Communication method and related apparatus

Abstract

A communication method and a related apparatus. In the method, second multi-path information determined by a first communication apparatus on the basis of first multi-path information and first channel information can be used for indicating path information of P paths between the first communication apparatus and a second communication apparatus. The first multi-path information indicates path information of N paths between the first communication apparatus and the second communication apparatus, wherein the N paths correspond to a set of sub-paths, the P paths comprise an ith path, the ith path comprises one or more sub-paths in the set of sub-paths, and the path information of the ith path is used for indicating joint path information of the one or more sub-paths included in the ith path. Compared with the first multi-path information indicating the path information of the N paths, the second multi-path information can recombine, on the basis of measured first channel information, sub-paths included in the set of sub-paths that corresponds to the N paths, so as to obtain multi-path information matching the first channel information, thereby improving the multi-path prediction performance.

Description

A communication method and related apparatus

[0001] This application claims priority to Chinese Patent Application No. 202411458035.X, filed on October 17, 2024, entitled "A Communication Method and Related Device", the entire contents of which are incorporated herein by reference. Technical Field

[0002] This application relates to the field of communication technology, and in particular to a communication method and related apparatus. Background Technology

[0003] In communication systems, multipath propagation refers to the process where, after a signal is transmitted, it travels through two or more paths in the wireless propagation environment before reaching the receiver.

[0004] Generally, the reflection and diffraction of electromagnetic waves by objects in the environment leads to multipath propagation. Multipath signals traveling along different paths may have different multipath information (e.g., time delay, angle, or path loss, or one or more of these). Correspondingly, the signal received by the receiver can be a superposition of these multipath signals. Communication equipment can obtain multipath information through multipath prediction (or predicting multipath) and use this information to obtain signal gain for multipath transmission. For example, this signal gain can include spatial diversity gain, improved signal transmission reliability, etc.

[0005] However, improving the performance of multipath prediction in the above process is a technical problem that urgently needs to be solved. Summary of the Invention

[0006] This application provides a communication method and related apparatus for improving the performance of multipath prediction.

[0007] The first aspect of this application provides a communication method applied to a first communication device, for example, the method being executed by the first communication device. The first communication device may be a communication equipment (such as a terminal device or network device), or it may be a component of the communication equipment (e.g., a circuit or chip responsible for communication functions (such as a modem chip, also known as a baseband chip, or a system-on-a-chip (SoC) chip containing a modem core, or a system-in-package (SIP) chip), or it may be a logic module or software capable of implementing all or part of the functions of the communication equipment).

[0008] In this method, a first communication device acquires first multipath information, which indicates path information of N paths between the first and second communication devices, where N is a positive integer; the first communication device acquires first channel information between the first and second communication devices, which is related to the measurement result of a first reference signal, for example, the first channel information is determined based on the measurement result of the first reference signal; the first communication device determines second multipath information, which is related to the first multipath information and the first channel information, for example, the first communication device determines the second multipath information based on the first multipath information and the first channel information; wherein, the second multipath information indicates path information of P paths between the first and second communication devices, where P is a positive integer.

[0009] Based on the above scheme, the first multipath information acquired by the first communication device is used to indicate the path information of N paths between the first communication device and the second communication device, and the first channel information acquired by the first communication device is used to indicate the first channel information determined based on the measurement results of the first reference signal. Subsequently, the second multipath information determined by the first communication device based on the first multipath information and the first channel information can be used to indicate the path information of P paths between the first communication device and the second communication device. Compared to the first multipath information indicating the path information of N paths, the second multipath information can recombine the sub-paths included in the N paths based on the measured first channel information to obtain multipath information that matches the first channel information, thereby improving the performance of multipath prediction.

[0010] Optionally, the aforementioned second multipath information is predicted / simulated based on the first multipath information and the first channel information. The aforementioned sub-path may not actually exist; therefore, the sub-path can be called a virtual path. For example, a path containing one or more sub-paths can be replaced by: a cluster center containing one or more virtual paths (i.e., the aforementioned sub-path can be a virtual path, and the aforementioned path can be a cluster center), or a joint path containing one or more paths (i.e., the aforementioned sub-path can be a path, and the aforementioned path can be a joint path).

[0011] Optionally, the first communication device may acquire the first channel information in a variety of ways.

[0012] For example, after receiving a first reference signal from a second communication device, the first communication device may determine the first channel information based on the measurement result of the first reference signal.

[0013] For example, after receiving a first reference signal from a first communication device, the second communication device can determine the first channel information based on the measurement result of the first reference signal, and then send the first channel information to the first communication device.

[0014] For example, after receiving a first reference signal from the first communication device, the second communication device can perform a measurement based on the first reference signal to obtain a measurement result, and then send the measurement result to the first communication device, so that the first communication device can determine the first channel information based on the measurement result.

[0015] In one possible implementation of the first aspect, the first communication device determines the second multipath information by: the first communication device determining a set of subpaths based on the first multipath information, and the first communication device determining the second multipath information based on the set of subpaths and first channel information; wherein the first information indicates parameters used to determine the second multipath information.

[0016] Based on the above scheme, during the process of determining the second multipath information, the first communication device can obtain the sub-path set corresponding to the first multipath information based on the first multipath information (for example, the first communication device initializes the sub-paths (or virtual paths) of the N paths indicated by the first multipath information to obtain the sub-path set), and determine the P paths contained in the second multipath information through the sub-path set and the first channel information, so as to recombine the sub-paths contained in the sub-path set through the measured first channel information to obtain P paths that match the first channel information, thereby improving the performance of multipath prediction.

[0017] In one possible implementation of the first aspect, during the process of the first communication device determining the second multipath information based on the subpath set and the first channel information, the first communication device determines the second multipath information based on the first information, the subpath set, and the first channel information.

[0018] Optionally, the first information indicates parameters used to determine the second multipath information. For example, the first information includes at least one of the following: parameters indicating the merging conditions of subpaths, parameters indicating the selection conditions of paths, or parameters indicating the merging method of subpaths.

[0019] Based on the above scheme, in the process of the first communication device determining the second multipath information, the basis for determining the second multipath information includes not only the first multipath information and the first channel information, but also the parameters indicated by the first information for determining the second multipath information. Therefore, the first communication device can determine the second multipath information based on the parameters indicated by the first information, reducing implementation complexity and quickly determining the second multipath information.

[0020] Optionally, P paths correspond to the aforementioned set of sub-paths. P paths include the i-th path, which includes one or more sub-paths in the set of sub-paths. The path information of the i-th path is used to indicate the path information of the combination of one or more sub-paths contained in the i-th path.

[0021] Optionally, N paths correspond to a set of sub-paths. This set of sub-paths may be completely identical to or partially identical to the set of sub-paths corresponding to P paths. For example, if the first communication device recombines the set of sub-paths corresponding to N paths to obtain multiple paths, and then selects P paths based on the parameters of the selection criteria for the indicator path, the set of sub-paths corresponding to the N paths is the same as the set of sub-paths corresponding to the P paths. Alternatively, if the first communication device selects some of the multiple paths as P paths based on the parameters of the selection criteria for the indicator path, the set of sub-paths corresponding to the N paths is different from the set of sub-paths corresponding to the P paths; that is, the set of sub-paths corresponding to the P paths is a subset of the set of sub-paths corresponding to the N paths.

[0022] Optionally, the N paths correspond to a set of sub-paths, which can be understood as the set of sub-paths containing N combinations of sub-paths, each combination of sub-paths containing one or more sub-paths. The path information of the nth path (n takes the value from 1 to N) in the N paths indicates the path information of the nth sub-path combination in the N sub-path combinations containing one or more combined sub-paths, or the path information of the nth path in the N paths indicates the combined path formed by the nth sub-path combination in the N sub-path combinations containing one or more combined sub-paths.

[0023] Similarly, in the above scheme, P paths can correspond to a set of sub-paths, that is, the set of sub-paths contains P combinations of sub-paths, each combination of sub-paths contains one or more sub-paths, the path information of the p-th path (p takes values ​​from 1 to P) in the P paths indicates the path information of the p-th sub-path combination in the P sub-path combinations containing one or more combined sub-paths, or, the path information of the p-th path in the P paths indicates the combined path formed by the p-th sub-path combination in the P sub-path combinations containing one or more combined sub-paths.

[0024] Optionally, the P paths indicated by the second multipath information can be obtained by recombining the sub-paths contained in the N paths based on the measured first channel information. In other words, P is not equal to N; and / or, there exists at least one p and one n, where the path information of the p-th path in the P paths is different from the path information of the n-th path in the N paths.

[0025] For example, the nth path among the aforementioned N paths may include M. n (M n (where M is a positive integer) Sub-diameters, that is, the total number of sub-diameters contained in N diameters can be expressed as K (K = M1 + M2 + ... + M...). N For each N paths, the total number of sub-paths in the set of sub-paths can be represented as K (K = M1 + M2 + ... + M...). NSub-paths. Accordingly, the aforementioned first multipath information can indicate the path information of each of the N paths, and each of the N paths contains one or more sub-paths from the K sub-paths, that is, the aforementioned first multipath information can indicate the path information of the combination of one or more sub-paths from the K sub-paths.

[0026] Similarly, the second multipath information described above can indicate the path information of each of the P paths, where the p-th path of the P paths can contain Q. p (Q p (where Q is a positive integer) Sub-diameter, that is, the total number of sub-diameters contained in P-diameter can be expressed as L (L=Q1+Q2+...+Q P For a given P-line diameter, the total number of sub-diameters contained in the set of sub-diameters can be expressed as L (L = Q1 + Q2 + ... + Q). P ) Sub-paths. Accordingly, the aforementioned second multipath information can indicate the path information of each path in P paths, and each path in P paths contains one or more sub-paths in L sub-paths, that is, the aforementioned second multipath information can indicate the path information of the combination of one or more sub-paths in L sub-paths.

[0027] In the example above, Q p With M n (For example, Q1 and M1, Q2 and M2, etc.) may be the same or different; in addition, the values ​​of N and P may be the same or different.

[0028] In one possible implementation of the first aspect, the method further includes: the first communication device receiving the first information.

[0029] Based on the above scheme, the first communication device can receive the first information, enabling the first communication device to determine the second multipath information based on parameters specified by other communication devices (such as the second communication device), thereby improving the performance of multipath prediction.

[0030] Optionally, the first information mentioned above may be pre-configured or pre-defined, or the parameters used to determine the second multipath information may be pre-configured or pre-defined.

[0031] In one possible implementation of the first aspect, the method further includes: the first communication device receiving at least one of the following: first indication information indicating the resources of the first reference signal; or, second indication information indicating the model for acquiring the first multipath information.

[0032] Based on the above scheme, the first communication device can also receive at least one of the above, enabling the first communication device to determine the second multipath information based on specified resources and / or specified models, so as to improve the performance of multipath prediction.

[0033] Optionally, the resources for the first reference signal can be pre-configured or pre-defined.

[0034] Optionally, the model for the first multipath information can be pre-configured or predefined.

[0035] In one possible implementation of the first aspect, the method further includes: the first communication device transmitting second information indicating the second multipath information.

[0036] Based on the above scheme, the first communication device can also send second information indicating the second multipath information, so that the receiver of the second information can obtain the second multipath information. Subsequently, the receiver can update the model used for multipath prediction (e.g., model fine-tuning, model training, etc.) based on the second multipath information to improve the multipath prediction performance of the model.

[0037] In one possible implementation of the first aspect, the second multipath information is used to determine the parameters of an updated first model used for multipath prediction, and the method further includes: the first communication device receiving third information indicating the parameters of the first model to be updated.

[0038] Based on the above scheme, the receiver of the second information can determine the parameters of the first model to be updated based on the second multipath information. Furthermore, the receiver can send third information to the first communication device to instruct the updating of the parameters of the first model, so that the first communication device can update the first model based on the parameters (e.g., model fine-tuning, model training, etc.) to improve the performance of the model's multipath prediction.

[0039] Optionally, the first multipath information can be determined by a second model used for multipath prediction. The first and second models can be the same model or different models; this is not limited here.

[0040] Optionally, the model involved in this application (such as the first model or the second model) can be implemented in various ways, such as a mathematical model, an artificial intelligence (AI) model, a neural network model, an AI neural network model, a machine learning model, or an AI processing model.

[0041] In one possible implementation of the first aspect, the method further includes: the first communication device receiving fourth information indicating consistency information between the second multipath information and the tag data.

[0042] Based on the above scheme, the first communication device can determine the consistency information between the second multipath information and the tag data through the received fourth information, so that the first communication device can determine the multipath prediction performance of the second multipath information based on the consistency information, which is beneficial for the first communication device to optimize the multipath prediction performance based on the performance (for example, the first communication device updates the first multipath information, the second multipath information, etc. based on the performance).

[0043] In one possible implementation of the first aspect, the consistency information indicates a low consistency between the second multipath information and the tag data; the method further includes: the first communication device acquiring second channel information between the first communication device and the second communication device, the second channel information being used to update the second multipath information; wherein the channel dimension of the second channel information is greater than the channel dimension of the first channel information.

[0044] Based on the above scheme, when the consistency information indicated by the fourth information indicates a low consistency between the second multipath information and the tag data, the first communication device can update the second multipath information through the second channel information to obtain the updated second multipath information.

[0045] Furthermore, the channel dimension corresponding to the second channel information is greater than that corresponding to the first channel information, meaning that the pilot density of the former is greater than that of the latter. This allows for obtaining more accurate updated second path information through channel information with a larger channel dimension, which can further improve the performance of multipath prediction.

[0046] Optionally, the first communication device sends a fifth message indicating the updated second multipath information. For example, the receiver of the fifth message can obtain more accurate updated second path information and further improve the performance of multipath prediction through the updated second path information.

[0047] Optionally, the channel dimension represented by the channel information may include one or more dimensions such as a spatial dimension, a frequency domain dimension, and a time domain dimension. Generally, the spatial dimension may include the dimension of the antenna port of the signal transmitter (i.e., the transmit antenna dimension) and the dimension of the antenna port of the signal receiver (i.e., the receive antenna dimension). In this application, the channel dimension represented by the channel information includes three channel dimensions as an example: one channel dimension is represented as T or T1, another channel dimension is represented as R or R1, and another channel dimension is represented as F or F1.

[0048] The channel dimension will be described below with some examples.

[0049] For example, the channel dimension represented by the first channel information is [T1, R1, F1], and the channel dimension represented by the second channel information is [T, R, F]. The channel dimension corresponding to the second channel information is greater than the channel dimension corresponding to the first channel information, satisfying at least one of the following: T is greater than T1, R is greater than R1, and F is greater than F1. Therefore, the first communication device can obtain the second channel information with a higher channel dimension based on the first channel information with a lower channel dimension, and the first channel information with a lower channel dimension is determined by a first reference signal. Thus, the first communication device can obtain the higher-dimensional channel information based on the lower-dimensional channel information determined by the reference signal through the above processing, thereby reducing the overhead of the reference signal, improving resource utilization, and reducing the power consumption of the terminal device.

