Communication method and related apparatus

Abstract

A communication method and a related apparatus. In the method, when a first communication apparatus receives a first DMRS carried on a first time domain symbol in a first slot, the first communication apparatus can demodulate part or all the data in the first slot on the basis of the first DMRS, wherein the first DMRS is obtained by performing time-frequency domain transformation processing on a DMRS occupying M modulation symbols, and the M modulation symbols are some modulation symbols among a plurality of modulation symbols comprised in the first time domain symbol. In this manner, compared with the process of placing a DMRS in a frequency domain resource after time-frequency domain transformation processing, the approach in which the first DMRS occupies a portion of the modulation symbols comprised in the first time domain symbol can reduce overhead, thereby improving communication performance. In some implementations, N is greater than 1 or other time domain symbols in the first slot can be used for DMRS mapping of other ports, so that the solution can be applied to a multi-stream multi-port data transmission process, and can improve the throughput and spectrum efficiency, thereby further improving communication performance.

Description

A communication method and related apparatus

[0001] This application claims priority to Chinese Patent Application No. 202411759120.X, filed on November 29, 2024, entitled “A Communication Method and Related Device”, the entire contents of which are incorporated herein by reference. Technical Field

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

[0003] Wireless communication can be a transmission communication between two or more communication devices that does not propagate through conductors or cables. Generally, the two or more communication devices include network devices and terminal devices, or the two or more communication devices include different terminal devices.

[0004] Currently, during communication, different communication devices can transmit data through a data channel, and correspondingly, receive data through the same channel to achieve data transmission. The data sender can also transmit a demodulation reference signal (DMRS) for demodulating the data, enabling the data receiver to demodulate the data based on the channel information obtained from the DMRS, thereby improving data transmission performance.

[0005] However, how to improve communication performance during the aforementioned communication process is a technical problem that urgently needs to be solved. Summary of the Invention

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

[0007] The first aspect of this application provides a communication method applied to a first communication device. For example, the first communication device may be a communication equipment (such as a terminal device), or it may be a component of a communication equipment (such as a processor, circuit, chip, or chip system responsible for communication functions), or it may be a logic module or software capable of implementing all or part of the functions of the communication equipment. The following description uses a first communication device as an example. In this method, the first communication device receives a first DMRS, which carries a first time-domain symbol in a first time slot. The first DMRS is obtained by time-frequency domain transformation of a DMRS occupying M modulation symbols. The M modulation symbols are partial modulation symbols of multiple modulation symbols included in the first time-domain symbol. The first DMRS is mapped to N ports, where N and M are positive integers. The first communication device demodulates part or all of the data carried in the first time slot based on the first DMRS.

[0008] Based on the above scheme, after the first communication device receives the first DMRS carried on the first time domain symbol of the first time slot, the first communication device can demodulate part or all of the data in the first time slot based on the first DMRS. The first DMRS is obtained by time-frequency domain transformation of a DMRS occupying M modulation symbols, where the M modulation symbols are partial modulation symbols of the multiple modulation symbols contained in the first time domain symbol. In this way, compared to the implementation method of placing the DMRS in the frequency domain resources after time-frequency domain transformation, the first DMRS occupies only a portion of the modulation symbols contained in the first time domain symbol, which reduces overhead and improves communication performance.

[0009] Furthermore, the first DMRS is mapped to N ports, enabling it to demodulate data transmitted through N ports in the first time slot. In this way, when N is greater than 1, the above scheme can be applied to multi-stream, multi-port data transmission processes, improving throughput and spectral efficiency, and further enhancing communication performance. Optionally, the number of time-domain symbols occupied by the first DMRS is not limited; for example, M modulation symbols can be all the modulation symbols included in the first time-domain symbol. When N is greater than 1, the above scheme can be applied to multi-stream, multi-port data transmission processes, improving throughput and spectral efficiency, and further enhancing communication performance.

[0010] Optionally, the modulation symbols involved in this application (e.g., M modulation symbols, K modulation symbols mentioned later) can be modulation symbols used to transmit a single carrier. For example, the single carrier can include, but is not limited to, discrete fourier transform-spread-orthogonal frequency division multiplexing (DFT-s-OFDM), single carrier-QAM (quadrature amplitude modulation, SC-QAM), or other methods defined by future standards / protocols.

[0011] Optionally, in the first time-domain symbol, the first DMRS is obtained by time-frequency domain transformation of the DMRS occupying M modulation symbols. In the time domain, the first time-domain symbol may contain multiple modulation symbols, and the M modulation symbols may be some or all of these multiple modulation symbols. Therefore, the method of inserting the first DMRS within the first time-domain symbol can be called in-symbol insertion of DMRS; for example, the first DMRS can be inserted into the first time-domain symbol in an in-symbol manner.

[0012] Optionally, unless otherwise specified, the DMRS involved in this application (e.g., the first DMRS, the second DMRS, the third DMRS, etc. mentioned below) are other DMRSs that are different from the preceding DMRS. For example, the other DMRS can be an additional DMRS or other names defined by future standards / protocols.

[0013] Optionally, the first DMRS can be mapped to the N ports in various ways. For example, the first DMRS can be mapped to the N ports before the aforementioned time-frequency domain transformation process, or the first DMRS can be mapped to the N ports after the aforementioned time-frequency domain transformation process.

[0014] Optionally, the time-frequency domain transformation involved in this application may include Fourier transform processing or wavelet transform processing, etc. Among them, Fourier transform processing may include fast fourier transform (FFT), discrete fourier transform (DFT), etc.

[0015] Optionally, the port involved in this application can be defined as follows: when data and / or signals on one time-domain symbol (e.g., an orthogonal frequency division multiplexing (OFDM) symbol) are transmitted through a port, the channel experienced by the data and / or signals is the same as or similar to the channel experienced by data on other time-domain symbols transmitted through that port. For example, the port can be a logical port; exemplaryly, a port can correspond to a channel model or channel information, which can be determined by a reference signal transmitted on the port. Generally, during data transmission, the number of ports is greater than or equal to the number of streams.

[0016] In one possible implementation of the first aspect, N equals 1, and the method further includes: the first communication device receiving a second DMRS, the second DMRS carrying a second time-domain symbol in the first time slot, the second DMRS being obtained by time-frequency domain transformation of a DMRS occupying K modulation symbols, the K modulation symbols being included in the second time-domain symbol (for example, the K modulation symbols being part or all of the multiple modulation symbols included in the second time-domain symbol), K being a positive integer, the second DMRS being mapped to a first port, the first port being different from the N ports; and the first communication device demodulating part or all of the data carried in the first time slot based on the second DMRS.

[0017] Based on the above scheme, in the first time slot, the first DMRS transmitted by the first time domain symbol and the second DMRS transmitted by the second time domain symbol are mapped to different ports. That is, the different DMRS mapped by at least two different ports can be time-division multiplexed on different time domain symbols, which can realize multi-stream or multi-user transmission on different time domain symbols, thereby improving transmission efficiency.

[0018] Furthermore, the first port of the second DMRS mapping is different from the first port of the first DMRS mapping. In this way, the above scheme can be applied to the data transmission process of multiple streams and multiple ports, which can improve throughput and spectral efficiency, and further improve communication performance.

[0019] Optionally, the K modulation symbols can also be partial modulation symbols of the multiple modulation symbols contained in the second time-domain symbol. In this way, the overhead of DMRS can be reduced and communication performance can be further improved.

[0020] Optionally, the number of time-domain symbols occupied by the first DMRS can be unlimited. For example, M modulation symbols can also be all the modulation symbols of the multiple modulation symbols contained in the first time-domain symbol. When other time-domain symbols in the first time slot are used for DMRS mapping of other ports (e.g., the second time-domain symbol is used for DMRS mapping of the first port), the above scheme can be applied to the data transmission process of multi-stream multi-port, which can improve throughput and spectral efficiency, and further improve communication performance.

[0021] Optionally, in the second time-domain symbol, the second DMRS is obtained by time-frequency domain transformation of the DMRS occupying K modulation symbols. In the time domain, the second time-domain symbol may contain multiple modulation symbols, and the K modulation symbols may be some or all of these multiple modulation symbols. Therefore, the second DMRS inserted within the second time-domain symbol can be inserted in-symbolly.

[0022] Optionally, M equals K, and the time-domain positions occupied by the M modulation symbols in the first time-domain symbol are the same as the time-domain positions occupied by the K modulation symbols in the second time-domain symbol. In other words, when different DMRS mapped to at least two different ports can be time-division multiplexed on different time-domain symbols, the time-domain position occupied by the DMRS on one time-domain symbol is the same as the time-domain position occupied by the DMRS on another time-domain symbol, which can reduce implementation complexity.

[0023] Optionally, the time-domain positions occupied by the M modulation symbols in the first time-domain symbol are different from the time-domain positions occupied by the K modulation symbols in the second time-domain symbol. In other words, when different DMRS mapped by at least two different ports can be time-division multiplexed on different time-domain symbols, the time-domain position occupied by the DMRS on one time-domain symbol is different from the time-domain position occupied by the DMRS on another time-domain symbol, which can improve the flexibility of the scheme implementation.

