a sixth aspect, a communication apparatus is provided, which comprises a processor and an interface circuit, the interface circuit is configured to receive signals from other communication apparatuses outside the communication apparatus and transmit the signals to the processor or send signals from the processor to other communication apparatuses outside the communication apparatus, and the processor is configured to implement the method in the second aspect and any possible design by logic circuit or code instruction.

[0042] In a seventh aspect, a computer readable storage medium is provided, which stores a computer program or instruction, when the computer program or instruction is executed by a processor, the method in the first aspect and any possible design of any aspect is implemented.

[0043] In an eighth aspect, a computer readable storage medium is provided, which stores a computer program or instruction, when the computer program or instruction is executed by a processor, the method in the second aspect and any possible design of any aspect is implemented.

[0044] In a ninth aspect, a chip system is provided, which comprises a processor, and the chip system is configured to implement the method in the first aspect and any possible design of any aspect. The chip system can be composed of a chip, or can comprise a chip and other discrete devices.

[0045] Optionally, the chip system can further comprise a memory, which is configured to store a computer program (also referred to as code or instruction). The processor is configured to call and run the computer program from the memory, so that the device installed with the chip system executes the method in the first aspect and any possible implementation of the first aspect. The implementation of the chip system can refer to the content of the chip system mentioned above, which will not be listed here.

[0046] In a tenth aspect, a chip system is provided, which includes a processor, and is configured to implement the method in the second aspect and any possible design of the method in any of the aspects. The chip system can be composed of a chip, or can include a chip and other discrete devices.

[0047] Optionally, the chip system can further include a memory configured to store a computer program (also referred to as code or instructions). The processor is configured to invoke and run the computer program from the memory, so that a device installed with the chip system performs the method in the first aspect and any possible implementation of the method in the first aspect. The implementation of the chip system can refer to the content of the chip system described above, and will not be listed here.

[0048] In an eleventh aspect, a communication system is provided, which includes the apparatus (such as a terminal device) in the first aspect and the apparatus (such as a network device) in the second aspect.

[0049] The technical effects that can be achieved by the technical solutions in any of the third aspect to the eleventh aspect can refer to the technical effects that can be achieved by the technical solutions in the first aspect, and the repeated parts will not be described here. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS

[0050] FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram of an architecture of a communication system according to an embodiment of the present application;

[0051] FIG. 2 is a schematic diagram of a network device according to an embodiment of the present application;

[0052] FIG. 3 is a schematic diagram of another network device according to an embodiment of the present application;

[0053] FIG. 4 is a schematic diagram of an interaction according to an embodiment of the present application;

[0054] FIG. 5 is a schematic diagram of a flow of a communication method according to an embodiment of the present application;

[0055] FIG. 6 is a schematic diagram of an antenna port mode according to an embodiment of the present application;

[0056] FIG. 7 is a schematic diagram of a structure of a communication apparatus according to an embodiment of the present application;

[0057] FIG. 8 is a schematic diagram of a structure of a communication apparatus according to an embodiment of the present application. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0058] In order to make the purposes, technical solutions and advantages of the embodiments of the present application clearer, the embodiments of the present application will be further described in detail below with reference to the drawings.

[0059] In the following, some terms in the embodiments of the present application are explained to facilitate understanding by those skilled in the art.

[0060] 1) Sounding Reference Signal (SRS) resource: used to indicate the time domain, frequency domain and spatial domain resources for terminal device to send SRS. Network device can use SRS to obtain uplink channel information, manage uplink beam, etc. The management of uplink beam can include beam training, beam switching, etc.

[0061] 2) Antenna port: antenna port can also be referred to as port. It can be understood as an antenna identified by a receiving device or a transmitting device; or an antenna that can be distinguished in space. One antenna port can be configured for each virtual antenna, each virtual antenna can be a weighted combination of multiple physical antennas, and each antenna port can correspond to one reference signal port.

[0062] 3) SRS port: a virtual SRS port in an SRS resource that indicates the antenna port for sending SRS. One SRS resource includes one or more SRS ports.

[0063] Each SRS port can correspond to a specific time-frequency code resource. In an ideal case, each SRS port is orthogonal.

[0064] It should be understood that different SRS ports in one SRS resource can occupy the same symbol and be multiplexed through frequency division (occupy different subcarriers) or code division (use different ZC sequences or different cyclic shifts of the same sequence). There is a corresponding relationship between the reference signal resource and the reference signal. How to correspond can be referred to the description in the existing standard. Further, in some scenarios, the reference signal resource and the reference signal can be equivalent.

[0065] 4) Channel State Information (CSI): in a wireless communication system, the information reported by a receiving end (such as a terminal device) to a transmitting end (such as an access network device) to describe the channel properties of the wireless communication link between the transmitting end and the receiving end. The CSI can include but is not limited to Precoding Matrix Indicator (PMI), Rank Indicator (RI), Channel Quality Indicator (CQI), Channel State Information Reference Signal (CSI-RS resource indicator (CRI), and Layer Indicator (LI), etc.

