Communication method and apparatus

Abstract

The present application relates to the field of communications, and provides a communication method and apparatus, which are capable of improving the throughput performance of a system. The method comprises: determining a plurality of streams; and, by means of at least two antenna ports, transmitting data of the plurality of streams on at least two channels, wherein the plurality of streams are respectively mapped to the at least two channels, the at least two channels are mapped to at least two antenna ports of a first communication apparatus, frequency points of the at least two antenna ports being different, and the at least two channels being located in the same radio frequency band.

Description

Communication methods and devices

[0001] This application claims priority to Chinese Patent Application No. 202411751112.0, filed with the State Intellectual Property Office of China on November 30, 2024, entitled "Communication Method and Apparatus", the entire contents of which are incorporated herein by reference. Technical Field

[0002] This application relates to the field of communications, and more particularly to a communication method and apparatus. Background Technology

[0003] In mobile communications, multiple-input multiple-output (MIMO) technology is commonly used to achieve high throughput. The throughput supported by MIMO is related to the "degrees of freedom" (DOF); the higher the DDF, the higher the number of streams that MIMO communication can support, and the greater the throughput. DDF is typically composed of three dimensions: time domain, spatial domain, and frequency domain. In traditional MIMO communication systems, the focus is generally on designing the spatial domain to increase the DDF and the number of streams.

[0004] However, due to limitations in hardware conditions or air interface channel environment, the degree of freedom in the spatial dimension has an upper limit. For example, when polarization usually only has two dimensions, vertical and horizontal, the physical spacing of antennas is limited by product size, and transmission in the same polarization direction may be subject to interference, causing the actual throughput performance of the system to fail to meet expectations. Summary of the Invention

[0005] This application provides a communication method and apparatus that can improve the throughput performance of a system.

[0006] To achieve the above objectives, this application adopts the following technical solution:

[0007] In a first aspect, a communication method is provided, applied to a first communication device. The method includes: determining multiple streams and transmitting data of the multiple streams on at least two channels through at least two antenna ports. The multiple streams are respectively mapped to at least two channels, the at least two channels are mapped to at least two antenna ports of the first communication device, the at least two antenna ports have different frequency points, and the at least two channels are located in the same radio frequency band.

[0008] Therefore, the first communication device can map multiple streams to at least two channels located in the same radio frequency band. Since the at least two channels are mapped to at least two antenna ports with different frequencies, transmission interference can be reduced and the throughput performance of the system can be improved.

[0009] One possible design scheme is that, before multiple streams are mapped to at least two channels respectively, the multiple streams are mapped to a first channel. The method in the first aspect further includes: mapping a portion of the multiple streams to a second channel. The at least two channels include the first channel and the second channel. That is, if the transmission effect (e.g., throughput) of the data of multiple streams transmitted on the first channel cannot meet expectations, the first communication device can improve the data transmission effect by switching channels.

[0010] Optionally, the second channel is an idle channel before a portion of the stream is mapped to it, in order to avoid interference with the transmission of other data when switching to the second channel.

[0011] Optionally, mapping a portion of the multiple streams to a second channel includes: determining whether the data throughput of the multiple streams transmitted on the first channel reaches a first expected throughput; if not, mapping a portion of the multiple streams to the second channel, that is, if the first expected throughput is not reached, the channel is switched to improve the data throughput; otherwise, no switching is required to avoid the overhead of switching.

[0012] Optionally, the first expected throughput is determined based on the channel state information of each of the multiple streams.

[0013] Optionally, the method described in the first aspect may further include: sending indication information to a second communication device corresponding to a portion of the stream, the indication information being used to instruct the second communication device to perform data transmission of the portion of the stream on a second channel, ensuring that the other end can also correctly perform data transmission.

[0014] Optionally, the method described in the first aspect may further include: receiving indication information from a second communication device corresponding to a partial stream, the indication information being used to instruct the first communication device to perform partial stream data transmission on a second channel, ensuring that the local end can correctly perform data transmission.

[0015] One possible design, the method described in the first aspect, may further include: determining whether the data throughput of the multiple streams transmitted on at least two channels has reached a second expected throughput; if so, continuing to transmit the data of the multiple streams on at least two channels to maintain the data throughput.

[0016] Optionally, the second expected throughput is determined based on the channel state information of each of the multiple streams to ensure that the second expected throughput is reasonable data under the current channel state.

[0017] Optionally, transmitting data of multiple streams on at least two channels through at least two antenna ports includes: mapping the data of multiple streams to at least two channels according to the channel state information of each stream, and transmitting the data of multiple streams through at least two antenna ports to ensure the reliability of data transmission.

[0018] One possible design is that data from at least two streams mapped to different channels in multiple streams are transmitted through the same antenna port of the first communication device, i.e., combined transmission can be performed to reduce the number of antenna ports used for transmission and reduce transmission overhead.

[0019] In one possible design, when transmitting multiple streams of data on at least two channels, the method in the first aspect further includes: switching the mapping of the multiple streams from the at least two channels to the first channel. That is, the second channel can be a temporarily occupied channel; upon completion of transmission, the second channel is released, allowing data that would otherwise be transmitted via the second channel to continue transmitting through it.

[0020] One possible design scheme is that at least two antenna ports include antenna ports with the same polarization direction. Thus, different streams on antenna ports with the same polarization direction in multiple streams can be mapped to different channels in at least two channels to avoid transmission interference between antenna ports with the same polarization direction through frequency division.

[0021] One possible design scheme is to use the licensed frequency band for Wireless Fidelity Wi-Fi.

[0022] In a second aspect, a communication device is provided. This communication device is used to execute the communication method described in any implementation of the first aspect.

[0023] In this application, the communication device described in the second aspect can be a terminal device or a network device, or a chip (system) or other component or assembly, or a device containing the terminal device or network device. The aforementioned chip (system) or other component or assembly can all be disposed within the terminal device or network device.

[0024] It should be understood that the communication apparatus described in the second aspect includes modules, units, or means that implement the communication method described in any of the first aspects above. These modules, units, or means can be implemented in hardware, software, or by hardware executing corresponding software. The hardware or software includes one or more modules or units for performing the functions involved in the aforementioned communication method.

[0025] Thirdly, a communication device is provided. The communication device includes a processor configured to execute the communication method described in any possible implementation of the first aspect.

[0026] In one possible design, the communication device described in the third aspect may further include a transceiver. This transceiver may be a transceiver circuit or an interface circuit. The transceiver can be used for communication between the communication device described in the third aspect and other communication devices.

[0027] In one possible design, the communication device described in the third aspect may further include a memory. This memory may be integrated with the processor or disposed separately. The memory may be used to store computer programs and / or data involved in the communication method described in any of the first aspects.

[0028] In this application, the communication device described in the third aspect can be a terminal device or a network device, or a chip (system) or other component or assembly, or a device containing the terminal device or network device. The aforementioned chip (system) or other component or assembly can all be disposed within the terminal device or network device.

[0029] Fourthly, a communication device is provided. The communication device includes a processor coupled to a memory, the processor executing a computer program stored in the memory, such that the communication device performs the communication method described in any possible implementation of the first aspect.

[0030] In one possible design, the communication device described in the fourth aspect may further include a transceiver. This transceiver may be a transceiver circuit or an interface circuit. The transceiver can be used for communication between the communication device described in the fourth aspect and other communication devices.

[0031] In this application, the communication device described in the fourth aspect can be a terminal device or a network device, or a chip (system) or other component or assembly, or a device containing the terminal device or network device. The aforementioned chip (system) or other component or assembly can all be disposed within the terminal device or network device.

[0032] Fifthly, a communication device is provided, comprising: a processor and a memory; the memory is used to store a computer program, which, when executed by the processor, causes the communication device to perform the communication method described in any implementation of the first aspect.

[0033] In one possible design, the communication device described in the fifth aspect may further include a transceiver. This transceiver may be a transceiver circuit or an interface circuit. The transceiver can be used for communication between the communication device described in the fifth aspect and other communication devices.

[0034] In this application, the communication device described in the fifth aspect can be a terminal device or a network device, or a chip (system) or other component or assembly, or a device containing the terminal device or network device. The aforementioned chip (system) or other component or assembly can all be disposed within the terminal device or network device.

[0035] In a sixth aspect, a communication device is provided, comprising: a processor; the processor being configured to be coupled to a memory, and after reading a computer program from the memory, to execute a communication method as described in any implementation of the first aspect according to the computer program.

