Communication method and related apparatus

Abstract

A communication method and a related apparatus. The method comprises: a first communication apparatus receiving first channel information on a first time unit that is from a second communication apparatus, wherein the first channel information comprises at least one piece of first path information, each piece of first path information corresponds to one port resource, each piece of first path information comprises first information and second information, the first information is used for identifying a port resource of a network device, and the second information is path information of a path set corresponding to the port resource; and the first channel information is used for the first communication apparatus to determine second channel information on a second time unit. In the present application, a second communication apparatus sends to a first communication apparatus path information of a path set corresponding to a port resource, such that it is not necessary to send all path information of each path, thereby reducing the overheads of communication resources.

Description

A communication method and related apparatus

[0001] This application claims priority to Chinese Patent Application No. 202411642073.0, filed on November 15, 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 for reducing the overhead of communication resources. Background Technology

[0003] The multipath effect of wireless channels can cause fluctuations in the channel across multiple dimensions, including space, time, and frequency. These fluctuations further lead to fluctuations in air interface performance, thereby affecting network performance.

[0004] Communication devices (such as base stations or terminal equipment) can collect path information of all paths between themselves and the peer communication device. Based on this path information, they can select one or more paths with strong energy and slow temporal variation as the main paths and transmit and receive beams in the directions of these main paths. This makes the channel strength more stable at different subcarriers and at different times, thereby improving the determinism of the wireless network.

[0005] However, in the above process, the communication device needs to send all the path information of the measured path to the communication device at the other end, resulting in a large overhead of communication resources. Summary of the Invention

[0006] This application provides a communication method and related apparatus for reducing the overhead of communication resources.

[0007] Firstly, this application provides a communication method. The method is executed by a first communication device, which may be a communication device (such as a terminal device or a network device), or it may be a component of the communication device (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 device. In this method, the first communication device receives first channel information from a second communication device at a first time unit. The first channel information includes at least one first path information, each first path information corresponding to a port resource. Each first path information includes first information and second information. The first information identifies the port resource of the network device, and the second information is path information of the path set corresponding to the port resource. The first channel information is used by the first communication device to determine the second channel information at a second time unit.

[0008] In this application, the second communication device sends path information of the path set corresponding to the port resources to the first communication device, thereby eliminating the need to send all path information for each path and reducing the overhead of communication resources.

[0009] Based on the first aspect, in one optional implementation, generally, among multiple paths corresponding to the same port resource, there are often one or more path information items (including AOA, AOD, delay, energy, or Doppler frequency offset) associated with that port resource. When a certain path information item is associated with the port resource, this path information item among the multiple paths corresponding to the port resource is often close or similar. In other words, when a certain path information item among the multiple paths corresponding to the port resource is close or similar, it can be considered that the path information is associated with the port resource. In this application, path information associated with the port resource does not need to be carried in the second information (or the first path information), while path information not associated with the port resource needs to be carried in the second information (or the first path information). Therefore, the phrase "the second information is the path information of the path set corresponding to the port resource" can be understood as the second information being the path information of the path set not associated with the port resource.

[0010] Since the second information does not carry one or more path information items of the path set associated with the port resource, it only carries one or more path information items of the path set associated with the port resource. Therefore, the second information includes partial path information of the path set in the first time unit. Thus, the second communication device and the first communication device do not need to send all path information of the path set, reducing communication resource overhead. Optionally, the first information may be an identifier of the port resource (e.g., port number), or it may be an identifier of the beam corresponding to the port resource (e.g., beam ID), and the second information includes the following partial information of the path set in the first time unit:

[0011] AOA;

[0012] AOD;

[0013] energy;

[0014] Doppler frequency shift;

[0015] Time delay.

[0016] Based on the first aspect, in an optional implementation, the second communication device can divide the paths in the aforementioned path set into two categories, namely, the path set includes at least one first path and / or at least one second path. In this case, each first path information also includes third information, which includes one or more of the following:

[0017] The distribution function of at least one first path;

[0018] The average energy of at least one first path;

[0019] The variance of at least one first path;

[0020] The rate of change of delay for each of the at least one second path;

[0021] The rate of change of angle for each of at least one second path;

[0022] The rate of energy change in each of at least one second path;

[0023] The rate of change of the signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) of each of the at least one second path.

[0024] Thus, the second communication device provides the first communication device with more refined and richer path information through the third information, thereby improving the accuracy of the first communication device in predicting the second channel information.

[0025] Based on the first aspect, in an optional implementation, the first path information is carried on the physical uplink control channel (PUCCH), and the second and third information are carried on the physical uplink shared channel (PUSCH).

[0026] Based on the first aspect, in an optional implementation, the first path information includes the first information and the third information carried in the PUCCH and the long-term statistical path information carried in the PUCCH, and the second information carried in the physical PUSCH.

[0027] The second communication device prioritizes the transmission of the more important first and third information via PUCCH, thereby improving the feedback efficiency of the first path information.

[0028] Based on the first aspect, in an optional implementation, when each first path information in the first channel information includes first information and second information, the second channel information includes one or more of the following information of the path set in the second time unit:

[0029] AOA;

[0030] AOD;

[0031] energy;

[0032] Doppler frequency shift;

[0033] Time delay.

[0034] Based on the first aspect, in an optional implementation, when each first path information in the first channel information includes first information, second information, and third information, since the second communication device provides more refined and richer path information to the first communication device through the third information, the second channel information, in addition to including one or more of the above-mentioned AOA, AOD, energy, Doppler frequency offset, and time delay, also includes one or more of the following:

[0035] Statistical information for at least one primary path;

[0036] AOA for each of at least one second path;

[0037] AOD for each of at least one second path;

[0038] Doppler frequency offset of each of the at least one second path;

[0039] The delay of each of the second paths in at least one second path.

[0040] Secondly, this application provides a communication method applied to a second communication device, the method comprising:

[0041] Measure the first reference signal to obtain the first channel information in the first time unit. The first channel information includes at least one first path information. Each first path information includes first information and second information. The first information is used to identify port resources, and the second information is the path information of the path set corresponding to the port resources.

[0042] Send the first channel information.

[0043] Based on the second aspect, in an optional implementation, the second information includes one or more of the following information about the path set at the first time unit:

[0044] Angle of arrival (AOA);

[0045] AOD at the corner;

[0046] energy;

[0047] Doppler frequency shift;

[0048] Time delay.

[0049] Based on the second aspect, in an optional implementation, the path set includes at least one first path and / or at least one second path, and each first path information further includes third information, the third information including one or more of the following:

[0050] The distribution function of at least one first path;

[0051] The average energy of at least one first path;

[0052] The variance of at least one first path;

[0053] The rate of change of delay for each of the at least one second path;

[0054] The rate of change of angle for each of the at least one second path;

[0055] The energy change rate of each of the at least one second path;

[0056] The rate of change of the signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) of each of the at least one second path.

[0057] Based on the second aspect, in an optional implementation, the first information is carried on the Physical Uplink Control Channel (PUCCH), and the second and third information are carried on the Physical Uplink Shared Channel (PUSCH).

[0058] Based on the second aspect, in an optional implementation, the first information and the third information are carried in PUCCH, and the second information is carried in PUSCH.

[0059] Based on the second aspect, in an optional implementation, the second channel information includes one or more of the following information about the path set at the second time unit:

[0060] AOA;

[0061] AOD;

[0062] energy;

[0063] Doppler frequency shift;

[0064] Time delay.