[0066] It should be noted that in the present application, "sending information / data to A", "sending information / data", "sending" and "to A" only represent the direction of information / data transmission, A is the destination, and "sending information / data to A" is not limited to sending on the air interface. "Sending information / data to A" includes directly sending information / data to A, and also includes indirectly sending information / data to A, so "sending information / data to A" can also be understood as the communication interface of the processing unit "outputting information / data to A". Similarly, "receiving information / data from A" and "receiving information / data" can also be understood as "inputting information / data".

[0067] Similarly, "receiving information / data from A", "receiving information / data", only represents the direction of information / data transmission, and "from A" represents that the source of the information / data is A, including directly receiving information / data from A, and also including indirectly receiving information / data from A, so "receiving information / data from A" can also be understood as the communication interface of the processing unit "inputting information / data from A". Similarly, "receiving information / data" can also be understood as "inputting information / data".

[0068] In the embodiments of the present application, "at least one" means one or more, and "multiple" means two or more. "And / or" describes the association relationship of the associated objects, indicating that there can be three relationships, for example, A and / or B, which can represent the following three cases: A exists alone, A and B exist together, and B exists alone, where A and B can be singular or plural. The character " / " generally represents an "or" relationship between the associated objects before and after it. "At least one of the following" or similar expressions means any combination of these items, including any combination of single item or multiple items. For example, at least one of a, b, or c can represent a, b, c, a and b, a and c, b and c, or a and b and c, where a, b, and c can be single or multiple.

[0069] In addition, unless otherwise stated, the ordinal numbers "first", "second", etc. mentioned in the embodiments of the present application are used to distinguish a plurality of objects, and are not used to limit the size, content, order, time sequence, priority or importance of the plurality of objects.

[0070] It should be noted that in the present application, the words "exemplary" or "for example" are used to represent an example, illustration or description. Any embodiment or design scheme described as "exemplary" or "for example" in the present application should not be interpreted as more preferred or more advantageous than other embodiments or design schemes. Rather, the use of "exemplary" or "for example" is intended to present the relevant concept in a specific manner.

[0071] The terms "including", "containing", "having" and their conjugates, as used throughout the description and in the claims, shall not be construed restricted to the listed steps or elements, but rather shall include other steps or elements not listed or other steps or elements inherent to the process, method, product, or apparatus.

[0072] The foregoing introduces some terms related to the embodiments of the present application, and the following introduces the technical background related to the embodiments of the present application.

[0073] The physical downlink control channel (PDCCH) is divided into two types, one is a user equipment (UE) specific-PDCCH, and the other is a common-PDCCH. The UE specific-PDCCH is a channel carrying the downlink control information (DCI) information issued to the connected UE. When the network device sends the UE specific-PDCCH to the terminal device, the weight used is reported by the terminal device, specifically, the downlink weight calculated by the terminal device according to the downlink measurement signal CSI-RS. The terminal device uses full antenna reception when measuring the CSI-RS. For example, assuming that the terminal device has 2 transmit antennas and 4 receive antennas (i.e. 2T4R), which can also be understood as the capability of the terminal device being 2T4R, or the antenna port of the terminal device being 2T4R, the terminal device measures the CSI-RS through 4 receive antennas, so the CSI-RS codebook information reported by the terminal device is obtained according to full antenna measurement. Therefore, the terminal device receives the UE specific-PDCCH through all antennas.

[0074] The common-PDCCH is used to send broadcast information, such as cell information and access information, etc. Since the terminal device has not performed channel measurement in the initial access stage, the network device sends the common-PDCCH using the transmission weight of the synchronization signal / physical broadcast channel block (SSB). The terminal device receives the common-PDCCH through all antennas.

[0075] Since the terminal device of new radio (NR) is higher in specification than the terminal device of long term evolution (LTE), for example, the antenna port of the terminal device of LTE is 1T2R, and the antenna port of the terminal device of NR is 2T4R. For another example, the transmission power of the terminal device of LTE is 23dBm, and the transmission power of the terminal device of NR is 26dBm. For another example, the bandwidth part (BWP) of the terminal device of LTE is 1.6M / 20M, and the BWP of the terminal device of NR is 100M. The specification of the terminal device will be further improved, and the power consumption of the terminal device will become a problem to be solved. In the communication module, the largest part of the downlink connected state power consumption is only PDCCH downlink transmission (i.e. PDCCH-only), which accounts for about 60% to 70% of the entire downlink connected state power consumption. Therefore, in order to reduce the power consumption of PDCCH-only, the power consumption of the part of PDCCH-only needs to be optimized.

[0076] Embodiments of the present application provide a communication method and device for reducing the transmission power consumption of a downlink channel. The method and device are based on the same inventive concept. Since the principles of the method and device for solving problems are similar, the implementation of the device and the method can be mutually referred to, and the repeated parts will not be described again.

[0077] The technical solutions provided by the present application can be applied to various communication systems, for example, can be internet of things (IoT), narrow band internet of things (NB-IoT), long term evolution (LTE), can also be a 5G communication system, can also be a hybrid architecture of LTE and 5G, can also be a 5G NR system and a new communication system that will appear in future communication development, etc. The technical solutions provided by the present application can also be applied to satellite, unmanned aerial vehicle and other non-ground network systems. The 5G communication system described in the present application can include at least one of a non-standalone (NSA) 5G communication system and a standalone (SA) 5G communication system. The communication system can also be a public land mobile network (PLMN) network, a device-to-device (D2D) network, a machine-to-machine (M2M) network or other networks.