[0024] In one possible implementation of the first aspect, on the first time-domain symbol, DMRS mapped to different ports among the N (e.g., N is greater than 1) ports occupy the time-domain resources of different modulation symbols among the M modulation symbols.

[0025] Based on the above scheme, the modulation symbols occupied by DMRS mapped to different ports are different on the first time domain symbol, which can realize multi-stream or multi-user transmission on the same time domain symbol, thereby improving transmission efficiency.

[0026] In one possible implementation of the first aspect, DMRS mapped to any two different ports among the N ports correspond to different DMRS groups; or, DMRS mapped to at least two different ports among the N ports correspond to the same DMRS group; wherein the same DMRS group includes different DMRSs occupying consecutive modulation symbols in the same time domain symbol.

[0027] Based on the above scheme, on the first time domain symbol, the DMRS mapped to different ports can correspond to different DMRS groups, which can realize multi-stream or multi-user transmission on the same time domain symbol, thereby improving transmission efficiency.

[0028] Alternatively, on the first time domain symbol, DMRS mapped to different ports can correspond to the same DMRS group, so that different DMRS within the same DMRS group are mapped to different ports, enabling multi-stream or multi-user transmission on the same time domain symbol, thereby improving transmission efficiency.

[0029] Optionally, different DMRSs occupying consecutive modulation symbols within the same time-domain symbol can be considered or understood as DMRSs within the same DMRS group. Similarly, different DMRSs occupying non-consecutive modulation symbols within the same time-domain symbol can be considered or understood as DMRSs within different DMRS groups. Furthermore, DMRS groups can also be replaced with other descriptions, such as DMRS sets, DMRS clusters, etc.

[0030] In one possible implementation of the first aspect, on the first time-domain symbol, different ports among the N (e.g., N is greater than 1) ports occupy the same time-domain position, and the DMRS mapped by the different ports among the N ports are obtained by processing different orthogonal sequences.

[0031] Based on the above scheme, in the first time domain symbol, the modulation symbols occupied by DMRS mapped to different ports can be the same, which enables DMRS to be mapped to different ports through code division multiplexing, thereby improving transmission efficiency.

[0032] In one possible implementation of the first aspect, the method further includes: the first communication device receiving a third DMRS, the third DMRS being carried on a third time-domain symbol in the first time slot, the third DMRS being mapped to P ports, the P ports being different from the N ports, where P is a positive integer; wherein the third DMRS is mapped on one or more subcarriers on the third time-domain symbol; and the first communication device demodulating part or all of the data carried in the first time slot based on the third DMRS.

[0033] Based on the above scheme, in the first time slot, the first DMRS transmitted in the first time domain symbol and the third DMRS transmitted in the third time domain symbol are mapped to different ports. That is, the different DMRS mapped by at least two different ports can be time-division multiplexed on different time domain symbols, enabling multi-stream or multi-user transmission on different time domain symbols, thereby improving transmission efficiency. Furthermore, in the third time domain symbol, the third DMRS is mapped to one or more subcarriers on that third time domain symbol, making the above scheme compatible with traditional implementations of DMRS mapping in the frequency domain, thus improving the flexibility of the scheme implementation.

[0034] It should be noted that the various port mapping methods of DMRS described above can be used in combination. For example, taking the first time slot as containing some or all of time domain symbols A, B, C, D, and E, where the first time domain symbol described above can be any symbol from time domain symbol A to symbol D.

[0035] For example, on any time-domain symbol of time-domain symbol A and time-domain symbol B, the transmitted DMRS is obtained by time-frequency domain transformation of the DMRS occupying one or more modulation symbols. Furthermore, the DMRS carried by time-domain symbol A is mapped to one port, and the DMRS carried by time-domain symbol B is mapped to another port. The mapping of different ports (e.g., the first port and N ports mentioned above) is achieved on different time-domain symbols through time-division multiplexing.

[0036] For example, in time-domain symbol C, the transmitted DMRS is obtained by time-frequency domain transformation of DMRS occupying one or more modulation symbols. Furthermore, the DMRS carried by time-domain symbol C is mapped to at least two ports (e.g., different ports among the N ports mentioned above). The mapping of different ports is achieved in the same time-domain symbol through time-division multiplexing.

[0037] For example, in time-domain symbol D, the transmitted DMRS is obtained by time-frequency domain transformation of DMRS occupying one or more modulation symbols. Furthermore, the DMRS carried by time-domain symbol D is mapped to at least two ports (e.g., different ports among the N ports mentioned above), and the DMRS mapped to different ports are code-division multiplexed. The mapping of different ports is achieved in the same time-domain symbol through code-division multiplexing.

[0038] For example, in the time domain symbol E, the transmitted DMRS is placed on the symbol after time-frequency domain processing, in order to be compatible with the traditional DMRS port mapping method.

[0039] In one possible implementation of the first aspect, the first time slot includes a fourth time-domain symbol for carrying a single-port phase tracking reference signal (PTRS); wherein the second port mapped by the PTRS is different from the port mapped by any DMRS. For example, any DMRS includes any one of the aforementioned first DMRS, second DMRS, and third DMRS, and the port mapped by any DMRS includes the aforementioned N ports, P ports, first port, etc.

[0040] Based on the above scheme, the first time slot may also include a fourth time-domain symbol for carrying PTRS. Furthermore, the second port of the PTRS mapping is different from the port of the DMRS mapping. The demodulation function of DMRS and the phase tracking function of PTRS (such as phase noise compensation, channel estimation, etc.) can be enabled on different ports, which can reduce the mutual interference between DMRS and PTRS and improve the signal transmission performance.

[0041] Optionally, the time-domain symbol used to carry PTRS is different from the time-domain symbol used to carry additional DMRS, which can adapt to the current protocol's PTRS and DMRS time-frequency domain resource placement rules and reduce complexity.

[0042] Optionally, in the first time slot, the number of time-domain symbols used to carry PTRS is greater than or equal to the number of time-domain symbols used to carry additional DMRS; wherein, the first time slot is used for mapping multiple ports, the first time-domain resource in the first time slot is used for mapping the second port, and the second time-domain resource in the first time slot is used for mapping other ports among the multiple ports except the second port; the first time-domain resource includes one or more time-domain symbols used to carry PTRS, and the second time-domain resource includes one or more time-domain symbols used to carry additional DMRS.

[0043] Optionally, in the first time slot, the number of time-domain symbols used to carry PTRS is less than the number of time-domain symbols used to carry additional DMRS; wherein, the first time slot is used for mapping multiple ports, the third time-domain resource in the first time slot is used for mapping the second port, the fourth time-domain resource in the first time slot is used for mapping the third ports (wherein, the number of third ports can be one or more) among the multiple ports excluding the second port, and the fifth time-domain resource in the first time slot is used for mapping the other ports among the multiple ports excluding the second port and the third port; the third time-domain resource includes one or more time-domain symbols used to carry PTRS, and the fourth and fifth time-domain resources include one or more time-domain symbols used to carry additional DMRS.

[0044] In one possible implementation of the first aspect, the method further includes: the first communication device receiving a front-end DMRS, the front-end DMRS carrying one or more time-domain symbols in the first time slot; the first communication device demodulating part or all of the data carried in the first time slot based on the front-end DMRS.

[0045] Based on the above scheme, the first communication device can also receive the front-end DMRS in the first time slot and demodulate the data through the front-end DMRS to improve the demodulation performance of the data transmitted in the first time slot.

[0046] A second aspect of this application provides a communication method applied to a second communication device. For example, the second communication device may be a communication equipment (such as a network device), or it may be a component of the communication equipment (e.g., a processor, circuit, chip, or chip system responsible for communication functions). Alternatively, the second communication device may be a logic module or software capable of implementing all or part of the communication equipment's functions. The following description uses a second communication device as an example. In this method, the second communication device determines a first DMRS, which carries a first time-domain symbol in a first time slot. The first DMRS is obtained by time-frequency domain transformation of a DMRS occupying M modulation symbols, where the M modulation symbols are partial modulation symbols of multiple modulation symbols included in the first time-domain symbol. The first DMRS is mapped to N ports, where N and M are positive integers. The second communication device transmits the first DMRS, which is used to demodulate part or all of the data carried in the first time slot.

[0047] Based on the above scheme, the second communication device can transmit the first DMRS carried on the first time domain symbol of the first time slot. After receiving the first DMRS, the first communication device can demodulate part or all of the data in the first time slot based on the first DMRS. The first DMRS is obtained by time-frequency domain transformation of a DMRS occupying M modulation symbols, where the M modulation symbols are partial modulation symbols of the multiple modulation symbols included in the first time domain symbol. In this way, compared to the implementation method of placing the DMRS in frequency domain resources after time-frequency domain transformation, the first DMRS can be configured more flexibly in the above process, which can more effectively improve the accuracy of channel estimation in mobile scenarios while maintaining relatively low overhead, thereby improving communication performance.