[0065] Based on the second aspect, in one optional implementation, the second channel information includes one or more of the following:

[0066] Statistical information of at least one first path;

[0067] The AOA of each of the at least one second path;

[0068] AOD for each of the at least one second path;

[0069] Doppler frequency offset of each of the at least one second path;

[0070] The time delay of each of the at least one second path.

[0071] Thirdly, this application provides a communication device, comprising:

[0072] The transceiver unit is used to receive first channel information on a first time unit. The first channel information includes at least one first path information. Each first path information includes first information and second information. The first information is used to identify port resources, and the second information is path information of the path set corresponding to the port resources. The first channel information is used to determine the second channel information on a second time unit.

[0073] Based on the third aspect, in one optional implementation, the second information includes the following portion of the path set at the first time unit:

[0074] Angle of arrival (AOA);

[0075] AOD at the corner;

[0076] energy;

[0077] Doppler frequency shift;

[0078] Time delay.

[0079] Based on the third aspect, in an optional implementation, the path set includes at least one first path and / or at least one second path, and each first path information further includes third information, which includes one or more of the following:

[0080] The distribution function of at least one first path;

[0081] The average energy of at least one first path;

[0082] The variance of at least one first path;

[0083] The rate of change of delay for each of the at least one second path;

[0084] The rate of change of angle for each of at least one second path;

[0085] The rate of energy change in each of at least one second path;

[0086] The rate of change of the signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) for each of the at least one second path.

[0087] Based on the third aspect, in an optional implementation, the first information is carried on the Physical Uplink Control Channel (PUCCH), and the second and third information are carried on the Physical Uplink Shared Channel (PUSCH).

[0088] Based on the third aspect, in an optional implementation, the first information and the third information are carried in PUCCH, and the second information is carried in PUSCH.

[0089] Based on the third aspect, in one optional implementation, the second channel information includes one or more of the following information about the path set at the second time unit:

[0090] AOA;

[0091] AOD;

[0092] energy;

[0093] Doppler frequency shift;

[0094] Time delay.

[0095] Based on the third aspect, in one optional implementation, the second channel information includes one or more of the following:

[0096] Statistical information for at least one primary path;

[0097] AOA for each of at least one second path;

[0098] AOD for each of at least one second path;

[0099] Doppler frequency offset of each of the at least one second path;

[0100] The delay of each of the second paths in at least one second path.

[0101] Based on the third aspect, in an optional implementation, the transceiver unit is further configured to transmit a first reference signal, which is used to measure and obtain first path information.

[0102] Based on the third aspect, in an optional embodiment, the communication device further includes a processing unit, which is further configured to determine second channel information in the second time unit based on the first channel information.

[0103] Fourthly, this application provides a communication device, comprising:

[0104] The processing unit is used to measure the first reference signal and obtain the first channel information in the first time unit. The first channel information includes at least one first path information. Each first path information includes first information and second information. The first information is used to identify port resources, and the second information is the path information of the path set corresponding to the port resources.

[0105] The transceiver unit is used to transmit the first channel information.

[0106] Based on the fourth aspect, in one optional implementation, the second information includes one or more of the following information about the path set at the first time unit:

[0107] Angle of arrival (AOA);

[0108] AOD at the corner;

[0109] energy;

[0110] Doppler frequency shift;

[0111] Time delay.

[0112] Based on the fourth aspect, in an optional implementation, the path set includes at least one first path and / or at least one second path, and each first path information further includes third information, which includes one or more of the following:

[0113] The distribution function of at least one first path;

[0114] The average energy of at least one first path;

[0115] The variance of at least one first path;

[0116] The rate of change of delay for each of the at least one second path;

[0117] The rate of change of angle for each of at least one second path;

[0118] The rate of energy change in each of at least one second path;

[0119] The rate of change of the signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) for each of the at least one second path.

[0120] Based on the second aspect, in an optional implementation, the first information is carried on the Physical Uplink Control Channel (PUCCH), and the second and third information are carried on the Physical Uplink Shared Channel (PUSCH).

[0121] Based on the fourth aspect, in an optional implementation, the first information and the third information are carried in PUCCH, and the second information is carried in PUSCH.

[0122] Based on the fourth aspect, in one optional implementation, the second channel information includes one or more of the following information about the path set at the second time unit:

[0123] AOA;

[0124] AOD;

[0125] energy;

[0126] Doppler frequency shift;

[0127] Time delay.

[0128] Based on the fourth aspect, in one optional implementation, the second channel information includes one or more of the following:

[0129] Statistical information for at least one primary path;

[0130] AOA for each of at least one second path;

[0131] AOD for each of at least one second path;

[0132] Doppler frequency offset of each of the at least one second path;

[0133] The delay of each of the second paths in at least one second path.

[0134] A fifth aspect of this application provides a communication device including at least one processor coupled to a memory; the memory is used to store a program or instructions; the at least one processor is used to execute the program or instructions to enable the communication device to implement the method described in any possible implementation of any of the first to second aspects. Optionally, the communication device may include the memory.

[0135] The sixth 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 second aspects described above.

[0136] The seventh aspect of this application provides a communication system, which includes the first communication device and the second communication device described above.

[0137] An eighth 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 second aspects described above.

[0138] The ninth 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 second aspects described above.

[0139] The tenth aspect of this application provides a chip system including at least one processor for supporting a communication device in implementing the method described in any possible implementation of any of the first to second aspects.

[0140] In one possible design, the 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.

[0141] The technical effects of any of the design methods in aspects two through ten can be found in the technical effects of the different design methods in aspect one above, and will not be repeated here. Attached Figure Description

[0142] Figure 1 is a schematic diagram of a possible path between the base station and the terminal device;

[0143] Figure 2 is a schematic diagram of a possible, non-limiting system used in the communication method and related apparatus of this application;

[0144] Figure 3 is a schematic diagram of a possible implementation of the communication method in this application;

[0145] Figures 4 to 6 are schematic diagrams illustrating the implementation of the first path information in this application;

[0146] Figure 7 is a schematic diagram of the prediction results of path information in this application;

[0147] Figures 8 to 11 are schematic diagrams of the communication device provided in this application. Detailed Implementation

[0148] The present application will now be described with reference to the accompanying drawings. The terminology used in the embodiments section is for illustrative purposes only and is not intended to limit the scope of the application. Those skilled in the art will recognize that, with technological advancements and the emergence of new scenarios, the technical solutions provided in this application are equally applicable to similar technical problems.

[0149] First, some of the nouns or terms used in this application will be explained, and these nouns or terms are also part of the content of the invention.

[0150] (1) The terms “system” and “network” in this application are 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. Unless otherwise specified, the ordinal numbers such as “first” and “second” mentioned in this application are used to distinguish multiple objects and are not used to limit the order, sequence, priority or importance of multiple objects. Furthermore, the terms “comprising” and “having”, and any variations thereof, are intended to cover non-exclusive inclusion, such that a process, method, system, product, or apparatus that includes a series of steps or units is not necessarily limited to those steps or units that are explicitly listed, but may include other steps or units that are not explicitly listed or that are inherent to such process, method, product, or apparatus.