[0036] In one possible design, the communication device described in the sixth aspect may further include a transceiver. This transceiver may be a transceiver circuit or an interface circuit. The transceiver can be used for communication between the communication device described in the sixth aspect and other communication devices.

[0037] In this application, the communication device described in the sixth aspect can be a terminal device or a network device, or a chip (system) or other component or assembly, or a device containing the terminal device or network device. The aforementioned chip (system) or other component or assembly can all be disposed within the terminal device or network device.

[0038] In a seventh aspect, a processor is provided. The processor is configured to execute the communication method described in any possible implementation of the first aspect.

[0039] Eighthly, a communication system is provided. The communication system includes at least a first communication device for performing the method described in the first aspect.

[0040] Optionally, the communication system may also include a second communication device.

[0041] A ninth aspect provides a computer-readable storage medium comprising: a computer program or instructions; which, when executed on a computer, causes the computer to perform the communication method described in any possible implementation of the first aspect.

[0042] In a tenth aspect, a computer program product is provided, comprising a computer program or instructions that, when executed on a computer, cause the computer to perform the communication method described in any possible implementation of the first aspect.

[0043] Furthermore, the technical effects of the communication devices described in the second to tenth aspects above can be referred to the technical effects of the communication methods described in the first aspect above, and will not be repeated here. Attached Figure Description

[0044] Figure 1 is a schematic diagram of the antenna product structure;

[0045] Figure 2 is a schematic diagram of the architecture of the communication system provided in an embodiment of this application;

[0046] Figure 3 is a schematic diagram of the structure of a network device in a communication system provided in an embodiment of this application;

[0047] Figure 4 is a flowchart illustrating the communication method provided in an embodiment of this application;

[0048] Figure 5 is a schematic diagram of an application scenario of the communication method provided in the embodiment of this application;

[0049] Figure 6 is a schematic diagram of the second application scenario of the communication method provided in the embodiment of this application;

[0050] Figure 7 is a schematic diagram of the third application scenario of the communication method provided in the embodiment of this application;

[0051] Figure 8 is a schematic diagram of the communication device provided in an embodiment of this application;

[0052] Figure 9 is a schematic diagram of the structure of the communication device provided in the embodiment of this application. Detailed Implementation

[0053] The technical solutions of this application embodiment can be applied to various communication systems, such as Wi-Fi systems, vehicle-to-everything (V2X) communication systems, device-to-device (D2D) communication systems, vehicle-to-everything (V2X) communication systems, fourth-generation (4G) mobile communication systems, such as long-term evolution (LTE) systems, worldwide interoperability for microwave access (WiMAX) communication systems, fifth-generation (5G) mobile communication systems, such as new radio (NR) systems, and future communication systems.

[0054] The relevant technical solutions in this application will now be described with reference to the accompanying drawings.

[0055] In mobile communications, MIMO technology is commonly used to achieve high throughput. The throughput supported by MIMO is related to the "degrees of freedom," a key characteristic. The higher the degrees of freedom, the higher the number of streams that MIMO communication can support, and the greater the throughput. Degrees of freedom are typically composed of three dimensions: the time domain, the spatial domain (including position and polarization), and the frequency domain.

[0056] In traditional MIMO communication systems, the focus is generally on spatial dimension design to increase degrees of freedom and thus improve stream count. For example, maximizing antenna spacing on the printed circuit board (PCB) ensures better degrees of freedom. Similarly, antennas with different polarizations are often used in combination during antenna design to guarantee sufficient degrees of freedom. However, in practical applications, due to hardware limitations or air interface channel environment constraints, the degrees of freedom in the spatial dimension have upper limits. For instance, when polarization typically only has two dimensions (vertical and horizontal), product size constraints limit antenna range, making it difficult to increase degrees of freedom further.

[0057] The following section will use multi-user multiple input multiple output (MU MIMO) as an example for introduction.

[0058] As shown in Figure 1, in a MU MIMO system, the access point (AP) includes eight antennas to support up to eight streams of transmission. Taking four stations (STAs) accessing the AP as an example, each STA can transmit data through two streams. Specifically, the eight antennas include four vertically polarized antennas and four horizontally polarized antennas. For the transmission of stream #1 and stream #2, the AP is configured with a maximum bandwidth of 80 MHz. The AP modulates the data from stream #1 and stream #2 into signals via baseband and performs weighting and other processing on the signals. Then, it upscales the signals from 0 Hz to 5.5 GHz via radio frequency and finally transmits the signals through the antennas over an 80 MHz bandwidth. The center frequency of this 80 MHz bandwidth is 5.5 GHz. Correspondingly, STA1 can receive signals from streams #1 and #2 via an 80MHz bandwidth with a center frequency of 5.5GHz. STA1 can down-convert the signals from 5.5GHz to 0Hz via radio frequency, and then perform demodulation and decoding via baseband to obtain the data for streams #1 and #2. The transmission of streams #3 through #8 follows the same principle and will not be elaborated further here.

[0059] However, for transmission in the same polarization direction, interference exists due to the antenna spacing, which may prevent the actual support of 4-stream transmission. For an 8-stream AP, it can only support a maximum of 6-stream transmission in practice, resulting in throughput performance that cannot meet expectations.

[0060] To address the aforementioned technical problems, this application proposes the following technical solutions. The technical solutions in this application will now be described in conjunction with the accompanying drawings.

[0061] This application will present various aspects, embodiments, or features relating to systems that may include multiple devices, components, modules, etc. It should be understood and appreciated that individual systems may include additional devices, components, modules, etc., and / or may not include all the devices, components, modules, etc. discussed in conjunction with the accompanying drawings. Furthermore, combinations of these approaches are also possible.

[0062] Furthermore, in the embodiments of this application, words such as "exemplarily" and "for example" are used to indicate that something is an example, illustration, or description. Any embodiment or design that is described as an "example" in this application should not be construed as being better or more advantageous than other embodiments or designs. Rather, the use of the word "example" is intended to present the concept in a specific manner.

[0063] First, in this application, "for indicating" can include both direct and indirect indication. When describing "information" for indicating A, it can include whether the information directly indicates A or indirectly indicates A, but does not necessarily mean that the information carries A.

[0064] The information indicated by a given piece of information is called the information to be indicated. In the specific implementation process, there are many ways to indicate the information to be indicated, such as, but not limited to, directly indicating the information to be indicated, such as the information to be indicated itself or its index. It can also be indirectly indicated by indicating other information, where there is a relationship between the other information and the information to be indicated. It can also indicate only a part of the information to be indicated, while the other parts are known or pre-agreed upon. For example, the indication of specific information can be achieved by using a pre-agreed (e.g., protocol-defined) arrangement of various pieces of information, thereby reducing the indication overhead to some extent. At the same time, common parts of various pieces of information can be identified and indicated uniformly to reduce the indication overhead caused by individually indicating the same information.

[0065] Furthermore, the specific indication method can also be any existing indication method, such as, but not limited to, the above-mentioned indication methods and their various combinations. Specific details of various indication methods can be found in existing technologies, and will not be repeated here. As described above, for example, when multiple pieces of information of the same type need to be indicated, the indication methods for different pieces of information may differ. In the specific implementation process, the required indication method can be selected according to specific needs. This application embodiment does not limit the selected indication method; therefore, the indication methods involved in this application embodiment should be understood to cover various methods that enable the party to be indicated to obtain the information to be indicated.

[0066] The information to be instructed can be sent as a whole or divided into multiple sub-information messages, and the sending period and / or timing of these sub-information messages can be the same or different. This application does not limit the specific sending method. The sending period and / or timing of these sub-information messages can be predefined, for example, according to a protocol, or configured by the transmitting device by sending configuration information to the receiving device. This configuration information can include, for example, but not limited to, one or a combination of at least two of radio resource control (RRC) signaling, medium access control (MAC) layer signaling, and physical layer signaling. MAC layer signaling includes, for example, a MAC control element (CE); physical (PHY) layer signaling includes, for example, downlink control information (DCI).

[0067] Second, in the embodiments shown below, the first, second, and various numerical designations are merely distinctions for descriptive convenience and are not intended to limit the scope of the embodiments of this application. For example, to distinguish different indication information.

[0068] Third, "pre-defined," "pre-configured," or "pre-specified" can be achieved by pre-saving corresponding codes, tables, or other means of indicating relevant information in the device (e.g., including terminal devices and network devices), or by pre-defining them in a protocol. This application does not limit the specific implementation method. "Saving" can refer to saving in one or more memories. These memories can be separate installations or integrated into the encoder, decoder, processor, or communication device. Alternatively, some memories can be separately installed, while others are integrated into the decoder, processor, or communication device. The type of memory can be any form of storage medium, and this application does not limit this.