[0078] Referring to FIG. 1, a communication system provided by an embodiment of the present application is shown, which includes a network device and six terminal devices, taking UEs 1-6 as an example. In the communication system, the network device can send signals to UEs 1-6 on a downlink respectively, and UEs 1-6 can receive the downlink signals sent by the network device. In addition, UEs 4-6 can also form a sub-communication system. The network device can send downlink signals to UEs 1, 2, 3, and 5 on a downlink. UE 5 can send signals to UEs 4 and 6 on a sidelink (SL) based on a D2D technology. FIG. 1 is only a schematic diagram, and the type of the communication system, and the number and type of devices included in the communication system are not specifically limited by the present application.

[0079] The terminal device referred to in the embodiments of the present application is an entity on the user side for receiving or transmitting signals. The terminal device can be a device providing voice and data connectivity for a user, for example, a handheld device having wireless connection function, a vehicle-mounted device, etc. The terminal device can also be other processing devices connected to a wireless modem. The terminal device can communicate with one or more core networks through a radio access network (RAN). The terminal device can also be referred to as a wireless terminal, a subscriber unit, a subscriber station, a mobile station, a mobile, a remote station, an access point, a remote terminal, an access terminal, a user terminal, a user agent, a user device, or a user equipment, etc. The terminal device can be a mobile terminal, such as a mobile phone (or called "cellular" phone) and a computer with a mobile terminal, for example, a portable, pocket, handheld, computer built-in or vehicle-mounted mobile device, which exchanges voice and data with a radio access network. For example, the terminal device can also be a personal communication service (PCS) phone, a cordless phone, a session initiation protocol (SIP) phone, a wireless local loop (WLL) station, a personal digital assistant (PDA), etc. Common terminal devices include, for example, a mobile phone, a tablet computer, a notebook computer, a palm computer, a mobile internet device (MID), a wearable device, such as a smart watch, a smart bracelet, a pedometer, etc., but the embodiments of the present application are not limited thereto. The terminal device referred to in the embodiments of the present application can also be a terminal device appearing in a future evolved PLMN, etc., which is not limited by the embodiments of the present application.

[0080] In addition, in the embodiments of the present application, the terminal device can also be a terminal device in an IoT system. IoT is an important part of future information technology development. Its main technical feature is to connect objects through communication technology and network, so as to realize the intelligent network of man-machine interconnection and object-object interconnection. In the embodiments of the present application, IoT technology can achieve mass connection, deep coverage and terminal power saving through, for example, narrow band (NB) technology.

[0081] In addition, in the embodiments of the present application, the terminal device can also include intelligent printers, train detectors, gas station sensors, and the like. The main functions include collecting data (for some terminal devices), receiving control information and downlink data of network devices, and transmitting electromagnetic waves to transmit uplink data to network devices.

[0082] The network device involved in the embodiments of the present application is an entity for transmitting or receiving signals on the network side. The network device in the embodiments of the present application can be a device in a wireless network, for example, a RAN node for accessing a terminal to a wireless network. For example, the network device can be an evolutional Node B (eNB or e-NodeB) in LTE, can also be a new radio controller (NR controller), can be a gNode B (gNB) in a 5G system, can be a centralized unit (CU), can be a new radio base station, can be a radio frequency remote module, can be a micro base station, can be a relay, can be a distributed unit (DU), can be a home base station, can be a transmission reception point (TRP) or a transmission point (TP), or any other wireless access device, but the embodiments of the present application are not limited thereto. The network device can cover one or more cells.

[0083] Exemplarily, the structure of the network device in the embodiments of the present application can be as shown in FIG. 2. Specifically, the radio access network device can be divided into a CU and at least one DU. The CU can be used to manage or control the at least one DU, and can also be referred to as the CU being connected with the at least one DU. This structure can separate the protocol layers of the radio access network device in the communication system, in which part of the protocol layers are centrally controlled in the CU, and the remaining part or all of the protocol layer functions are distributed in the DU and controlled by the CU. Taking the gNB as an example, the protocol layers of the gNB include a radio resource control (RRC) layer, a service data adaptation protocol (SDAP) layer, a packet data convergence protocol (PDCP) layer, a radio link control (RLC) layer, a media access control (MAC) layer and a physical layer. Exemplarily, the CU can be used to implement the functions of the RRC layer, the SDAP layer and the PDCP layer, and the DU can be used to implement the functions of the RLC layer, the MAC layer and the physical layer. The embodiments of the present application do not specifically limit the protocol stacks included in the CU and the DU.

[0084] Exemplarily, the CU in the embodiments of the present application can be further divided into one control plane (CU-control plane, CU-CP) network element and multiple user plane (CU-user plane, CU-UP) network elements. The CU-CP can be used for control plane management, and the CU-UP can be used for user plane data transmission. The interface between the CU-CP and the CU-UP can be an E1 port. The interface between the CU-CP and the DU can be an F1-C, which is used for transmission of control plane signaling. The interface between the CU-UP and the DU can be an F1-U, which is used for user plane data transmission. The CU-UP and the CU-UP can be connected through an Xn-U port for user plane data transmission. For example, taking the gNB as an example, the structure of the gNB can be as shown in FIG. 3.