[0151] (2) In this application, “sending information” can be understood as one device sending information to another device, or it can also be understood as one logical module within a device sending information to another logical module. For example, “terminal device sending information” can be understood as a terminal device sending information to another device (such as a network device), or it can be understood as logical module 1 in the terminal device sending information to logical module 2 in the network device.

[0152] In this application, "receiving information" can be understood as one device receiving information from another device, or it can also be understood as a logical module within a device receiving information from another logical module. For example, "terminal device receiving information" can be understood as a terminal device receiving information from another device (such as a network device), or it can be understood as logical module 1 in the terminal device receiving information from logical module 2 in the network device.

[0153] In this application, "sending information to... (e.g., a network device)" or the relevant illustrations in the accompanying drawings can be understood as the destination of the information being a network device. This can include sending information directly or indirectly to a network device. "Receiving information from... (e.g., a network device)" or "receiving information from... (e.g., a network device)" or "receiving information sent (e.g., by a network device)" or the relevant illustrations in the accompanying drawings can be understood as the source of the information being a network device. This can include receiving information directly or indirectly from a network device. Information may undergo necessary processing between the source and destination, such as format changes, encoding, modulation, etc., but the destination can understand the valid information from the source. Similar expressions in this application can be understood in a similar way, and will not be elaborated further here.

[0154] (3) Configuration and Pre-configuration: In this application, both configuration and pre-configuration are used. Configuration refers to the network device or server sending configuration information or parameter values ​​to the terminal device via messages or signaling, so that the terminal device can determine the 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.

[0155] It should be understood that these values ​​and parameters can change or be updated.

[0156] (4) In this application, “instruction” may include direct instruction and indirect instruction, and may also include explicit instruction and implicit instruction. When a certain instruction information is used to instruct A, it can be understood that the instruction information carries A, directly instructs A, or indirectly instructs A.

[0157] In this application, the information indicated by the instruction information is called the information to be instructed. In specific implementations, 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 a relationship between the other information and the information to be instructed; or it can indicate only a part of the information to be instructed, while the other parts are known or pre-agreed upon, for example, by using a pre-agreed (e.g., protocol-predefined) arrangement of various information to indicate specific information, thereby reducing instruction overhead to some 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.

[0158] (5) Path Information: Path information between the base station and the terminal device refers to the detailed characteristics of the multiple paths a signal traverses during transmission from the base station to the terminal device. This path information is crucial for understanding channel states, optimizing transmission strategies, and improving communication quality. Specifically, path information between the base station and the terminal device includes path amplitude, phase, delay, angle information, Doppler shift, path loss, and shadowing fading. This information can be obtained through measurements of reference signals such as the channel status information reference signal (CSI-RS), the sounding reference signal (SRS), or the demodulation reference signal (DMRS) of the physical uplink shared channel (PUSCH), high-resolution channel estimation algorithms, and efficient feedback mechanisms. Path information has a wide range of applications, including beamforming, precoding, resource allocation, link adaptation, interference management, and location services, aiming to improve the performance and reliability of wireless communication systems. Accurate path information helps improve network performance such as spectral efficiency and coverage during communication.

[0159] In Multiple-Input Multiple-Output (MIMO) wireless communication scenarios, a MIMO channel can be considered as a superposition of multiple paths or multiple path clusters. The characteristics of a path can be expressed by the following formula:

[0160]

[0161] As can be seen from the above formula, the characteristics of a path can be described using parameters such as angle of arrival (AOA), angle of departure (AOD), Doppler frequency offset, and time delay. The configuration set composed of these parameters is collectively referred to as path information.

[0162] (6) Fast-changing scatterers and slow-changing scatterers: The direction and intensity of each path in a wireless channel after being scattered by a scatterer are determined by the properties of that scatterer. When the scatterer is stationary or moving slowly (e.g., buildings, trees), the multipath components caused by the scatterer change slowly because the position of the scatterer does not change much. This results in the angle and intensity of the corresponding path remaining almost unchanged; such a scatterer is called a slow-changing scatterer. When the scatterer moves quickly (e.g., vehicles, pedestrians), the position of the scatterer changes drastically, resulting in the multipath components caused by the scatterer changing rapidly over time. This results in the angle and intensity of the corresponding path changing rapidly; such a scatterer is called a fast-changing scatterer.

[0163] Next, we will introduce the possible, non-limiting scenarios involved in this application.

[0164] The multipath effect of wireless channels can cause fluctuations in the channel across multiple dimensions, including space, time, and frequency. These fluctuations further lead to fluctuations in air interface performance, thereby affecting network performance.

[0165] The direction and intensity of each path in a wireless channel after being scattered by a scatterer are determined by the properties of that scatterer. When the scatterer is stationary or moving slowly (e.g., buildings, trees), the multipath components it causes change slowly because its position changes little. This results in the angle and intensity of the corresponding path remaining almost constant; such a scatterer is called a slowly varying scatterer. Conversely, when the scatterer moves quickly (e.g., vehicles, pedestrians), its position changes drastically, causing the multipath components it causes to change rapidly over time. This results in the angle and intensity of the corresponding path changing rapidly; such a scatterer is called a rapidly varying scatterer.

[0166] Communication devices (such as base stations or terminal equipment) can collect path information for all paths between themselves and the peer communication device. For example, the terminal equipment measures the channel status information reference signal (CSI-RS) from the base station, thereby feeding back path information such as the angle of arrival (AOA), angle of departure (AOD), Doppler frequency offset, and time delay for each path to the base station. Then, based on this path information, the communication device determines which paths are strong paths (i.e., paths with high energy) and which are weak paths (i.e., paths with low energy). Please refer to Figure 1, which is a schematic diagram of a possible path between the base station and the terminal equipment. In the multiple paths shown in Figure 1, the solid lines represent strong paths (strong path 1 and strong path 2 as shown in Figure 1), and the dashed lines represent weak paths. For example, there are 3 paths from the base station to the terminal, and the SNR of these paths are {-10dB, 0dB, 10dB}. Assuming that the threshold for determining a strong path can be set to 5dB, then one of these 3 paths is a strong path and the other two are weak paths.

[0167] Next, the communication device selects one or more paths as the main paths and transmits and receives beams in the directions of these main paths, thereby making the channel strength more stable at different subcarriers and at different times, and improving the determinism of the wireless network.

[0168] However, in the above process, the communication device needs to send all the path information of the measured path to the communication device at the other end, resulting in a large overhead of communication resources.

[0169] To address the aforementioned problems, this application provides a communication method and related apparatus for reducing communication resource overhead. The communication method and related apparatus provided in this application can be applied to various communication systems. For example, 5th generation (5G) mobile communication systems, new radio (NR) systems, long term evolution (LTE) systems, LTE frequency division duplex (FDD) systems, LTE time division duplex (TDD) systems, future communication systems, vehicle-to-everything (V2X) communication systems, device-to-device (D2D) communication systems, Internet of Things (IoT) communication systems, industrial internet communication systems, or satellite communication systems, etc. The wireless communication systems involved in this application also include, but are not limited to, narrowband Internet of Things (NB-IoT) systems.