[0069] Fourth, the “protocol” involved in the embodiments of this application may refer to standard protocols in the field of communication, such as WiFi protocols, such as 802.11a, 802.11b, 802.11n, 802.11ac, 802.11ax, 802.11be, etc., as well as related protocols applied in future communication systems. This application does not limit this.

[0070] The network architecture and business scenarios described in the embodiments of this application are for the purpose of more clearly illustrating the technical solutions of the embodiments of this application, and do not constitute a limitation on the technical solutions provided in the embodiments of this application. As those skilled in the art will know, with the evolution of network architecture and the emergence of new business scenarios, the technical solutions provided in the embodiments of this application are also applicable to similar technical problems.

[0071] To facilitate understanding of the embodiments of this application, the communication system applicable to the embodiments of this application will be described in detail first using the communication system shown in FIG2 as an example. Exemplarily, FIG2 is a schematic diagram of the architecture of a communication system to which the method provided in the embodiments of this application applies. This communication system mainly includes: a first communication device and a second communication device.

[0072] The first communication device can be a terminal or a network device. Similarly, the second communication device can also be a terminal or a network device.

[0073] Terminal equipment can be a terminal with transceiver capabilities, or it can be a chip or chip system installed in the terminal equipment. This terminal equipment can also be referred to as user equipment (UE), access terminal, subscriber unit, user station, station (STA), mobile station (MS), mobile station, remote station, remote terminal, mobile device, user terminal, terminal, wireless communication equipment, user agent, or user apparatus. The terminal devices in the embodiments of this application may be mobile phones, cellular phones, smartphones, tablets, wireless data cards, personal digital assistants (PDAs), wireless modems, handsets, laptop computers, machine-type communication (MTC) terminals, computers with wireless transceiver capabilities, virtual reality (VR) terminals, augmented reality (AR) terminals, smart home devices (e.g., refrigerators, televisions, air conditioners, electricity meters, etc.), intelligent robots, robotic arms, workshop equipment, wireless terminals in autonomous driving, wireless terminals in industrial control, wireless terminals in self-driving, wireless terminals in telemedicine, wireless terminals in smart grids, wireless terminals in transportation safety, wireless terminals in smart cities, wireless terminals in smart homes, vehicle-mounted terminals, and roadside units with terminal functions. The terminal device in this application can also be an onboard module, onboard unit, onboard component, onboard chip, or onboard unit, which is built into a vehicle as one or more components or units. The terminal device can also be other devices with terminal functions; for example, it can be a device that performs terminal functions in D2D communication. The embodiments of this application do not limit the device form of the terminal device. The device used to implement the terminal function can be a terminal device; it can also be a device that supports the terminal in implementing the function, such as a chip system. This device can be installed in the terminal or used in conjunction with the terminal.In this embodiment of the application, the chip system may be composed of chips or may include chips and other discrete devices.

[0074] Network equipment can specifically be access network equipment, also known as radio access network (RAN) nodes. RAN nodes can be devices in open RAN (O-RAN or ORAN), cloud radio access network (CRAN), or wireless fidelity (WiFi) systems, such as access points (APs), also known as WiFi devices. RAN nodes can be devices in 3GPP-related cellular systems, such as 4G, 5G mobile communication systems, or future-oriented evolution systems. RAN nodes can also be devices in communication systems that integrate two or more of the above systems. RAN nodes are sometimes also called RAN entities or access nodes, forming part of the communication system to help terminals achieve wireless access. Multiple RAN nodes in a communication system can be of the same type or different types.

[0075] Figure 3 illustrates an exemplary structure of a network device. As shown in Figure 3, the network device may include: a baseband chip (or baseband), a radio frequency (RF) chip, an RF front-end module, and an antenna. The baseband chip is, for example, a system-on-chip (SOC). The baseband chip is primarily used to generate / modulate baseband signals and send them to the RF chip, as well as to receive / demodulate the baseband signals received from the RF chip. The RF chip is mainly used for analog processing of the conversion between baseband and RF signals; such as frequency conversion, amplification, and filtering. The RF front-end module is mainly used to amplify the received RF signals. The antenna is mainly used to transmit or receive RF signals into or from space.

[0076] In this embodiment of the application, there can be a variety of connection methods between network devices and terminal devices, such as point-to-point single connection, multi-hop single connection through relay devices, dual connectivity (DC), or multi-hop multi-connection through relay devices, etc., without any specific limitations.

[0077] In this communication system, the first communication device can identify multiple streams and map them to at least two channels located in the same radio frequency band, and transmit the data of the multiple streams on the at least two channels through at least two antenna ports. Since the at least two antenna ports mapped to the at least two channels have different frequency points, the transmission interference between antenna ports can be reduced, thereby improving the throughput performance of the system.

[0078] For ease of understanding, the following text will mainly use the example of the first communication device being a network device and the second communication device being a terminal device. The following text can also refer to the case where the first communication device is a terminal device and the second communication device is a network device, or where both the first and second communication devices are terminal devices, or where both the first and second communication devices are network devices, etc., and will not be elaborated on here.

[0079] It should be understood that the communication method provided in this application embodiment can be applied to the device shown in FIG2. For specific implementation, please refer to the following method embodiment, which will not be repeated here. The solution in this application embodiment can also be applied to other communication systems, and the corresponding names can be replaced by the names of the corresponding functions in other communication systems.

[0080] It should also be understood that Figure 2 is a simplified schematic diagram for ease of understanding only, and the communication system may also include other network devices and / or other terminal devices, which are not shown in Figure 2.

[0081] The interaction process between devices in the above-described communication system will be specifically described below with reference to Figure 4, through a method embodiment. The communication method provided in this application embodiment can be applied to the above-described communication system, such as the interaction between terminal devices and network devices, which will be described in detail below.

[0082] As shown in Figure 4, the flow of this communication method is as follows:

[0083] S401, the first communication device identifies multiple streams.

[0084] A stream can be understood as a data flow, or as a carrier of data.

[0085] Multiple streams can correspond to the same user, such as a single device (or a device used by that user), meaning multiple streams can all be used to transmit the user's data. Alternatively, multiple streams can correspond to different users, such as different devices (or devices used by different users), meaning different streams can be used to transmit data from different users. For example, the first communication device supports eight streams: streams #1 and #2 correspond to user #1, streams #3 and #4 correspond to user #2, streams #5 and #6 correspond to user #3, and streams #7 and #8 correspond to user #4.

[0086] Multiple streams can be mapped to at least two channels, meaning that data from multiple streams can be transmitted through the channels mapped to each stream. Specifically, the mapping relationship between multiple streams and at least two channels can be a one-to-one mapping, such as each stream being mapped to a corresponding channel, and different streams being mapped to different channels; or a many-to-one mapping, such as different streams being mapped to the same channel; or a combination of one-to-one and many-to-one mappings, such as streams #1 and #2 being mapped to channel #1, stream #3 being mapped to channel #2, and stream #4 being mapped to channel #3.

[0087] A channel can be a wireless channel, that is, a channel for wireless transmission of signals / data signals in a communication system. Specifically, it can be a channel in a certain radio frequency band, such as a licensed Wi-Fi band, such as the 2.4GHz licensed band, the 5.5GHz licensed band, or a newly defined licensed band in the future; there are no specific restrictions. That is to say, at least two of the above-mentioned channels are located in the same radio frequency band, such as both located in the 2.4GHz licensed band, or both located in the 5.5GHz licensed band. Channels can be divided according to the frequency domain resources in the radio frequency band. For example, in the 5.5GHz licensed band, the frequency domain resources can be divided according to a certain bandwidth to obtain various channels. For example, every 80MHz, 160MHz, or 320MHz of frequency domain resources constitutes one channel. Taking 80MHz as an example, the frequency domain resources of 5.46GHz-5.54GHz are channel #1, the frequency domain resources of 5.54GHz-5.62GHz are channel #2, the frequency domain resources of 5.62GHz-5.7GHz are channel #3, and so on. Alternatively, the bandwidth of the channels can also be different. For example, the 80MHz frequency domain resource of 5.46GHz-5.54GHz can be channel #1, and the 160MHz frequency domain resource of 5.54GHz-5.7GHz can be channel #2, etc. The specific allocation can be defined or pre-configured by the protocol, or determined by the first communication device itself, or determined by the first communication device in consultation with other communication devices (such as the second communication device). There are no specific restrictions.