[0048] Furthermore, the first DMRS is mapped to N ports, enabling it to demodulate data transmitted through N ports in the first timeslot. In this way, when N is greater than 1, the above scheme can be applied to multi-stream, multi-port data transmission processes, improving throughput and spectral efficiency, and further enhancing communication performance.

[0049] In one possible implementation of the second aspect, N equals 1, and the method further includes: the second communication device transmitting a second DMRS, the second DMRS being used to demodulate part or all of the data carried in the first time slot; wherein the second DMRS is carried in a second time-domain symbol in the first time slot, the second DMRS being obtained by time-frequency domain transformation of a DMRS occupying K modulation symbols, the K modulation symbols being contained in the second time-domain symbol (for example, the K modulation symbols being part or all of the multiple modulation symbols contained in the second time-domain symbol), K being a positive integer, and the second DMRS being mapped to a first port, the first port being different from the N ports.

[0050] Based on the above scheme, in the first time slot, the first DMRS transmitted by the first time domain symbol and the second DMRS transmitted by the second time domain symbol are mapped to different ports, that is, the different DMRS mapped by at least two different ports can be time-division multiplexed on different time domain symbols.

[0051] Furthermore, the first port of the second DMRS mapping is different from the first port of the first DMRS mapping. In this way, the above scheme can be applied to the data transmission process of multiple streams and multiple ports, which can improve throughput and spectral efficiency, and further improve communication performance.

[0052] Optionally, M equals K, and the time-domain positions occupied by the M modulation symbols in the first time-domain symbol are the same as the time-domain positions occupied by the K modulation symbols in the second time-domain symbol. In other words, when different DMRS mapped to at least two different ports can be time-division multiplexed on different time-domain symbols, the time-domain position occupied by the DMRS on one time-domain symbol is the same as the time-domain position occupied by the DMRS on another time-domain symbol, which can reduce implementation complexity.

[0053] Optionally, the time-domain positions occupied by the M modulation symbols in the first time-domain symbol are different from the time-domain positions occupied by the K modulation symbols in the second time-domain symbol. In other words, when different DMRS mapped by at least two different ports can be time-division multiplexed on different time-domain symbols, the time-domain position occupied by the DMRS on one time-domain symbol is different from the time-domain position occupied by the DMRS on another time-domain symbol, which can improve the flexibility of the scheme implementation.

[0054] In one possible implementation of the second aspect, on the first time-domain symbol, the DMRS mapped to different ports among the N ports occupies the time-domain resources of different modulation symbols among the M modulation symbols.

[0055] Based on the above scheme, the modulation symbols occupied by DMRS mapped to different ports are different on the first time domain symbol, which can realize multi-stream or multi-user transmission on the same time domain symbol, thereby improving transmission efficiency.

[0056] In one possible implementation of the second aspect, any two different DMRS mapped to the N ports correspond to different DMRS groups; or, at least two different DMRS mapped to the N ports correspond to the same DMRS group; wherein, the same DMRS group includes different DMRSs occupying consecutive modulation symbols in the same time domain symbol.

[0057] Based on the above scheme, on the first time domain symbol, the DMRS mapped to different ports can correspond to different DMRS groups, which can realize multi-stream or multi-user transmission on the same time domain symbol, thereby improving transmission efficiency.

[0058] Alternatively, on the first time domain symbol, DMRS mapped to different ports can correspond to the same DMRS group, so that different DMRS within the same DMRS group are mapped to different ports, enabling multi-stream or multi-user transmission on the same time domain symbol, thereby improving transmission efficiency.

[0059] In one possible implementation of the second aspect, on the first time-domain symbol, different ports among the N (e.g., N is greater than 1) ports occupy the same time-domain position, and the DMRS mapped by the different ports among the N ports are obtained by processing different orthogonal sequences.

[0060] Based on the above scheme, in the first time domain symbol, the modulation symbols occupied by DMRS mapped to different ports can be the same, which enables DMRS to be mapped to different ports through code division multiplexing, thereby improving transmission efficiency.

[0061] In one possible implementation of the second aspect, the method further includes: the second communication device transmitting a third DMRS, the second DMRS being used to demodulate part or all of the data carried in the first time slot; wherein the third DMRS is carried in a third time-domain symbol in the first time slot, the third DMRS being mapped to P ports, the P ports being different from the N ports, where P is a positive integer; wherein the third DMRS is mapped to one or more subcarriers on the third time-domain symbol.

[0062] Based on the above scheme, in the first time slot, the first DMRS transmitted in the first time domain symbol and the third DMRS transmitted in the third time domain symbol are mapped to different ports. That is, the different DMRS mapped by at least two different ports can be time-division multiplexed on different time domain symbols. Furthermore, in the third time domain symbol, the third DMRS is mapped to one or more subcarriers on that third time domain symbol, making the above scheme compatible with traditional implementations of DMRS mapping in the frequency domain, thereby improving the flexibility of the scheme implementation.

[0063] In one possible implementation of the second aspect, the first time slot includes a fourth time-domain symbol for carrying a single-port phase tracking reference signal (PTRS); wherein the second port mapped by the PTRS is different from the port mapped by any DMRS.

[0064] Based on the above scheme, the first time slot may also include a fourth time-domain symbol for carrying PTRS. Furthermore, the second port of the PTRS mapping is different from the port of the DMRS mapping. The demodulation function of DMRS and the phase tracking function of PTRS (such as phase noise compensation, channel estimation, etc.) can be enabled on different ports, which can reduce the mutual interference between DMRS and PTRS and improve the signal transmission performance.

[0065] Optionally, in the first time slot, the number of time-domain symbols used to carry PTRS is greater than or equal to the number of time-domain symbols used to carry additional DMRS; wherein, the first time slot is used for mapping multiple ports, the first time-domain resource in the first time slot is used for mapping the second port, and the second time-domain resource in the first time slot is used for mapping other ports among the multiple ports except the second port; the first time-domain resource includes one or more time-domain symbols used to carry PTRS, and the second time-domain resource includes one or more time-domain symbols used to carry additional DMRS.

[0066] Optionally, in the first time slot, the number of time-domain symbols used to carry PTRS is less than the number of time-domain symbols used to carry additional DMRS; wherein, the first time slot is used for mapping multiple ports, the third time-domain resource in the first time slot is used for mapping the second port, the fourth time-domain resource in the first time slot is used for mapping the third port among the multiple ports other than the second port, and the fifth time-domain resource in the first time slot is used for mapping the other ports among the multiple ports other than the second port and the third port; the third time-domain resource includes one or more time-domain symbols used to carry PTRS, and the fourth and fifth time-domain resources include one or more time-domain symbols used to carry additional DMRS.

[0067] In one possible implementation of the second aspect, the method further includes: the second communication device transmitting a front-end DMRS for demodulating part or all of the data carried in the first time slot, wherein the front-end DMRS carries one or more time-domain symbols in the first time slot.

[0068] Based on the above scheme, the second communication device can also send a front-end DMRS in the first time slot, so that the first communication device can demodulate the data through the front-end DMRS, thereby improving the demodulation performance of the data transmitted in the first time slot.

[0069] A third aspect of this application provides a communication device, which includes a transceiver unit and a processing unit. The transceiver unit is used to receive a first DMRS, which carries a first time-domain symbol in a first time slot. The first DMRS is obtained by time-frequency domain transformation of a DMRS occupying M modulation symbols, where the M modulation symbols are partial modulation symbols of multiple modulation symbols included in the first time-domain symbol. The first DMRS is mapped to N ports, where N and M are positive integers. The processing unit demodulates part or all of the data carried in the first time slot based on the first DMRS.

[0070] In the third aspect of this application, the constituent modules of the communication device can also be used to execute the steps performed in various possible implementations of the first aspect and achieve the corresponding technical effects. For details, please refer to the first aspect, which will not be repeated here.

[0071] A fourth aspect of this application provides a communication device, which includes a transceiver unit and a processing unit. The processing unit is used to determine a first DMRS, which carries a first time-domain symbol in a first time slot. The first DMRS is obtained by time-frequency domain transformation of a DMRS occupying M modulation symbols, where the M modulation symbols are partial modulation symbols of multiple modulation symbols included in the first time-domain symbol. The first DMRS is mapped to N ports, where N and M are positive integers. The transceiver unit is used to transmit the first DMRS, which is used to demodulate part or all of the data carried in the first time slot.

[0072] In the fourth aspect of this application, the constituent modules of the communication device can also be used to perform the steps executed in various possible implementations of the second aspect and achieve the corresponding technical effects. For details, please refer to the second aspect, which will not be repeated here.

[0073] The fifth aspect of this application provides a communication device including at least one processor for executing computer programs or instructions to enable the communication device to implement the method described in any possible implementation of the first or second aspect.

[0074] Optionally, the communication device may include the memory, and / or the at least one processor is coupled to the memory; wherein the memory is used to store programs or instructions.

[0075] The sixth aspect of this application provides a communication device including at least one logic circuit; the logic circuit is configured to perform the method as described in any one of the possible implementations of the first to second aspects described above.

[0076] The seventh aspect of this application provides a communication system, which includes the first communication device and the second communication device described above.