[0170] For example, please refer to Figure 2, which is a possible, non-limiting system diagram of the communication method and related apparatus used in this application. As shown in Figure 2, the communication system 10 includes a radio access network (RAN) 100 and a core network (CN) 200. Optionally, the communication system 10 may also include an Internet 300. The RAN 100 includes at least one RAN node (110a and 110b in Figure 2, collectively referred to as 110) and at least one terminal device (120a-120j in Figure 2, 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 2). The terminal device 120 is wirelessly connected to the RAN node 110. The RAN node 110 is connected to the core network 200 wirelessly or via a wired connection. The core network equipment in core network 200 and RAN node 110 in RAN 100 can be different physical devices, or they can be the same physical device integrating core network logical functions and radio access network logical functions. Terminal devices and RAN nodes can be interconnected via wired or wireless means.

[0171] RAN 100 can be a cellular system related to the 3rd Generation Partnership Project (3GPP), such as a fourth-generation (4G) mobile communication system, a fifth-generation (5G) mobile communication system, or a future communication system. RAN 100 can also be an open RAN (O-RAN or ORAN), a cloud radio access network (CRAN), an evolved universal terrestrial radio access (E-UTRA) system, or a wireless fidelity (WiFi) system. RAN 100 can also be a communication system that integrates two or more of the above systems.

[0172] RAN node 110, sometimes also referred to as network equipment, access network equipment, RAN device, RAN entity, or access node, constitutes part of the communication system and is used to help terminal equipment achieve wireless access. Multiple RAN nodes 110 in communication system 10 can be of the same type or different types. In some scenarios, the roles of RAN node 110 and terminal equipment 120 are relative. For example, network element 120i in Figure 2 can be a helicopter or drone, which can be configured as a mobile base station. For terminal equipment 120j accessing RAN 100 through network element 120i, network element 120i is a base station; but for base station 110a, network element 120i is a terminal equipment. RAN node 110 and terminal equipment 120 are sometimes both referred to as communication devices. For example, network elements 110a and 110b in Figure 2 can be understood as communication devices with base station functions, and network elements 120a-120j can be understood as communication devices with terminal equipment functions.

[0173] In one possible scenario, RAN node 110 can be a base station, an evolved NodeB (eNodeB), an access point (AP), a transmission reception point (TRP), a next-generation NodeB (gNB), a base station in a future mobile communication system, or an access node in a WiFi system. Optionally, RAN node 110 can also be a macro base station (as shown in Figure 2, 110a), a micro base station or indoor station (as shown in Figure 2, 110b), a relay node or donor node, or a radio controller in a CRAN scenario. Optionally, RAN node 110 can also be a server, a wearable device, a vehicle, or in-vehicle equipment. For example, the access network equipment in vehicle-to-everything (V2X) technology can be a roadside unit (RSU). All or part of the functions of RAN node 110 in this application can also be implemented through software functions running on hardware, or through virtualization functions instantiated on a platform (e.g., a cloud platform). The RAN node 110 may also be equipped with communication modules, circuits, or chips that perform corresponding communication functions. The RAN node 110 may also be configured with program instructions for performing corresponding communication functions, as well as corresponding program instructions. The RAN node 110 in this application may also be a logic node, logic module, or software capable of implementing all or part of the functions of the RAN node 110.

[0174] In another possible scenario, multiple RAN nodes collaborate to assist terminal devices in achieving wireless access, with different RAN nodes each implementing a portion of the base station's functions. For example, RAN nodes can be central units (CUs), distributed units (DUs), CU-control plane (CPs), CU-user plane (UPs), or radio units (RUs), etc. CUs and DUs can be set up separately or included in the same network element, such as a baseband unit (BBU). RUs can be included in radio frequency equipment or radio frequency units, such as remote radio units (RRUs), active antenna units (AAUs), or remote radio heads (RRHs).

[0175] 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 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 and hardware modules.

[0176] Terminal equipment can be any device or module that connects to the communication system shown above and has corresponding communication functions. Terminal equipment can also be referred to as a terminal, user equipment (UE), mobile station (MS), mobile terminal (MT), fixed wireless access (FWA), or customer premises equipment (CPE), etc. Terminal equipment includes wireless communication functions (providing voice / data connectivity to users). Examples include handheld devices with wireless connectivity, in-vehicle devices, and machine-type communication (MTC) terminals. Currently, terminal devices can include: mobile phones, tablets, laptops, PDAs, mobile internet devices (MIDs), wearable devices, virtual reality (VR) devices, augmented reality (AR) devices, wireless terminals in industrial control, wireless terminals in self-driving (e.g., drones, vehicles), wireless terminals in remote medical surgery, wireless terminals in smart grids, wireless terminals in transportation safety, wireless terminals in smart cities, and wireless terminals in smart homes. For example, wireless terminals in self-driving can be drones, helicopters, or airplanes. For example, wireless terminals in vehicle-to-everything (V2X) can be in-vehicle equipment, vehicle-mounted equipment, in-vehicle modules, vehicles, or ships. Wireless terminals in industrial control can be cameras, robots, or robotic arms. Wireless terminals in smart homes can be televisions, air conditioners, robot vacuums, speakers, or set-top boxes. Terminal devices typically contain communication modules, circuits, or chips that perform corresponding communication functions, and they also contain program instructions for performing those functions.

[0177] The communication method and related apparatus of this application will be further described below with reference to the accompanying drawings.

[0178] In this application, the RAN node shown in Figure 2 can be replaced with other terms, such as "network device". For ease of description, unless otherwise specified, "network device" will be used throughout this application. It should be understood that the technical solutions provided in this application are also applicable to other different expressions or types of "network devices".

[0179] Please refer to Figure 3, which is a schematic diagram of a possible implementation of the communication method in this application. It should be understood that this application uses a communication device (including a first communication device and a second communication device) as an example to illustrate the method, but this application does not limit the execution subject of the interaction. For example, the communication device shown in Figure 3 can be a network device or a terminal device, or it can be implemented as a chip, baseband chip, modem chip, system-on-chip (SoC) chip containing a modem core, system-in-package (SIP) chip, communication module, chip system, processor, logic module, or software within the network device or terminal device. In this application, when referring to network equipment, it may refer to the network equipment itself, or to the chips, communication modules, integrated circuits, processors, logic modules, or software in the network equipment used to implement the communication methods provided in this application, and this application does not make any specific limitation; when referring to terminal equipment, it may refer to the terminal equipment itself, or to the chips, communication modules, integrated circuits, processors, logic modules, or software in the terminal equipment used to implement the communication methods provided in this application, and this application does not make any specific limitation.

[0180] As shown in Figure 3, the communication method of this application includes, but is not limited to, steps 401 to 403.

[0181] 401. The second communication device measures the first reference signal.

[0182] Multiple paths exist between the first communication device and the second communication device. The first communication device sends a first reference signal to the second communication device, which measures the first reference signal to obtain channel information between the first and second communication devices. The channel information includes path information for each path between the first and second communication devices, including but not limited to the angle of arrival (AOA), angle of departure (AOD), Doppler frequency offset, and time delay.

[0183] Optionally, the first time unit is the time unit used by the second communication device to measure the first reference signal. For example, the time unit can be an hour, minute, second, millisecond, microsecond, nanosecond, frame, subframe, slot, symbol, sampling time (Ts), or basic time unit (Tc), etc.

[0184] As can be seen from the above, in this application, the first communication device can be a network device or a terminal device, and the second communication device can also be a network device or a terminal device. Specifically, if the first communication device is a terminal device, then the second communication device is a network device. If the first communication device is a network device, then the second communication device is a terminal device.