[0085] Exemplarily, the communication between the network device and the UE can be as shown in FIG. 4. The network device and the UE can interact with RRC signaling through RRC modules. The network device and the UE can interact with media access control control element (MAC CE) signaling through MAC modules. The network device and the UE can interact with uplink / downlink control signaling such as physical uplink control channel (PUCCH) / physical downlink control channel (PDCCH) and uplink / downlink data signaling such as physical uplink shared channel (PUSCH) / physical downlink shared channel (PDSCH) through PHY.

[0086] The network architecture and service scenarios described in the embodiments of the present application are for more clearly illustrating the technical solutions of the embodiments of the present application, and do not constitute a limitation on the technical solutions provided by the embodiments of the present application. It can be known by those skilled in the art that, with the evolution of network architecture and the appearance of new service scenarios, the technical solutions provided by the embodiments of the present application are also applicable to similar technical problems.

[0087] The communication method provided by the present application will be specifically described below in combination with the drawings.

[0088] The communication method provided by the embodiments of the present application can be applied in the communication system shown in FIG. 1. In order to facilitate understanding, the embodiments are described from the perspective of terminal device and network device, and it should be understood that this does not constitute a limitation on the present application. The present application has improvements on either side of the terminal device and the network device. Specifically, the method can be applied to the terminal device and the network device, or can also be applied to the chip or chip set / chip system of the terminal device and the network device. The following will be described by taking the application to the terminal device and the network device as an example. The terminal device in the present application can include multiple antenna ports, for example, the terminal device includes N antenna ports, and N is an integer greater than 1.

[0089] In the present application, the mode of receiving by part of the antenna ports can also be referred to as few-antenna reception, and the mode of receiving by all the antenna ports can also be referred to as multi-antenna reception.

[0090] As shown in FIG. 5, the communication method provided by the embodiments of the present application can specifically include steps S501-S503:

[0091] S501, the network device sends first information. Correspondingly, the terminal device receives the first information.

[0092] The first information is used to indicate R antenna ports for downlink reception, where R is less than or equal to a total number N of antenna ports for reception of the terminal device, and R and N are integers greater than 0.

[0093] As an example, the first information can be indicated by RRC signaling, MAC CE, or DCI.

[0094] In a possible implementation, the network device can determine the R antenna ports according to an uplink reference signal (e.g., SRS) sent by the terminal device. For example, the terminal device sends the uplink reference signal on the N antenna ports, and the ports of the uplink reference signal have a mapping relationship with the N antenna ports. Since the ports of the uplink reference signal have a mapping relationship with the N antenna ports, the network device can measure the signal quality of the ports of the uplink reference signal, which can represent the channel quality of the corresponding antenna port. The better the signal quality of the ports of the uplink reference signal, the better the channel quality of the corresponding antenna port, so that the network device can obtain the channel quality of the N antenna ports. The network device can select the R antenna ports according to the channel quality of the N antenna ports, for example, can select the R antenna ports with the best channel quality, and the like.

[0095] The uplink reference signal can be configured by the network device through third information. For example, the third information can configure the time-frequency position and / or transmission mode of the uplink reference signal, where the transmission mode can be periodic transmission or aperiodic transmission.

[0096] For example, the mapping relationship between the ports of the uplink reference signal and the N antenna ports is a one-to-one mapping relationship. Since the ports of the uplink reference signal are one-to-one mapped with the N antenna ports, the network device can measure the signal quality of each port of the uplink reference signal, which can represent the channel quality of the corresponding antenna port, so that the network device can obtain the channel quality corresponding to the N antenna ports respectively.

[0097] Or, the mapping relationship between the port of the uplink reference signal and the N antenna ports can also be a one-to-many mapping relationship, for example, one-to-two mapping, one-to-three mapping, and the like. The above-mentioned manner can make the network device determine the channel quality corresponding to each group of antenna ports in the N antenna ports after receiving the uplink reference signal, so as to select R antenna ports with better channel quality. For example, taking one-to-two as an example, assuming that the antenna port used for receiving by the terminal device is 4 (that is, N is 4), and R is 2, the network device can determine the two antenna ports corresponding to the uplink reference signal port with the best signal quality as the antenna port for the terminal device to receive in the downlink after receiving the uplink reference signal. For another example, taking one-to-three as an example, assuming that the antenna port used for receiving by the terminal device is 6 (that is, N is 3), and R is 4, the network device can determine the three antenna ports corresponding to the uplink reference signal port with the best signal quality and one of the three antenna ports corresponding to the uplink reference signal port with the second best signal quality as the antenna port for the terminal device to receive in the downlink after receiving the uplink reference signal.

[0098] The mapping relationship can be indicated by the network device to the terminal device, can be reported by the terminal device to the network device, or can be defined by a protocol.

[0099] Optionally, before the network device indicates the above-mentioned R antenna ports through the first information, the mode of receiving part of the antenna ports of the terminal device can be triggered (or enabled). Or, it can also be described as determining whether the terminal device uses part of the antenna port reception (or whether it uses all the antenna port reception) before the network device indicates part of the antenna port. The mode of receiving part of the antenna ports of the terminal device can be triggered by the network device, or can be triggered by the terminal device.