[0077] An eighth aspect of this application provides a computer-readable storage medium for storing one or more computer-executable instructions, which, when executed by a processor, perform the method as described in any possible implementation of any of the first to second aspects described above.

[0078] The ninth aspect of this application provides a computer program product (or computer program) that, when executed by a processor, performs the method described in any possible implementation of any of the first to second aspects described above.

[0079] The tenth aspect of this application provides a chip system including at least one processor for supporting a communication device in implementing the method described in any possible implementation of any of the first to second aspects.

[0080] For example, the chip may include a baseband chip, a modem chip, a system-on-a-chip (SoC) chip containing a modem core, a system-in-package (SIP) chip, or a communication module, etc.

[0081] In one possible design, the chip system may further include a memory for storing program instructions and data necessary for the communication device. The chip system may be composed of chips or may include chips and other discrete devices. Optionally, the chip system may also include interface circuitry that provides program instructions and / or data to the at least one processor.

[0082] The technical effects of any of the design methods in aspects three through ten can be found in the technical effects of the different design methods in aspects one through two above, and will not be repeated here. Attached Figure Description

[0083] Figure 1 is a schematic diagram of the communication system provided in this application;

[0084] Figure 2 is a schematic diagram of the network device provided in this application;

[0085] Figure 3 is a schematic diagram of the DMRS involved in this application;

[0086] Figure 4 is a schematic diagram of the communication method provided in this application;

[0087] Figures 5a to 5j are some schematic diagrams of the communication process involved in this application;

[0088] Figures 6 to 10 are some schematic diagrams of the communication device provided in this application. Detailed Implementation

[0089] First, some terms used in the embodiments of this application will be explained to facilitate understanding by those skilled in the art.

[0090] (1) Terminal device: can be a wireless terminal device that can receive network device scheduling and instruction information. The wireless terminal device can be a device that provides voice and / or data connectivity to the user, or a handheld device with wireless connection function, or other processing device connected to a wireless modem.

[0091] Terminal devices can be various communication kits with wireless communication capabilities (kits may include, for example, antennas, power supply modules, cables, and Wi-Fi modules). Terminal devices can also be communication modules with satellite communication capabilities, satellite phones or components thereof, and very small aperture terminals (VSATs). Terminal devices can be mobile terminal devices, such as mobile phones (or "cellular" phones), computers, and data cards. For example, they can be portable, pocket-sized, handheld, computer-embedded, or vehicle-mounted mobile devices that exchange voice and / or data with a wireless access network. Examples include personal communication service (PCS) phones, cordless phones, session initiation protocol (SIP) phones, wireless local loop (WLL) stations, personal digital assistants (PDAs), tablets, and computers with wireless transceiver capabilities. Wireless terminal equipment can also be referred to as a subscriber unit, subscriber station, mobile station, mobile station (MS), remote station, access point (AP), remote terminal, access terminal, user terminal, user agent, subscriber station (SS), customer premises equipment (CPE), terminal, user equipment (UE), mobile terminal (MT), drone, etc. Terminal equipment can also be wearable devices and next-generation communication systems, such as terminal equipment in future communication systems or terminal equipment in future evolved public land mobile networks (PLMNs). Of course, in this application, terminal equipment can also refer to chips, modems, system-on-a-chip (SoC), or communication platforms that may include radio frequency (RF) components, etc., that are primarily responsible for related communication functions.

[0092] (2) Network equipment: This can be equipment within a wireless network. For example, network equipment can be a RAN node (or device) that connects terminal devices to the wireless network, and can also be called a base station. Currently, some examples of RAN equipment include: base station, evolved NodeB (eNodeB), gNB (gNodeB) in 5G communication systems, transmission reception point (TRP), evolved Node B (eNB), radio network controller (RNC), Node B (NB), home base station (e.g., home evolved Node B, or home Node B, HNB), base band unit (BBU), or wireless fidelity (Wi-Fi) access point (AP), etc. In addition, in a network architecture, network equipment can include centralized unit (CU) nodes, distributed unit (DU) nodes, or RAN equipment including CU nodes and DU nodes.

[0093] Optionally, RAN nodes can also be macro base stations, micro base stations, indoor stations, relay nodes, donor nodes, or radio controllers in cloud radio access network (CRAN) scenarios. RAN nodes can also be servers, wearable devices, vehicles, or in-vehicle equipment. For example, the access network equipment in vehicle-to-everything (V2X) technology can be a roadside unit (RSU).

[0094] In this embodiment, network equipment can be deployed on satellites or on the ground. For example, a base station can be deployed entirely on a satellite, or only some of its functions can be deployed on a satellite. For instance, the radio frequency unit (RU) of a base station can be deployed on a satellite, while other parts can be deployed on the ground. Another example is that the RU and DU of a base station can be deployed on a satellite, while the CU can be deployed on the ground. Similarly, core network equipment can also be deployed on satellites. For example, some core network user plane elements can be deployed on satellites to support direct interaction between terminals via satellite, eliminating the need for ground-based communication. Some core network control plane elements can also be deployed on satellites. For example, deploying mobility management and session management elements on satellites can support emergency disaster relief services in situations where there is no terrestrial network.

[0095] For example, network devices may be deployed on non-terrestrial platforms, including but not limited to low-Earth orbit satellites, medium-Earth orbit satellites, high-Earth orbit satellites, high-altitude platforms, drones, and other high-altitude platforms.

[0096] In another possible scenario, multiple RAN nodes collaborate to assist the terminal in achieving wireless access, with each RAN node performing a portion of the base station's functions. For example, RAN nodes can be central units (CUs), distributed units (DUs), CU-control plane (CPs), CU-user plane (UPs), or radio units (RUs), etc. CUs and DUs can be separate entities or included in the same network element, such as a baseband unit (BBU). RUs can be included in radio frequency equipment or radio frequency units, such as remote radio units (RRUs), active antenna units (AAUs), or remote radio heads (RRHs).

[0097] In different systems, CU (or CU-CP and CU-UP), DU, or RU may have different names, but those skilled in the art will understand their meaning. For example, in an open access network (open RAN, O-RAN, or ORAN) system, CU can also be called O-CU (open CU), DU can also be called O-DU, CU-CP can also be called O-CU-CP, CU-UP can also be called O-CU-UP, and RU can also be called O-RU. For ease of description, this application uses CU, CU-CP, CU-UP, DU, and RU as examples. Any of the units among CU (or CU-CP, CU-UP), DU, and RU in this application can be implemented through software modules, hardware modules, or a combination of software modules and hardware modules.

[0098] Communication between access network devices and terminal devices follows a specific protocol layer structure. This protocol layer may include a control plane protocol layer and a user plane protocol layer. The control plane protocol layer may include at least one of the following: radio resource control (RRC) layer, packet data convergence protocol (PDCP) layer, radio link control (RLC) layer, media access control (MAC) layer, or physical (PHY) layer, etc. The user plane protocol layer may include at least one of the following: service data adaptation protocol (SDAP) layer, PDCP layer, RLC layer, MAC layer, or physical layer, etc.

[0099] The correspondence between network elements and their achievable protocol layer functions in the ORAN system can be found in Table 1 below.

[0100] Table 1

[0101] Network devices can be other devices that provide wireless communication functions for terminal devices. The embodiments of this application do not limit the specific technology or form of the network device. For ease of description, the embodiments of this application are not limited.

[0102] Network equipment may also include core network equipment, such as the Mobility Management Entity (MME), Home Subscriber Server (HSS), Serving Gateway (S-GW), Policy and Charging Rules Function (PCRF), and Public Data Network Gateway (PDN Gateway, P-GW) in 4th generation (4G) networks; and access and mobility management function (AMF), user plane function (UPF), or session management function (SMF) in 5G networks. Furthermore, this core network equipment may also include other core network equipment in 5G networks and next-generation networks of 5G networks.

[0103] In this embodiment of the application, the network device can also be a network node with artificial intelligence (AI) capabilities, which can provide AI services to terminals or other network devices. For example, it can be an AI node, computing power node, RAN node with AI capabilities, core network element with AI capabilities, etc. on the network side (access network or core network).

[0104] In this application embodiment, the device for implementing the function of the network device can be the network device itself, or it can be a device capable of supporting the network device in implementing that function, such as a chip system, which can be installed in the network device. In the technical solutions provided in this application embodiment, the example of a network device being used to implement the function of the network device is used to describe the technical solutions provided in this application embodiment.

[0105] (3) Configuration and Pre-configuration: In this application, both configuration and pre-configuration are used. Configuration refers to the network device sending configuration information or parameter values ​​of some parameters to the terminal device through messages or signaling, so that the terminal device can determine the communication parameters or resources during transmission based on these values ​​or information. Pre-configuration is similar to configuration; it can be parameter information or parameter values ​​that the network device and the terminal device have negotiated in advance, or it can be parameter information or parameter values ​​that the network device or the terminal device uses as specified by the standard protocol, or it can be parameter information or parameter values ​​that are pre-stored in the network device or the terminal device. This application does not limit this.

[0106] Furthermore, these values ​​and parameters can be changed or updated.