[0185] Optionally, when the first communication device is a terminal device and the second communication device is a network device, the first reference signal may be a sounding reference signal (SRS) or a demodulation reference signal (DMRS) of the physical uplink shared channel (PUSCH).

[0186] Optionally, when the first communication device is a network device and the second communication device is a terminal device, the first reference signal may be a channel status information reference signal (CSI-RS).

[0187] It should be understood that the first reference signal is reference information used to measure and obtain path information. The above example of the first reference signal is merely illustrative. In practical applications, the first reference signal can also be implemented in other ways, and this application still applies to other implementation methods, without limiting them specifically.

[0188] 402. The second communication device sends the first channel information to the first communication device.

[0189] In this application, the second communication device does not directly send the channel information obtained by measuring the first reference signal to the first communication device. The second communication device can process the aforementioned channel information to obtain first channel information. The first channel information includes at least one first path information, each first path information corresponding to a port resource. Each first path information includes first information and second information; the first information identifies the port resource of the network device, and the second information is the path information of the path set corresponding to the port resource.

[0190] In this application, the second communication device sends path information of the path set corresponding to the port resources to the first communication device, thereby eliminating the need to send all path information for each path and reducing the overhead of communication resources.

[0191] Generally, among multiple paths corresponding to the same port resource, there are often one or more path information items (including AOA, AOD, delay, energy, or Doppler frequency offset) associated with that port resource. When a certain path information item is associated with the port resource, this path information item among the multiple paths corresponding to that port resource is often close or similar. In other words, if a certain path information item among the multiple paths corresponding to the port resource is close or similar, then that path information can be considered associated with the port resource. In this application, path information associated with the port resource does not need to be included in the second information (or the first path information), while path information not associated with the port resource needs to be included in the second information (or the first path information). Therefore, the phrase "the second information is the path information of the path set corresponding to the port resource" can be understood as the second information being the path information of the path set not associated with the port resource.

[0192] Since the second information does not carry one or more path information items of the path set associated with the port resource, it only carries one or more path information items of the path set associated with the port resource. Therefore, the second information includes a portion of the path information of the path set in the first time unit. Consequently, the second communication device and the first communication device do not need to send all path information of the path set, reducing communication resource overhead.

[0193] Please refer to Figure 4, which is a schematic diagram of the implementation of the first path information in this application. Optionally, in the scenario shown in Figure 4, the first information may be the identifier of the port resource (e.g., port number), or it may be the identifier of the beam corresponding to the port resource (e.g., beam ID), and the second information includes the following parts of the path set in the first time unit:

[0194] AOA;

[0195] AOD;

[0196] energy;

[0197] Doppler frequency shift;

[0198] Time delay.

[0199] For example, if the AOAs of multiple paths corresponding to a port resource are relatively close, it indicates that the path information associated with the port resource is the AOA. Then, the second information corresponding to the port resource includes the AOD, Doppler frequency offset, energy, and time delay of the path set corresponding to the port. However, the second information of the port resource does not include the AOA of the path set corresponding to the port.

[0200] For example, when the AOA and AOD of multiple paths corresponding to a port resource are relatively close, it indicates that the path information associated with the port resource is AOA and AOD. In this case, the second information corresponding to the port resource includes the energy and latency of the path set corresponding to the port, but the second information of the port resource does not include the AOA and AOD of the path set corresponding to the port.

[0201] For example, please refer to Figure 5, which is a schematic diagram of the implementation of the first path information in this application. In the scenario of Figure 5, the second communication device is a second network device, and the first communication device is a terminal device.

[0202] Assuming the AOD (Aspect-Oriented Distance) corresponding to the beam direction of port 1 is 40°–52° (i.e., beamwidth is 12°), the path set corresponding to port 1 of the network device includes path 1 and path 2, where the AOD of path 1 is 50° and the AOD of path 2 is 48°. Therefore, the AODs of both path 1 and path 2 fall within the AOD range corresponding to the beam direction of port 1, indicating that the AODs of the path set corresponding to this port resource are close and similar. The second information corresponding to this port resource includes the AOA, Doppler frequency offset, energy, and delay of the path set of the port resource, but does not include the AOD of the path set.

[0203] Assuming the AOA corresponding to the beam direction of port 1 is 20°–50° (i.e., beamwidth is 30°), the path set corresponding to port 1 of the network device includes path 1 and path 2, where the AOA of path 1 is 40° and the AOA of path 2 is 30°. Therefore, the AOA of both path 1 and path 2 falls within the AOA range corresponding to the beam direction of port 1, indicating that the AOA of the path set corresponding to this port resource is close and similar. The second information corresponding to this port resource includes the AOD, Doppler frequency offset, energy, and delay of the path set of this port resource, but does not include the AOA of the path set.

[0204] Assuming the latency corresponding to the beam direction of port 1 is in the range of 180ns-300ns, the path set corresponding to port 1 of the network device includes path 1 and path 2, where the latency of path 1 is 200ns and the latency of path 2 is 220ns. It can be seen that the latency of both path 1 and path 2 falls within the latency range corresponding to the beam direction of port 1, indicating that the latency of the path set corresponding to this port resource is close and similar. Therefore, the second information corresponding to this port resource includes the AOA, Doppler frequency offset, AOD, and energy of the path set of this port resource, and this second information does not include the latency of the path set.

[0205] Assuming the Doppler frequency offset corresponding to the beam direction of port 1 is in the range of 4–5 kHz, the path set corresponding to port 1 of the network device includes path 1 and path 2, where the Doppler frequency offset of path 1 is 5 kHz and the Doppler frequency offset of path 2 is 4.5 kHz. Therefore, the delays of both path 1 and path 2 fall within the delay range corresponding to the beam direction of port 1, indicating that the Doppler frequency offsets of the path set corresponding to this port resource are close and similar. The second information corresponding to this port resource includes the AOA, AOD, delay, and energy of the path set of this port resource, but does not include the Doppler frequency offset of the path set.

[0206] In one possible implementation, the second communication device can categorize the paths in the aforementioned path set into two classes: the path set includes at least one first path and / or at least one second path. In this case, each first path information also includes third information, which includes one or more of the following:

[0207] The distribution function of at least one first path;

[0208] The average energy of at least one first path;

[0209] The variance of at least one first path;

[0210] The rate of change of delay for each of the at least one second path;

[0211] The rate of change of angle for each of at least one second path;

[0212] The rate of energy change in each of at least one second path;

[0213] The rate of change of the signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) for each of the at least one second path.

[0214] Thus, the second communication device provides the first communication device with more refined and richer path information through the third information, thereby improving the accuracy of the first communication device in predicting the second channel information.

[0215] Optionally, the second communication device can classify the paths in the path set according to their signal strength to obtain a first path and a second path. The first path is a weak path, and the second path is a strong path. Strong paths are paths with higher energy levels and have a significant impact on signal transmission, while weak paths are paths with lower energy levels and have a smaller impact on signal transmission.

[0216] Since weak paths (i.e., paths with lower energy) have a relatively small impact on signal transmission, the second communication device can use statistical methods to fit the path information of weak paths in the path set to obtain the overall characteristics of these weak paths. In this case, the distribution function, mean energy, and variance of at least one first path in the third information can be understood as the distribution function, mean energy, and / or variance of the weak paths in the path set. Therefore, the second communication device does not need to analyze and feedback the path information of each first path, thus reducing feedback overhead and complexity.