[0100] For example, the network device can receive the uplink measurement signal, and determine whether the terminal device uses part of the antenna port reception according to the uplink measurement signal. For example, the network device can determine whether the terminal device uses part of the antenna port reception according to the quality of the uplink measurement signal, such as reference signal received power (RSRP), reference signal received quality (RSRQ), and the like. For example, if the RSRP is greater than or equal to a threshold value, it is determined that the terminal device uses part of the antenna port reception.

[0101] It should be noted that the above uplink measurement signal can be the above-mentioned uplink reference signal used for determining the R ports, that is, the network device can determine the terminal device to use part of the antenna ports for receiving and determine the specific ports (i.e., the above-mentioned R antenna ports) used for downlink reception according to the uplink reference signal. Alternatively, the above-mentioned uplink measurement signal can also be other signals such as PUSCH, PUCCH, etc. Alternatively, it can also be other uplink reference signals, for example, the uplink measurement signal is uplink reference signal 1, the above-mentioned uplink reference signal used for determining the R antenna ports is uplink reference signal 2, and the network device can determine the terminal device to use part of the antenna ports for receiving according to the uplink reference signal 1 and determine the specific ports (i.e., the above-mentioned R antenna ports) used for downlink reception according to the uplink reference signal 2. The present application does not make specific limitation on the uplink measurement signal.

[0102] For another example, the terminal device can receive a downlink measurement signal (e.g., CSI-RS) and determine to use part of the antenna ports or all the antenna ports for downlink reception according to the downlink measurement signal. For example, the terminal device can determine whether to use part of the antenna ports for receiving according to the quality of the downlink measurement signal such as RSRP, RSRQ, etc. For example, if the RSRP is greater than or equal to a threshold value, it is determined that the terminal device uses part of the antenna ports for receiving.

[0103] Optionally, after determining to use part of the antenna ports for receiving, the terminal device can trigger the network device to configure part of the antenna ports, for example, by configuring the R antenna ports through the above-mentioned first information, etc. For example, the terminal device can send second information to the network device, and the second information is used to indicate to use part of the antenna ports for downlink reception.

[0104] As an optional solution, the terminal device can send a first message to the network device, where the first message can include a field 1, and the field 1 can carry the second information. For example, if the field 1 is set to a first value, it indicates that the partial antenna ports are used for downlink reception, and if the field 1 is set to a second value, it indicates that all antenna ports are used for downlink reception. For example, the first value is 1, and the second value is 0. Alternatively, the first value is 0, and the second value is 1. For another example, if the field 1 is set to true, it indicates that the partial antenna ports are used for downlink reception, and if the field 1 is set to false, it indicates that all antenna ports are used for downlink reception. Alternatively, if the field 1 is set to false, it indicates that the partial antenna ports are used for downlink reception, and if the field 1 is set to true, it indicates that all antenna ports are used for downlink reception. For another example, if the first message carries the field 1, it indicates that the partial antenna ports are used for downlink reception, and if the first message does not carry the field 1, it indicates that all antenna ports are used for downlink reception. Alternatively, if the first message does not carry the field 1, it indicates that the partial antenna ports are used for downlink reception, and if the first message carries the field 1, it indicates that all antenna ports are used for downlink reception. The above indication methods are only examples, and the present application is not limited in this regard.

[0105] The number R of antenna ports configured by the first information can be determined by the terminal device according to the downlink measurement signal and reported to the network device. For example, the terminal device side can configure a plurality of antenna port numbers and corresponding threshold values, and if the signal quality of the downlink measurement signal is greater than or equal to the threshold value, the number R of antenna ports used for downlink reception can be determined as the number of antenna ports corresponding to the threshold value. Optionally, the number R of antenna ports configured by the first information and the second information can be sent in the same message or in different messages, which is not limited herein.

[0106] Alternatively, the number R of antenna ports configured by the first information can also be determined by the network device.

[0107] Alternatively, the number R of antenna ports configured by the first information can also be defined by a protocol. S502, the network device sends a first downlink channel.

[0108] S503, the terminal device monitors the first downlink channel using the antenna ports indicated by the first information.

[0109] In a possible implementation, the network device can send the first downlink channel according to the codebook corresponding to the R antenna ports, for example, channel encoding the first downlink channel according to the codebook corresponding to the R antenna ports.

[0110] The first downlink channel can be a PDCCH. The first downlink channel can carry control information such as transport format, resource allocation, uplink scheduling grant, power control, and uplink retransmission information.

[0111] Alternatively, the first downlink channel can also be a PDSCH. For the sake of understanding, the following description takes the first downlink channel as a PDCCH.

[0112] In one possible implementation, the terminal device can monitor the first downlink channel using the antenna ports indicated by the first information in a PDCCH-only scenario.

[0113] The above scenario is only an example. The terminal device can also monitor the first downlink channel using the antenna ports indicated by the first information in other scenarios. The application does not limit the application scenarios.