[0088] Each stream's data transmission can occupy at least a portion of the bandwidth of the mapped channel. For example, if stream #1 is mapped to channel #1, and channel #1 has a bandwidth of 80MHz, the data transmission of stream #1 can occupy this 80MHz bandwidth, or it can occupy only 40MHz of this 80MHz bandwidth. The specific configuration can be defined or pre-configured by the protocol, or determined by the first communication device itself, or determined by the first communication device in consultation with other communication devices (such as the second communication device). There are no specific restrictions.

[0089] It is understood that the channel involved in the embodiments of this application can also be replaced by bandwidth, frequency band, frequency domain resource, frequency domain unit, etc., and there are no specific limitations.

[0090] At least two channels can be mapped to at least two antenna ports of the first communication device, meaning that each of the at least two antenna ports can transmit data within its corresponding bandwidth / frequency band. These bandwidths / frequency bands correspond to at least two channels. In this case, the frequencies of the at least two antenna ports can also be different. The frequency of an antenna port can be the center frequency of the channel mapped to that antenna port. Specifically, it can be a frequency within the bandwidth occupied by that channel, such as the center frequency, or any possible frequency, such as the start / end frequency of that bandwidth. For ease of understanding, this application embodiment uses the center frequency as an example.

[0091] For example, the first communication device includes at least antenna port #1 and antenna port #2. Channel #1 has a bandwidth of 5.46GHz-5.54GHz, and channel #2 has a bandwidth of 5.54GHz-5.62GHz. Mapping channel #1 to antenna port #1 indicates that antenna port #1 needs to transmit data in the 5.46GHz-5.54GHz frequency domain. Therefore, the frequency of antenna port #1 can be 5.5GHz, which is the center frequency in this frequency domain, used for modulation and demodulation at this center frequency for data transmission. Similarly, mapping channel #2 to antenna port #2 indicates that antenna port #2 needs to transmit data in the 5.54GHz-5.62GHz frequency domain. Therefore, the frequency of antenna port #2 can be 5.58GHz. It can be seen that antenna port #1 and antenna port #2 have different frequencies.

[0092] Optionally, at least two antenna ports include antenna ports with the same polarization direction. Based on this, different flows on antenna ports with the same polarization direction can be mapped to different channels in at least two channels. For example, antenna port #1 and antenna port #2 are both antenna ports with vertical or horizontal polarization directions. Flow #1 on antenna port #1 is mapped to channel #1, and flow #2 on antenna port #2 is mapped to channel #2. The frequency domain positions of channel #1 and channel #2 are different to avoid transmission interference between antenna ports with the same polarization direction through frequency division.

[0093] It is understood that the antenna port involved in the embodiments of this application can also be replaced by antenna, antenna panel, antenna array, reference signal port, beam, etc., and there is no specific limitation.

[0094] In this embodiment, the first communication device can determine the streams with relatively low inter-stream transmission interference from a preset stream, such as the aforementioned multiple streams, or in other words, multiple streams that can transmit data in this round. The preset streams can be streams of users already connected to (or connected to) the first communication device, such as 3 users connected to the first communication device, each user corresponding to 2 streams, for a total of 6 streams, such as streams #1 to #6. The multiple streams can be at least a portion of the preset streams. If the multiple streams are all of the preset streams, it means that the transmission interference between any two streams in the preset streams is relatively low, therefore, all streams can be allowed to transmit in parallel in this round. If the multiple streams are only a portion of the preset streams, it means that the portion of the preset streams other than the multiple streams is a stream that cannot be transmitted in parallel with other streams in this round. For example, the transmission interference between this portion of the streams and other streams in the preset streams is relatively high. If this portion of the streams is allowed to transmit in this round, it will cause significant interference to the transmission of other streams, thereby affecting the overall communication quality. In one possible approach, the first communication device can determine the inter-stream transmission interference based on the channel state of each preset stream to select the stream with low inter-stream transmission interference, as described in detail below.

[0095] The first communication device can determine the channel state of each preset stream, such as channel state information (CSI), or any other information that can be used to characterize the state of the preset stream, without any specific limitation.

[0096] The channels mapped to the preset streams can be the same channel, meaning these streams are allowed to transmit data on the same frequency domain resource, such as channel #1 with a bandwidth of 5.46GHz-5.54GHz. Alternatively, the channels mapped to the preset streams can be different channels, without any specific restrictions. For ease of understanding, this application uses the example of preset streams being mapped to the same channel (such as the first channel). Other cases are explained in the same way and will not be elaborated here. In the preset stream, the channel state information of each stream can represent the state of the stream in the mapped channel (such as the first channel). This can include a channel matrix, specifically the channel state of each stream on the antenna port mapped to the stream and the bandwidth of the first channel. It can also be understood as stream-level channel state information. For example, stream #1 is mapped to antenna port #1, stream #2 is mapped to antenna port #2, and both antenna ports #1 and #2 are mapped to channel #1 with a bandwidth of 5.46GHz-5.54GHz. The channel state information of stream #1 can represent the channel state of stream #1 at antenna port #1 and in the 5.46GHz-5.54GHz range, and the channel state information of stream #2 can represent the channel state of stream #2 at antenna port #2 and in the 5.46GHz-5.54GHz range. In the preset streams, the channel state information of each stream can be determined by the first communication device through channel measurement. For example, the first communication device can instruct the peer device corresponding to each stream, or the first communication device itself can perform channel measurement on the first channel (or the frequency band / bandwidth of the first channel) at the antenna port mapped to each stream to obtain the channel state information of that stream. The first communication device can determine multiple streams from the preset streams based on the channel state information of each preset stream.

[0097] In one possible implementation, the first communication device can determine the channel correlation between any two streams in the preset stream based on their respective channel state information. This channel correlation can represent the magnitude of transmission interference between the two streams; the greater the channel correlation, the greater the transmission interference, and vice versa. For example, the first communication device can determine the vector dot product of the two streams based on their respective channel state information. This vector dot product represents the channel correlation between the two streams; the greater the vector dot product, the higher the channel correlation, and vice versa. An example of this vector dot product can be shown in Equation (1).

[0098] Where A represents a stream, such as the channel state information of stream A (specifically, the channel matrix), B represents another stream, such as the channel state information of stream B (specifically, the channel matrix), H represents conjugate, and ρ 2 The vector inner product represents the channel correlation between streams A and B.

[0099] The first communication device can determine multiple streams that meet the requirement of the correlation threshold according to the magnitude relationship between the channel correlation of every two streams in the preset streams and the preset correlation threshold, such as multiple streams whose channel correlation is less than or equal to the correlation threshold. The correlation threshold can be the upper limit of the correlation that allows two streams to be transmitted in parallel. If the channel correlation of two streams is greater than the correlation threshold, it means that the transmissions of these two streams in space will cause relatively large interference to each other, and usually these two streams are not allowed to be transmitted in parallel. On the contrary, these two streams are allowed to be transmitted in parallel. For the convenience of understanding, an example is introduced. Assume that the preset streams include stream A, stream B, stream C, and stream D. The first communication device can determine that the channel correlation between stream A and stream B is K1, the channel correlation between stream A and stream C is K2, the channel correlation between stream B and stream C is K3, the channel correlation between stream A and stream D is K4, the channel correlation between stream B and stream D is K5, and the channel correlation between stream C and stream D is K6, where K4 < K5 < K1 < K2 < K3 < K6, the correlation threshold is K0, and K2 < K0 < K3. That is, the channel correlations of stream C with stream A, stream B, and stream D are relatively high, and the channel correlations of stream C with stream B and stream D even exceed the correlation threshold. The transmission of stream C will cause relatively large interference to the transmissions of stream B and stream D, and stream C is not allowed to be transmitted in parallel with stream B and stream D. Therefore, the first communication device can determine that the multiple streams that meet the requirement of the correlation threshold are stream A, stream B, and stream D.

[0100] The first communication device is capable of transmitting data of multiple streams on the first channel. Then, if the data transmission effect (such as throughput) of these multiple streams fails to meet the expectation, the first communication device can improve the data transmission effect through channel switching, such as mapping some of the multiple streams to the second channel. That is, the above-mentioned at least two channels include the first channel and the second channel, which will be specifically introduced below.

[0101] For example, during the process of transmitting data of multiple streams on the first channel, the first communication device determines whether the data throughput of the multiple streams transmitted on the first channel reaches the first expected throughput. Among them, the first expected throughput can represent the transmission rate of the data. The larger the throughput, the higher the transmission rate of the data, and vice versa, the smaller.