[0050] In one implementation example, the spatial transmission process of the reference signal includes the process of the antenna port of the signal transmitting end transmitting the reference signal and the process of the antenna port of the signal receiving end receiving the reference signal. That is, the dimension of the channel information in the spatial domain can correspond to the transmitting and receiving ports of the reference signal. In other words, the dimension of the reference signal in the spatial domain can be represented as [T, R, F], where T (or T1) represents the antenna port of the signal transmitting end, and R (or R1) represents the antenna port of the signal receiving end. In other words, T greater than T1 can be understood as: the number of antenna ports of the signal transmitting end represented by the second channel information is greater than the number of antenna ports of the signal transmitting end represented by the first channel information; R greater than R1 can be understood as: the number of antenna ports of the signal receiving end represented by the second channel information is greater than the number of antenna ports of the signal receiving end represented by the first channel information.

[0051] In another implementation example, during the transmission and reception of the reference signal, the dimension of the reference signal in the frequency domain can correspond to the frequency domain resources carrying the reference signal. In other words, the dimension of the reference signal in the frequency domain can be represented as [F] in [T, R, F], where F (or F1) represents the frequency domain resources carrying the reference signal (e.g., one or more frequency domain units contained in the frequency domain resources). In other words, F greater than F1 can be understood as: the number of frequency domain units contained in the frequency domain resources represented by the second channel information is greater than the number of frequency domain units contained in the frequency domain resources represented by the first channel information.

[0052] Optionally, the aforementioned consistency information is used to indicate correlation, confidence level, or at least one other parameter used to characterize consistency information.

[0053] In one possible implementation of the first aspect, the second multipath information is used to determine path map information indicating path information between the second communication device and communication devices at one or more locations.

[0054] Based on the above scheme, the second multipath information can be used to determine path map information, which indicates the path information between the second communication device and communication devices at one or more locations. In this way, subsequent users of the path map information can quickly obtain the path information of each communication device, thereby improving the performance of multipath prediction.

[0055] Optionally, the one or more locations include a first location; the path map information is used at least to indicate first path information between the second communication device and the communication device at the first location; wherein the first path information includes at least one of the following: the second multipath information, the first multipath information, the parameters used to determine the second multipath information, the correlation between channel information determined based on the second multipath information and the first channel information, or, consistency information between the second multipath information and tag data.

[0056] Optionally, the one or more locations include a second location, and the path information between the second communication device and the communication device at the second location is second path information; wherein, the path map information is further used to indicate the second path information, or, the path map information is further used to indicate the deviation information between the second path information and the first path information.

[0057] Optionally, the location of the first communication device can be the first location or the second location mentioned above, or any one of the above locations, without limitation.

[0058] In one possible implementation of the first aspect, the second multipath information includes at least one of the following:

[0059] The third indication information indicates that the number of paths corresponding to the first multipath information is N;

[0060] The fourth indication information indicates that the number of paths corresponding to the second multipath information is P;

[0061] The fifth indication information indicates at least one of the following: time delay, angle, or power of the N paths;

[0062] The sixth indication information indicates at least one of the following: time delay, angle, or power of the P-strip.

[0063] The seventh indication information indicates the correlation between the channel information determined based on the second multipath information and the first channel information.

[0064] Based on the above scheme, the second multipath information may include at least one of the above information to improve the flexibility of the scheme implementation.

[0065] The second aspect of this application provides a communication method applied to a second communication device, such as being executed by the second communication device, which may be a communication device (e.g., a terminal device or a network device), or the second communication device may be a component of the communication device (e.g., a circuit or chip responsible for communication functions (e.g., a modem chip, also known as a baseband chip, or a SoC chip or SIP chip containing a modem core, etc.), or the second communication device may also be a logic module or software capable of implementing all or part of the functions of the communication device.

[0066] In this method, a second communication device determines first information, which indicates parameters used to determine second multipath information; the second communication device transmits the first information, wherein the first information, the first multipath information, and the first channel information are related to the second multipath information, for example, the first information, the first multipath information, and the first channel information are used to determine the second multipath information; wherein the first multipath information indicates path information of N paths between the first and second communication devices, where N is a positive integer; the first channel information indicates path information between the first and second communication devices, which is related to the measurement result of a first reference signal, for example, the first channel information is determined based on the measurement result of the first reference signal; the second multipath information indicates path information of P paths between the first and second communication devices, where P is a positive integer.

[0067] Based on the above scheme, the first information sent by the second communication device to the first communication device indicates the parameters for determining the second multipath information, enabling the first communication device to determine the second multipath information based on the first information, the first multipath information, and the first channel information. The first multipath information indicates the path information of N paths between the first and second communication devices, the first channel information indicates the first channel information determined based on the measurement results of the first reference signal, and the second multipath information can indicate the path information of P paths between the first and second communication devices. Compared to the first multipath information indicating the path information of N paths, the second multipath information can recombine the sub-paths included in the N paths based on the measured first channel information to obtain multipath information matching the first channel information, thereby improving the performance of multipath prediction.

[0068] Optionally, the first information, the first multipath information, and the first channel information are used to determine the second multipath information, including: the first multipath information is used to determine a set of subpaths, and the set of subpaths, the first information, and the first channel information are used to determine the second multipath information; wherein, the P paths include the i-th path, the i-th path includes one or more subpaths in the set of subpaths, and the path information of the i-th path is used to indicate the path information of one or more subpaths combined in the i-th path, where i is less than or equal to P and greater than or equal to 1.

[0069] Optionally, the parameters used to determine the second multipath information include at least one of the following: parameters indicating the merging conditions of sub-paths, parameters indicating the selection conditions of paths, or parameters indicating the merging method of sub-paths.

[0070] In one possible implementation of the second aspect, the method further includes: the second communication device sending at least one of the following:

[0071] First indication information, indicating the resource of the first reference signal; or

[0072] The second instruction information indicates the model for acquiring the first multipath information.

[0073] Based on the above scheme, the second communication device can send first information to the first communication device, enabling the first communication device to determine the second multipath information based on the resources and / or the model specified by the second communication device, thereby improving the performance of multipath prediction.

[0074] In one possible implementation of the second aspect, the method further includes: the second communication device receiving second information indicating the second multipath information.

[0075] Based on the above scheme, the second communication device can also receive second information indicating the second multipath information, so that the second communication device can obtain the second multipath information. Subsequently, the second communication device can update the model used for multipath prediction (e.g., model fine-tuning, model training, etc.) based on the second multipath information to improve the multipath prediction performance of the model.

[0076] In one possible implementation of the second aspect, the second multipath information is used to determine the parameters of an updated first model used for multipath prediction, and the method further includes: the second communication device sending third information indicating the updating of the parameters of the first model.

[0077] Based on the above scheme, the second communication device can determine the parameters of the first model to be updated based on the second multipath information. Furthermore, the second communication device can send third information to the first communication device indicating the parameters of the first model to be updated, so that the first communication device can update the first model based on the parameters (e.g., model fine-tuning, model training, etc.) to improve the multipath prediction performance of the model.

[0078] In one possible implementation of the second aspect, the method further includes: the second communication device sending fourth information indicating consistency information between the second multipath information and the tag data.

[0079] Based on the above scheme, the second communication device can send fourth information to the first communication device. Subsequently, the first communication device determines the consistency information between the second multipath information and the tag data through the received fourth information. This enables the first communication device to determine the multipath prediction performance of the second multipath information based on the consistency information, which is beneficial for the first communication device to optimize the multipath prediction performance based on the performance (for example, the first communication device updates the first multipath information, the second multipath information, etc. based on the performance).

[0080] In one possible implementation of the second aspect, the consistency information indicates a low consistency between the second multipath information and the tag data; the method further includes: the second communication device receiving fifth information, the fifth information being used to indicate updated second multipath information; wherein the updated second multipath information is determined based on second channel information between the first communication device and the second communication device, the channel dimension of the second channel information being greater than the channel dimension of the first channel information.

[0081] Based on the above scheme, when the consistency information indicated by the fourth information indicates low consistency between the second multipath information and the tag data, the first communication device can update the second multipath information using the second channel information to obtain the updated second multipath information. Furthermore, the channel dimension corresponding to the second channel information is greater than that corresponding to the first channel information; that is, the pilot density of the former is greater than that of the latter. This allows for obtaining more accurate updated second path information through channel information with a larger channel dimension, and subsequently, the performance of multipath prediction can be further improved using the updated second path information.

[0082] Optionally, the aforementioned consistency information is used to indicate correlation, confidence level, or at least one other parameter used to characterize consistency information.

[0083] In one possible implementation of the second aspect, the second multipath information is used to determine path map information indicating path information between the second communication device and communication devices at one or more locations.

[0084] Based on the above scheme, the second multipath information can be used to determine path map information, which indicates the path information between the second communication device and communication devices at one or more locations. In this way, subsequent users of the path map information can quickly obtain the path information of each communication device, thereby improving the performance of multipath prediction.

[0085] Optionally, the one or more locations include a first location; the path map information is used at least to indicate first path information between the second communication device and the communication device at the first location; wherein the first path information includes at least one of the following: the second multipath information, the first multipath information, the parameters used to determine the second multipath information, the correlation between channel information determined based on the second multipath information and the first channel information, or, consistency information between the second multipath information and tag data.

[0086] Optionally, the one or more locations include a second location, and the path information between the second communication device and the communication device at the second location is second path information; wherein, the path map information is further used to indicate the second path information, or, the path map information is further used to indicate the deviation information between the second path information and the first path information.

[0087] Optionally, the location of the first communication device can be the first location or the second location mentioned above, or any one of the above locations, without limitation.

[0088] In one possible implementation of the second aspect, the second multipath information includes at least one of the following:

[0089] The third indication information indicates that the number of paths corresponding to the first multipath information is N;

[0090] The fourth indication information indicates that the number of paths corresponding to the second multipath information is P;

[0091] The fifth indication information indicates at least one of the following: time delay, angle, or power of the N paths;

[0092] The sixth indication information indicates at least one of the following: time delay, angle, or power of the P-strip.

[0093] The seventh indication information indicates the correlation between the channel information determined based on the second multipath information and the first channel information.

[0094] Based on the above scheme, the second multipath information may include at least one of the above information to improve the flexibility of the scheme implementation.

[0095] A third aspect of this application provides a communication method applied to a second communication device, such as being executed by the second communication device, which may be a communication device (e.g., a terminal device or a network device), or the second communication device may be a component of the communication device (e.g., a circuit or chip responsible for communication functions (e.g., a modem chip, also known as a baseband chip, or a SoC chip or SIP chip containing a modem core, etc.), or the second communication device may also be a logic module or software capable of implementing all or part of the functions of the communication device.

[0096] In this method, the second communication device receives second information indicating second multipath information, which is related to the first multipath information and the first channel information; wherein, the first multipath information indicates path information of N paths between the first and second communication devices, where N is a positive integer; the first channel information indicates path information between the first and second communication devices, which is related to the measurement result of the first reference signal, for example, the first channel information is determined based on the measurement result of the first reference signal; and the second multipath information indicates path information of P paths between the first and second communication devices, where P is a positive integer.

[0097] Optionally, the P paths correspond to a set of sub-paths. For example, the P paths include the i-th path, which includes one or more sub-paths in the set of sub-paths, and the path information of the i-th path is used to indicate the path information of the combination of one or more sub-paths contained in the i-th path.

[0098] Based on the above scheme, the second communication device can determine second multipath information by receiving second information. This second multipath information is determined based on the first multipath information and the first channel information. The first multipath information indicates the path information of N paths between the first and second communication devices. The first channel information indicates the first channel information determined based on the measurement results of the first reference signal. The second multipath information can indicate the path information of P paths between the first and second communication devices. Compared to the first multipath information indicating the path information of N paths, the second multipath information can recombine the sub-paths included in the N paths based on the measured first channel information to obtain multipath information that matches the first channel information, thereby improving the performance of multipath prediction.

[0099] In the third aspect, the implementation behavior of the second communication device can also refer to the second aspect above and related descriptions, including but not limited to the process in which the second communication device can send first information, send third information, send fourth information, and receive fifth information, and achieve the corresponding technical effects.

[0100] A fourth aspect of this application provides a communication device, the device including a processing unit; the processing unit is configured to acquire first multipath information, the first multipath information indicating path information of N paths between a first communication device and a second communication device, where N is a positive integer; the processing unit is further configured to acquire first channel information between the first communication device and the second communication device, the first channel information being related to the measurement result of a first reference signal, for example, the first channel information being determined based on the measurement result of the first reference signal; the processing unit is further configured to determine second multipath information based on the first multipath information and the first channel information; wherein the second multipath information indicates path information of P paths between the first communication device and the second communication device, where P is a positive integer.

[0101] In the fourth aspect of this application, the constituent modules of the communication device can also be used to perform the steps executed in various possible implementations of the first aspect and achieve the corresponding technical effects. For details, please refer to the first aspect, which will not be repeated here.

[0102] A fifth aspect of this application provides a communication device, comprising a transceiver unit and a processing unit; the processing unit is configured to determine first information, the first information indicating parameters for determining second multipath information; the transceiver unit is configured to transmit the first information, wherein the first information, the first multipath information, and the first channel information are related to the second multipath information, for example, the first information, the first multipath information, and the first channel information are used to determine the second multipath information; wherein the first multipath information indicates path information of N paths between a first communication device and a second communication device, where N is a positive integer; the first channel information indicates path information between the first communication device and the second communication device, the first channel information being related to the measurement result of a first reference signal, for example, the first channel information being determined based on the measurement result of the first reference signal; the second multipath information indicates path information of P paths between the first communication device and the second communication device, where P is a positive integer.

[0103] In the fifth aspect of this application, the constituent modules of the communication device can also be used to perform the steps executed in various possible implementations of the second aspect and achieve the corresponding technical effects. For details, please refer to the second aspect, which will not be repeated here.

[0104] A sixth aspect of this application provides a communication apparatus, the apparatus including a transceiver unit; the transceiver unit is configured to receive second information, the second information indicating second multipath information, the second multipath information being related to first multipath information and first channel information; wherein, the first multipath information indicates path information of N paths between a first communication device and a second communication device, where N is a positive integer; the first channel information indicates path information between the first communication device and the second communication device, the first channel information being related to the measurement result of a first reference signal, for example, the first channel information being determined based on the measurement result of the first reference signal; the second multipath information indicates path information of P paths between the first communication device and the second communication device, where P is a positive integer.

[0105] In the sixth aspect of this application, the constituent modules of the communication device can also be used to perform the steps executed in various possible implementations of the third aspect and achieve the corresponding technical effects. For details, please refer to the third aspect, which will not be repeated here.

[0106] A seventh aspect of this application provides a communication device including at least one processor for executing computer programs or instructions to enable the device to implement the method described in any one of the first to third aspects and any possible implementation thereof.

[0107] Optionally, the at least one memory is coupled to a memory used to store computer programs or instructions.

[0108] Optionally, the communication device includes the memory.

[0109] The eighth aspect of this application provides a communication device including at least one logic circuit and an input / output interface; the logic circuit is used to perform the method as described in any one of the possible implementations of the first to third aspects described above.

[0110] The ninth aspect of this application provides a communication system, which includes the first communication device and the second communication device described above.

[0111] The tenth aspect of this application provides a computer-readable storage medium for storing one or more computer-executable instructions, which, when executed by a processor, perform the method as described in any possible implementation of any of the first to third aspects described above.

[0112] The eleventh aspect of this application provides a computer program product (or computer program) that, when executed by a processor, performs the method described in any possible implementation of any of the first to third aspects.

[0113] The twelfth aspect of this application provides a chip or chip system including at least one processor for supporting a communication device in implementing the methods described in any possible implementation of any of the first to third aspects. For example, the chip may be a baseband chip, a modem chip, a system-on-chip (SoC) chip containing a modem core, a system-in-package (SIP) chip, or a communication module, etc.