[0114] The foregoing describes a scheme for enabling the terminal device to use part of the antenna ports for downlink reception. As one possible implementation, the terminal device can also use all the antenna ports for downlink reception when needed. For example, if there is a downlink signal (such as a downlink measurement signal or a second downlink channel) that needs to be received by all the antenna ports, the network device can also instruct the terminal device to use all the antenna ports for downlink reception, such as performing CSI measurement, PDSCH transmission, etc. For example, the network device can send fourth information to the terminal device, where the fourth information is used to instruct the terminal device to start receiving downlink signals through N antenna ports at a first time, and the first time is later than the reception time of the first downlink channel. The network device can start sending the second downlink channel at the first time. Correspondingly, the terminal device starts receiving the second downlink channel through N antenna ports at the first time. The first time can be the next reception time. The second downlink channel can be a PDSCH.

[0115] In one specific manner, the network device can start sending the second downlink channel according to the codebook of N antenna ports at the first time.

[0116] After turning on all the antenna ports, the terminal device can also re-enter the partial antenna port reception mode. For example, if the terminal device does not receive the second downlink channel within a first time range, the terminal device re-enters the partial antenna port reception mode after the first time range. The start time of the first time range is not earlier than the first time. The first time range can be counted by a timer, where the start time of the timer is the start time of the first time range, and the end time of the timer is the end time of the first time range.

[0117] Optionally, after the terminal device re-enters the mode of receiving through part of the antenna ports, the terminal device can continue to monitor the first downlink channel by reusing the R antenna ports configured in the foregoing.

[0118] Alternatively, the network device can also reconfigure T antenna ports, and after the terminal device re-enters the mode of receiving through part of the antenna ports, the terminal device continues to monitor the first downlink channel by using the T antenna ports, where T is an integer greater than 0 and smaller than N, and the values of T and R can be the same or different, which is not limited here.

[0119] The network device configures the T antenna ports in a similar manner to the manner of configuring the R antenna ports, which is not described here.

[0120] Taking the case of using the R antenna ports after the terminal device re-enters the mode of receiving through part of the antenna ports as an example, as shown in FIG. 6. The terminal device starts to receive the PDCCH through the R antenna ports at the third time. Then, the terminal device needs to receive the downlink signal (for example, the downlink measurement signal or the second downlink channel) through all the antenna ports, and thus starts to receive the downlink signal through the N antenna ports at the first time. Then, the terminal device does not receive the second downlink channel within the first time range, and thus starts to receive the downlink signal through the R antenna ports at the second time.

[0121] Optionally, the terminal device can also report the capability of receiving the downlink signal through part of the antenna ports to the network device. For example, the terminal device sends the fifth information to the network device, where the fifth information is used to indicate that the terminal device supports receiving the downlink signal through part of the antenna ports. This manner can enable the network device to obtain the capability of the terminal device, which is beneficial to the communication behavior of the network side and the terminal side, and thus can improve the accuracy of communication.

[0122] In the present application, by enabling the terminal device to receive the downlink control channel through part of the antenna ports, the receiving power consumption of the terminal device can be reduced, especially in the scenario of receiving only the PDCCH. Moreover, by configuring the network device with part of the antenna ports having better performance under the current channel condition, the downlink communication performance is improved.

[0123] Based on the same inventive concept as the method embodiment, the present application embodiment provides a communication device, and the structure of the communication device can be as shown in FIG. 7, including a communication unit 701 and a processing unit 702.

[0124] In an embodiment, the communication device can be specifically used to implement the method performed by the terminal device in the embodiment of FIG. 5. The device can be the terminal device itself, or a chip or chip set or a part of the chip in the terminal device for performing the related method functions. The processing unit 702 is configured to receive first information through the communication unit 701, the first information being used to indicate R antenna ports for downlink reception, wherein R is less than or equal to the total number N of antenna ports of the terminal device for reception, and R and N are integers greater than 0; and monitor a first downlink channel through the antenna ports indicated by the first information through the communication unit 701.

[0125] Optionally, the processing unit 702 is further configured to receive a downlink measurement signal through the communication unit 701; and determine to use part of the antenna ports or all the antenna ports for downlink reception according to the downlink measurement signal.

[0126] Optionally, the processing unit 702 is further configured to send second information through the communication unit 701, the second information being used to indicate that part of the antenna ports are used for downlink reception.

[0127] Optionally, the processing unit 702 is further configured to receive third information through the communication unit 701, the third information being used to configure an uplink reference signal; and send the uplink reference signal through the N antenna ports, the ports of the uplink reference signal having a mapping relationship with the N antenna ports.

[0128] Optionally, the processing unit 702 is further configured to receive fourth information through the communication unit 701, the fourth information being used to indicate that the downlink reception through the N antenna ports starts at a first time, the first time being later than the reception time of the first downlink channel; and receive a second downlink channel through the N antenna ports starting at the first time.

[0129] Optionally, the processing unit 702 is further configured to: if the second downlink channel is not received within a first time range, receive the first downlink channel through the R antenna ports after the first time range, wherein the start time of the first time range is not earlier than the first time.

[0130] Optionally, the processing unit 702 is further configured to send fifth information through the communication unit 701, the fifth information being used to indicate that the terminal device supports downlink reception through part of the antenna ports.

[0131] In an embodiment, the communication device can be specifically used to implement the method performed by the network device in the embodiment of FIG. 5. The device can be the network device itself, or a chip or chip set or a part of the chip in the network device for performing the related method functions. The processing unit 702 is configured to send, by the communication unit 701, first information, the first information being used to indicate R antenna ports for downlink reception, where R is less than or equal to the total number N of antenna ports of the terminal device for reception, and R and N are integers greater than 0; and send a first downlink channel.