[0102] The first expected throughput can be determined based on the modulation and coding scheme (MCS) of each of the multiple streams. The MCS of each stream can be determined based on the channel state information of that stream. The MCS of the multiple streams can be the same or different. For example, taking streams A and B as mentioned above, the first communication device can determine MCS6 based on the channel state information of stream A and MCS3 based on the channel state information of stream B. The first communication device can use MCS6 as the MCS for transmission of stream A, that is, the MCS of stream A is MCS6, and use MCS3 as the MCS for transmission of stream B, that is, the MCS of stream B is MCS3. Alternatively, the first communication device can also choose the minimum value between MCS6 and MCS3, that is, MCS3, and use MCS3 as the MCS for transmission of both streams A and B, that is, the MCS of streams A and B are the same, both being MCS3.

[0103] In one possible implementation, taking the case where multiple streams have the same MCS (the case where multiple streams have different MCSs can be understood similarly), the first communication device can determine the overall data throughput of the multiple streams based on the MCS and the number of streams. This overall data throughput can also be understood as the theoretical data throughput. For example, the first communication device can determine the data throughput of a single stream corresponding to the MCS; the larger the MCS, the larger the data throughput of the single stream corresponding to that MCS, and vice versa. The first communication device can multiply the data throughput of the single stream by the number of streams to obtain the theoretical data throughput of the multiple streams, such as 500 Mbps. The first communication device can multiply the theoretical data throughput of the multiple streams by a coefficient to obtain the first expected throughput. The coefficient can be greater than 0 and less than or equal to 1, and corresponds to the overall channel correlation of the multiple streams. The overall channel correlation of the multiple streams can be a statistical value (e.g., mean, weighted value, etc.) of the channel correlation between every two streams. The lower the overall channel correlation of the multiple streams, the larger the value of the coefficient, and vice versa.

[0104] It is understandable that the theoretical data throughput is the data throughput that can be achieved under relatively ideal conditions. Considering factors such as signal interference or attenuation in the actual transmission environment, by setting a coefficient, it can be ensured that the first expected throughput is the actual achievable data throughput. If the data transmission effect of multiple streams on the first channel does not reach the first expected throughput, that is, the data transmission effect of multiple streams does not meet expectations, the first communication device can map some of the multiple streams to the second channel. In other words, if the first expected throughput is not reached, the channel is switched to improve the data throughput; otherwise, no switching is required to avoid the overhead of switching.

[0105] For example, the first communication device can perform channel scanning, such as scanning each channel in the aforementioned radio frequency band, to determine idle channels, i.e., to determine channels without interference through channel scanning. The first communication device can select a channel for switching mapping from the idle channels, i.e., the second channel, such as selecting a channel whose frequency domain position is as close as possible to the first channel (e.g., a channel adjacent to the first channel in the frequency domain), or randomly selecting any channel. The specific method of channel selection can be determined by the first communication device according to its local strategy and is not restricted. The first communication device can determine a portion of the streams from multiple streams to which the mapping channel needs to be switched. For example, since there is usually transmission interference between streams mapped to antenna ports in the same polarization direction, a portion of these streams can be selected and mapped to the second channel to achieve the effect of frequency division between the first and second channels to avoid transmission interference. Alternatively, a portion of the streams can be randomly selected. The specific method of stream selection can be determined by the first communication device according to its local strategy and is not restricted.

[0106] The first communication device can send indication information to the second communication device corresponding to the aforementioned partial stream. This indication information can be used to instruct the second communication device to transmit the partial stream data on the second channel, ensuring that the other end can also correctly transmit data. For example, the indication information may include an identifier of the second channel, and optionally, it may also include an identifier of the partial stream. Of course, if the partial stream is a single stream, such as when the second communication device is configured to use only one stream to transmit data with the first communication device, the indication information may not include the identifier of that partial stream. The indication information can be carried in any possible message used for communication between the first and second communication devices, such as a channel switch announcement (CSA) message, or it may be a newly defined message in the future; there are no specific limitations.

[0107] It is understandable that the above example uses the switching of some streams to the second mapped channel as an example. The first communication device can also switch other streams to other channels, such as the third channel, the fourth channel, etc., with the same principle, which will not be repeated here. The above example uses the first communication device to determine whether to switch the mapped channel, without limitation. For example, the second communication device can determine whether to switch the channels mapped to multiple streams, and determine that some streams are switched to the second channel. Then, it sends an indication message to the first communication device. Correspondingly, the first communication device can receive the indication message from the second communication device corresponding to some streams, ensuring that the local end can correctly transmit data. The specific principle is similar to that of the first communication device described above, and will not be repeated here.

[0108] It should also be understood that the first communication device mapping multiple streams to at least two channels by switching the mapped channels is one example. This application can also map channels to streams using various other methods. For example, the mapping relationship between multiple streams and at least two channels can be pre-configured / predefined by the protocol. During data transmission, the first communication device can directly map the data of multiple streams to at least two channels according to this mapping relationship, without a channel switching process. For another example, after identifying multiple streams, the first communication device can map different channels to streams with high channel correlation among them. For example, among the selected streams A, B, and D, streams A and B have high channel correlation; the first communication device can map stream A to the first channel, stream B to the second channel, and stream D to either the first or second channel.

[0109] S402, the first communication device transmits multiple streams of data on at least two channels through at least two antenna ports.

[0110] The first communication device can map the data of multiple streams onto at least two channels based on the channel state information of each stream, and transmit the data of multiple streams through at least two antenna ports. For example, for any one of the multiple streams, the first communication device can modulate and encode the data of the stream based on the channel state information and the MCS of the stream to obtain a modulated and coded signal, map the modulated and coded signal onto the channel corresponding to the stream (which can be understood as upsampling), and then transmit the signal (or can also be understood as transmitting the data of the stream) through the antenna port mapped to the stream.

[0111] To make it easier to understand, we will use two examples below.

[0112] As shown in Figure 5, the scenario of communication between AP (such as the first communication device) and STA (such as the second communication device) is taken as an example.

[0113] The AP has 8 antennas, including 4 vertically polarized antennas and 4 horizontally polarized antennas. The AP supports 8 streams. When 4 STAs are connected to the AP, STA#1 corresponds to streams #1 and #2, STA#2 corresponds to streams #3 and #4, STA#3 corresponds to streams #5 and #6, and STA#4 corresponds to streams #7 and #8.

[0114] For the transmission of streams #1 and #2, the AP is configured with a maximum bandwidth of 80MHz. The AP modulates the data of streams #1 and #2 into signals via baseband and performs weighting and other processing on the signals. Then, it upscales the signals from 0Hz to 5.5GHz via radio frequency (RF). Finally, it transmits the signals on an 80MHz bandwidth via antennas #1 and #2, with the center frequency of this 80MHz bandwidth being 5.5GHz. Correspondingly, STA1 can receive the signals of streams #1 and #2 by performing reception detection on an 80MHz bandwidth with a center frequency of 5.5GHz. STA1 can downscale the signals from 5.5GHz to 0Hz via RF and then perform demodulation and decoding on the baseband to obtain the data of streams #1 and #2.

[0115] For the transmission of streams #3 and #4, the AP is configured with a maximum bandwidth of 80MHz. The AP modulates the data from streams #3 and #4 into signals via baseband and performs weighting and other processing on the signals. Then, it upsamples the signals from 0Hz to 5.58GHz via radio frequency (RF). Finally, it transmits the signals through antennas #3 and #4 on an 80MHz bandwidth, with the center frequency of this 80MHz bandwidth being 5.58GHz. Correspondingly, STA2 can receive the signals from streams #3 and #4 by performing reception detection on an 80MHz bandwidth with a center frequency of 5.58GHz. STA1 can downsample the signals from 5.58GHz to 0Hz via RF and then perform demodulation and decoding on the baseband to obtain the data from streams #3 and #4.

[0116] The same principle applies to data transmission from stream #5 to stream #8, except that the antenna polarization direction is horizontal.

[0117] As can be seen, unlike the scenario shown in Figure 1, the AP can choose to map the streams of different users (STAs) on antenna ports with the same polarization direction to different channels. For example, the streams corresponding to STA1 and STA2 are located on different channels (or frequency bands). Therefore, it can avoid inter-stream transmission interference and has better transmission flexibility, enabling an AP with 8 antenna ports to support 8-stream transmission. At the same time, under the condition of the same number of communication streams, better flexibility can achieve higher throughput. Or, under the condition of the same throughput, better flexibility can achieve a longer coverage distance. Of course, the scenario shown in Figure 5 is only one example. For example, the AP can also choose to map different streams of the same user to different channels, such as stream #1 and stream #2 being mapped to different channels, or mapping all streams to different channels, such as streams #1 to stream #8 being mapped to different channels.