[0114] In one possible design, the chip or chip system may further include a memory for storing program instructions and data necessary for the communication device. The chip system may be composed of chips or may include chips and other discrete devices. Optionally, the chip system may also include interface circuitry that provides program instructions and / or data to the at least one processor.

[0115] The technical effects of any of the design methods in aspects four through twelfth can be found in the technical effects of the different design methods in aspects one through three above, and will not be repeated here. Attached Figure Description

[0116] Figures 1a to 1c are schematic diagrams of the communication system provided in this application;

[0117] Figures 2a to 2f are schematic diagrams of the AI ​​processing involved in this application;

[0118] Figure 3 is an interactive schematic diagram of the communication method provided in this application;

[0119] Figures 4a to 4c are some schematic diagrams of the processing procedures involved in this application;

[0120] Figures 5 to 9 are schematic diagrams of the communication device provided in this application. Detailed Implementation

[0121] First, some terms used in the embodiments of this application will be explained to facilitate understanding by those skilled in the art.

[0122] (1) Terminal device: can be a wireless terminal device that can receive network device scheduling and instruction information. The wireless terminal device can be a device that provides voice and / or data connectivity to the user, or a handheld device with wireless connection function, or other processing device connected to a wireless modem.

[0123] Terminal devices can communicate with one or more core networks or the Internet via a radio access network (RAN). Terminal devices can be mobile terminal devices, such as mobile phones (or "cellular" phones), computers, and data cards. For example, they can be portable, pocket-sized, handheld, computer-embedded, or vehicle-mounted mobile devices that exchange voice and / or data with the RAN. Examples include personal communication service (PCS) phones, cordless phones, session initiation protocol (SIP) phones, wireless local loop (WLL) stations, personal digital assistants (PDAs), tablets, and computers with wireless transceiver capabilities. Wireless terminal equipment can also be referred to as a system, subscriber unit, subscriber station, mobile station (MS), remote station, access point (AP), remote terminal, access terminal, user terminal, user agent, subscriber station (SS), customer premises equipment (CPE), terminal, user equipment (UE), mobile terminal (MT), etc.

[0124] By way of example and not limitation, in this embodiment, the terminal device can also be a wearable device. Wearable devices, also known as wearable smart devices or smart wearable devices, are a general term for devices that utilize wearable technology to intelligently design and develop everyday wearables, such as glasses, gloves, watches, clothing, and shoes. Wearable devices are portable devices that are worn directly on the body or integrated into the user's clothing or accessories. Wearable devices are not merely hardware devices, but also achieve powerful functions through software support, data interaction, and cloud interaction. Broadly speaking, wearable smart devices include those that are feature-rich, large in size, and can achieve complete or partial functions without relying on a smartphone, such as smartwatches or smart glasses, as well as those that focus on a specific type of application function and require the use of other devices such as smartphones, such as various smart bracelets, smart helmets, and smart jewelry for vital sign monitoring.

[0125] Terminals can also be drones, robots, devices in device-to-device (D2D) communication, vehicles to everything (V2X) communication, virtual reality (VR) terminal devices, augmented reality (AR) terminal devices, wireless terminals in industrial control, wireless terminals in self-driving, wireless terminals in telemedicine or telehealth services, wireless terminals in smart grids, wireless terminals in transportation safety, wireless terminals in smart cities, wireless terminals in smart homes, etc.

[0126] Furthermore, the terminal device can also be a terminal device for a communication system evolved from the fifth generation (5G) communication system (such as 5G Advanced or future communication systems). For example, the form and function of the communication terminal can be further expanded, including but not limited to vehicles, cellular network terminals (integrating satellite terminal functions), drones, and Internet of Things (IoT) devices.

[0127] In this embodiment, the terminal device can also obtain artificial intelligence (AI) services provided by the network device. Optionally, the terminal device can also have AI processing capabilities.

[0128] (2) Network equipment: This can be equipment within a wireless network, such as RAN nodes (or devices) that connect terminal devices to the wireless network. Examples of RAN equipment currently include: base stations, evolved NodeBs (eNodeBs), gNBs (gNodeBs) in 5G communication systems, transmission reception points (TRPs), evolved Node Bs (eNBs), radio network controllers (RNCs), Node Bs (NBs), home base stations (e.g., home evolved Node Bs, or home Node Bs (HNBs), base band units (BBUs), or wireless fidelity (Wi-Fi) access points (APs). Additionally, in a network architecture, network equipment may include central unit (CU) nodes, distributed unit (DU) nodes, or RAN equipment comprising both CU and DU nodes.

[0129] Optionally, RAN nodes can also be macro base stations, micro base stations, indoor stations, relay nodes, donor nodes, or radio controllers in cloud radio access network (CRAN) scenarios. RAN nodes can also be servers, wearable devices, vehicles, or in-vehicle equipment. For example, the access network equipment in vehicle-to-everything (V2X) technology can be a roadside unit (RSU).

[0130] In another possible scenario, multiple RAN nodes collaborate to assist the terminal in achieving wireless access, with different RAN nodes each implementing some of the base station's functions. For example, RAN nodes can be CUs, DUs, CUs (control plane, CP), CUs (user plane, UP), or radio units (RUs). CUs and DUs can be configured separately or included in the same network element, such as a baseband unit (BBU). RUs can be included in radio equipment or radio units, such as remote radio units (RRUs), active antenna units (AAUs), radio heads (RHs), or remote radio heads (RRHs).

[0131] In different systems, CU (or CU-CP and CU-UP), DU, or RU may have different names, but those skilled in the art will understand their meaning. For example, in an open access network (open RAN, O-RAN, or ORAN) system, CU can also be called O-CU (open CU), DU can also be called O-DU, CU-CP can also be called O-CU-CP, CU-UP can also be called O-CU-UP, and RU can also be called O-RU. For ease of description, this application uses CU, CU-CP, CU-UP, DU, and RU as examples. Any of the units among CU (or CU-CP, CU-UP), DU, and RU in this application can be implemented through software modules, hardware modules, or a combination of software modules and hardware modules.

[0132] Communication between access network devices and terminal devices follows a specific protocol layer structure. This protocol layer may include a control plane protocol layer and a user plane protocol layer. The control plane protocol layer may include at least one of the following: radio resource control (RRC) layer, packet data convergence protocol (PDCP) layer, radio link control (RLC) layer, media access control (MAC) layer, or physical (PHY) layer, etc. The user plane protocol layer may include at least one of the following: service data adaptation protocol (SDAP) layer, PDCP layer, RLC layer, MAC layer, or physical layer, etc.

[0133] The correspondence between network elements and their achievable protocol layer functions in the ORAN system can be found in Table 1 below.

[0134] Table 1

[0135] Network devices can be other devices that provide wireless communication functions for terminal devices. The embodiments of this application do not limit the specific technology or form of the network device. For ease of description, the embodiments of this application are not limited.

[0136] Network equipment may also include core network equipment, such as the Mobility Management Entity (MME), Home Subscriber Server (HSS), Serving Gateway (S-GW), Policy and Charging Rules Function (PCRF), and Public Data Network Gateway (PDN gateway or P-GW) in 4th generation (4G) networks; and access and mobility management function (AMF), user plane function (UPF), or session management function (SMF) in 5G networks. Furthermore, this core network equipment may also include other core network equipment in 5G networks and next-generation networks of 5G networks.

[0137] In this embodiment of the application, the network device may also have network nodes with AI capabilities, which can provide AI services to terminals or other network devices. For example, it may be an AI node, computing node, RAN node with AI capabilities, or core network element with AI capabilities on the network side (access network or core network).

[0138] In this application embodiment, the device for implementing the function of the network device can be the network device itself, or it can be a device capable of supporting the network device in implementing the function, such as a chip system. This device can be disposed within the network device. In the technical solutions provided in this application embodiment, the example of a network device being used to implement the function of the network device is used to describe the technical solutions provided in this application embodiment.

[0139] (3) Configuration and Pre-configuration: In this application, both configuration and pre-configuration are used. Configuration refers to the network device / server sending configuration information or parameter values ​​to the terminal via messages or signaling, so that the terminal can determine communication parameters or resources for transmission based on these values ​​or information. Pre-configuration is similar to configuration; it can be parameter information or parameter values ​​pre-negotiated between the network device / server and the terminal device, parameter information or parameter values ​​specified by standard protocols for use by the base station / network device or terminal device, or parameter information or parameter values ​​pre-stored in the base station / server or terminal device. This application does not limit this.

[0140] Furthermore, these values ​​and parameters can be changed or updated.

[0141] (4) The terms "system" and "network" in the embodiments of this application can be used interchangeably. "Multiple" refers to two or more. "And / or" describes the relationship between related objects, indicating that there can be three relationships. For example, A and / or B can mean: A exists alone, A and B exist simultaneously, or B exists alone, where A and B can be singular or plural. The character " / " generally indicates that the related objects before and after are in an "or" relationship. "At least one of the following" or similar expressions refer to any combination of these items, including any combination of single or plural items. For example, "at least one of A, B and C" includes A, B, C, AB, AC, BC or ABC. And, unless otherwise specified, the ordinal numbers such as "first" and "second" mentioned in the embodiments of this application are used to distinguish multiple objects and are not used to limit the order, sequence, priority or importance of multiple objects.

[0142] (5) In the embodiments of this application, "send" and "receive" indicate the direction of signal transmission. For example, "send information to XX" can be understood as the destination of the information being XX, which may include sending directly through the air interface or sending indirectly through the air interface by other units or modules. "Receive information from YY" can be understood as the source of the information being YY, which may include receiving directly from YY through the air interface or receiving indirectly from YY through the air interface by other units or modules. "Send" can also be understood as the "output" of the chip interface, and "receive" can also be understood as the "input" of the chip interface.

[0143] In other words, sending and receiving can occur between devices, such as between network devices and terminal devices, or within a device, such as between components, modules, chips, software modules, or hardware modules within the device via buses, wiring, or interfaces.

[0144] It is understandable that information may undergo necessary processing, such as encoding and modulation, between the source and destination, but the destination can understand the valid information from the source. Similar statements in this application can be interpreted in a similar way and will not be elaborated further.

[0145] (6) In the embodiments of this application, "instruction" may include direct instruction and indirect instruction, as well as explicit instruction and implicit instruction. The information indicated by a certain piece of information (as described below, the instruction information) is called the information to be instructed. In the specific implementation process, there are many ways to indicate the information to be instructed, such as, but not limited to, directly indicating the information to be instructed, such as the information to be instructed itself or its index. It can also indirectly indicate the information to be instructed by indicating other information, where there is an association between the other information and the information to be instructed; or it can only indicate a part of the information to be instructed, while the other parts of the information to be instructed are known or pre-agreed upon. For example, the instruction can be implemented by using a pre-agreed (e.g., protocol predefined) arrangement order of various information, thereby reducing the instruction overhead to a certain extent. This application does not limit the specific method of instruction. It is understood that for the sender of the instruction information, the instruction information can be used to indicate the information to be instructed, and for the receiver of the instruction information, the instruction information can be used to determine the information to be instructed.

[0146] In this application, unless otherwise specified, the same or similar parts between the various embodiments can be referred to each other. In the various embodiments of this application, and the various methods / designs / implementations within each embodiment, unless otherwise specified or logically conflicting, the terminology and / or descriptions between different embodiments and between the various methods / designs / implementations within each embodiment are consistent and can be mutually referenced. The technical features in different embodiments and the various methods / designs / implementations within each embodiment can be combined to form new embodiments, methods, or implementations based on their inherent logical relationships. The following descriptions of the embodiments of this application do not constitute a limitation on the scope of protection of this application.

[0147] This application can be applied to long-term evolution (LTE) systems, new radio (NR) systems, or future communication systems beyond 5G. These communication systems include at least one network device and / or at least one terminal device.

[0148] Please refer to Figure 1a, which is a schematic diagram of the architecture of the communication system 1000 used in the embodiments of this application. As shown in Figure 1a, the communication system may include a radio access network (RAN) 100. Optionally, the communication system 1000 may also include a core network 200 and an Internet 300. The RAN 100 includes at least one RAN node (110a and 110b in Figure 1a, collectively referred to as 110) and at least one terminal (120a-120j in Figure 1a, collectively referred to as 120). The RAN 100 may also include other RAN nodes, such as wireless relay devices and / or wireless backhaul devices (not shown in Figure 1a). The terminal 120 is wirelessly connected to the RAN node 110, and the RAN node 110 is wirelessly or wiredly connected to the core network 200. The core network equipment in the core network 200 and the RAN node 110 in the RAN 100 may be independent and different physical devices, or they may be the same physical device integrating the logical functions of the core network equipment and the logical functions of the RAN node. Terminals can be connected to each other, as can RAN nodes, via wired or wireless means.

[0149] Taking the communication system shown in Figure 1a as an example, in addition to performing communication-related services, different devices (including network devices and network devices, network devices and terminal devices, and / or terminal devices and terminal devices) may also perform AI-related services.

[0150] As shown in Figure 1b, taking a network device as a base station as an example, the base station can perform communication-related services and AI-related services with one or more terminal devices, and different terminal devices can also perform communication-related services and AI-related services.

[0151] As shown in Figure 1c, taking terminal devices including televisions and mobile phones as an example, televisions and mobile phones can also perform communication-related services and AI-related services.

[0152] The technical solutions provided in this application can be applied to wireless communication systems (such as the systems shown in Figures 1a, 1b, or 1c). For example, AI network elements can be introduced into the communication system provided in this application to realize some or all AI-related operations. AI network elements can also be called AI nodes, AI devices, AI entities, AI modules, AI models, or AI units, etc. The AI ​​network element can be built into a network element within the communication system. For example, the AI ​​network element can be an AI module built into: access network equipment, core network equipment, cloud server, or operation, administration, and maintenance (OAM) to realize AI-related functions. The OAM can act as the network management system for the core network equipment and / or the access network equipment. Alternatively, the AI ​​network element can also be an independently set network element in the communication system. Optionally, the terminal or its built-in chip can also include an AI entity to realize AI-related functions.

[0153] Optionally, in communication systems, AI application cases may include, but are not limited to: channel state information (CSI) feedback enhancement, beam management enhancement, positioning accuracy enhancement, network energy saving, load balancing, and mobility optimization. These will be explained below.

[0154] 1. Enhanced CSI feedback

[0155] Channel quality information (CSI) is the channel attribute of a communication link, reported by the terminal device to the network device. By reporting this information, the terminal device can select an appropriate modulation and coding scheme (MCS) to adapt to changing wireless channels. For example, the terminal device might perform channel estimation based on the received channel state information-reference signal (CSI-RS) and then feed back the CSI-RS to the network device. This feedback CSI-RS information serves as input to the network device's model, enabling AI model training. Applying AI to CSI feedback enhancement can reduce overhead, improve accuracy, and enhance predictive capabilities.

[0156] CSI-RS feedback enhancement may include at least one sub-function, such as: CSI compression, CSI prediction, and CSI-RS configuration signaling reduction. CSI compression may further include CSI compression in at least one domain: spatial, time, and frequency.