[0217] The rate of change of time delay for each of at least one strong path;

[0218] The rate of angular change of each of at least one strong path;

[0219] The rate of energy change for each of at least one strong path;

[0220] The rate of change of the signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) of each of at least one strong path.

[0221] Since strong paths (i.e. paths with higher energy) have a significant impact on signal transmission, the second communication device needs to perform detailed analysis on each strong path to obtain the time delay, angle, energy, and / or SNR change rate of each strong path (each second path) in the path set.

[0222] Optionally, the first and second communication devices can be configured with a threshold for energy levels, thereby classifying paths with energy levels greater than or equal to the threshold as strong paths and paths with energy levels less than the threshold as weak paths.

[0223] Optionally, please refer to Figure 6, which is a schematic diagram of a possible implementation of the second and third information in this application. As shown in Figure 6, the second information (AOA, AOD, energy, Doppler frequency offset, and time delay as shown in Figure 6) can be short-time path information. Short-time path information is channel information collected by the second communication device in a short period of time (e.g., a few milliseconds to a few seconds), reflecting rapidly changing channel characteristics. The third information (time delay change rate, energy change rate, angle change rate, and SNR change rate as shown in Figure 6) can be long-time statistical path information. Long-time statistical path information is channel information collected and statistically obtained by the second communication device over a longer period of time (e.g., a few minutes to a few hours). Therefore, long-time statistical path information usually reflects relatively static or slowly changing environmental characteristics. Specifically, the communication device (first communication device or second communication device) can distinguish between short-time path information (second information) and long-time statistical path information (third information) by the information update frequency (also called update period). For example, if the update period for path information A is 10ms and the update period for path information B is 1s, then the communication device (first communication device or second communication device) can consider path information A as short-term path information and path information B as long-term statistical path information.

[0224] Optionally, the path set in this application refers to paths corresponding to slowly varying scatterers. Specifically, based on the properties of the scatterers corresponding to the paths, the second communication device can classify multiple paths between the first and second communication devices. These paths can be divided into paths corresponding to slowly varying scatterers (referred to as slowly varying paths) and paths corresponding to rapidly varying scatterers (referred to as rapidly varying paths). Paths corresponding to slowly varying scatterers have relatively stable characteristics and change slowly, meaning that path information for slowly varying paths can remain valid for a longer period. Paths corresponding to rapidly varying scatterers, on the other hand, change characteristics rapidly, making long-term prediction and utilization difficult. Therefore, the second communication device only identifies paths corresponding to slowly varying scatterers as the path set corresponding to port resources. This allows both the second and first communication devices to focus more on path information for slowly varying paths, helping to improve the stability and effectiveness of the predicted path information.

[0225] Optionally, the path corresponding to a slowly varying scatterer can be replaced with other descriptions, such as a path formed by reflection, refraction, or scattering by the slowly varying scatterer; the path corresponding to a rapidly varying scatterer can be replaced with other descriptions, such as a path formed by reflection, refraction, or scattering by the rapidly varying scatterer.

[0226] Optionally, when the first communication device is a terminal device and the second communication device is a network device, the first channel information can be carried in a medium access control control element (MAC CE), downlink control information (DCI), or radio resource control (RRC) message.

[0227] Optionally, when the first communication device is a terminal device and the second communication device is a network device, the first channel information can be carried in uplink control information (UCI).

[0228] Optionally, when the first communication device is a base station and the second communication device is a terminal device, the second communication device (terminal device) can send the first path information to the first communication device in various ways. These will be described below.

[0229] Method 1: In the first path information, the first information is carried on the physical uplink control channel (PUCCH), and the second and third information are carried on the physical uplink shared channel (PUSCH).

[0230] Method 2: In the first path information, the first and third information are carried in PUCCH and the long-term statistical path information is carried in PUCCH, while the second information is carried in physical PUSCH.

[0231] The second communication device (terminal equipment) prioritizes the transmission of the more important first and third information via PUCCH, thereby improving the feedback efficiency of the first path information.

[0232] 403. The first communication device determines the second channel information based on the first channel information.

[0233] After receiving the first channel information in the first time unit, the first communication device determines the second channel information in the second time unit based on the first channel information. The second time unit is a time unit that occurs after the first time unit.

[0234] Optionally, when each piece of first path information in the first channel information includes first information and second information, the second channel information includes one or more of the following information about the path set in the second time unit:

[0235] AOA;

[0236] AOD;

[0237] energy;

[0238] Doppler frequency shift;

[0239] Time delay.

[0240] Optionally, when each first path information in the first channel information includes first information, second information, and third information, since the second communication device provides more refined and richer path information to the first communication device through the third information, the second channel information, in addition to including one or more of the above-mentioned AOA, AOD, energy, Doppler frequency offset, and time delay, also includes one or more of the following:

[0241] Statistical information for at least one primary path;

[0242] AOA for each of at least one second path;

[0243] AOD for each of at least one second path;

[0244] Doppler frequency offset of each of the at least one second path;

[0245] The delay of each of the second paths in at least one second path.

[0246] Specifically, this application takes the first path as a weak path and the second path as a strong path as an example to introduce the method for determining the second channel information.

[0247] For the second path (strong path) component in the second channel information: the first communication device can determine the AOA, AOD, Doppler frequency offset, and time delay of each second path (strong path) in the second time unit based on the time delay, angle, energy, and / or SNR change rate of each second path (strong path) in the first path information. This improves the accuracy of the predicted path information.

[0248] For example, assuming the first time unit is time t and the second time unit is time t+n, the expressions for each parameter in the path information of the path in the second time unit are as follows:

[0249] AOA at time t+n: θ AoA,t+n =θ AoA,t +α AOA Δt, where α AOA For this path from time t

[0250] The rate of change of AOA up to time t+n;

[0251] AOD at time t+n: θAoD,t+n =θ AoD,t +α AOD Δt, where α AOD For this path from time t

[0252] The rate of change of AOD up to time t+n;

[0253] Doppler frequency shift at time t+n: f d,l,t+n =f d,l,t +α f Δt, where α f For the path from time t to time t+n

[0254] The rate of change of Doppler frequency deviation;

[0255] The time delay at time t+n: τ l,t+n =τ l,t +ατΔt, where α f Let be the rate of change of time delay for this path from time t to time t+n.

[0256] Therefore, the path information at time t+n is represented as:

[0257] Please refer to Figure 7, which is a schematic diagram of the prediction results of path information in this application. As shown in Figure 7, within one time slice, the channel change rate corresponding to the slowly varying scatterer is basically stable. The path information change rate obtained by the communication method of this application can be used to equivalently achieve channel prediction.

[0258] For the first path (weak path) component in the second channel information: the first path (weak path) has a relatively small impact on signal transmission. Therefore, the second communication device can use statistical methods to fit the path information of the weak paths among the N paths to obtain the statistical information of these first paths (weak paths), namely the distribution function, mean energy, and / or variance of the first paths (weak paths), thereby reflecting the overall characteristics of these first paths (weak paths). Optionally, in practical applications, the path information of the weak paths in the first path information may be a complex Gaussian distribution, or it may be in various forms such as Rician, Nakagami-m, etc. (equivalent to non-Gaussian noise).