[0118] As shown in Figure 6, the scenario of communication between AP1 (such as the first communication device) and AP2 (such as the second communication device) is taken as an example.

[0119] AP1 has four antennas: two vertically polarized and two horizontally polarized. AP2 also has four antennas: two vertically polarized and two horizontally polarized. Both AP1 and AP2 support four streams.

[0120] For stream #1, AP1 is configured with a maximum bandwidth of 80MHz. AP modulates the data of stream #1 into a signal via baseband and performs weighting and other processing. Then, it upsamples the signal from 0Hz to 5.5GHz via radio frequency (RF). Finally, it transmits the signal through antenna #1 over an 80MHz bandwidth, with the center frequency of 5.5GHz. Correspondingly, AP2 can receive the signal from stream #1 via antenna #A over an 80MHz bandwidth with a center frequency of 5.5GHz. AP2 downsamples the signal from 5.5GHz to 0Hz via RF, and then performs demodulation and decoding via baseband to obtain the data from stream #1.

[0121] For stream #2, the AP is configured with a maximum bandwidth of 80MHz. The AP modulates the data of stream #2 into a signal via baseband and performs weighting and other processing on the signal. Then, it upsamples the signal from 0Hz to 5.58GHz via radio frequency (RF). Finally, it transmits the signal through antenna #2 over an 80MHz bandwidth, with the center frequency of this 80MHz bandwidth being 5.58GHz. Correspondingly, AP2 can receive and detect the signal of stream #2 via antenna #B over an 80MHz bandwidth with a center frequency of 5.58GHz. AP2 can downsample the signal from 5.58GHz to 0Hz via RF, and then perform demodulation and decoding via baseband to obtain the data of stream #2.

[0122] The same principle applies to data transmission from stream #3 to stream #4. The difference is that the antenna polarization direction is horizontal, which can also avoid inter-stream transmission interference and provide better freedom of transmission.

[0123] In summary, the first communication device can map multiple streams to at least two channels located in the same radio frequency band. Since the at least two channels are mapped to at least two antenna ports with different frequencies, transmission interference can be reduced and the throughput performance of the system can be improved.

[0124] Optionally, in conjunction with S401-S402 above, in S402, data from at least two streams mapped to different channels in multiple streams are transmitted through the same antenna port of the first communication device, i.e., combined transmission can be performed to reduce the number of antenna ports used for transmission, thereby reducing the antenna transmission overhead. Furthermore, since there are fewer antenna ports, the device can be equipped with fewer antennas, resulting in lower hardware costs. With the physical form of the device (such as its size) remaining unchanged, fewer antenna ports allow for greater spacing between them on the device, leading to stronger anti-interference capabilities.

[0125] Among them, the different channels mentioned above can be consecutive channels, such as channel #1 with a bandwidth of 5.46GHz-5.54GHz and channel #2 with a bandwidth of 5.54GHz-5.62GHz.

[0126] To make it easier to understand, two examples are provided below.

[0127] As shown in Figure 7(a), the AP has two antennas, one vertically polarized and one horizontally polarized, and supports four streams. For stream #1, AP1 is configured with a maximum bandwidth of 80MHz. The AP modulates the data of stream #1 into a signal via baseband and performs weighting and other processing on the signal, then upscales the signal from 0Hz to 5.5GHz via radio frequency. For stream #2, the AP is also configured with a maximum bandwidth of 80MHz. The AP modulates the data of stream #2 into a signal via baseband and performs weighting and other processing on the signal, then upscales the signal from 0Hz to 5.58GHz via radio frequency. Finally, the AP combines the signals of stream #1 and stream #2 using a combiner and transmits the signal through antenna #1 at a bandwidth of 160MHz. The data transmission for streams #3 and #4 follows the same principle and will not be described further.

[0128] As shown in Figure 7(b), the AP has one antenna, which can be either vertically or horizontally polarized. The AP supports four streams. For stream #1, the AP is configured with a maximum bandwidth of 80MHz. The AP modulates the data of stream #1 into a signal via baseband, performs weighting and other processing on the signal, and then upscales the signal from 0Hz to 5.5GHz via radio frequency. For stream #2, the AP is also configured with a maximum bandwidth of 80MHz. The AP modulates the data of stream #2 into a signal via baseband, performs weighting and other processing on the signal, and then upscales the signal from 0Hz to 5.58GHz via radio frequency. For stream #3, the AP is also configured with a maximum bandwidth of 80MHz. The AP modulates the data of stream #3 into a signal via baseband, performs weighting and other processing on the signal, and then upscales the signal from 0Hz to 5.66GHz via radio frequency. For stream #4, the AP is also configured with a maximum bandwidth of 80MHz. The AP modulates the data of stream #4 into a signal via baseband, performs weighting and other processing on the signal, and then upscales the signal from 0Hz to 5.74GHz via radio frequency. Finally, the AP combines the signals from stream #1 to stream #4 using a combiner and transmits the signals over a 320MHz bandwidth via antenna #1.

[0129] It is understood that the scheme shown in Figure 7 above can be applied to MU MIMO or single-user multiple-input multiple-output (SU MIMO), and there are no specific restrictions.

[0130] It's understandable that, with the baseband bandwidth of the communication device remaining unchanged, combining signals can achieve a larger bandwidth transmission. For example, in Figure 7, the AP is configured with a maximum bandwidth of 80MHz, meaning the AP's baseband supports a maximum bandwidth of 80MHz. By combining the 80MHz bandwidth signal output from the baseband, 160MHz / 320MHz transmission can be achieved, resulting in higher communication throughput. Compared to improving baseband performance, such as upgrading the baseband to support a larger bandwidth (e.g., 160MHz / 320MHz), setting up a combiner is less expensive. Moreover, adding a combiner reduces the number of antennas required by the communication device, allowing for increased physical distance between antennas within the limited space of the communication device, further reducing transmission interference.

[0131] Optionally, in conjunction with the above S401-S402, after S402, the method may further include:

[0132] The first communication device is capable of determining whether the data throughput of multiple streams transmitted on at least two channels reaches a second expected throughput. The second expected throughput is determined based on the channel state information of each of the multiple streams, and its specific implementation is similar to that of the first expected throughput described above, which can be understood by referring to it, and will not be repeated here.

[0133] If the data from multiple streams transmitted on at least two channels reaches the second expected throughput, the first communication device continues to transmit the data from multiple streams on at least two channels to maintain data throughput until the current round of data transmission is completed. Otherwise, the first communication device can perform rate reduction (e.g., reducing MCS) or rate reduction (reducing the number of streams transmitted simultaneously) to ensure transmission reliability. Alternatively, if the data from multiple streams transmitted on at least two channels fails to reach the second expected throughput, no processing may be performed, and the current transmission strategy may continue.

[0134] Optionally, in conjunction with the above S401-S402, after S402, the method may further include:

[0135] When multiple streams of data are transmitted on at least two channels, the first communication device can also switch the mapping of multiple streams to at least two channels to a mapping of all streams to the first channel. That is, the second channel can be a temporarily occupied channel, and after the transmission is completed, the second channel can be released so that the data that originally needed to be transmitted through the second channel can continue to be transmitted through the second channel.

[0136] For the peer device, such as the second communication device, if the second communication device has received the instruction information in advance, the second communication device can switch the stream mapped to the second channel to the first channel after the data transmission is completed. Alternatively, the second communication device can also switch the stream mapped to the second channel to the first channel according to the instruction from the first communication device. The specific implementation method of the instruction is similar to the instruction information mentioned above, which can be understood by reference and will not be repeated here.

[0137] Of course, if multiple streams of data are transmitted on at least two channels, the multiple streams can continue to maintain their mapping relationship with at least two channels without switching. For example, if multiple streams are pre-configured to be mapped to at least two channels respectively, or they can be switched to be mapped to other channels without restriction.

[0138] It is understood that the above implementation scheme is only one example. For example, when determining the channel correlation between preset streams, the first communication device can directly select to map streams with channel correlation higher than the correlation threshold to different channels. For example, if stream #1 and stream #2 have high channel correlation, stream #1 and stream #3 have low channel correlation, and stream #2 and stream #3 have low channel correlation, then the first communication device can map stream #1 and stream #3 to channel #1 and stream #2 to channel #2. Alternatively, the first communication device can map stream #2 and stream #3 to channel #1 and stream #1 to channel #2. In this way, by using channels of different frequency bands to transmit the originally highly correlated streams, interference between stream transmissions can be reduced. Alternatively, there may be other implementation schemes, which will not be elaborated in the embodiments of this application.