[0157] 2. Enhanced Beam Management

[0158] Enhanced beam management primarily aims to discover the strongest transmit / receive beam pairs. AI-based sparse beam prediction can improve accuracy. This can be achieved through both network-side and terminal-side AI sparse beam prediction, based on AI training and inference. Taking terminal-side AI sparse beam prediction as an example, the pre-trained AI model on the terminal device can be provided by the network or pre-stored on the terminal device. During training, the network device scans all possible beams and then provides the transmit beam pattern to the terminal device. Once training is complete, the network device only needs to scan a small subset of beams, and the terminal device then feeds back the inference results to the network device. AI-based beam management can achieve beam prediction in, for example, the temporal and / or spatial domains, reducing overhead and latency and improving beam selection accuracy.

[0159] Beam management enhancements may include at least one sub-function, such as beam scan matrix prediction and / or optimal beam prediction.

[0160] 3. Enhanced positioning accuracy

[0161] In line-of-sight (LOS) or non-line-of-sight (NLOS) scenarios, AI-based positioning can improve positioning accuracy with a smaller number of TRP antennas. Positioning enhancement can include at least one sub-function, such as: positioning enhancement based on access network devices, positioning enhancement based on positioning management function network elements, and positioning enhancement based on terminal devices.

[0162] 4. Network energy saving

[0163] Network energy conservation can be achieved through cell activation / deactivation, load reduction, coverage improvement, or other RAN setting adjustments. AI technology can be used to optimize energy-saving decisions by leveraging data collected within the RAN network. AI algorithms can predict energy efficiency and load status for the next cycle, which can be used to assist in cell activation / deactivation decisions to save energy. Based on the predicted load, the system can dynamically configure energy-saving strategies to maintain a balance between system performance and energy efficiency, and reduce energy consumption.

[0164] 5. Load balancing

[0165] Load balancing can distribute the load evenly between cells and across different areas within a cell, or transfer some traffic from congested cells, or offload users across a single cell, carrier, or access standard, thereby improving network performance. Using AI models to enhance load balancing performance—such as inputting various measurements and feedback from terminal devices and network nodes, as well as historical data—can provide a higher quality user experience and increase system capacity.

[0166] 6. Mobility Management

[0167] Mobility management is a solution that ensures service continuity for mobile devices by minimizing dropped calls, radio link failures (RLFs), unnecessary handovers, and ping-pong effects. AI can enhance mobility management, for example, by reducing the probability of unexpected events, predicting device location / mobility / performance, and routing traffic.

[0168] Optionally, the definitions of the above technical terms are merely illustrative. For example, as technology continues to develop, the scope of the above definitions may also change, and the embodiments of this application are not limited thereto.

[0169] For example, an AI function may include multiple AI sub-functions.

[0170] Optionally, AI application cases are also called AI application scenarios or AI functions.

[0171] As described above regarding AI application examples, AI can be widely used to improve network performance in areas such as CSI feedback enhancement, beam management, positioning accuracy enhancement, energy saving, mobility enhancement, and load balancing. AI models can typically be deployed on the network side and / or the terminal device side. The training of AI models relies on the collection of training data, which can come from measurements and feedback from the terminal devices.

[0172] The following is a brief introduction to the concepts that may be involved in this application.

[0173] AI can endow machines with human-like intelligence, for example, allowing them to use computer hardware and software to simulate certain intelligent human behaviors. To achieve artificial intelligence, machine learning methods can be employed. In machine learning, machines learn (or train) a model using training data. This model represents the mapping between inputs and outputs. The learned model can be used for reasoning (or prediction), that is, it can be used to predict the output corresponding to a given input. This output can also be called the reasoning result (or prediction result).

[0174] Machine learning can include supervised learning, unsupervised learning, and reinforcement learning. Unsupervised learning can also be called learning without supervision.

[0175] Supervised learning, based on collected sample values ​​and labels, uses machine learning algorithms to learn the mapping relationship between sample values ​​and labels, and then expresses this learned mapping relationship using an AI model. The process of training the machine learning model is the process of learning this mapping relationship. During training, sample values ​​are input into the model to obtain the model's predicted values, and the model parameters are optimized by calculating the error between the model's predicted values ​​and the sample labels (ideal values). After the mapping relationship is learned, it can be used to predict new sample labels. The mapping relationship learned in supervised learning can include linear or non-linear mappings. Based on the type of label, the learning task can be divided into classification tasks and regression tasks.

[0176] Unsupervised learning relies on collected sample values ​​to discover inherent patterns within the samples themselves. One type of unsupervised learning algorithm uses the samples themselves as supervisory signals, meaning the model learns the mapping relationship from sample to sample; this is called self-supervised learning. During training, model parameters are optimized by calculating the error between the model's predictions and the samples themselves. Self-supervised learning can be used for signal compression and decompression recovery applications; common algorithms include autoencoders and generative adversarial networks.

[0177] Reinforcement learning, unlike supervised learning, is a type of algorithm that learns problem-solving strategies through interaction with the environment. Unlike supervised and unsupervised learning, reinforcement learning problems do not have explicit "correct" action labels. The algorithm needs to interact with the environment to obtain reward signals from the environment, and then adjust its decision actions to obtain a larger reward signal value. For example, in downlink power control, the reinforcement learning model adjusts the downlink transmission power of each user based on the total system throughput feedback from the wireless network, aiming to achieve a higher system throughput. The goal of reinforcement learning is also to learn the mapping relationship between the environment state and a better (e.g., optimal) decision action. However, because the label of the "correct action" cannot be obtained in advance, the network cannot be optimized by calculating the error between the action and the "correct action." Reinforcement learning training is achieved through iterative interaction with the environment.

[0178] Neural networks (NNs) are a specific model in machine learning techniques. According to the general approximation theorem, neural networks can theoretically approximate any continuous function, thus enabling them to learn arbitrary mappings. Traditional communication systems rely on extensive expert knowledge to design communication modules, while deep learning communication systems based on neural networks can automatically discover hidden pattern structures from large datasets, establish mapping relationships between data, and achieve performance superior to traditional modeling methods.

[0179] The idea behind neural networks comes from the neuronal structure of the brain. For example, each neuron performs a weighted summation of its input values ​​and outputs the result through an activation function.

[0180] Figure 2a shows a schematic diagram of a neuron structure. Assume the input to the neuron is x = [x0, x1, ..., x...]. n The weights corresponding to each input are w = [w0, w1, ..., w], respectively. n ], where n is a positive integer, w i and x i It can be any possible type, such as a decimal, an integer (e.g., 0, a positive integer, or a negative integer), or a complex number. i As x i The weights are used to assign weights to x. i Weighting is applied. The bias for the weighted sum of the input values ​​is, for example, b. Activation functions can take many forms. Suppose the activation function of a neuron is: y = f(z) = max(0, z), then the output of that neuron is: For example, if the activation function of a neuron is y = f(z) = z, then the output of that neuron is: Here, b can be any possible type, such as a decimal, an integer (e.g., 0, a positive integer, or a negative integer), or a complex number. The activation functions of different neurons in a neural network can be the same or different.

[0181] Furthermore, neural networks generally consist of multiple layers, each of which may include one or more neurons. Increasing the depth and / or width of a neural network can improve its expressive power, providing more powerful information extraction and abstract modeling capabilities for complex systems. The depth of a neural network can refer to the number of layers it includes, and the number of neurons in each layer can be called the width of that layer. In one implementation, a neural network includes an input layer and an output layer. The input layer processes the received input information through neurons and passes the processing result to the output layer, which then obtains the output of the neural network. In another implementation, a neural network includes an input layer, hidden layers, and an output layer. The input layer processes the received input information through neurons and passes the processing result to the hidden layer. The hidden layer calculates the received processing result and passes the calculation result to the output layer or the next adjacent hidden layer, ultimately obtaining the output of the neural network. A neural network may include one hidden layer or multiple sequentially connected hidden layers, without limitation.

[0182] Neural networks, for example, are deep neural networks (DNNs). Depending on how the network is constructed, DNNs can include feedforward neural networks (FNNs), convolutional neural networks (CNNs), and recurrent neural networks (RNNs).

[0183] Figure 2b is a schematic diagram of an FNN network. A characteristic of FNN networks is that neurons in adjacent layers are completely connected pairwise. This characteristic makes FNNs typically require a large amount of storage space, leading to high computational complexity.

[0184] CNNs are neural networks specifically designed to process data with a grid-like structure. For example, time-series data (e.g., discrete sampling along a time axis) and image data (e.g., two-dimensional discrete sampling) can both be considered grid-like data. CNNs do not use all the input information at once for computation; instead, they use a fixed-size window to extract a portion of the information for convolution operations, which significantly reduces the computational cost of model parameters. Furthermore, depending on the type of information extracted by the window (e.g., people and objects in an image represent different types of information), each window can use different convolution kernels, allowing CNNs to better extract features from the input data.

[0185] Recurrent Neural Networks (RNNs) are a type of neural network that utilizes feedback time-series information. The input to an RNN includes the current input value and its own output value from the previous time step. RNNs are suitable for acquiring temporally correlated sequence features, and are applicable to applications such as speech recognition and channel coding / decoding.

[0186] In the model training process described above, a loss function can be defined. The loss function describes the difference between the model's output value and the ideal target value. The loss function can be expressed in various forms, and there are no restrictions on its specific form. The model training process can be viewed as follows: by adjusting some or all of the model's parameters, the value of the loss function is made to be less than a threshold or to meet the target requirement.

[0187] A model can also be called an AI model, a rule, or other names. An AI model can be considered a specific method for implementing AI functions. An AI model represents the mapping relationship or function between the model's input and output. AI functions can include one or more of the following: data collection, model training (or model learning), model information dissemination, model inference (or model reasoning, inference, or prediction, etc.), model monitoring or model validation, or inference result publication, etc. AI functions can also be called AI (related) operations or AI-related functions.

[0188] The implementation process of the neural network will be described below with reference to the accompanying drawings.

[0189] Taking a fully connected neural network as an example, a fully connected neural network is also called a multilayer perceptron (MLP).

[0190] As shown in Figure 2c, an MLP consists of an input layer (left side), an output layer (right side), and multiple hidden layers (middle). Each layer of an MLP contains several nodes, called neurons. Neurons in adjacent layers are connected pairwise.

[0191] Optionally, considering neurons in two adjacent layers, the output h of the next layer's neurons is the weighted sum of all neurons x in the previous layer connected to it, processed by an activation function, and can be expressed as: h = f(wx + b).

[0192] Where w is the weight matrix, b is the bias vector, and f is the activation function.

[0193] Alternatively, the output of the neural network can be recursively expressed as: y = f z (w z f z-1 (…)+b z ).

[0194] Where z is the index of the neural network layer, z is greater than or equal to 1 and z is less than or equal to Z, where Z is the total number of layers in the neural network.

[0195] In other words, a neural network can be understood as a mapping from an input data set to an output data set. Neural networks are typically initialized randomly; the process of obtaining this mapping from random values ​​w and b using existing data is called training the neural network.

[0196] Optionally, the training method involves using a loss function to evaluate the output of the neural network.

[0197] As shown in Figure 2d, the error can be backpropagated, and the neural network parameters (including w and b) can be iteratively optimized using gradient descent until the output of the loss function reaches its minimum value, which is the "better point (e.g., the optimal point)" in Figure 2d. It can be understood that the neural network parameters corresponding to the "better point (e.g., the optimal point)" in Figure 2d can be used as the neural network parameters in the trained AI model information.

[0198] Alternatively, the gradient descent process can be represented as:

[0199] Where θ represents the parameters to be optimized (including w and b), L is the loss function, and η is the learning rate, controlling the step size of gradient descent. This represents the differentiation operation. This indicates taking the derivative of θ with respect to L.

[0200] Alternatively, the backpropagation process can utilize the chain rule for partial derivatives.

[0201] As shown in Figure 2e, the gradient of the parameters in the previous layer can be recursively calculated from the gradient of the parameters in the next layer, and can be expressed as:

[0202] Among them, w ij Let s be the weight of the connection between node j and node i. i The weighted sum of the inputs at node i.

[0203] The technical solution provided in this application can be applied to communication systems (such as the systems shown in Figure 1a, Figure 1b, or Figure 1c). In a communication system, multipath propagation can refer to the signal reaching the receiver after the signal transmitter transmits the signal through two or more paths in the wireless propagation environment.

[0204] Generally, the reflection and diffraction of electromagnetic waves by objects in the environment leads to multipath propagation. Multipath signals traveling along different paths may have different multipath information (e.g., time delay, angle, or path loss, or one or more of these). Consequently, the signal received by the receiver can be a superposition of these multipath signals. Multipath delay spread can cause inter-symbol interference, and multipath cancellation can lead to signal fading. Although multipath causes these problems for communication systems, it also increases the number of spatial multiplexing streams in the communication system. Therefore, predicting multipath in the wireless propagation environment is crucial for improving the service capability of communication systems. Multipath prediction refers to predicting the possible multipath characteristics of a terminal communication device communicating with a base station at a certain spatial location, such as the number of paths, path strength, path angle, multipath delay spread, and multipath angular spread.

[0205] One possible method for multipath prediction is to model the real environment in a virtual physical world, replicating the size, position, and material of objects in the real world as closely as possible. Then, base stations and terminal devices are placed in the virtual physical world at the locations where multipath prediction is desired, and ray tracing is used to simulate the multipath between them. Alternatively, an AI neural network model can be used to process environmental information and obtain multipath component (MPC) information.

[0206] However, although MPC information is available, the predicted MPC using ray tracing or AI methods differs from the actual MPC propagating in the real physical environment. These differences may stem from factors such as imperfect environmental modeling and nonlinear effects in the hardware. Therefore, the actual MPC propagating in a real communication environment remains unobtainable. Furthermore, the phase of each path in the actual MPC cannot be obtained through simulation because the phase of the path changes with wavelength-level variations in the environment (the location of the communication device and environmental information cannot be accurate to the wavelength level). Thus, the actual MPC and multipath phase in real-world scenarios cannot be obtained through simulation.

[0207] True MPC and multipath phase can be used to reconstruct communication channels, saving channel measurement overhead in large-scale MIMO systems. However, the accuracy of this channel reconstruction also affects the performance of large-scale MIMO systems. Therefore, obtaining true MPC and multipath phase is particularly important.

[0208] Currently, taking the UE as the terminal device and the BS as the network device as an example, in order to obtain accurate precoding, the frequency division duplexing (FDD) system uses the downlink channel information measured by the UE to feed back to the BS. The BS then uses this channel information to obtain the precoding matrix. This process deals with the frequency domain channel, not multipath (time domain). The problem with feeding back the frequency domain channel over the air interface is that as the number of antennas in the MIMO system increases, the pilot overhead required for measuring the channel becomes increasingly large, leading to a higher proportion of communication resources being occupied by pilots, thus affecting the spectral efficiency of the communication system.

[0209] As an example, as shown in Figure 2f, the channel model currently used by 3GPP is the clustered delay line (CDL) channel model. The CDL channel model assumes that there are n (n is a positive integer) multipath clusters from the base station to the UE (the figure only shows the first cluster (denoted as cluster 1) and the nth cluster (denoted as cluster n)). Each cluster consists of multiple sub-paths. This can be understood as each cluster containing multiple scattering points. Looking at a cluster individually, the wireless signal reaches the UE after being scattered by multiple scattering points within that cluster. The characteristics of each sub-path corresponding to a scattering point are related to the spatial location of the scattering point and its material, shape, etc. Therefore, the characteristics of the cluster (scattering points) are relatively easy to predict, but the characteristics of the sub-paths (scattering points) within the cluster are more random. To describe the characteristics of a cluster, the center point of the cluster can be used to describe the cluster, called the cluster center.