[0132] For example, the processing unit 702 is specifically configured to send, by the communication unit 701, the first downlink channel according to a codebook corresponding to the R antenna ports.

[0133] Optionally, the processing unit 702 is further configured to receive, by the communication unit 701, an uplink measurement signal; and determine, according to the uplink measurement signal, that the number of antenna ports for downlink reception of the terminal device is R.

[0134] Optionally, the processing unit 702 is further configured to receive, by the communication unit 701, second information, the second information being used to indicate that downlink reception is performed using part of the antenna ports.

[0135] Optionally, the processing unit 702 is further configured to send, by the communication unit 701, third information, the third information being used to configure an uplink reference signal, where the ports of the uplink reference signal have a mapping relationship with the N antenna ports of the terminal device; receive, by the communication unit 701, the uplink reference signal; and determine the R antenna ports according to the uplink reference signal and the mapping relationship.

[0136] Optionally, the processing unit 702 is further configured to send, by the communication unit 701, fourth information, the fourth information being used to indicate that the terminal device starts to perform downlink reception through the N antenna ports at a first time, the first time being later than a reception time of the first downlink channel.

[0137] Optionally, the processing unit 702 is further configured to receive, by the communication unit 701, fifth information, the fifth information being used to indicate that the terminal device supports downlink reception through part of the antenna ports.

[0138] The division of the modules in the embodiments of the present application is illustrative, and is only a logical function division. In actual implementation, another division mode can be used. In addition, the function modules in each embodiment of the present application can be integrated in one processor, or can be physically separated, or two or more modules can be integrated in one module. The integrated module can be realized in the form of hardware or in the form of a software function module. It can be understood that the functions or implementation of each module in the embodiments of the present application can be further referred to the related description of the method embodiments.

[0139] In a possible implementation, a communication device can be as shown in FIG. 8. The device can be a communication apparatus or a chip in a communication apparatus. The communication apparatus can be the first device in the above embodiments or the second device in the above embodiments. The device includes a processor 801 and a communication interface 802, and can further include a memory 803. The processing unit 702 can be the processor 801. The communication unit 701 can be the communication interface 802. Optionally, the processor 801 and the memory 803 can be integrated together.

[0140] The processor 801 can be a CPU, a digital processing unit, or the like. The communication interface 802 can be a transceiver, an interface circuit such as a transceiver circuit, a transceiver chip, or the like. The device further includes the memory 803 for storing programs executed by the processor 801. The memory 803 can be a non-volatile memory such as a hard disk drive (HDD) or a solid-state drive (SSD), or a volatile memory such as a random-access memory (RAM). The memory 803 can be any other medium capable of carrying or storing desired program codes in the form of instructions or data structures and capable of being accessed by a computer, but is not limited to this.

[0141] The processor 801 is configured to execute program codes stored in the memory 803, and specifically configured to execute the actions of the processing unit 702. Details are not described herein again. The communication interface 802 is specifically configured to execute the actions of the communication unit 701. Details are not described herein again.

[0142] The specific connection medium between the communication interface 802, the processor 801, and the memory 803 is not limited in the embodiments of the present application. In FIG. 8, the memory 803, the processor 801, and the communication interface 802 are connected through a bus 804, which is represented by a thick line in FIG. 8. The connection mode between other components is only schematically described and is not limited. The bus can be divided into an address bus, a data bus, a control bus, or the like. For convenience of representation, only one thick line is used in FIG. 8, but it does not mean that there is only one bus or only one type of bus.

[0143] The embodiments of the present application further provide a computer-readable storage medium for storing computer software instructions required for execution of the processor, which contains programs required for execution of the processor.

[0144] The embodiments of the present application also provide a communication system, comprising a communication device for implementing the function of the terminal device in the embodiment of Figure 5 and a communication device for implementing the function of the network device in the embodiment of Figure 5.

[0145] Those skilled in the art will appreciate that embodiments of the present application can be supplied as a method, a system, or a computer program product. Therefore, the present application can take the form of an entirely hardware embodiment, an entirely software embodiment, or an embodiment combining software and hardware aspects. Furthermore, the present application can take the form of a computer program product on one or more computer-usable storage media (including, but not limited to, disk storage, CD-ROMs, optical storage devices, etc.) embodying computer-readable program code.

[0146] The present application is described with reference to the flowcharts and / or block diagrams of the methods, apparatus (systems) and computer program products according to this application. It should be understood that each flow and / or block in the flowcharts and / or block diagrams, as well as combinations of flows and / or blocks in the flowcharts and / or block diagrams, can be implemented by computer program instructions. These computer program instructions can be provided to a processor of a general-purpose computer, a special-purpose computer, an embedded processor, or other programmable data processing apparatus to produce a machine, so that the instructions executed by the processor of the computer or other programmable data processing apparatus create means for implementing the functions specified in one or more flows in the flowcharts and / or one or more blocks in the block diagrams.

[0147] These computer program instructions can also be stored in a computer-readable memory that can direct the computer or other programmable data processing apparatus to work in a specific manner, so that the instructions stored in the computer-readable memory produce a product including instruction means, which implements the functions specified in one or more flows in the flowcharts and / or one or more blocks in the block diagrams.