[0259] Accordingly, this application also provides related apparatus for implementing the above-described scheme. Please refer to Figure 8, which is a schematic diagram of a communication device 500 provided in an embodiment of this application. This communication device 500 can realize the functions of the first communication device (or the second communication device) in the above method embodiments, and therefore can also achieve the beneficial effects of the above method embodiments. In the embodiments of this application, 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 containing a modem core, system-in-package (SIP) chip, communication module, chip system, processor, etc.

[0260] As shown in Figure 8, the communication device 500 includes a transceiver unit 501 and a processing unit 502. Optionally, the transceiver unit 501 may include a transmitting unit and a receiving unit, which are used to perform transmitting and receiving, respectively.

[0261] In one possible implementation, when the communication device 500 is used to execute the method performed by the first communication device in the corresponding embodiment of FIG3, the communication device 500 includes a transceiver unit 501 and a processing unit 502; the transceiver unit 501 is used to receive first channel information on a first time unit, the first channel information including at least one first path information, each first path information including first information and second information, wherein the first information is used to identify port resources, the second information is path information of the path set corresponding to the port resources, and the first channel information is used to determine the second channel information on a second time unit; the processing unit 502 is used to determine the second channel information based on the first channel information.

[0262] In one possible implementation, when the communication device 500 is used to execute the method performed by the second communication device in the corresponding embodiment of FIG3, the communication device 500 includes a transceiver unit 501 and a processing unit 502; the processing unit 502 is used to measure a first reference signal to obtain first channel information in a first time unit, the first channel information including at least one first path information, each first path information including first information and second information, wherein the first information is used to identify port resources, and the second information is path information of the path set corresponding to the port resources; the transceiver unit 501 is used to transmit the first channel information.

[0263] It should be noted that the information interaction and execution process between the modules / units in the communication device 500 are based on the same concept as the method embodiment corresponding to Figure 3 in this application. For details, please refer to the description in the method embodiment shown above in this application, which will not be repeated here.

[0264] Please refer to Figure 9, which shows the communication device 600 involved in the above embodiments provided in the embodiments of this application. Specifically, the communication device 600 can be the communication device that serves as a terminal device in the above embodiments.

[0265] The present invention provides a possible logical structure diagram of the communication device 600, which may include, but is not limited to, at least one processor 601 and a communication port 602.

[0266] In this context, the transceiver unit 501 shown in Figure 8 can be a communication interface, which can be the communication port 602 in Figure 9. The communication port 602 can include an input interface and an output interface. Alternatively, the communication port 602 can also be a transceiver circuit, which can include an input interface circuit and an output interface circuit.

[0267] Further optionally, the device may also include at least one of a memory 603 and a bus 604. In the embodiments of this application, the at least one processor 601 is used to control the operation of the communication device 600.

[0268] Furthermore, processor 601 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 computational 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 readily 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.

[0269] It should be noted that the communication device 600 shown in Figure 9 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 Figure 9 can be referred to the description in the aforementioned method embodiments, and will not be repeated here.

[0270] Please refer to Figure 10, which is a schematic diagram of the structure of the communication device 700 involved in the above embodiments provided in the embodiments of this application. Specifically, the communication device 700 can be a communication device as a network device in the above embodiments.

[0271] The communication device 700 includes at least one processor 711 and at least one network interface 714. Optionally, the communication device further includes at least one memory 712, at least one transceiver 713, and one or more antennas 714. The processor 711, memory 712, transceiver 713, and network interface 714 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 715 is connected to the transceiver 713. The network interface 714 enables the communication device to communicate with other communication devices through a communication link. For example, the network interface 714 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.

[0272] In Figure 8, the transceiver unit 501 can be a communication interface, which can be the network interface 714 in Figure 10. The network interface 714 can include an input interface and an output interface. Alternatively, the network interface 714 can also be a transceiver circuit, which can include an input interface circuit and an output interface circuit.

[0273] The processor 711 is primarily used for processing communication protocols and communication data, controlling the entire communication device, executing software programs, and processing data from those programs, such as supporting 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 for processing communication protocols and communication data, while the CPU is primarily used for controlling the entire terminal device, executing software programs, and processing data from those programs. The processor 711 in Figure 10 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 can include multiple baseband processors to adapt to different network standards, and multiple CPUs to enhance its processing capabilities. 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.

[0274] The memory is primarily used to store software programs and data. The memory 712 can exist independently or be connected to the processor 711. Optionally, the memory 712 can be integrated with the processor 711, for example, integrated into a single chip. The memory 712 can store program code that executes the technical solutions of the embodiments of this application, and its execution is controlled by the processor 711. The various types of computer program code being executed can also be considered as drivers for the processor 711.

[0275] Figure 10 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.

[0276] Transceiver 713 can be used to support the reception or transmission of radio frequency (RF) signals between a communication device and a terminal. Transceiver 713 can be connected to antenna 715. Transceiver 713 includes a transmitter Tx and a receiver Rx. Specifically, one or more antennas 715 can receive RF signals. The receiver Rx of transceiver 713 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 711 so that processor 711 can perform further processing on the digital baseband signals or IF signals, such as demodulation and decoding. Furthermore, the transmitter Tx in transceiver 713 is also used to receive modulated digital baseband signals or IF signals from processor 711, convert the modulated digital baseband signals or IF signals into RF signals, and transmit the RF signals through one or more antennas 715. 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.

[0277] The transceiver 713 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.

[0278] It should be noted that the communication device 700 shown in Figure 10 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 700 shown in Figure 10 can be referred to the description in the aforementioned method embodiments, and will not be repeated here.

[0279] Please refer to Figure 11, which is a schematic diagram of the structure of the communication device involved in the above embodiments provided in the embodiments of this application.

[0280] It is understood that the communication device 800 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 800 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 800 includes one or more processors 801. The processor 801 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.

[0281] Optionally, in one design, processor 801 may include program 803 (sometimes also referred to as code or instructions), which may be executed on processor 801 to cause communication device 800 to perform the methods described in the following embodiments. In yet another possible design, communication device 800 includes circuitry (not shown in FIG11).

[0282] Optionally, the communication device 800 may include one or more memories 802 storing a program 804 (sometimes referred to as code or instructions), which can be run on the processor 801 to cause the communication device 800 to perform the methods described in the above method embodiments.

[0283] Optionally, the processor 801 and / or memory 802 may include AI modules 807 and 808, 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.

[0284] Optionally, the processor 801 and / or memory 802 may also store data. The processor and memory may be configured separately or integrated together.

[0285] Optionally, the communication device 800 may further include a transceiver 805 and / or an antenna 806. The processor 801, sometimes referred to as a processing unit, controls the communication device (e.g., a RAN node or terminal). The transceiver 805, 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 through the antenna 806.

[0286] In this context, the processing unit 502 shown in Figure 8 can be a processor 801. The transceiver unit 501 shown in Figure 8 can be a communication interface, which can be the transceiver 805 in Figure 11. The transceiver 805 can include an input interface and an output interface. Alternatively, the transceiver 805 can also be a transceiver circuit, which can include an input interface circuit and an output interface circuit.

[0287] This application also provides a chip device, including a processor, for calling computer programs or computer instructions stored in the memory to cause the processor to execute the method provided in the embodiment shown in FIG3 above.

[0288] In one possible implementation, the input of the chip device corresponds to the receiving operation in any of the embodiments shown in FIG3 above, and the output of the chip device corresponds to the sending operation in any of the embodiments shown in FIG3 above.