[0210] For example, given the environment, BS, and UE location, the MPC can be predicted. This MPC can be viewed as a cluster center, meaning each path within the MPC is actually a cluster. For instance, if the MPC contains 10 paths, each path is a cluster, and assuming each cluster contains 20 sub-paths, then there should be a total of 200 sub-paths. However, due to imperfect environmental modeling and nonlinear hardware effects, current predictions can only reach the cluster center level, i.e., the MPC level. Small movements of the UE, changes in hardware status, or slight changes in the environment can all alter these sub-paths within a cluster.

[0211] As can be seen from the above process, the current implementation can only predict MPCs and treat these paths as cluster centers. However, the current implementation can only determine cluster centers based on macroscopic measurement information, which may lead to inaccurate determination of cluster centers due to measurement inaccuracies.

[0212] Therefore, in the case of multiple virtual paths existing between different communication devices, how to improve the accuracy of determining the cluster centers corresponding to these virtual paths in order to improve the performance of multipath prediction is a technical problem that urgently needs to be solved.

[0213] To address the aforementioned problems, this application provides a communication method and related apparatus, which will be described in detail below with reference to the accompanying drawings.

[0214] Please refer to Figure 3, which is a schematic diagram of an implementation of the communication method provided in this application. The method includes the following steps.

[0215] Optionally, in the following text, Figure 3 illustrates the method using a first communication device and other communication devices (such as a second communication device) as examples of the execution subjects of this interaction illustration, but this application does not limit the execution subjects of this interaction illustration. For example, the communication device can be a communication device (such as a terminal device or a network device), or a chip, baseband chip, modem chip, SoC chip (such as an SoC chip containing a modem core), SIP chip, communication module, chip system, processor, logic module, or software in the communication device.

[0216] As an example, the first communication device can be a terminal device and the second communication device can be a network device.

[0217] As another example, the first communication device can be a network device, and the second communication device can be a terminal device.

[0218] As another example, both the first and second communication devices are network devices.

[0219] Optionally, the aforementioned network equipment may be access network equipment or ORAN equipment (including at least one of O-CU, O-DU, and O-RU).

[0220] As another example, both the first and second communication devices are terminal devices, meaning that the scheme shown in Figure 3 can be applied to side link communication scenarios.

[0221] S301. The first communication device acquires first multipath information. The first multipath information indicates path information for N paths between the first communication device and the second communication device, where N is a positive integer.

[0222] S302. The first communication device acquires first channel information between itself and the second communication device. The first channel information is related to the measurement result of the first reference signal.

[0223] S303. The first communication device determines second multipath information, which is related to the first multipath information and the first channel information, for example, the second multipath information is determined based on the first multipath information and the first channel information. The second multipath information indicates path information for P paths between the first communication device and the second communication device, where P is a positive integer.

[0224] Optionally, the aforementioned second multipath information is predicted / simulated based on the first multipath information and the first channel information. The aforementioned sub-path may not actually exist; therefore, the sub-path can be called a virtual path. For example, a path containing one or more sub-paths can be replaced by: a cluster center containing one or more virtual paths (i.e., the aforementioned sub-path can be a virtual path, and the aforementioned path can be a cluster center), or a joint path containing one or more paths (i.e., the aforementioned sub-path can be a path, and the aforementioned path can be a joint path).

[0225] Optionally, the first communication device may acquire the first channel information in a variety of ways.

[0226] For example, after receiving a first reference signal from a second communication device, the first communication device may determine the first channel information based on the measurement result of the first reference signal.

[0227] For example, after receiving a first reference signal from a first communication device, the second communication device can determine the first channel information based on the measurement result of the first reference signal, and then send the first channel information to the first communication device.

[0228] For example, after receiving a first reference signal from the first communication device, the second communication device can perform a measurement based on the first reference signal to obtain a measurement result, and then send the measurement result to the first communication device, so that the first communication device can determine the first channel information based on the measurement result.

[0229] Based on the scheme shown in Figure 3, the first multipath information acquired by the first communication device in step S301 is used to indicate the path information of N paths between the first and second communication devices. The first channel information acquired by the first communication device in step S302 is used to indicate the first channel information determined based on the measurement results of the first reference signal. Subsequently, in step S303, the second multipath information determined by the first communication device based on the first multipath information and the first channel information can be used to indicate the path information of P paths between the first and second communication devices. Compared to the first multipath information indicating the path information of N paths, the second multipath information can recombine the sub-paths included in the N paths based on the measured first channel information to obtain multipath information that matches the first channel information, thereby improving the performance of multipath prediction.

[0230] In one possible implementation, in step S303, the process of the first communication device determining the second multipath information includes: after determining a set of subpaths based on the first multipath information, the first communication device determines the second multipath information based on the set of subpaths and the first channel information; wherein the first information indicates the parameters used to determine the second multipath information. In other words, during the process of the first communication device determining the second multipath information, the first communication device can obtain the set of subpaths corresponding to the first multipath information based on the first multipath information (for example, the first communication device initializes the subpaths (or virtual paths) of the N paths indicated by the first multipath information to obtain the set of subpaths), and determine the P paths included in the second multipath information through the set of subpaths and the first channel information, so as to recombine the subpaths included in the set of subpaths with the measured first channel information to obtain P paths matching the first channel information, thereby improving the performance of multipath prediction.

[0231] Optionally, in the above process, during the determination of the second multipath information by the first communication device based on the subpath set and the first channel information, the first communication device determines the second multipath information based on the first information, the subpath set, and the first channel information. The first information indicates parameters used to determine the second multipath information. For example, the first information includes at least one of the following: parameters indicating subpath merging conditions, parameters indicating path selection conditions, or parameters indicating subpath merging methods. Therefore, during the determination of the second multipath information by the first communication device, the basis for determining the second multipath information includes not only the first multipath information and the first channel information, but also the parameters indicated by the first information. Thus, the first communication device can determine the second multipath information based on the parameters indicated by the first information, reducing implementation complexity and enabling rapid determination of the second multipath information.

[0232] Optionally, P paths correspond to the aforementioned set of sub-paths. P paths include the i-th path, which includes one or more sub-paths in the set of sub-paths. The path information of the i-th path is used to indicate the path information of the combination of one or more sub-paths contained in the i-th path.

[0233] Optionally, N paths correspond to a set of sub-paths. This set of sub-paths may be completely identical to or partially identical to the set of sub-paths corresponding to P paths. For example, if the first communication device recombines the set of sub-paths corresponding to N paths to obtain multiple paths, and then selects P paths based on the parameters of the selection criteria for the indicator path, the set of sub-paths corresponding to the N paths is the same as the set of sub-paths corresponding to the P paths. Alternatively, if the first communication device selects some of the multiple paths as P paths based on the parameters of the selection criteria for the indicator path, the set of sub-paths corresponding to the N paths is different from the set of sub-paths corresponding to the P paths; that is, the set of sub-paths corresponding to the P paths is a subset of the set of sub-paths corresponding to the N paths.

[0234] Optionally, the N paths correspond to a set of sub-paths, which can be understood as the set of sub-paths containing N combinations of sub-paths, each combination of sub-paths containing one or more sub-paths. The path information of the nth path (n takes the value from 1 to N) in the N paths indicates the path information of the nth sub-path combination in the N sub-path combinations containing one or more combined sub-paths, or the path information of the nth path in the N paths indicates the combined path formed by the nth sub-path combination in the N sub-path combinations containing one or more combined sub-paths.

[0235] Similarly, in the above scheme, P paths can correspond to a set of sub-paths, that is, the set of sub-paths contains P combinations of sub-paths, each combination of sub-paths contains one or more sub-paths, the path information of the p-th path (p takes values ​​from 1 to P) in the P paths indicates the path information of the p-th sub-path combination in the P sub-path combinations containing one or more combined sub-paths, or, the path information of the p-th path in the P paths indicates the combined path formed by the p-th sub-path combination in the P sub-path combinations containing one or more combined sub-paths.

[0236] Optionally, the P paths indicated by the second multipath information can be obtained by recombining the sub-paths contained in the N paths based on the measured first channel information. In other words, P is not equal to N; and / or, there exists at least one p and one n, where the path information of the p-th path in the P paths is different from the path information of the n-th path in the N paths.

[0237] For example, the nth path among the aforementioned N paths may include M. n (M n (where M is a positive integer) Sub-diameters, that is, the total number of sub-diameters contained in N diameters can be expressed as K (K = M1 + M2 + ... + M...). N For each N paths, the total number of sub-paths in the set of sub-paths can be represented as K (K = M1 + M2 + ... + M...). NSub-paths. Accordingly, the aforementioned first multipath information can indicate the path information of each of the N paths, and each of the N paths contains one or more sub-paths from the K sub-paths, that is, the aforementioned first multipath information can indicate the path information of the combination of one or more sub-paths from the K sub-paths.

[0238] Similarly, the second multipath information described above can indicate the path information of each of the P paths, where the p-th path of the P paths can contain Q. p (Q p (where Q is a positive integer) Sub-diameter, that is, the total number of sub-diameters contained in P-diameter can be expressed as L (L=Q1+Q2+...+Q P For a given P-line diameter, the total number of sub-diameters contained in the set of sub-diameters can be expressed as L (L = Q1 + Q2 + ... + Q). P ) Sub-paths. Accordingly, the aforementioned second multipath information can indicate the path information of each path in P paths, and each path in P paths contains one or more sub-paths in L sub-paths, that is, the aforementioned second multipath information can indicate the path information of the combination of one or more sub-paths in L sub-paths.

[0239] In the example above, Q p With M n (For example, Q1 and M1, Q2 and M2, etc.) may be the same or different; furthermore, N The value of and the value of P may be the same or different.

[0240] Optionally, in step S303, the first communication device can process the first multipath information and the first channel information (optionally including the first information) through the third model to obtain the second multipath information.

[0241] Optionally, the model involved in this application (e.g., the third model, the first model or the second model described below, etc.) can be implemented in various ways, such as mathematical models, artificial intelligence (AI) models, neural network models, AI neural network models, machine learning models, or AI processing models, etc.

[0242] As an example, as shown in Figure 4a, in step S303 above, the process by which the first communication device determines the second multipath information includes: the first communication device can obtain the second multipath information through processing by a third model. For example, the input of the third model may include the first multipath information and the first channel information (optionally including the first information), and the output of the third model may include the second multipath information, which may indicate the path information of P paths.

[0243] As an example, as shown in Figure 4b, the third model may include the module shown in Figure 4b to determine the second multipath information. The modules included in the third model may be the initialization module and the time-frequency domain conversion module shown in the figure.

[0244] The input to the time-frequency domain conversion module may include at least time-domain channel information (optionally, the input to the first model may also include the parameters used to determine the second multipath information), and the output of the first model may include frequency-domain channel information. For example, the time-domain channel information may indicate the channel impulse response (CIR), and the multipath information (e.g., initialized path information obtained based on the first multipath information, which indicates the path information of the subpaths contained in each of the N paths, i.e., the path information of the set of subpaths corresponding to the N paths mentioned above) may be an implementation example of CIR; the frequency-domain channel information may indicate the channel frequency response (CFR), and the third channel information in the figure may be an implementation example of CFR.

[0245] In Figure 4b, the input to the third model may include first multipath information and first channel information (optionally, it may also include parameters for determining the second multipath information), and the output of the second model may include the second multipath information.

[0246] In Figure 4b, the input of the initialization module includes first multipath information, and the output includes initialized path information, which is used to indicate the path information of the sub-paths contained in each of the N paths; and the input of the initialization module may also include a loss (LOSS) parameter, which is used to perform one or more iterations on the initialized path information to obtain second multipath information.

[0247] In Figure 4b, the input to the time-frequency domain conversion module includes initialized path information (optionally also including parameters for determining the second multipath information), and the output includes third channel information; wherein, the third channel information and the LOSS parameters determined by the first channel information are used for the iteration of the initialization module. For example, the initialized path information input to the time-frequency domain conversion module can be the path information of a set of sub-paths corresponding to N paths, and the parameters for determining the second multipath information can process the set of sub-paths corresponding to the N paths to obtain another set of sub-paths (e.g., a set of sub-paths corresponding to P paths), and the path information of this other set of sub-paths is used to determine the third channel information.

[0248] For example, if the parameters used to determine the second multipath information include parameters indicating the merging conditions of subpaths, the time-frequency domain conversion module can merge the subpaths contained in the subpath set corresponding to the N paths based on the conditions indicated by the parameters to obtain the other subpath set mentioned above.

[0249] For example, if the parameters used to determine the second multipath information include parameters indicating the selection conditions of the path, the time-frequency domain conversion module can merge the sub-paths contained in the sub-path set corresponding to the N paths, and then select the merged path based on the conditions indicated by the parameter to obtain the aforementioned other sub-path set.

[0250] For example, if the parameters used to determine the second multipath information include parameters indicating the merging method of subpaths, the time-frequency domain conversion module can merge the subpaths contained in the subpath set corresponding to the N paths based on the conditions indicated by the parameters to obtain the other subpath set mentioned above.

[0251] Optionally, the number of iterations of the initialization module can be pre-configured or pre-defined, or the iteration end condition (or termination condition) of the initialization module can be determined by pre-configured or pre-defined condition parameters, or the iteration end condition (or termination condition) of the initialization module can be configured condition parameters (e.g., indicated by parameters used to determine the second multipath information).

[0252] For example, in Figure 4b, the first communication device can be initialized based on N paths indicated by the input first multipath information. The result of the initialization is the initialized path information, which can contain N path information, and the i-th path information can contain M... i (M i The number of sub-paths (where M is a positive integer) represents the number of sub-paths indicated by the initialized path information, which can be M1 + M2 + ... + M. N Afterwards, the initialized path information is input into the time-frequency domain conversion module to obtain the reconstructed channel (i.e., the third channel information). Then, the LOSS parameter is calculated using the third channel information and the first channel information. Based on the gradient information determined by the LOSS parameter, the initialized sub-path parameter is updated through gradient backpropagation and gradient descent. This process is repeated once or multiple times. After the iteration is completed, the second multipath information is obtained.

[0253] Optionally, the parameters used to determine the second multipath information include at least one of the following: parameters indicating the merging conditions of sub-paths (for example), parameters indicating the selection conditions of paths, or parameters indicating the merging method of sub-paths. In other words, the input of the time-frequency domain conversion module in FIG4b may include at least one of these parameters.

[0254] As an example, based on a parameter (denoted as parameter 1) indicating the merging condition of sub-paths, the time-frequency domain conversion module can merge multiple sub-paths contained in the initialized path information according to this merging condition to obtain a merging result that conforms to the parameter. For example, parameter 1 can indicate angular deviation, that is, this parameter can indicate how many angular deviations of sub-paths can be merged into one path (or, this parameter 1 can indicate how many angular deviations of paths can be merged into one cluster center). As another example, parameter 1 can indicate time delay deviation, that is, this parameter 1 can indicate how many time delay deviations of sub-paths can be merged into one path (this parameter can indicate how many time delay deviations of paths can be merged into one cluster center).