[0148] These computer program instructions can also be loaded onto a computer or other programmable data processing apparatus, so that a series of operational steps are performed on the computer or other programmable data processing apparatus to produce a computer-implemented process, so that the instructions executed on the computer or other programmable data processing apparatus provide steps for implementing the functions specified in one or more flows in the flowcharts and / or one or more blocks in the block diagrams.

[0149] Obviously, those skilled in the art can make various modifications and variations to the present application without departing from the scope of the present application. Thus, if these modifications and variations of the present application fall within the scope of the claims of the present application and their equivalents, the present application is also intended to include these modifications and variations.

Claims

1. A communication method characterized by comprising: The method comprises: receiving first information, the first information being used for indicating R antenna ports for downlink reception, wherein the R is less than or equal to a total number N of antenna ports for reception of a terminal device, and the R and N are integers greater than 0; monitoring a first downlink channel through the antenna ports indicated by the first information.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein, The method further comprises: receiving a downlink measurement signal; determining, according to the downlink measurement signal, whether to use partial antenna ports or all antenna ports for downlink reception.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein, The method further comprises: sending second information, the second information being used for indicating that partial antenna ports are used for downlink reception.

4. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 3, characterized in that, The method further comprises: receiving third information, the third information being used for configuring an uplink reference signal; sending the uplink reference signal through the N antenna ports, and ports of the uplink reference signal have a mapping relationship with the N antenna ports.

5. The method of claim 4, wherein, The mapping relationship between the ports of the uplink reference signal and the N antenna ports is that the ports of the uplink reference signal have a one-to-one mapping relationship with the N antenna ports.

6. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 5, wherein, The method further comprises: receiving fourth information, the fourth information being used for indicating that downlink reception through the N antenna ports starts at a first time, and the first time is later than a reception time of the first downlink channel; receiving a second downlink channel through the N antenna ports starting at the first time.

7. The method of claim 6, wherein, The method further comprises: if the second downlink channel is not received within a first time range, receiving the first downlink channel using the R antenna ports after the first time range, wherein a start time of the first time range is not earlier than the first time.

8. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 7, wherein The method further comprises: sending fifth information, the fifth information being used for indicating that the terminal device supports downlink reception through partial antenna ports.

9. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 8, wherein, The first downlink channel is a physical downlink control channel (PDCCH).

10. A communication method characterized by comprising: The method comprises: sending first information, the first information being used for indicating R antenna ports for downlink reception, wherein the R is less than or equal to a total number N of antenna ports for reception of a terminal device, and the R and N are integers greater than 0; sending a first downlink channel.

11. The method of claim 10, wherein, The method further comprises: sending the first downlink channel according to a codebook corresponding to the R antenna ports.

12. The method of claim 10 or 11, wherein, The method further comprises: receiving an uplink measurement signal; determining, according to the uplink measurement signal, that a number of antenna ports for downlink reception of the terminal device is R.

13. The method of claim 10 or 11, wherein, The method further comprises: receiving second information, the second information indicating that partial antenna ports are used for downlink reception.

14. The method according to any one of claims 10 to 13, wherein, The method further comprises: sending third information, the third information being used for configuring an uplink reference signal, wherein ports of the uplink reference signal have a mapping relationship with N antenna ports of the terminal device; receiving the uplink reference signal; determining the R antenna ports according to the uplink reference signal and the mapping relationship.

15. The method of claim 14, wherein, The mapping relationship between the ports of the uplink reference signal and the N antenna ports is that the ports of the uplink reference signal have a one-to-one mapping relationship with the N antenna ports.

16. The method according to any one of claims 10 to 15, wherein, The method further comprises: transmitting fourth information, the fourth information being used to indicate that the terminal device starts to receive a downlink signal through the N antenna ports at a first time, the first time being later than a receiving time of the first downlink channel.

17. The method of any one of claims 10-16, wherein, The method further includes: receiving fifth information, the fifth information being used to indicate that the terminal device supports to receive a downlink signal through partial antenna ports.

18. The method of any one of claims 10-17, wherein, The first downlink channel is a physical downlink control channel (PDCCH).

19. A communications device, characterized by comprising means or modules for performing the method of any of claims 1-9.

20. A communications device, characterized by comprising means or modules for performing the method of any of claims 10-18.

21. A communications device, characterized by comprising a processor configured to perform the method of any of claims 1-9.

22. The communication apparatus of claim 21, wherein, further comprising a memory configured to store program instructions, the processor being configured to cause the method of any of claims 1-9 to be performed when executing the program instructions.

23. A communications device, characterized by comprising a processor configured to perform the method of any of claims 10-18.

24. The communications apparatus of claim 23, wherein further comprising a memory configured to store program instructions, the processor being configured to cause the method of any of claims 10-18 to be performed when executing the program instructions.

25. A computer-readable storage medium, characterized in that, The computer readable storage medium has stored therein computer readable instructions, which, when executed on a communication device, cause the method of any of claims 1-9, or the method of any of claims 10-18 to be performed.

26. A computer program product, characterised in that, The computer program product, when executed on a device, causes the device to perform the method of any of claims 1-9, or the method of any of claims 10-18.

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