[0139] The communication method provided by the embodiments of this application has been described in detail above with reference to Figures 4 to 7. The communication apparatus used to perform the communication method provided by the embodiments of this application is described in detail below with reference to Figures 8 and 9.

[0140] For example, FIG8 is a schematic diagram of the structure of a communication device provided in an embodiment of this application. As shown in FIG8, the communication device 800 includes a processing module 801 and a transceiver module 802. For ease of explanation, FIG8 only shows the main components of the communication device.

[0141] The communication device 800 can be applied to the communication system shown in FIG2 and performs the function of the first communication device in the communication method shown in FIG4.

[0142] The transceiver module 802 is used for the transceiver function of the first communication device in the method shown in Figure 4 above.

[0143] The processing module 801 is used for functions of the first communication device in the method shown in Figure 4 above, excluding the sending and receiving functions.

[0144] Optionally, the transceiver module 802 may include a receiving module and a transmitting module (not shown in FIG8). The transceiver module is used to implement the transmitting and receiving functions of the communication device 800.

[0145] Optionally, the communication device 800 may further include a storage module (not shown in FIG8) that stores programs or instructions. When the processing module 801 executes the program or instructions, the communication device 800 can perform the functions of the first communication device in the communication method shown in FIG4.

[0146] It should be understood that the processing module 801 involved in the communication device 800 can be implemented by a processor or processor-related circuit components, and can be a processor or processing unit; the transceiver module 802 can be implemented by a transceiver or transceiver-related circuit components, and can be a transceiver or transceiver unit.

[0147] Alternatively, the communication device 800 can also perform the functions of AP1 shown in Figure 7.

[0148] Furthermore, the communication device 800 can be a terminal or network device, a chip (system) or other component or assembly, or a device containing a terminal or network device; this application does not limit this. The aforementioned chip (system) or other component or assembly can all be disposed within the terminal or network device. The technical effects of the communication device 800 can be referred to the technical effects of the communication method shown in Figure 4, and will not be repeated here.

[0149] For example, Figure 9 is a second schematic diagram of the structure of a communication device provided in an embodiment of this application. This communication device can be a terminal device or a network device, or it can be a chip (system) or other component or assembly that can be disposed in a terminal device or network device. As shown in Figure 9, the communication device 900 may include a processor 901. Optionally, the communication device 900 may also include a memory 902 and / or a transceiver 903. The processor 901 is coupled to the memory 902 and the transceiver 903, for example, they can be connected via a communication bus.

[0150] The following section, with reference to Figure 9, provides a detailed description of each component of the communication device 900:

[0151] The processor 901 is the control center of the communication device 900. It can be a single processor or a collective term for multiple processing elements. For example, the processor 901 can be one or more CPUs, an ASIC, or one or more integrated circuits configured to implement the embodiments of this application, such as one or more digital signal processors (DSPs), one or more FPGAs, or baseband chips, such as SOCs, or combinations of the above-mentioned chips.

[0152] Optionally, the processor 901 can perform various functions of the communication device 900 by running or executing software programs stored in the memory 902 and calling data stored in the memory 902.

[0153] In a specific implementation, as one example, processor 901 may include one or more CPUs, such as CPU0 and CPU1 shown in FIG9.

[0154] In a specific implementation, as one embodiment, the communication device 900 may also include multiple processors, such as processors 901 and 904 shown in FIG. 9. Each of these processors may be a single-core processor (single-CPU) or a multi-core processor (multi-CPU). Here, a processor may refer to one or more devices, circuits, and / or processing cores used to process data (e.g., computer program instructions).

[0155] The memory 902 is used to store the software program that executes the solution of this application, and is controlled by the processor 901 to execute it. The specific implementation method can be referred to the above method embodiment, and will not be repeated here.

[0156] Optionally, the memory 902 may be a read-only memory (ROM) or other type of static storage device capable of storing static information and instructions, random access memory (RAM) or other type of dynamic storage device capable of storing information and instructions, or electrically erasable programmable read-only memory (EEPROM), compact disc read-only memory (CD-ROM) or other optical disc storage, optical disc storage (including compressed optical discs, laser discs, optical discs, digital universal optical discs, Blu-ray discs, etc.), magnetic disk storage media or other magnetic storage devices, or any other medium capable of carrying or storing desired program code in the form of instructions or data structures and accessible by a computer, but not limited thereto. The memory 902 may be integrated with the processor 901 or may exist independently and be coupled to the processor 901 through the interface circuit of the communication device 900 (not shown in FIG. 9). This application embodiment does not specifically limit this.

[0157] Transceiver 903 is used for communication with other communication devices. For example, if communication device 900 is a terminal device, transceiver 903 can be used to communicate with a network device or with another terminal device. As another example, if communication device 900 is a network device, transceiver 903 can be used to communicate with a terminal device or with another network device.

[0158] Optionally, transceiver 903 may include a receiver and a transmitter (not shown separately in Figure 9). The receiver is used to implement the receiving function, and the transmitter is used to implement the transmitting function. For example, transceiver 903 may include an RF chip and an RF front-end module, as well as an RF antenna, such as the antenna port described above. Specifically, it may be a millimeter-wave RF antenna, or it may be an RF antenna of other frequency bands.

[0159] Alternatively, the transceiver 903 may also include a combiner, which is connected to the RF chip and the RF antenna respectively.

[0160] Optionally, the transceiver 903 can be integrated with the processor 901 or exist independently and be coupled to the processor 901 through the interface circuit of the communication device 900 (not shown in FIG9). This application embodiment does not specifically limit this.

[0161] An example of the communication device 900 performing the method shown in Figure 4 of this application embodiment is as follows:

[0162] Processor 901 is configured to determine multiple streams and transmit data of the multiple streams on at least two channels through at least two antenna ports of transceiver 903. The multiple streams are respectively mapped to at least two channels, and the at least two channels are mapped to at least two antenna ports of the first communication device. The at least two antenna ports have different frequency points, and the at least two channels are located in the same radio frequency band.

[0163] One possible design involves mapping multiple streams to a first channel before mapping them to at least two channels respectively, and processor 901 for mapping a portion of the multiple streams to a second channel, wherein the at least two channels include the first channel and the second channel.

[0164] Optionally, the second channel is an idle channel before a portion of the stream is mapped to it.

[0165] Optionally, the processor 901 is configured to determine whether the data throughput of the multiple streams transmitted on the first channel reaches the first expected throughput; if not, to map a portion of the multiple streams to the second channel.

[0166] Optionally, the first expected throughput is determined based on the channel state information of each of the multiple stream maps.

[0167] Optionally, transceiver 903 is used to send indication information to the second communication device corresponding to the partial stream, the indication information being used to instruct the second communication device to perform partial stream data transmission on the second channel.

[0168] Optionally, transceiver 903 is configured to receive indication information from a second communication device corresponding to a partial stream, the indication information being used to instruct the first communication device to perform partial stream data transmission on a second channel.

[0169] One possible design is a processor 901, which determines whether the data throughput of multiple streams transmitted on at least two channels has reached a second expected throughput; if so, it continues to transmit data of multiple streams on at least two channels to maintain the data throughput.

[0170] Optionally, the second expected throughput is determined based on the channel state information of each of the multiple streams.

[0171] Optionally, the processor 901 is configured to map the data of the multiple streams to at least two channels according to the channel state information of the multiple streams, and transmit the data of the multiple streams through at least two antenna ports of the transceiver 903.

[0172] In one possible design, data from at least two streams mapped to different channels in multiple streams are transmitted through the same antenna port of transceiver 903. Optionally, transceiver 903 has a combining function, such as further including a combiner connected between the RF front-end module and the antenna. The combiner is used to combine the signals (or data) of at least two streams mapped to different channels, and the antenna is used to transmit the combined signal (or data). That is, the communication device 900 can also perform the function of AP1 shown in FIG7.

[0173] One possible design is a processor 901, which, when transmitting data of multiple streams on at least two channels, switches the mapping of the multiple streams to the first channel instead of the mapping of the multiple streams to the first channel.

[0174] One possible design involves at least two antenna ports that share the same polarization direction. Different channels in at least two channels are mapped to the antenna ports sharing the same polarization direction.