[0255] As another example, based on the parameter indicating the selection criteria for sub-paths (denoted as parameter 2), the time-frequency domain conversion module can select multiple sub-paths contained in the initialized path information based on this selection criterion to obtain a merging result that meets the parameter. For example, parameter 2 indicates that there may be many cluster centers after merging. In this case, a portion can be selected according to certain rules to be fed back to the second communication device, reducing feedback overhead. For example, parameter 2 indicates sub-paths / paths / cluster centers whose feedback is weaker than the strongest cluster center by a certain number of dB (e.g., 10dB, 20dB, etc.), or feedback can be based on the number of sub-paths / paths / cluster centers, such as parameter 2 indicating the strongest feedback of a certain number (e.g., 100, 200, etc.).

[0256] As another example, based on the parameter indicating the merging method of subpaths (denoted as parameter 3), the time-frequency domain conversion module can merge multiple subpaths contained in the initialized path information according to this merging method to obtain a merging result that conforms to the parameter. For example, parameter 3 can indicate that merging is performed using a power summation method, that is, when the merged multipaths form a cluster center, the power of the cluster center is the sum of the powers of the merged multipaths. As another example, parameter 3 can indicate that merging is performed using a delay averaging method, that is, when the merged multipaths form a cluster center, the delay of the cluster center is the average delay of the multipaths.

[0257] Optionally, in addition to the parameters mentioned above, other parameters may also be included in the parameters used to determine the second multipath information.

[0258] For example, the parameters used to determine the second multipath information may also include parameter 4, which can indicate a regularization parameter. When updating the virtual path, the loss between the reconstructed CFR and the measured CFR is calculated, and a regularization parameter for the CFR can be introduced at this time (for example, this regularization parameter can be the parameter used by the time-frequency domain transformation module in Figure 4b). For example, in cluster center search, the purpose of introducing a regularization parameter is to introduce regularization during loss calculation, so that the initial predicted paths cluster together as much as possible when updated through gradient descent. Therefore, the regularization parameter can be one or more of the angle, delay, or power of the path. Optionally, the regularization parameter includes regularization weights.

[0259] For example, the parameters used to determine the second multipath information may also include parameter 5, which can be used to determine the termination condition. When updating the initial predicted path, the first communication device needs to know the termination condition (e.g., the number of iterations mentioned in Figure 4b above). Accordingly, the first information can indicate the termination condition, for example, stopping when a preset number of update rounds is reached, or stopping when a preset correlation is reached when reconstructing the channel using the updated initial predicted path.

[0260] In one possible implementation, the method shown in Figure 3 further includes:

[0261] S300. The second communication device sends the first information, and correspondingly, the first communication device receives the first information.

[0262] Thus, the first communication device can receive the first information, enabling it to determine the second multipath information based on the parameters specified by the second communication device, thereby improving the performance of multipath prediction.

[0263] Optionally, the first information mentioned above may be pre-configured or pre-defined, or the parameters used to determine the second multipath information may be pre-configured or pre-defined.

[0264] In one possible implementation, the method shown in Figure 3 further includes: the first communication device receiving at least one of the following:

[0265] The first indication information indicates the resources of the first reference signal. For example, the first indication information may indicate at least one of time-domain resources, frequency-domain resources, spatial-domain resources, pilot resource density, and pattern. Taking the first indication information indicating a pattern as an example, after the first communication device determines the pattern of the resources based on the first indication information, it can estimate the channel at the corresponding resource location based on the pattern to obtain the first channel information.

[0266] Optionally, when confirming the resource pattern, the second communication device can first obtain the predicted cluster center based on the location of the first communication device and the multipath prediction model, and then obtain the pattern of the first reference signal based on the parameters of the cluster center. For example, when the time delay spread of the cluster center corresponding to the first multipath information is large (e.g., greater than a certain threshold), the pilot density of the first reference signal in the frequency domain is increased through the first indication information; when the angular spread of the cluster center corresponding to the first multipath information is large, the pilot density of the first reference signal in the spatial domain is increased through the first indication information.

[0267] The second instruction information indicates the model for acquiring the first multipath information (e.g., the second model described later). For example, if the first and second communication devices need to align cluster centers, the second communication device can use the second instruction information to indicate the identifier of the multipath prediction model used to generate the first multipath information, or the second communication device can directly send the first multipath information to the first communication device.

[0268] Therefore, the first communication device can also, based on receiving at least one of the above, enable the first communication device to determine the second multipath information based on specified resources and / or specified models, so as to improve the performance of multipath prediction.

[0269] Optionally, the first instruction information and / or the second instruction information may be included in the first information to reduce overhead. Alternatively, the first instruction information and / or the second instruction information may be included in other information / messages / signaling outside of the first information.

[0270] Optionally, the resources for the first reference signal can be pre-configured or pre-defined.

[0271] Optionally, the model for the first multipath information can be pre-configured or predefined.

[0272] In one possible implementation, the method shown in Figure 3 further includes:

[0273] S304. The first communication device sends second information, and correspondingly, the second communication device receives the second information. The second information indicates the second multipath information.

[0274] Therefore, the first communication device can also send second information indicating the second multipath information, so that the second communication device can obtain the second multipath information. Subsequently, the second communication device can update the model used for multipath prediction (e.g., model fine-tuning, model training, etc.) based on the second multipath information to improve the multipath prediction performance of the model.

[0275] In one possible implementation, the second multipath information includes at least one of the following:

[0276] The third indication information indicates that the number of paths corresponding to the first multipath information is N;

[0277] The fourth indication information indicates that the number of paths corresponding to the second multipath information is P;

[0278] The fifth indication information indicates at least one of the following: time delay, angle, or power of the N paths;

[0279] The sixth indication information indicates at least one of the following: time delay, angle, or power of the P-strip.

[0280] The seventh indication information indicates the correlation between the channel information determined based on the second multipath information and the first channel information.

[0281] Optionally, the correlation involved in this application can be characterized by parameters such as mean square error (MSE), normalized mean square error (NMSE), or cosine similarity. For example, the aforementioned seventh indication information can indicate one or more of the MSE, NMSE, or cosine similarity between the channel information determined based on the second multipath information and the first channel information.

[0282] Therefore, the second multipath information can include at least one of the above-mentioned information to improve the flexibility of the solution implementation.

[0283] In one possible implementation, the aforementioned second multipath information is used to determine the parameters for updating the first model, which is used for multipath prediction. Accordingly, the method shown in Figure 3 further includes:

[0284] S305. The second communication device sends a third message, and correspondingly, the first communication device receives the third message. The third message indicates an update to the parameters of the first model.

[0285] Thus, the second communication device can determine the parameters for updating the first model based on the second multipath information, and the second communication device can send third information to the first communication device indicating the parameters for updating the first model, so that the first communication device can update the first model based on the parameters (e.g., model fine-tuning, model training, etc.) to improve the multipath prediction performance of the model.

[0286] Optionally, the first multipath information can be determined by a second model used for multipath prediction. The first and second models can be the same model or different models; this is not limited here.

[0287] For example, taking the first communication device as UE, the second communication device as BS, and the UE side deploying a cluster center search module (i.e., the third model) as an example.

[0288] 1. First, the BS needs to issue the configuration of the cluster center search module (such as the first information above).

[0289] 2. After receiving the configuration information, the UE searches and reconstructs the multipath of the channel based on the channel measurement results, and merges these multipaths to obtain the cluster center.

[0290] 3. The UE feeds back the cluster center parameters and the final performance achieved (such as the second information mentioned above) to the BS.

[0291] 4. BS evaluates the spatial consistency of the received cluster centers.

[0292] 5.BS updates the cluster center map.

[0293] 6.BS uses cluster center map data to fine-tune the multipath prediction model.

[0294] 7. The BS sends the updated multipath prediction model to the UE (e.g., the third information mentioned above).

[0295] In one possible implementation, the method shown in Figure 3 further includes:

[0296] S306. The second communication device sends a fourth message, and correspondingly, the first communication device receives the fourth message. The fourth message indicates the consistency information between the second multipath information and the tag data.

[0297] Therefore, the first communication device can determine the consistency information between the second multipath information and the tag data through the received fourth information, so that the first communication device can determine the multipath prediction performance of the second multipath information based on the consistency information, which is beneficial for the first communication device to optimize the multipath prediction performance based on the performance (for example, the first communication device updates the first multipath information, the second multipath information, etc. based on the performance).

[0298] For example, taking the first communication device as the UE and the second communication device as the BS, cluster centers should have spatial consistency; that is, overall, UEs that are closer together should have more similar cluster centers. To ensure the spatial consistency of the fine-tuning data, a spatial consistency assessment is performed on the cluster centers reported by the UE. For example, the BS assesses the spatial consistency of the new cluster centers reported by the UE in its stored cluster center map, and the assessment result is issued as an instruction.

[0299] Optional: Spatial consistency indicators (such as the consistency information indicated in the fourth information above) may include:

[0300] Spatial consistency index 1: Correlation index. The similarity between historical data in different spaces and in the cluster center map should be positively correlated with spatial distance.

[0301] Spatial Consistency Index 2: Confidence Index. Based on historical data in the cluster center map, this index provides the confidence level of the current cluster center.

[0302] Spatial consistency value 1: correlation 0.3 (low) or 0.9 (high).

[0303] Spatial consistency value 2: confidence level 0.3 (lower) or 0.9 (higher).

[0304] For example, when spatial consistency is low, the BS can instruct the UE to re-search for the cluster center, and at the same time increase the placement density of pilots so that the UE can obtain a more accurate cluster center when performing a second search.

[0305] For example, when the spatial consistency assessment results reach a preset threshold, BS writes the new cluster center into the cluster center map (e.g., the path map mentioned later).

[0306] Optionally, the consistency information indicates low consistency between the second multipath information and the tag data. The method further includes: the first communication device acquiring second channel information between itself and the second communication device, the second channel information being used to update the second multipath information; wherein the channel dimension of the second channel information is greater than the channel dimension of the first channel information. Therefore, when the consistency information indicated by the fourth information indicates low consistency between the second multipath information and the tag data, the first communication device can update the second multipath information using the second channel information to obtain updated second multipath information.

[0307] Furthermore, the channel dimension corresponding to the second channel information is greater than that corresponding to the first channel information, meaning that the pilot density of the former is greater than that of the latter. This allows for obtaining more accurate updated second path information through channel information with a larger channel dimension, which can further improve the performance of multipath prediction.

[0308] Optionally, the method shown in Figure 3 further includes:

[0309] S307. The first communication device sends fifth information, and correspondingly, the second communication device receives the fifth information. This fifth information is used to indicate the updated second multipath information. For example, the receiver of the fifth information can obtain more accurate updated second path information and further improve the performance of multipath prediction through the updated second path information.

[0310] Optionally, the channel dimension represented by the channel information may include one or more dimensions such as a spatial dimension, a frequency domain dimension, and a time domain dimension. Generally, the spatial dimension may include the dimension of the antenna port of the signal transmitter (i.e., the transmit antenna dimension) and the dimension of the antenna port of the signal receiver (i.e., the receive antenna dimension). In this application, the channel dimension represented by the channel information includes three channel dimensions as an example: one channel dimension is represented as T or T1, another channel dimension is represented as R or R1, and another channel dimension is represented as F or F1.

[0311] The channel dimension will be described below with some examples.

[0312] For example, the channel dimension represented by the first channel information is [T1, R1, F1], and the channel dimension represented by the second channel information is [T, R, F]. The channel dimension corresponding to the second channel information is greater than the channel dimension corresponding to the first channel information, satisfying at least one of the following: T is greater than T1, R is greater than R1, and F is greater than F1. Therefore, the first communication device can obtain the second channel information with a higher channel dimension based on the first channel information with a lower channel dimension, and the first channel information with a lower channel dimension is determined by a first reference signal. Thus, the first communication device can obtain the higher-dimensional channel information based on the lower-dimensional channel information determined by the reference signal through the above processing, thereby reducing the overhead of the reference signal, improving resource utilization, and reducing the power consumption of the terminal device.

[0313] In one implementation example, the spatial transmission process of the reference signal includes the process of the antenna port of the signal transmitting end transmitting the reference signal and the process of the antenna port of the signal receiving end receiving the reference signal. That is, the dimension of the channel information in the spatial domain can correspond to the transmitting and receiving ports of the reference signal. In other words, the dimension of the reference signal in the spatial domain can be represented as [T, R, F], where T (or T1) represents the antenna port of the signal transmitting end, and R (or R1) represents the antenna port of the signal receiving end. In other words, T greater than T1 can be understood as: the number of antenna ports of the signal transmitting end represented by the second channel information is greater than the number of antenna ports of the signal transmitting end represented by the first channel information; R greater than R1 can be understood as: the number of antenna ports of the signal receiving end represented by the second channel information is greater than the number of antenna ports of the signal receiving end represented by the first channel information.

[0314] In another implementation example, during the transmission and reception of the reference signal, the dimension of the reference signal in the frequency domain can correspond to the frequency domain resources carrying the reference signal. In other words, the dimension of the reference signal in the frequency domain can be represented as [F] in [T, R, F], where F (or F1) represents the frequency domain resources carrying the reference signal (e.g., one or more frequency domain units contained in the frequency domain resources). In other words, F greater than F1 can be understood as: the number of frequency domain units contained in the frequency domain resources represented by the second channel information is greater than the number of frequency domain units contained in the frequency domain resources represented by the first channel information.

[0315] Optionally, the aforementioned consistency information is used to indicate correlation, confidence level, or at least one other parameter used to characterize consistency information.

[0316] In one possible implementation, the second multipath information is used to determine path map information, which indicates path information between the second communication device and communication devices at one or more locations. Thus, the second multipath information can be used to determine path map information, and this path map information indicates path information between the second communication device and communication devices at one or more locations. In this way, subsequent users of the path map information can quickly obtain the path information of each communication device through the path map information, thereby improving the performance of multipath prediction.

[0317] Optionally, the path map information can be replaced with other descriptions, such as path map, cluster center map, or cluster center map information.

[0318] Optionally, the one or more locations include a first location; the path map information is used at least to indicate first path information between the second communication device and the communication device at the first location; wherein the first path information includes at least one of the following: the second multipath information, the first multipath information, the parameters used to determine the second multipath information, the correlation between channel information determined based on the second multipath information and the first channel information, or, consistency information between the second multipath information and tag data.

[0319] Optionally, the one or more locations include a second location, and the path information between the second communication device and the communication device at the second location is second path information; wherein, the path map information is further used to indicate the second path information, or, the path map information is further used to indicate the deviation information between the second path information and the first path information.

[0320] Optionally, the location of the first communication device can be the first location or the second location mentioned above, or any one of the above locations, without limitation.

[0321] For example, taking the first communication device as the UE and the second communication device as the BS, the BS can maintain a cluster center map locally. The cluster center map refers to:

[0322] 1. Record cluster center parameters and related parameters at any point or region on the map.

[0323] 2. By continuously performing channel measurements and cluster center searches, the BS and UE can update the cluster center map, making the map increasingly detailed and accurate.

[0324] 3. Record the spatial consistency assessment results of each data point in the map. For data with low confidence, prioritize secondary or multiple searches and updates.

[0325] Optionally, cluster center maps can be implemented using tables, formulas, indexes, etc.

[0326] As an example, as shown in Figure 4c, cluster center maps can be nested. For instance, the rectangular region in the figure includes region A, region B, and region C. Region B includes regions BA and BB. Using a table as an example, a cluster center map can be implemented as shown in Table 2 below.