[0107] (4) The terms "system" and "network" in the embodiments of this application can be used interchangeably. "At least one" means one or more, and "more" means two or more. "And / or" describes the relationship between related objects, indicating that there can be three relationships. For example, A and / or B can mean: A exists alone, A and B exist simultaneously, or B exists alone, where A and B can be singular or plural. The character " / " generally indicates that the related objects before and after are in an "or" relationship. "At least one of the following" or similar expressions refer to any combination of these items, including any combination of single or plural items. For example, "at least one of A, B and C" includes A, B, C, AB, AC, BC or ABC. And, unless otherwise specified, the ordinal numbers such as "first" and "second" mentioned in the embodiments of this application are used to distinguish multiple objects and are not used to limit the order, sequence, priority or importance of multiple objects.

[0108] (5) In the embodiments of this application, "send" and "receive" indicate the direction of signal transmission. For example, "send information to XX" can be understood as the destination of the information being XX, which may include sending directly through the air interface or sending indirectly through the air interface by other units or modules. "Receive information from YY" can be understood as the source of the information being YY, which may include receiving directly from YY through the air interface or receiving indirectly from YY through the air interface by other units or modules. "Send" can also be understood as the "output" of the chip interface, and "receive" can also be understood as the "input" of the chip interface.

[0109] In other words, sending and receiving can occur between devices, such as between network devices and terminal devices, or within a device, such as between components, modules, chips, software modules, or hardware modules within the device via buses, wiring, or interfaces.

[0110] It is understandable that information may undergo necessary processing, such as encoding and modulation, between the source and destination, but the destination can understand the valid information from the source. Similar statements in this application can be interpreted in a similar way and will not be elaborated further.

[0111] (6) In the embodiments of this application, "instruction / for instruction" can include direct instruction and indirect instruction, as well as explicit instruction and implicit instruction. The information indicated by a certain piece of information (as described below, the instruction information) is called the information to be instructed. In the specific implementation process, there are many ways to instruct the information to be instructed, such as, but not limited to, directly instructing the information to be instructed, such as the information to be instructed itself or its index. It can also indirectly instruct the information to be instructed by instructing other information, where there is an association between the other information and the information to be instructed; or it can only instruct a part of the information to be instructed, while the other parts of the information to be instructed are known or pre-agreed upon. For example, the instruction of specific information can be achieved by using a pre-agreed (e.g., protocol predefined) arrangement order of various information, thereby reducing the instruction overhead to a certain extent. This application does not limit the specific method of instruction. It is understood that for the sender of the instruction information, the instruction information can be used to instruct the information to be instructed, and for the receiver of the instruction information, the instruction information can be used to determine the information to be instructed.

[0112] (7) Antenna Port: This can be simply called a port. It can be understood as the transmitting antenna that is identified by the receiving end, or a transmitting antenna that can be distinguished in space. An antenna port can be pre-configured for each virtual antenna. Each virtual antenna can be a weighted combination of multiple physical antennas. Each antenna port can correspond to a reference signal. Therefore, each antenna port can be called a port of a reference signal, such as a CSI-RS port, demodulation reference signal (DMRS), SRS port, etc.

[0113] In this context, an antenna port is a logical concept, and there is generally no direct correspondence between an antenna port and a physical antenna. An antenna port is typically associated with a reference signal, and its meaning can be understood as a transmit / receive interface on the channel through which the reference signal passes. For low frequencies, an antenna port may correspond to one or more antenna elements that jointly transmit the reference signal; the receiver can treat them as a whole without distinguishing between individual elements. For high-frequency systems, an antenna port may correspond to a beam; similarly, the receiver only needs to treat this beam as an interface and does not need to distinguish between individual elements.

[0114] Furthermore, a port group can refer to a collection of multiple antenna ports. One approach is to group multiple digital ports of a network device to form multiple port groups. Another approach (especially in hybrid digital-analog beamforming architectures) is that a port group can be multiple digital ports corresponding to the same analog beam, also simply called a port group or digital-analog port group. Alternatively, a port group can be a collection of digital ports corresponding to multiple analog beams, also simply called a port group or digital-analog port group. Or, multiple digital ports of the same analog beam can be divided into multiple subsets, each subset being called a port group or digital-analog port group.

[0115] In this application, unless otherwise specified, the same or similar parts between the various embodiments can be referred to each other. In the various embodiments of this application, and the various methods / designs / implementations within each embodiment, unless otherwise specified or logically conflicting, the terminology and / or descriptions between different embodiments and between the various methods / designs / implementations within each embodiment are consistent and can be mutually referenced. The technical features in different embodiments and the various methods / designs / implementations within each embodiment can be combined to form new embodiments, methods, or implementations based on their inherent logical relationships. The following descriptions of the embodiments of this application do not constitute a limitation on the scope of protection of this application.

[0116] This application can be applied to long-term evolution (LTE) systems, new radio (NR) systems, or new radio vehicle-to-everything (NR V2X) systems; it can also be applied to systems with hybrid LTE and 5G networks; or device-to-device (D2D) communication systems, machine-to-machine (M2M) communication systems, Internet of Things (IoT) systems, or drone communication systems; or communication systems supporting multiple wireless technologies, such as LTE and NR technologies; or non-terrestrial communication systems, such as satellite communication systems and high-altitude communication platforms. Optionally, this communication system can also be applied to narrowband Internet of Things (NB-IoT) systems or other communication systems, wherein the communication system includes network devices and terminal devices, with the network devices acting as configuration information sending entities and the terminal devices acting as configuration information receiving entities. Specifically, in this communication system, one entity sends configuration information to another entity and sends data to or receives data from another entity; the other entity receives the configuration information and, based on the configuration information, sends data to or receives data from the entity that sent the configuration information. This application can be applied to terminal devices in a connected or active state, as well as to terminal devices in an inactive or idle state.

[0117] Please refer to Figure 1, which is a schematic diagram of the architecture of the communication system 1000 used in the embodiments of this application. As shown in Figure 1, the communication system includes a radio access network (RAN) 100 and a core network 200. Optionally, the communication system 1000 may also include an Internet 300. The RAN 100 includes at least one RAN node (110a and 110b in Figure 1, collectively referred to as 110), and may also include at least one terminal (120a-120j in Figure 1, collectively referred to as 120). The RAN 100 may also include other RAN nodes, such as wireless relay devices and / or wireless backhaul devices (not shown in Figure 1). The terminal 120 is wirelessly connected to the RAN node 110, and the RAN node 110 is wirelessly or wiredly connected to the core network 200. The core network equipment in the core network 200 and the RAN node 110 in the RAN 100 can be independent and different physical devices, or they can be the same physical device integrating the logical functions of the core network equipment and the logical functions of the RAN node. Terminals can be connected to each other, as can RAN nodes, via wired or wireless means.

[0118] As an example, as shown in Figure 2, an access network device may include at least one CU and at least one DU. This design can be referred to as CU and DU separation. One CU can be connected to one or more DUs. CU and DU can be separated according to the protocol layer of the wireless network: for example, the functions of protocol layers above the PDCP layer (e.g., RRC layer and SDAP layer, etc.) are set in the CU, and the functions of protocol layers below the PDCP layer (e.g., RLC layer, MAC layer, and PHY layer, etc.) are set in the DU; or, for another example, the functions of protocol layers above the PDCP layer are set in the CU, and the functions of protocol layers below the PDCP layer are set in the DU, without limitation. When the CU includes CU-CP and CU-UP, CU-CP is used to implement the control plane functions of the CU, and CU-UP is used to implement the user plane functions of the CU. For example, when the CU is configured to implement the functions of the PDCP layer, RRC layer, and SDAP layer, CU-CP is used to implement the RRC layer functions and the PDCP layer control plane functions, and CU-UP is used to implement the SDAP layer functions and the PDCP layer user plane functions. This application does not limit the names of CU and DU; for example, CU can be called the first access network element, and DU can be called the second access network element, etc.

[0119] The above division of CU and DU processing functions according to protocol layers is merely an example; other methods can also be used. For instance, CU or DU can be divided into functions with more protocol layers, or into partial processing functions with protocol layers. For example, some functions of the RLC layer and protocol layer functions above the RLC layer can be placed in the CU, while the remaining functions of the RLC layer and protocol layer functions below the RLC layer can be placed in the DU. Furthermore, the functions of CU or DU can be divided according to service type or other system requirements. For example, based on latency, functions with high latency requirements can be placed in the DU, while functions with lower latency requirements can be placed in the CU. For instance, functions requiring latency less than or equal to a first threshold can be placed in the DU, while other functions can be placed in the CU.

[0120] The CU can be connected to the core network. Optionally, the CU can have some of the functions of the core network.