[0175] One possible design scheme is to use the licensed frequency band for Wireless Fidelity Wi-Fi.

[0176] It should be noted that the structure of the communication device 900 shown in Figure 9 does not constitute a limitation on the communication device. The actual communication device may include more or fewer components than shown, or combine certain components, or have different component arrangements.

[0177] Furthermore, the technical effects of the communication device 900 can be referred to the technical effects of the communication method described in the above method embodiments, and will not be repeated here.

[0178] It should be understood that the processor in the embodiments of this application can be a CPU, but it can also be other general-purpose processors, DSPs, ASICs, FPGAs, or other programmable logic devices, discrete gate or transistor logic devices, discrete hardware components, etc. The general-purpose processor can be a microprocessor or any conventional processor, etc.

[0179] It should also be understood that the memory in the embodiments of this application can be volatile memory or non-volatile memory, or may include both volatile and non-volatile memory. Non-volatile memory can be ROM, programmable read-only memory (PROM), erasable programmable read-only memory (EPROM), EEPROM, or flash memory. Volatile memory can be RAM, which is used as an external cache. By way of example, but not limitation, many forms of RAM are available, such as static random access memory (SRAM), dynamic random access memory (DRAM), synchronous dynamic random access memory (SDRAM), double data rate synchronous dynamic random access memory (DDR SDRAM), enhanced synchronous dynamic random access memory (ESDRAM), synchronous linked dynamic random access memory (SLDRAM), and direct rambus RAM (DR RAM).

[0180] The above embodiments can be implemented, in whole or in part, by software, hardware (such as circuits), firmware, or any other combination thereof. When implemented using software, the above embodiments can be implemented, in whole or in part, in the form of a computer program product. The computer program product includes one or more computer instructions or computer programs. When the computer instructions or computer programs are loaded or executed on a computer, all or part of the processes or functions described in the embodiments of this application are generated. The computer can be a general-purpose computer, a special-purpose computer, a computer network, or other programmable device. The computer instructions can be stored in a computer-readable storage medium or transmitted from one computer-readable storage medium to another. For example, the computer instructions can be transmitted from one website, computer, server, or data center to another website, computer, server, or data center via wired (e.g., infrared, wireless, microwave, etc.) means. The computer-readable storage medium can be any available medium that a computer can access or a data storage device such as a server or data center that includes one or more sets of available media. The available medium can be a magnetic medium (e.g., floppy disk, hard disk, magnetic tape), an optical medium (e.g., DVD), or a semiconductor medium. A semiconductor medium can be a solid-state drive.

[0181] It should be understood that the term "and / or" in this article is merely a description of the relationship between related objects, indicating that three relationships can exist. For example, A and / or B can represent: A existing alone, A and B existing simultaneously, or B existing alone. A and B can be singular or plural. Additionally, the character " / " in this article generally indicates an "or" relationship between the preceding and following related objects, but it can also represent an "and / or" relationship. Please refer to the context for a more accurate understanding.

[0182] In this application, "at least one" means one or more, and "more than one" means two or more. "At least one of the following" or similar expressions refer to any combination of these items, including any combination of single or multiple items. For example, at least one of a, b, or c can mean: a, b, c, ab, ac, bc, or abc, where a, b, and c can be single or multiple.

[0183] It should be understood that in the various embodiments of this application, the order of the above-mentioned processes does not imply the order of execution. The execution order of each process should be determined by its function and internal logic, and should not constitute any limitation on the implementation process of the embodiments of this application.

[0184] Those skilled in the art will recognize that the units and algorithm steps of the various examples described in conjunction with the embodiments disclosed herein can be implemented in electronic hardware, or a combination of computer software and electronic hardware. Whether these functions are 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.

[0185] Those skilled in the art will 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.

[0186] In the several 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; the indirect coupling or communication connection between apparatuses or units may be electrical, mechanical, or other forms.

[0187] The units described as separate components may or may not be physically separate. The components shown as units may or may not be physical units; that is, they may be located in one place or distributed across multiple network units. Some or all of the units can be selected to achieve the purpose of this embodiment according to actual needs.

[0188] In addition, 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.

[0189] If the aforementioned functions are implemented as software functional units and sold or used as independent products, they 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 the prior art, or a portion 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, ROM, RAM, magnetic disks, or optical disks.

[0190] The above description is merely a specific embodiment of this application, but the scope of protection of this application is not limited thereto. Any variations or substitutions that can be easily conceived by those skilled in the art within the scope of the technology disclosed in this application should be included within the scope of protection of this application. Therefore, the scope of protection of this application should be determined by the scope of the claims.

Claims

1. A communication method, characterized in that, Applied to a first communication device, the method includes: Multiple streams are identified, wherein the multiple streams are respectively mapped to at least two channels, the at least two channels are mapped to at least two antenna ports of the first communication device, the at least two antenna ports have different frequency points, and the at least two channels are located in the same radio frequency band; The multiple streams of data are transmitted through the at least two antenna ports on the at least two channels.

2. The method according to claim 1, characterized in that, Before the plurality of streams are respectively mapped to the at least two channels, the plurality of streams are mapped to a first channel, the method further includes: A portion of the plurality of streams is mapped to a second channel, wherein the at least two channels include the first channel and the second channel.

3. The method according to claim 2, characterized in that, Before the partial stream is mapped to the second channel, the second channel is an idle channel.

4. The method according to claim 2 or 3, characterized in that, The step of mapping a portion of the multiple streams to the second channel includes: Determine whether the data throughput of the plurality of streams transmitted on the first channel reaches the first expected throughput; If not, map a portion of the multiple streams to the second channel.

5. The method according to any one of claims 2-4, characterized in that, The method further includes: Instruction information is sent to the second communication device corresponding to the partial stream, the instruction information being used to instruct the second communication device to transmit the partial stream on the second channel.

6. The method according to any one of claims 2-4, characterized in that, The method further includes: The first communication device receives instruction information from a second communication device corresponding to the partial stream, the instruction information being used to instruct the first communication device to transmit the partial stream on the second channel.

7. The method according to any one of claims 1-6, characterized in that, The method further includes: Determine whether the data throughput of the plurality of streams transmitted on the at least two channels reaches the second expected throughput; If so, then continue transmitting the data of the plurality of streams on the at least two channels.

8. The method according to claim 7, characterized in that, The second expected throughput is determined based on the channel state information of each of the plurality of streams.

9. The method according to claim 7 or 8, characterized in that, The transmission of the multiple streams of data through the at least two antenna ports on the at least two channels includes: Based on the channel state information of each of the multiple streams, the data of the multiple streams are mapped to the at least two channels, and the data of the multiple streams are transmitted through the at least two antenna ports.

10. The method according to any one of claims 1-9, characterized in that, Data from at least two of the multiple streams that are mapped to different channels are transmitted through the same antenna port of the first communication device.

11. The method according to any one of claims 1-10, characterized in that, When the transmission of the plurality of streams of data is completed on at least two channels, the method further includes: The multiple streams are switched from being mapped to the at least two channels to being mapped to the first channel.

12. The method according to any one of claims 1-11, characterized in that, The at least two antenna ports include antenna ports with the same polarization direction.

13. The method according to claim 12, characterized in that, Different streams on the antenna ports of the same polarization direction among the multiple streams are mapped to different channels in the at least two channels.

14. The method according to any one of claims 1-13, characterized in that, The radio frequency band is the licensed band for Wireless Fidelity Wi-Fi.

15. A communication device, characterized in that, The communication device is used to perform the method as described in any one of claims 1-14.

16. A communication device, characterized in that, include: Processor and memory; The memory is used to store computer instructions, which, when executed by the processor, cause the communication device to perform the method as described in any one of claims 1-14.

17. A communication device, characterized in that, include: Processor and interface circuits; among which, The interface circuit is used to receive code instructions and transmit them to the processor; The processor is used to run the code instructions to perform the method as described in any one of claims 1-14.

18. A communication device, characterized in that, The communication device includes a processor and a transceiver, the transceiver being used for information exchange between the communication device and other communication devices, and the processor being used to execute program instructions to perform the method as described in any one of claims 1-14.

19. The communication device according to any one of claims 15-18, characterized in that, The communication device is a chip.

20. A computer-readable storage medium, characterized in that, The computer-readable storage medium includes a computer program or instructions that, when executed on a computer, cause the computer to perform the method as described in any one of claims 1-14.

21. A computer program product, characterized in that, The computer program product includes: a computer program or instructions that, when run on a computer, cause the computer to perform the method as described in any one of claims 1-14.

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