[0327] Table 2

[0328] Referring to Figure 5, this application embodiment provides a communication device 500. This communication device 500 can implement the functions of the first communication device (or second communication device) in the above method embodiments, and therefore can also achieve the beneficial effects of the above method embodiments. In this application embodiment, the communication device 500 can be the first communication device (or the second communication device), or it can be an integrated circuit or component inside the first communication device (or the second communication device), such as a chip, baseband chip, modem chip, SoC chip (e.g., an SoC chip containing a modem core), SIP chip, communication module, chip system, processor, etc.

[0329] Optionally, the transceiver unit 502 may include a transmitting unit and a receiving unit, which are used to perform transmitting and receiving respectively.

[0330] In one possible implementation, when the device 500 is used to execute the method performed by the first communication device in the preceding embodiments, the device 500 includes a processing unit 501; the processing unit 501 is used to acquire first multipath information, which indicates path information of N paths between the first communication device and the second communication device, where N is a positive integer; the processing unit 501 is also used to acquire first channel information between the first communication device and the second communication device, which is related to the measurement result of a first reference signal, for example, the first channel information is determined based on the measurement result of the first reference signal; the processing unit 501 is also used to determine second multipath information based on the first multipath information and the first channel information; wherein the second multipath information indicates path information of P paths between the first communication device and the second communication device, where P is a positive integer.

[0331] In one possible implementation, when the device 500 is used to execute the method performed by the second communication device in the preceding embodiments, the device 500 includes a processing unit 501 and a transceiver unit 502; the processing unit 501 is used to determine first information, the first information indicating parameters for determining second multipath information; the transceiver unit 502 is used to transmit the first information, wherein the first information, the first multipath information, and the first channel information are related to the second multipath information, for example, the first information, the first multipath information, and the first channel information are used to determine the second multipath information; wherein the first multipath information indicates path information of N paths between the first communication device and the second communication device, where N is a positive integer; the first channel information indicates path information between the first communication device and the second communication device, the first channel information being related to the measurement result of a first reference signal, for example, the first channel information being determined based on the measurement result of the first reference signal; the second multipath information indicates path information of P paths between the first communication device and the second communication device, where P is a positive integer.

[0332] In one possible implementation, when the device 500 is used to execute the method performed by the second communication device in the preceding embodiments, the device 500 includes a transceiver unit 502; the transceiver unit 502 is used to receive second information, the second information indicating second multipath information, the second multipath information being related to first multipath information and first channel information; wherein, the first multipath information indicates path information of N paths between the first communication device and the second communication device, where N is a positive integer; the first channel information indicates path information between the first communication device and the second communication device, the first channel information being related to the measurement result of a first reference signal, for example, the first channel information being determined based on the measurement result of the first reference signal; the second multipath information indicates path information of P paths between the first communication device and the second communication device, where P is a positive integer.

[0333] In one possible design, when the communication device 500 is a terminal device or a communication module within a terminal, the functionality of the processing unit 501 can be implemented by one or more processors. Specifically, the processor may include a modem chip, a SoC chip (such as a SoC chip containing a modem core), or a SIP chip. The functionality of the transceiver unit 502 can be implemented by transceiver circuitry.

[0334] In one possible design, when the communication device 500 is a circuit or chip in a terminal responsible for communication functions, such as a modem chip, a SoC chip, or a SoC chip or SIP chip containing a modem core, the function of the processing unit 501 can be implemented by a circuit system in the aforementioned chip that includes one or more processors or processor cores. The function of the transceiver unit 502 can be implemented by the interface circuitry or data transceiver circuitry on the aforementioned chip.

[0335] Optionally, the information execution process of the unit of the above-mentioned communication device 500 can be specifically referred to in the description of the method embodiment shown above in this application, and will not be repeated here.

[0336] Please refer to Figure 6, which is another schematic structural diagram of the communication device 600 provided in this application. The communication device 600 includes a logic circuit 601 and an input / output interface 602. The communication device 600 can be a chip or an integrated circuit.

[0337] In Figure 5, the transceiver unit 502 can be a communication interface, which can be the input / output interface 602 in Figure 6, and the input / output interface 602 can include an input interface and an output interface. Alternatively, the communication interface can also be a transceiver circuit, which can include an input interface circuit and an output interface circuit.

[0338] In one possible implementation, when the device 600 is used to execute the method performed by the first communication device in the preceding embodiments, the logic circuit 601 is used to acquire first multipath information, which indicates path information of N paths between the first communication device and the second communication device, where N is a positive integer; the logic circuit 601 is also used to acquire first channel information between the first communication device and the second communication device, which is related to the measurement result of a first reference signal, for example, the first channel information is determined based on the measurement result of the first reference signal; the logic circuit 601 is also used to determine second multipath information based on the first multipath information and the first channel information; wherein, the second multipath information indicates path information of P paths between the first communication device and the second communication device, where P is a positive integer.

[0339] In one possible implementation, when the device 600 is used to execute the method performed by the second communication device in the preceding embodiments, the logic circuit 601 is used to determine first information, which indicates parameters for determining second multipath information; the input / output interface 602 is used to send the first information, wherein the first information, the first multipath information, and the first channel information are related to the second multipath information, for example, the first information, the first multipath information, and the first channel information are used to determine the second multipath information; wherein the first multipath information indicates path information of N paths between the first communication device and the second communication device, where N is a positive integer; the first channel information indicates path information between the first communication device and the second communication device, which is related to the measurement result of the first reference signal, for example, the first channel information is determined based on the measurement result of the first reference signal; the second multipath information indicates path information of P paths between the first communication device and the second communication device, where P is a positive integer.

[0340] In one possible implementation, when the device 600 is used to execute the method performed by the second communication device in the preceding embodiments, the input / output interface 602 is used to receive second information, which indicates second multipath information related to first multipath information and first channel information; wherein, the first multipath information indicates path information of N paths between the first communication device and the second communication device, where N is a positive integer; the first channel information indicates path information between the first communication device and the second communication device, which is related to the measurement result of the first reference signal, for example, the first channel information is determined based on the measurement result of the first reference signal; the second multipath information indicates path information of P paths between the first communication device and the second communication device, where P is a positive integer.

[0341] The logic circuit 601 and the input / output interface 602 can also perform other steps performed by the first or second communication device in any embodiment and achieve corresponding beneficial effects, which will not be elaborated here.

[0342] In one possible implementation, the processing unit 501 shown in FIG5 can be the logic circuit 601 in FIG6.

[0343] Optionally, the logic circuit 601 can be a processing device, the functions of which can be partially or entirely implemented in software.

[0344] Optionally, the processing apparatus may include a memory and a processor, wherein the memory is used to store a computer program, and the processor reads and executes the computer program stored in the memory to perform the corresponding processing and / or steps in any of the method embodiments.

[0345] Optionally, the processing device may consist of only a processor. A memory for storing computer programs is located outside the processing device, and the processor is connected to the memory via circuitry / wires to read and execute the computer programs stored in the memory. The memory and processor may be integrated together or physically independent of each other.

[0346] Optionally, the processing device may be one or more chips, or one or more integrated circuits. For example, the processing device may be one or more field-programmable gate arrays (FPGAs), application-specific integrated circuits (ASICs), system-on-chips (SoCs), central processing units (CPUs), network processors (NPs), digital signal processors (DSPs), microcontroller units (MCUs), programmable logic devices (PLDs), or other integrated chips, or any combination of the above chips or processors.

[0347] Please refer to Figure 7, which shows the communication device 700 involved in the above embodiments provided in the embodiments of this application. Specifically, the communication device 700 can be the communication device as a terminal device in the above embodiments. The example shown in Figure 7 is that the terminal device is implemented through the terminal device (or the components in the terminal device).

[0348] The present invention provides a possible logical structure diagram of the communication device 700, which may include, but is not limited to, at least one processor 701 and a communication port 702.

[0349] In Figure 5, the transceiver unit 502 can be a communication interface, which can be the communication port 702 in Figure 7. The communication port 702 can include an input interface and an output interface. Alternatively, the communication port 702 can also be a transceiver circuit, which can include an input interface circuit and an output interface circuit.

[0350] Further optionally, the device may also include at least one of a memory 703 and a bus 704. In the embodiments of this application, the at least one processor 701 is used to control the operation of the communication device 700.

[0351] Furthermore, the processor 701 can be a central processing unit, a general-purpose processor, a digital signal processor, an application-specific integrated circuit, a field-programmable gate array, or other programmable logic devices, transistor logic devices, hardware components, or any combination thereof. It can implement or execute the various exemplary logic blocks, modules, and circuits described in conjunction with the disclosure of this application. The processor can also be a combination that implements computing functions, such as a combination of one or more microprocessors, a combination of a digital signal processor and a microprocessor, etc. Those skilled in the art will clearly understand that, for the sake of convenience and brevity, the specific working processes of the systems, devices, and units described above can be referred to the corresponding processes in the foregoing method embodiments, and will not be repeated here.

[0352] Optionally, the communication device 700 shown in FIG7 can be used to implement the steps implemented by the terminal device in the aforementioned method embodiments and to achieve the corresponding technical effects of the terminal device. The specific implementation of the communication device shown in FIG7 can be referred to the description in the aforementioned method embodiments, and will not be repeated here.

[0353] Please refer to Figure 8, which is a structural schematic diagram of the communication device 800 involved in the above embodiments provided in the embodiments of this application. Specifically, the communication device 800 can be a communication device as a network device in the above embodiments. The example shown in Figure 8 is that the network device is implemented through a network device (or a component in the network device). The structure of the communication device can be referred to the structure shown in Figure 8.

[0354] The communication device 800 includes at least one processor 811 and at least one network interface 814. Optionally, the communication device further includes at least one memory 812, at least one transceiver 813, and one or more antennas 815. The processor 811, memory 812, transceiver 813, and network interface 814 are connected, for example, via a bus. In this embodiment, the connection may include various interfaces, transmission lines, or buses, etc., and this embodiment is not limited thereto. The antenna 815 is connected to the transceiver 813. The network interface 814 enables the communication device to communicate with other communication devices through a communication link. For example, the network interface 814 may include a network interface between the communication device and core network equipment, such as an S1 interface, or a network interface between the communication device and other communication devices (e.g., other network devices or core network equipment), such as an X2 or Xn interface.

[0355] In Figure 5, the transceiver unit 502 can be a communication interface, which can be the network interface 814 in Figure 8. The network interface 814 can include an input interface and an output interface. Alternatively, the network interface 814 can also be a transceiver circuit, which can include an input interface circuit and an output interface circuit.

[0356] The processor 811 is primarily used to process communication protocols and communication data, control the entire communication device, execute software programs, and process data from these programs, for example, to support the actions described in the embodiments of the communication device. The communication device may include a baseband processor and a central processing unit (CPU). The baseband processor is primarily used to process communication protocols and communication data, while the CPU is primarily used to control the entire terminal device, execute software programs, and process data from these programs. The processor 811 in Figure 8 can integrate the functions of both a baseband processor and a CPU. Those skilled in the art will understand that the baseband processor and CPU can also be independent processors interconnected via technologies such as buses. Those skilled in the art will understand that a terminal device may include multiple baseband processors to adapt to different network standards, and multiple CPUs to enhance its processing capabilities. The various components of the terminal device can be connected via various buses. The baseband processor can also be described as a baseband processing circuit or a baseband processing chip. The CPU can also be described as a central processing circuit or a central processing chip. The function of processing communication protocols and communication data can be built into the processor or stored in memory as a software program, which is then executed by the processor to implement the baseband processing function.

[0357] The memory is primarily used to store software programs and data. The memory 812 can exist independently or be connected to the processor 811. Optionally, the memory 812 can be integrated with the processor 811, for example, integrated into a single chip. The memory 812 can store program code that executes the technical solutions of the embodiments of this application, and its execution is controlled by the processor 811. The various types of computer program code being executed can also be considered as drivers for the processor 811.

[0358] Figure 8 shows only one memory and one processor. In actual terminal devices, there may be multiple processors and multiple memories. Memory can also be called storage medium or storage device, etc. Memory can be a storage element on the same chip as the processor, i.e., an on-chip storage element, or it can be a separate storage element; this application does not limit this.

[0359] Transceiver 813 can be used to support the reception or transmission of radio frequency (RF) signals between a communication device and a terminal. Transceiver 813 can be connected to antenna 815. Transceiver 813 includes a transmitter Tx and a receiver Rx. Specifically, one or more antennas 815 can receive RF signals. The receiver Rx of transceiver 813 receives the RF signals from the antennas, converts the RF signals into digital baseband signals or digital intermediate frequency (IF) signals, and provides the digital baseband signals or IF signals to processor 811 so that processor 811 can perform further processing on the digital baseband signals or IF signals, such as demodulation and decoding. Furthermore, the transmitter Tx in transceiver 813 is also used to receive modulated digital baseband signals or IF signals from processor 811, convert the modulated digital baseband signals or IF signals into RF signals, and transmit the RF signals through one or more antennas 815. Specifically, the receiver Rx can selectively perform one or more stages of downmixing and analog-to-digital conversion on the radio frequency signal to obtain a digital baseband signal or a digital intermediate frequency (IF) signal. The order of these downmixing and IF conversion processes is adjustable. The transmitter Tx can selectively perform one or more stages of upmixing and digital-to-analog conversion on the modulated digital baseband signal or digital IF signal to obtain a radio frequency signal. The order of these upmixing and IF conversion processes is also adjustable. The digital baseband signal and the digital IF signal can be collectively referred to as digital signals.

[0360] The transceiver 813 can also be called a transceiver unit, transceiver, transceiver device, etc. Optionally, the device in the transceiver unit that performs the receiving function can be regarded as the receiving unit, and the device in the transceiver unit that performs the transmitting function can be regarded as the transmitting unit. That is, the transceiver unit includes a receiving unit and a transmitting unit. The receiving unit can also be called a receiver, input port, receiving circuit, etc., and the transmitting unit can be called a transmitter, transmitter, or transmitting circuit, etc.

[0361] Optionally, the communication device 800 shown in FIG8 can be used to implement the steps implemented by the network device in the aforementioned method embodiments and achieve the corresponding technical effects of the network device. The specific implementation of the communication device 800 shown in FIG8 can be referred to the description in the aforementioned method embodiments, and will not be repeated here.

[0362] Please refer to Figure 9, which is a schematic diagram of the structure of the communication device involved in the above embodiments provided in the embodiments of this application.

[0363] It is understood that the communication device 900 includes, for example, modules, units, elements, circuits, or interfaces, which are appropriately configured together to execute the technical solutions provided in this application. The communication device 900 may be the terminal device or network device described above, or a component (e.g., a chip) within these devices, used to implement the methods described in the following method embodiments. The communication device 900 includes one or more processors 901. The processor 901 may be a general-purpose processor or a dedicated processor, 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 (e.g., a RAN node, terminal, or chip), execute software programs, and process data from the software programs.

[0364] Optionally, in one design, processor 901 may include program 903 (sometimes also referred to as code or instructions), which may be executed on processor 901 to cause communication device 900 to perform the methods described in the following embodiments. In yet another possible design, communication device 900 includes circuitry (not shown in FIG9).

[0365] Optionally, the communication device 900 may include one or more memories 902 storing a program 904 (sometimes referred to as code or instructions), which can be run on the processor 901 to cause the communication device 900 to perform the methods described in the above method embodiments.