[0121] Furthermore, some functions of the DU can be separated. As shown in Figure 2, this function can be implemented by a radio unit (RU). The RU can have radio frequency (RF) functions. This application does not limit the name of the RU; for example, the RU can be called a third access network element. The DU and RU can be split or separated at the PHY layer. For example, the DU can implement higher-level functions in the PHY layer, and the RU can implement lower-level functions in the PHY layer, or implement both lower-level functions and RF functions. Higher-level functions in the PHY layer include functions closer to the MAC layer, and lower-level functions in the PHY layer include functions closer to the RF layer. For example, higher-level functions in the PHY layer include one or more of the following: forward error correction (FEC) encoding / decoding, scrambling, or modulation / demodulation. Lower-level functions in the PHY layer include one or more of the following: fast Fourier transform (FFT) / inverse fast Fourier transform (iFFT), beamforming, or extraction and filtering of the physical random access channel (PRACH), etc. The RU can communicate with the terminal equipment via radio frequency signals through the air interface. The precoding function of the PHY layer can be located in the DU or the RU. The separation between the DU and RU can be done in various ways without restriction.

[0122] There is an interface between the DU and RU. For example, depending on the splitting method, the interface between the DU and RU can be a common public radio interface (CPRI) interface, an enhanced common public radio interface (eCPRI) interface, or other interfaces defined by the future network.

[0123] The foregoing content describes various wireless communication scenarios involved in this application. It should be understood that the above content is merely an illustrative description of the scenarios in which this application can be applied, and this application can also be applied to other application scenarios, which are not limited here. The wireless communication process involved in this application will be described below.

[0124] In a communication system (as shown in Figure 1 / Figure 2), different communication devices can transmit data through a data channel during communication, and correspondingly, receive data through the same channel to achieve data transmission. The data sender can also transmit a demodulation reference signal (DMRS) for demodulating the data, enabling the data receiver to demodulate the data based on the channel information obtained from the DMRS, thereby improving data transmission performance.

[0125] For example, the data channel for transmitting DMRS can be a physical downlink shared channel (PDSCH), a physical uplink shared channel (PUSCH), or other data channels defined by the future network.

[0126] In the current network, for a single carrier, based on the symbol allocation of DMRS, it can be divided into pre-DMRS and supplementary DMRS. Both types of DMRS are mapped onto frequency domain resources after time-frequency domain transformation. For example, in one slot, pre-DMRS is configured by default, supporting one or two symbols. Depending on the starting symbol of the pre-DMRS, it can include type A and type B. For example, in type A, the starting symbol of the pre-DMRS is the 3rd or 4th symbol of the PUSCH or PDSCH; in type B, the starting symbol of the pre-DMRS is fixed as the first symbol of the PUSCH or PDSCH. In the current network, supplementary DMRS supports a maximum of three positions (e.g., these three positions can be denoted as pos1 to pos3), and the number of symbols in each supplementary DMRS is the same as the number of symbols in the pre-DMRS.

[0127] Taking the preceding DMRS as an example, the data receiver can estimate the channel information corresponding to the preceding DMRS using algorithms such as the least squares method (LS) and minimum mean-square error (MMSE). This estimated channel information can then be used as the estimation result for the channels corresponding to other symbols, enabling data demodulation for those symbols. In mobile scenarios, the channel may be time-varying, and this time-varying generally accelerates at higher mobile speeds. For example, compared to stationary or low-speed mobile scenarios, the channel differences between symbols are greater at high mobile speeds. If the channel information estimated by the preceding DMRS is still used as the channel information for other symbols for data demodulation, the accuracy of the channel estimation results for other symbols will be low, thus affecting the demodulation performance of those other symbols. Furthermore, the further away a symbol is from the preceding DMRS (e.g., when the symbol index of a data-occupied symbol is greater than or equal to the symbol index of the DMRS-occupied symbol, the lower the accuracy of its estimated channel. Therefore, when additional DMRS exists, by estimating the channels corresponding to the symbols of the two DMRS at different locations, interpolating them according to a certain rule, and then using the interpolated values ​​as the estimated channels for other symbols, the performance loss caused by outdated channel estimation results in mobile scenarios can be further reduced.

[0128] Furthermore, during data transmission, multi-port multi-stream transmission improves data transmission performance compared to single-stream transmission. Correspondingly, to demodulate data transmitted across multiple ports in the data channel, the data transmitter can also send multi-port mapped DMRS on the data channel, allowing the data receiver to demodulate the corresponding port-mapped data based on the DMRS of each port.

[0129] As shown in Figure 3, taking the transmission of data and DMRS on four ports within a single time slot as an example, these four ports can be denoted as Port 1000, Port 1001, Port 1002, and Port 1003. In the example shown in Figure 3, the pre-DMRS occupies 1 symbol (i.e., symbol 2), and the additional DMRS occupies 2 symbols (i.e., symbols 7 and 11). The DMRS mapped to the four ports satisfies:

[0130] After mapping data on symbols 3, 4, 5, 6, 8, 9, 10, 12, and 13 (optionally, symbols 0 and 1 can be used to carry control channels or control channel signals), DMRS is mapped on the frequency domain resources corresponding to subcarrier indices 0, 2, 4, 6, 8, and 10 on symbols 2, 7, and 11. The remaining subcarriers are left unfilled with DMRS and data. Furthermore, orthogonal sequences are used to ensure that the DMRS sequences on Port1000 and Port1001 at the same frequency domain position are orthogonal.

[0131] It should be noted that in Figure 3 and the examples below, the number of time-domain symbols contained in a time slot is 14. In practical applications, this number can be other values, such as 12 or other values.

[0132] Optionally, the time slots and symbols involved in this application are names of time units. In future networks, these names may change, and this application does not limit them.

[0133] After mapping data on symbols 3, 4, 5, 6, 8, 9, 10, 12, and 13 (optionally, symbols 0 and 1 can be used to carry control channels or control channel signals) on Ports 1002 and 1003, DMRS is mapped on the frequency domain resources corresponding to subcarrier indices 1, 3, 5, 7, 9, and 11 on symbols 2, 7, and 11. The remaining subcarriers are not filled with DMRS and data. Furthermore, orthogonal sequences are used to make the DMRS sequences on Ports 1002 and 1003 at the same frequency domain position orthogonal.

[0134] Furthermore, the frequency domain positions occupied by the DMRS mapped by Port 1000 and Port 1001 are different from those of the DMRS mapped by Port 1002 and Port 1003. They are distinguished by frequency division. As shown in Figure 3, the DMRS is combed in the frequency domain. Combing is a common structure for DMRS in the current protocol on one OFDM symbol.

[0135] However, in the above process, DMRS maps the transmitted data onto frequency domain resources after time-frequency domain transformation, which incurs significant overhead and affects communication performance.

[0136] To address the aforementioned problems, this application provides a communication method and related apparatus, which will be described in detail below with reference to the accompanying drawings.

[0137] Please refer to Figure 4, which is a schematic diagram of an implementation of the communication method provided in this application. The method includes the following steps.

[0138] It should be understood that the following description uses different communication devices as examples to illustrate the method, but this application does not limit the execution subject of the interaction. For example, the first or second communication device can be a communication device, or a component of a communication device (e.g., a chip, baseband chip, modem chip, SoC chip containing a modem core, SIP chip, communication module, chip system, processor, logic module, or software, etc.). For example, the first communication device can be a terminal device, and the second communication device can be a network device.

[0139] S401. The second communication device transmits the first DMRS, and correspondingly, the first communication device receives the first DMRS. The first DMRS carries a first time-domain symbol in a first time slot; the first DMRS is obtained by time-frequency domain transformation of a DMRS occupying M modulation symbols, where the M modulation symbols are partial modulation symbols of multiple modulation symbols contained in the first time-domain symbol; the first DMRS is mapped to N ports, where N and M are positive integers.

[0140] S402. The first communication device demodulates part or all of the data carried in the first time slot based on the first DMRS.

[0141] Optionally, the modulation symbols involved in this application (e.g., M modulation symbols, K modulation symbols mentioned later) can be modulation symbols used to transmit a single carrier. For example, the single carrier can include, but is not limited to, discrete fourier transform-spread-orthogonal frequency division multiplexing (DFT-s-OFDM), single carrier-QAM (quadrature amplitude modulation, SC-QAM), or other methods defined by future standards / protocols.

[0142] Optionally, in the first time-domain symbol, the first DMRS is obtained by time-frequency domain transformation of the DMRS occupying M modulation symbols. In the time domain, the first time-domain symbol may contain multiple modulation symbols, and the M modulation symbols may be some or all of these multiple modulation symbols. Therefore, the method of inserting the first DMRS within the first time-domain symbol can be called in-symbol insertion of DMRS; for example, the first DMRS can be inserted into the first time-domain symbol in an in-symbol manner.

[0143] Optionally, unless otherwise specified, the DMRS involved in this application (e.g., the first DMRS, the second DMRS, the third DMRS, etc. mentioned below) are other DMRSs that are different from the preceding DMRS. For example, the other DMRS can be an additional DMRS or other names defined by future standards / protocols.

[0144] Optionally, the first DMRS can be mapped to the N ports in various ways. For example, the first DMRS can be mapped to the N ports before the aforementioned time-frequency domain transformation process, or the first DMRS can be mapped to the N ports after the aforementioned time-frequency domain transformation process.