[0289] Optionally, the processor is coupled to the memory via an interface.

[0290] Optionally, the chip device may also include a memory that stores computer programs or computer instructions.

[0291] The processor mentioned above can be a general-purpose central processing unit, a microprocessor, an application-specific integrated circuit (ASIC), or one or more integrated circuits used to control the execution of a program for controlling the methods provided in any of the embodiments shown above and in Figure 3. The memory mentioned above can be read-only memory (ROM) or other types of static storage devices capable of storing static information and instructions, such as random access memory (RAM).

[0292] Those skilled in the art will understand that embodiments of this application can be provided as methods, systems, or computer program products. Therefore, this application can take the form of a completely hardware embodiment, a completely software embodiment, or an embodiment combining software and hardware aspects. Furthermore, this application can take the form of a computer program product embodied on one or more computer-usable storage media (including, but not limited to, disk storage, optical storage, etc.) containing computer-usable program code.

[0293] This application is described with reference to flowchart illustrations and / or block diagrams of methods, apparatus (systems), and computer program products according to this application. It should be understood that each block of the flowchart illustrations and / or block diagrams, and combinations of blocks in the flowchart illustrations and / or block diagrams, can be implemented by computer program instructions. These computer program instructions can be provided to a processor of a general-purpose computer, special-purpose computer, embedded processor, or other programmable data processing apparatus to produce a machine, such that the instructions, which execute via the processor of the computer or other programmable data processing apparatus, create means for implementing the functions specified in one or more blocks of the flowchart illustrations and / or one or more blocks of the block diagrams.

[0294] These computer program instructions may also be stored in a computer-readable storage medium that can direct a computer or other programmable data processing device to function in a particular manner, such that the instructions stored in the computer-readable storage medium produce an article of manufacture including instruction means that implement the functions specified in one or more flowcharts and / or one or more block diagrams.

[0295] These computer program instructions may also be loaded onto a computer or other programmable data processing apparatus to cause a series of operational steps to be performed on the computer or other programmable apparatus to produce a computer-implemented process, such that the instructions, which execute on the computer or other programmable apparatus, provide steps for implementing the functions specified in one or more flowcharts and / or one or more block diagrams.

[0296] 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.

[0297] It should be understood that the device embodiments described above are merely illustrative. The units described as separate components may or may not be physically separate, and 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 modules can be selected to achieve the purpose of this embodiment according to actual needs. Furthermore, in the accompanying drawings of the device embodiments provided in this application, the connection relationships between modules indicate that they have communication connections, which can be specifically implemented as one or more communication buses or signal lines.

[0298] 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.

[0299] 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 to it, 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.

[0300] In the various embodiments of this application, unless otherwise specified or in case of logical conflict, the terminology and / or descriptions between different embodiments are consistent and can be referenced by each other. Technical features in different embodiments can be combined to form new embodiments based on their inherent logical relationships.

[0301] The above-described embodiments are only used to illustrate the technical solutions of this application, and are not intended to limit it. Although this application has been described in detail with reference to the foregoing embodiments, those skilled in the art should understand that modifications can still be made to the technical solutions described in the foregoing embodiments, or equivalent substitutions can be made to some of the technical features. Such modifications or substitutions do not cause the essence of the corresponding technical solutions to deviate from the scope of the technical solutions of the embodiments of this application.

Claims

1. A communication method characterized by comprising: include: Receive first channel information on a first time unit, the first channel information including at least one first path information, each first path information including first information and second information, wherein the first information is used to identify port resources, the second information is path information of the path set corresponding to the port resources, and the first channel information is used to determine the second channel information on a second time unit.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein, The second information includes the following portion of the path set at the first time unit: Angle of arrival (AOA); AOD at the departure angle; energy; Doppler frequency shift; Time delay.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein, The path set includes at least one first path and / or at least one second path, and each first path information further includes third information, which includes one or more of the following: The distribution function of at least one first path; The average energy of at least one first path; The variance of at least one first path; The rate of change of delay for each of the at least one second path; The rate of change of angle for each of the at least one second path; The energy change rate of each of the at least one second path; The rate of change of the signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) of each of the at least one second path.

4. The method of claim 3, wherein, The first information is carried on the Physical Uplink Control Channel (PUCCH), and the second and third information are carried on the Physical Uplink Shared Channel (PUSCH).

5. The method of claim 3, wherein, The first information and the third information are carried in PUCCH, and the second information is carried in PUSCH.

6. The method of claim 1 or 2, wherein The second channel information includes one or more of the following information about the path set in the second time unit: AOA; AOD; energy; Doppler frequency shift; Time delay.

7. The method according to any one of claims 3 to 5, characterized in that, The second channel information includes one or more of the following: Statistical information of at least one first path; The AOA of each of the at least one second path; AOD for each of the at least one second path; Doppler frequency offset of each of the at least one second path; The time delay of each of the at least one second path.

8. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 7, characterized in that, Before receiving the first channel information on the first time unit, the method further includes: A first reference signal is sent, which is used to measure and obtain the first path information.

9. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 8, characterized in that, The method further includes: The second channel information in the second time unit is determined based on the first channel information.

10. A communication method characterized by comprising: include: Measure the first reference signal to obtain the first channel information in the first time unit. The first channel information includes at least one first path information. Each first path information includes first information and second information. The first information is used to identify port resources, and the second information is the path information of the path set corresponding to the port resources. Send the first channel information.

11. The method of claim 10, wherein, The second information includes one or more of the following information about the path set at the first time unit: Angle of arrival (AOA); AOD at the corner; energy; Doppler frequency shift; Time delay.

12. The method of claim 11, wherein, The path set includes at least one first path and / or at least one second path, and each first path information further includes third information, which includes one or more of the following: The distribution function of at least one first path; The average energy of at least one first path; The variance of at least one first path; The rate of change of delay for each of the at least one second path; The rate of change of angle for each of the at least one second path; The energy change rate of each of the at least one second path; The rate of change of the signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) of each of the at least one second path.

13. The method of claim 12, wherein, The first information is carried on the Physical Uplink Control Channel (PUCCH), and the second and third information are carried on the Physical Uplink Shared Channel (PUSCH).

14. The method of claim 12, wherein, The first information and the third information are carried in PUCCH, and the second information is carried in PUSCH.

15. The method of claim 10 or 11, wherein, The second channel information includes one or more of the following information about the path set in the second time unit: AOA; AOD; energy; Doppler frequency shift; Time delay.

16. The method according to any one of claims 12 to 14, characterized in that, The second channel information includes one or more of the following: Statistical information of at least one first path; The AOA of each of the at least one second path; AOD for each of the at least one second path; Doppler frequency offset of each of the at least one second path; The time delay of each of the at least one second path.

17. A communications device, characterized by It includes at least one processor coupled to a memory; the at least one processor is used to perform the method as described in any one of claims 1 to 16.

18. The communication apparatus according to claim 17, wherein The communication device is a chip or chip system.

19. A readable storage medium, characterized by, The storage medium stores a computer program or instructions, which, when executed by a communication device, implement the method as described in any one of claims 1 to 16.

20. A computer program product, characterised in that, When the computer program product is run on a computer, it causes the computer to perform the method as described in any one of claims 1 to 16.

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