[0366] Optionally, the processor 901 and / or memory 902 may include AI modules 907 and 908, which are used to implement AI-related functions. The AI ​​modules can be implemented through software, hardware, or a combination of both. For example, the AI ​​module may include a radio intelligence control (RIC) module. For instance, the AI ​​module may be a near real-time RIC or a non-real-time RIC.

[0367] Optionally, the processor 901 and / or memory 902 may also store data. The processor and memory may be configured separately or integrated together.

[0368] Optionally, the communication device 900 may further include a transceiver 905 and / or an antenna 906. The processor 901, sometimes referred to as a processing unit, controls the communication device (e.g., a RAN node or terminal). The transceiver 905, sometimes referred to as a transceiver unit, transceiver, transceiver circuit, or transceiver, is used to implement the transmission and reception functions of the communication device via the antenna 906.

[0369] In Figure 5, the processing unit 501 can be a processor 901. The transceiver unit 502 shown in Figure 5 can be a communication interface, which can be the transceiver 905 in Figure 9. The transceiver 905 can include an input interface and an output interface. Alternatively, the transceiver 905 can also be a transceiver circuit, which can include an input interface circuit and an output interface circuit.

[0370] This application also provides a computer-readable storage medium for storing one or more computer-executable instructions. When the computer-executable instructions are executed by a computer, the computer performs the method described in the possible implementations of the first or second communication device in the foregoing embodiments.

[0371] This application also provides a computer program product (or computer program) that, when executed by a computer, allows the computer to execute the method described above for the possible implementation of the first or second communication device.

[0372] This application also provides a chip system including at least one processor for supporting a communication device in implementing the functions involved in the possible implementations of the communication device described above. Optionally, the chip system further includes an interface circuit that provides program instructions and / or data to the at least one processor. In one possible design, the chip system may also include a memory for storing the program instructions and data necessary for the communication device. The chip system may be composed of chips or may include chips and other discrete devices, wherein the communication device may specifically be the first communication device or the second communication device in the aforementioned method embodiments.

[0373] This application also provides a communication system, which includes the first communication device in any of the above embodiments.

[0374] Optionally, the communication system may also include a second communication device.

[0375] In the embodiments provided in this application, it should be understood that the disclosed systems, apparatuses, and methods can be implemented in other ways. For example, the apparatus embodiments described above are merely illustrative; for instance, the division of units is only a logical functional division, and in actual implementation, there may be other division methods. For example, multiple units or components may be combined or integrated into another system, or some features may be ignored or not executed. Furthermore, the coupling or direct coupling or communication connection shown or discussed may be through some interfaces, indirect coupling or communication connection between devices or units, and may be electrical, mechanical, or other forms. Whether a function is implemented in hardware or software depends on the specific application and design constraints of the technical solution. Those skilled in the art can use different methods to implement the described functions for each specific application, but such implementation should not be considered beyond the scope of this application.

[0376] The units described as separate components may or may not be physically separate. The components shown as units may or may not be physical units; that is, they may be located in one place or distributed across multiple network units. Some or all of the units can be selected to achieve the purpose of this embodiment according to actual needs.

[0377] Furthermore, the functional units in the various embodiments of this application can be integrated into one processing unit, or each unit can exist physically separately, or two or more units can be integrated into one unit. The integrated unit can be implemented in hardware or as a software functional unit. If the integrated unit is implemented as a software functional unit and sold or used as an independent product, it can be stored in a computer-readable storage medium. Based on this understanding, the technical solution of this application, in essence, or the part that contributes, or all or part of the technical solution, can be embodied in the form of a software product. This computer software product is stored in a storage medium and includes several instructions to cause a computer device (which may be a personal computer, server, or network device, etc.) to execute all or part of the steps of the methods described in the various embodiments of this application. The aforementioned storage medium includes various media capable of storing program code, such as USB flash drives, portable hard drives, read-only memory (ROM), random access memory (RAM), magnetic disks, or optical disks.

Claims

1. A communication method characterized by comprising: include: Obtain first multipath information, which indicates path information of N paths between the first communication device and the second communication device, where N is a positive integer; Acquire first channel information between the first communication device and the second communication device, wherein the first channel information is related to the measurement result of the first reference signal; A second multipath information is determined, which is related to the first multipath information and the first channel information; wherein the second multipath information indicates the path information of P paths between the first communication device and the second communication device, where P is a positive integer.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein, The determination of the second multipath information includes: The sub-path set is determined based on the first multipath information; The second multipath information is determined based on the subpath set and the first channel information; wherein, the P paths include the i-th path, the i-th path includes one or more subpaths in the subpath set, and the path information of the i-th path is used to indicate the path information of one or more subpaths combined in the i-th path, where i is less than or equal to P and greater than or equal to 1.

3. The method according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that, Determining the second multipath information based on the subpath set and the first channel information includes: The second multipath information is determined based on the first information, the subpath set, and the first channel information; the first information indicates at least one of the following: The parameters for the merging conditions of the indicator sub-path, the parameters for the selection conditions of the indicator path, or the parameters for the merging method of the indicator sub-path.

4. The method of claim 3, wherein, The method further includes: Receive the first information.

5. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 4, characterized in that, The method further includes: Receive at least one of the following: First indication information, indicating the resource of the first reference signal; or The second instruction information indicates the model for acquiring the first multipath information.

6. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 5, characterized in that, The method further includes: Send a second message, which indicates the second multipath information.

7. The method of claim 6, wherein, The second multipath information is used to determine the parameters for updating the first model, which is used for multipath prediction. The method further includes: Receive a third message, which indicates that the parameters of the first model should be updated.

8. The method according to claim 6 or 7, characterized in that, The first multipath information is determined by a second model, which is used for multipath prediction.

9. The method according to any one of claims 6 to 8, characterized in that, The method further includes: Receive a fourth message, which indicates the consistency information between the second multipath information and the tag data.

10. The method of claim 9, wherein, The consistency information indicates that the consistency between the second multipath information and the label data is low; The method further includes: A second channel information between the first communication device and the second communication device is obtained, and the second channel information is used to update the second multipath information; wherein, the channel dimension of the second channel information is greater than the channel dimension of the first channel information; Send a fifth message, which indicates the updated second multipath information.

11. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 10, characterized in that, The second multipath information is used to determine path map information, which indicates path information between the second communication device and communication devices at one or more locations.

12. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 11, characterized in that, The second multipath information includes at least one of the following: The third indication information indicates that the number of paths corresponding to the first multipath information is N; The fourth indication information indicates that the number of paths corresponding to the second multipath information is P; The fifth indication information indicates at least one of the following: time delay, angle, or power of the N paths; The sixth indication information indicates at least one of the following: time delay, angle, or power of the P-strip. The seventh indication information indicates the correlation between the channel information determined based on the second multipath information and the first channel information.

13. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 12, characterized in that, The determination of the second multipath information includes: The second multipath information is generated by predicting or simulating based on the first multipath information and the first channel information.

14. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 13, characterized in that, The step of obtaining the first channel information between the first communication device and the second communication device includes: Receive a first reference signal from the second communication device; The first channel information is determined based on the measurement results of the first reference signal.

15. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 13, characterized in that, The step of obtaining the first channel information between the first communication device and the second communication device includes: The first channel information is received, which is determined by the second communication device based on the measurement results of the first reference signal.

16. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 13, characterized in that, The step of obtaining the first channel information between the first communication device and the second communication device includes: The measurement result is received, which is obtained by the second communication device based on the first reference signal; The first channel information is determined based on the measurement results.

17. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 16, characterized in that, The set of sub-paths corresponding to the N paths is completely or partially the same as the set of sub-paths corresponding to the P paths.

18. The method of claim 17, wherein, The sub-path set contains N sub-path combinations, each sub-path combination containing one or more sub-paths. The path information of the nth path among the N paths indicates that the nth sub-path combination among the N paths contains path information of one or more sub-paths combined together, or the path information of the nth path among the N paths indicates that the nth sub-path combination among the N paths contains a combined path formed by one or more sub-paths. The n is an integer greater than or equal to 1 and less than or equal to N.

19. The method of claim 17, wherein, The P paths can correspond to a set of sub-paths, which contains P combinations of sub-paths. Each sub-path combination contains one or more sub-paths. The path information of the p-th path in the P paths indicates that the p-th sub-path combination in the P paths contains path information of one or more sub-paths combined together. Alternatively, the path information of the p-th path in the P paths indicates that the p-th sub-path combination in the P paths contains a combined path formed by one or more sub-paths. Here, p is an integer greater than or equal to 1 and less than or equal to P.

20. The method of claim 18 or 19, wherein, The path information of the P-path is obtained by recombining the sub-paths contained in the N-path based on the measured first channel information.

21. A method of communication, comprising: include: Determine first information, which indicates parameters used to determine second multipath information; Send the first information, wherein the first information, the first multipath information, and the first channel information are related to the second multipath information; Wherein, the first multipath information indicates the path information of N paths between the first communication device and the second communication device, where N is a positive integer; the first channel information indicates the path information between the first communication device and the second communication device, and the first channel information is related to the measurement result of the first reference signal; the second multipath information indicates the path information of P paths between the first communication device and the second communication device, where P is a positive integer.

22. The method of claim 21, wherein, The first multipath information is used to determine the subpath set, and the subpath set, the first information, and the first channel information are used to determine the second multipath information; Wherein, the P paths include the i-th path, the i-th path includes one or more sub-paths in the set of sub-paths, and the path information of the i-th path is used to indicate the path information of the combination of one or more sub-paths contained in the i-th path, where i is less than or equal to P and greater than or equal to 1.

23. The method of claim 21 or 22, wherein, The parameters used to determine the second multipath information include at least one of the following: The parameters for the merging conditions of the indicator sub-path, the parameters for the selection conditions of the indicator path, or the parameters for the merging method of the indicator sub-path.

24. The method according to any one of claims 21 to 23, characterized in that, The method further includes: Send at least one of the following: First indication information, indicating the resource of the first reference signal; or The second instruction information indicates the model for acquiring the first multipath information.

25. The method according to any one of claims 21 to 24, characterized in that, The method further includes: Receive second information, which indicates the second multipath information.

26. The method of claim 25, wherein, The second multipath information is used to determine the parameters for updating the first model, which is used for multipath prediction. The method further includes: A third message is sent, which instructs that the parameters of the first model be updated.

27. The method of claim 25 or 26, wherein, The method further includes: A fourth message is sent, indicating the consistency information between the second multipath information and the tag data.

28. The method of claim 27, wherein, The consistency information indicates that the consistency between the second multipath information and the label data is low; The method further includes: The system receives a fifth piece of information, which is used to indicate updated second multipath information. The updated second multipath information is determined based on second channel information between the first communication device and the second communication device, and the channel dimension of the second channel information is greater than that of the first channel information.

29. The method according to any one of claims 21 to 28, characterized in that, The second multipath information is used to determine path map information, which indicates path information between the second communication device and communication devices at one or more locations.

30. The method of claim 29, wherein, The one or more locations include a first location; the path map information is used to indicate at least a first path information between the second communication device and the communication device at the first location; wherein the first path information includes at least one of the following: the second multipath information, the first multipath information, parameters for determining the second multipath information, the correlation between channel information determined based on the second multipath information and the first channel information, or, consistency information between the second multipath information and tag data.

31. The method of claim 29, wherein, The one or more locations include a second location, and the path information between the second communication device and the communication device at the second location is the second path information; wherein, the path map information is further used to indicate the second path information, or, the path map information is further used to indicate the deviation information between the second path information and the first path information.

32. The method of any one of claims 21 to 31, wherein, The second multipath information includes at least one of the following: The third indication information indicates that the number of paths corresponding to the first multipath information is N; The fourth indication information indicates that the number of paths corresponding to the second multipath information is P; The fifth indication information indicates at least one of the following: time delay, angle, or power of the N paths; The sixth indication information indicates at least one of the following: time delay, angle, or power of the P-strip. The seventh indication information indicates the correlation between the channel information determined based on the second multipath information and the first channel information.

33. A communication method, characterized in that, The system receives second information, which indicates second multipath information related to first multipath information and first channel information. The first multipath information indicates path information for N paths between the first and second communication devices, where N is a positive integer. The first channel information indicates path information between the first and second communication devices, and is related to the measurement result of the first reference signal. The second multipath information indicates path information for P paths between the first and second communication devices, where P is a positive integer.

34. The method of claim 33, wherein, The first channel information is determined based on the measurement results of the first reference signal.

35. The method of claim 33 or 34, wherein, The P-paths correspond to a set of sub-paths; the P-paths include the i-th path, the i-th path includes one or more sub-paths in the set of sub-paths, and the path information of the i-th path is used to indicate the path information of the combination of one or more sub-paths contained in the i-th path.

36. The method of any one of claims 33 to 35, wherein, The method further includes: Determine first information, which indicates parameters used to determine second multipath information; Send the first information, wherein the first information, the first multipath information, and the first channel information are related to the second multipath information.

37. The method of any one of claims 33 to 36, wherein, The method further includes: Send at least one of the following: First indication information, indicating the resource of the first reference signal; or The second instruction information indicates the model for acquiring the first multipath information.

38. The method of any one of claims 33 to 37, wherein, The second multipath information is used to determine the parameters for updating the first model, which is used for multipath prediction. The method further includes: A third message is sent, which instructs that the parameters of the first model be updated.

39. The method of any one of claims 33 to 38, wherein, The method further includes: A fourth message is sent, indicating the consistency information between the second multipath information and the tag data.

40. The method of claim 39, wherein, The consistency information indicates that the consistency between the second multipath information and the label data is low; The method further includes: The system receives a fifth piece of information, which is used to indicate updated second multipath information. The updated second multipath information is determined based on second channel information between the first communication device and the second communication device, and the channel dimension of the second channel information is greater than that of the first channel information.

41. The method of any one of claims 33 to 40, wherein, The second multipath information is used to determine path map information, which indicates path information between the second communication device and communication devices at one or more locations.

42. A communications device, characterized by It includes a module or unit for performing the method as described in any one of claims 1 to 20, or includes a module or unit for performing the method as described in any one of claims 21 to 32, or includes a module or unit for performing the method as described in any one of claims 33 to 41.

43. A communications device, characterized by It includes at least one processor, the at least one processor being configured to perform the method as described in any one of claims 1 to 20, or the at least one processor being configured to perform the method as described in any one of claims 21 to 32, or the at least one processor being configured to perform the method as described in any one of claims 33 to 41.

44. The communication apparatus of claim 43, wherein The communication device is a chip or chip system.

45. A communications device, characterized by The communication device includes at least one logic circuit for performing the method as described in any one of claims 1 to 20, or the at least one processor for performing the method as described in any one of claims 21 to 32, or the at least one processor for performing the method as described in any one of claims 33 to 41.

46. A communication system, characterized by The communication system includes a first communication device for performing the method as claimed in any one of claims 1 to 20, and a second communication device for performing the method as claimed in any one of claims 21 to 32 or for performing the method as claimed in any one of claims 33 to 41.

47. A computer-readable storage medium, comprising: The computer-readable storage medium stores a computer program or instructions that, when executed, implement the method as described in any one of claims 1 to 20, or, when executed, implement the method as described in any one of claims 21 to 32, or, when executed, implement the method as described in any one of claims 33 to 41.

48. A computer program product, characterised in that, It includes a computer program or instructions that, when executed by a computer, implement the method as described in any one of claims 1 to 20, or, when executed by a computer, implement the method as described in any one of claims 21 to 32, or, when executed by a computer, implement the method as described in any one of claims 33 to 41.

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