[0145] Optionally, the time-frequency domain transformation involved in this application may include Fourier transform processing or wavelet transform processing, etc. Among them, Fourier transform processing may include fast fourier transform (FFT), discrete fourier transform (DFT), etc.

[0146] Optionally, the port involved in this application can be defined as follows: when data and / or signals on one time-domain symbol (e.g., an orthogonal frequency division multiplexing (OFDM) symbol) are transmitted through a port, the channel experienced by the data and / or signals is the same as or similar to the channel experienced by data on other time-domain symbols transmitted through that port. For example, the port can be a physical antenna port or a logical port; exemplaryly, a port can correspond to a channel model or channel information, which can be determined by a reference signal transmitted on the port. Generally, during data transmission, the number of ports is greater than or equal to the number of streams.

[0147] Based on the scheme shown in Figure 4, after the first communication device receives the first DMRS carried on the first time domain symbol of the first time slot in step S401, in step S402, the first communication device can demodulate part or all of the data in the first time slot based on the first DMRS. The first DMRS is obtained by time-frequency domain transformation of a DMRS occupying M modulation symbols, where the M modulation symbols are partial modulation symbols of the multiple modulation symbols contained in the first time domain symbol. In this way, compared to the implementation method of placing the DMRS in the frequency domain resources after time-frequency domain transformation, the first DMRS occupies a portion of the modulation symbols contained in the first time domain symbol, which reduces overhead and improves communication performance.

[0148] Furthermore, the first DMRS is mapped to N ports, enabling it to demodulate data transmitted through N ports in the first timeslot. In this way, when N is greater than 1, the above scheme can be applied to multi-stream, multi-port data transmission processes, improving throughput and spectral efficiency, and further enhancing communication performance.

[0149] In one possible implementation, the method shown in Figure 4 further includes: the first communication device receiving a front-end DMRS, the front-end DMRS carrying one or more time-domain symbols in the first time slot; the first communication device demodulating part or all of the data carried in the first time slot based on the front-end DMRS. Thus, the first communication device can also receive the front-end DMRS within the first time slot and demodulate the data through the front-end DMRS to improve the demodulation performance of the data transmitted within the first time slot.

[0150] It should be noted that the pre-DMRS is different from the first DMRS mentioned above, the second DMRS, the third DMRS mentioned later, etc.

[0151] In the scheme shown in Figure 4, the data transmitted in the first time slot can be mapped through a multi-port mapping. Correspondingly, the DMRS transmitted in the first time slot can also be mapped through a multi-port mapping. The multi-port DMRS can be implemented in various ways, and some possible implementation methods will be illustrated below.

[0152] Implementation Method 1: In the first time slot, at least two different ports are mapped with different time domain symbols.

[0153] In implementation method one, N equals 1, and the method shown in Figure 4 further includes: the first communication device receiving a second DMRS, the second DMRS carrying a second time-domain symbol in the first time slot, the second DMRS being obtained by time-frequency domain transformation of a DMRS occupying K modulation symbols, the K modulation symbols being included in the second time-domain symbol (for example, the K modulation symbols being part or all of the multiple modulation symbols included in the second time-domain symbol), K being a positive integer, the second DMRS being mapped to a first port, the first port being different from the N ports; the first communication device demodulating part or all of the data carried in the first time slot based on the second DMRS.

[0154] In other words, in the first time slot, the first DMRS transmitted in the first time domain symbol and the second DMRS transmitted in the second time domain symbol are mapped to different ports. That is, the different DMRS mapped to at least two different ports can be time-division multiplexed on different time domain symbols. Furthermore, the first port mapped to the second DMRS is different from the first port mapped to the first DMRS. In this way, the above scheme can be applied to multi-stream, multi-port data transmission processes, which can improve throughput and spectral efficiency, and further enhance communication performance.

[0155] Optionally, the K modulation symbols can also be partial modulation symbols of the multiple modulation symbols contained in the second time-domain symbol. In this way, the overhead of DMRS can be reduced and communication performance can be further improved.

[0156] Optionally, the number of time-domain symbols occupied by the first DMRS can be unlimited. For example, M modulation symbols can also be all the modulation symbols of the multiple modulation symbols contained in the first time-domain symbol. When other time-domain symbols in the first time slot are used for DMRS mapping of other ports (e.g., the second time-domain symbol is used for DMRS mapping of the first port), the above scheme can be applied to the data transmission process of multi-stream multi-port, which can improve throughput and spectral efficiency, and further improve communication performance.

[0157] Optionally, in the second time-domain symbol, the second DMRS is obtained by time-frequency domain transformation of the DMRS occupying K modulation symbols. In the time domain, the second time-domain symbol may contain multiple modulation symbols, and the K modulation symbols may be some or all of these multiple modulation symbols. Therefore, the second DMRS inserted within the second time-domain symbol can be inserted in-symbolly.

[0158] As an example, M equals K, and the time domain positions occupied by the M modulation symbols in the first time domain symbol are the same as the time domain positions occupied by the K modulation symbols in the second time domain symbol.

[0159] As shown in the example in Figure 5a, the number of modulation symbols in the time domain corresponding to each time domain symbol is L (L is a positive integer) (optionally, M is less than or equal to L, and K is less than or equal to L). In the first time domain symbol, the time domain positions occupied by M modulation symbols correspond to modulation symbol indices 3, 4, and 5, that is, in this example, M is 3; in the second time domain symbol, the time domain positions occupied by K modulation symbols correspond to modulation symbol indices 3, 4, and 5, that is, in this example, K is 3.

[0160] Therefore, when different DMRS mapped to at least two different ports can be time-division multiplexed on different time-domain symbols, the time-domain position occupied by a DMRS on a certain time-domain symbol is the same as the time-domain position occupied by a DMRS on another time-domain symbol, which can reduce implementation complexity.

[0161] As another example, the time domain positions occupied by the M modulation symbols in the first time domain symbol are different from the time domain positions occupied by the K modulation symbols in the second time domain symbol.

[0162] As shown in the example in Figure 5b, the number of modulation symbols in the time domain corresponding to each time domain symbol is L (L is a positive integer). In the first time domain symbol, the time domain positions occupied by M modulation symbols correspond to modulation symbol indices 3, 4, and 5, that is, in this example, M is 3; in the second time domain symbol, the time domain positions occupied by K modulation symbols correspond to modulation symbol indices 6, 7, and 8, that is, in this example, K is 3.

[0163] As shown in the example in Figure 5c, the number of modulation symbols in the time domain corresponding to each time domain symbol is L (L is a positive integer). In the first time domain symbol, the time domain positions occupied by M modulation symbols correspond to modulation symbol indices 3, 4, and 5, that is, in this example, M is 3; in the second time domain symbol, the time domain positions occupied by K modulation symbols correspond to modulation symbol indices 5 and 6, that is, in this example, K is 2.

[0164] Therefore, when different DMRS mapped to at least two different ports can be time-division multiplexed on different time domain symbols, the time domain position occupied by a DMRS on a certain time domain symbol is different from the time domain position occupied by a DMRS on another time domain symbol, which can improve the flexibility of the scheme implementation.

[0165] Implementation Method 2: Map at least two ports on at least one time domain symbol of the first time slot, and the time domain resources corresponding to the at least two ports are different.

[0166] In implementation method two, taking the first time-domain symbol of the first time slot as an example, on this first time-domain symbol, the DMRS mapped to different ports among the N (e.g., N is greater than 1) ports occupy the time-domain resources of different modulation symbols among the M modulation symbols. In other words, on the first time-domain symbol, the modulation symbols occupied by the DMRS mapped to different ports are different, which can realize multi-stream or multi-user transmission on the same time-domain symbol, thereby improving transmission efficiency.

[0167] In one possible implementation of the second method, any two different DMRS mapped to the N ports correspond to different DMRS groups; wherein, the same DMRS group includes different DMRS that occupy continuous modulation symbols in the same time domain symbol.

[0168] As shown in the example in Figure 5d, each time-domain symbol corresponds to L modulation symbols in the time domain (L is a positive integer). In the first time-domain symbol, the time-domain positions occupied by M modulation symbols correspond to modulation symbol indices 3, 4, 5, and 6, that is, in this example, M is 4. Furthermore, taking N ports including port A and port B as an example, the time-domain positions occupied by port A correspond to modulation symbol indices 3 and 4; the time-domain positions occupied by port B correspond to modulation symbol indices 5 and 6. Since the modulation symbols occupied by these two ports are consecutive, these two ports can be regarded as different DMRSs within the same DMRS group.

[0169] In another possible implementation of Method 2, DMRS mapped to at least two different ports among the N ports correspond to the same DMRS group.

[0170] As shown in the example in Figure 5e, each time-domain symbol corresponds to L modulation symbols in the time domain (L is a positive integer). In the first time-domain symbol, the time-domain positions occupied by M modulation symbols correspond to modulation symbol indices 3, 4, L-2, and L-1, that is, in this example, M is 4. Furthermore, taking N ports including port A and port B as an example, the time-domain positions occupied by port A correspond to modulation symbol indices 3 and 4; the time-domain positions occupied by port B correspond to modulation symbol indices L-2 and L-1. Since the modulation symbols occupied by these two ports are not consecutive, these two ports can be regarded as different DMRS within different DMRS groups.

[0171] Therefore, on the first time domain symbol, DMRS mapped to different ports can correspond to different DMRS groups, enabling multi-stream or multi-user transmission on the same time domain symbol, thereby improving transmission efficiency. Alternatively, on the first time domain symbol, DMRS mapped to different ports can correspond to the same DMRS group, allowing different DMRS within the same DMRS group to be mapped to different ports, enabling multi-stream or multi-user transmission on the same time domain symbol, thereby improving transmission efficiency.

[0172] Optionally, different DMRSs occupying consecutive modulation symbols within the same time-domain symbol can be considered or understood as DMRSs within the same DMRS group. Similarly, different DMRSs occupying non-consecutive modulation symbols within the same time-domain symbol can be considered or understood as DMRSs within different DMRS groups. Furthermore, DMRS groups can also be replaced with other descriptions, such as DMRS sets, DMRS clusters, etc.

[0173] Implementation Method 3: At least two ports are mapped on at least one time-domain symbol of the first time slot, and the at least two ports are code-divided.

[0174] In implementation method three, taking the first time domain symbol of the first time slot as an example, on the first time domain symbol, the different ports among the N (e.g., N is greater than 1) ports occupy the same time domain position, and the DMRS mapped by the different ports among the N ports are obtained by processing different orthogonal sequences.

[0175] Alternatively, the orthogonal sequence can be replaced with other implementations, such as code-division multiplexed vectors, code-division multiplexed codes, code-division multiplexed matrices, code-division multiplexed spreading codes, or code-division multiplexed spreading sequences, etc.

[0176] Alternatively, the code division multiplexing can be replaced with orthogonal or quasi-orthogonal sequences. For example, an orthogonal sequence can be an orthogonal cover code (OCC).

[0177] As shown in Figure 5f, each time-domain symbol corresponds to L modulation symbols in the time domain (L is a positive integer). In the first time-domain symbol, the time-domain positions occupied by M modulation symbols correspond to modulation symbol indices 3 and 4, i.e., in this example, M is 2. Furthermore, taking N ports including port A and port B as an example, the time-domain positions occupied by ports A and B both correspond to modulation symbol indices 3 and 4; however, these two ports correspond to different orthogonal sequences to achieve code division multiplexing. Optionally, since the modulation symbols occupied by these two ports are consecutive, these two ports can be considered as different DMRSs within the same DMRS group.

[0178] Therefore, in the first time domain symbol, the modulation symbols occupied by DMRS mapped to different ports can be the same, which enables DMRS to be mapped to different ports through code division multiplexing, thereby improving transmission efficiency.

[0179] Implementation Method 4: In at least one time-domain symbol of the first time slot, the DMRS is placed at a frequency-domain position of one or more OFDM symbols after the signal has been processed in the time-frequency domain.

[0180] In implementation method four, the method shown in Figure 4 further includes: the first communication device receiving a third DMRS, the third DMRS being carried on a third time domain symbol in the first time slot, the third DMRS being mapped to P ports, the P ports being different from the N ports, where P is a positive integer; wherein, the third DMRS is mapped on one or more subcarriers on the third time domain symbol; the first communication device demodulating part or all of the data carried in the first time slot based on the third DMRS.

[0181] As shown in Figure 5g, taking a time slot where the symbol index of the preceding DMRS is 2, the symbol index of the first time domain symbol is 7, and the symbol index of the third time domain symbol is 11 as an example, the DMRS on the two symbols with symbol indices 2 and 11 can be combed in the frequency domain, while the DMRS on symbol 7 is not combed in the frequency domain, but inserted in an in-symbol manner.

[0182] Therefore, in the first time slot, the first DMRS transmitted in the first time domain symbol and the third DMRS transmitted in the third time domain symbol are mapped to different ports. That is, the different DMRS mapped to at least two different ports can be time-division multiplexed on different time domain symbols. Furthermore, in the third time domain symbol, the third DMRS is mapped to one or more subcarriers on that third time domain symbol, making the above scheme compatible with the traditional implementation of DMRS mapping in the frequency domain, thereby improving the flexibility of the scheme implementation.

[0183] It should be noted that the various port mapping methods of DMRS in the above implementation methods one to four can be used in combination. For example, taking the first time slot as an example where some or all of the time domain symbols A, B, C, D, and E are included, the first time domain symbol described above can be any symbol from time domain symbol A to symbol D.

[0184] For example, on any time-domain symbol of time-domain symbol A and time-domain symbol B, the transmitted DMRS is obtained by time-frequency domain transformation of the DMRS occupying one or more modulation symbols. Furthermore, the DMRS carried by time-domain symbol A is mapped to one port, and the DMRS carried by time-domain symbol B is mapped to another port. The mapping of different ports (e.g., the first port and N ports mentioned above) is achieved on different time-domain symbols through time-division multiplexing.

[0185] For example, in time-domain symbol C, the transmitted DMRS is obtained by time-frequency domain transformation of DMRS occupying one or more modulation symbols. Furthermore, the DMRS carried by time-domain symbol C is mapped to at least two ports (e.g., different ports among the N ports mentioned above). The mapping of different ports is achieved in the same time-domain symbol through time-division multiplexing.

[0186] For example, in time-domain symbol D, the transmitted DMRS is obtained by time-frequency domain transformation of DMRS occupying one or more modulation symbols. Furthermore, the DMRS carried by time-domain symbol D is mapped to at least two ports (e.g., different ports among the N ports mentioned above), and the DMRS mapped to different ports are code-division multiplexed. The mapping of different ports is achieved in the same time-domain symbol through code-division multiplexing.

[0187] For example, in the time domain symbol E, the transmitted DMRS is placed on the symbol after time-frequency domain processing, in order to be compatible with the traditional DMRS port mapping method.

[0188] The above process presents various implementation methods for transmitting multi-port mapped DMRS in the first time slot. In the scenario of multi-port transmission, other reference signals besides DMRS can also be transmitted in the same time slot. The following will use PTRS as an example for explanation.

[0189] In one possible implementation, the first time slot includes a fourth time-domain symbol used to carry a single-port phase tracking reference signal (PTRS); wherein the second port mapped by the PTRS is different from the port mapped by any DMRS. For example, any DMRS includes any one of the aforementioned first DMRS, second DMRS, and third DMRS, and the port mapped by any DMRS includes the aforementioned N ports, P ports, first port, etc.

[0190] Therefore, the first time slot may also include a fourth time-domain symbol for carrying PTRS, and the second port of the PTRS mapping is different from the port of the DMRS mapping. The demodulation function of DMRS and the phase tracking function of PTRS (such as phase noise compensation, channel estimation, etc.) can be enabled on different ports, which can reduce the mutual interference between DMRS and PTRS and improve the signal transmission performance.

[0191] Optionally, the time-domain symbol used to carry PTRS is different from the time-domain symbol used to carry additional DMRS, which can adapt to the current protocol's PTRS and DMRS time-frequency domain resource placement rules and reduce complexity.

[0192] Optionally, the number of fourth time-domain symbols can be one or more.

[0193] Alternatively, PTRS can be placed in an in-symbol manner on the fourth time domain symbol.

[0194] As an example, in the first time slot, the number of time-domain symbols used to carry PTRS is greater than or equal to the number of time-domain symbols used to carry additional DMRS; wherein, the first time slot is used for mapping multiple ports, the first time-domain resource in the first time slot is used for mapping the second port, and the second time-domain resource in the first time slot is used for mapping other ports among the multiple ports except the second port; the first time-domain resource includes one or more time-domain symbols used to carry PTRS, and the second time-domain resource includes one or more time-domain symbols used to carry additional DMRS.

[0195] As shown in Figure 5h, in a single time slot, the time domain symbol used to carry the pre-DMRS is one time domain symbol corresponding to symbol index 2, the number of time domain symbols used to carry the PTRS is 2 (i.e., symbol indices 4 and 10), and the number of time domain symbols used to carry the additional DMRS is 2 (i.e., symbol indices 6 and 12). The two time domain symbols containing symbol indices 4 and 10 are used to map the second port, and the two time domain symbols containing symbol indices 6 and 12 are used to map other ports besides the second port.

[0196] As shown in Figure 5i, in a single time slot, the time domain symbol used to carry the pre-DMRS is one time domain symbol corresponding to symbol index 2, the number of time domain symbols used to carry the PTRS is 3 (i.e., symbol indices 4, 8, and 10), and the number of time domain symbols used to carry the additional DMRS is 2 (i.e., symbol indices 6 and 12). The three time domain symbols containing symbol indices 4, 8, and 10 are used to map the second port, while the two time domain symbols containing symbol indices 6 and 12 are used to map other ports besides the second port.

[0197] As another example, in this first time slot, the number of time-domain symbols used to carry PTRS is less than the number of time-domain symbols used to carry additional DMRS; wherein, the first time slot is used for mapping multiple ports, the third time-domain resource in the first time slot is used for mapping the second port, the fourth time-domain resource in the first time slot is used for mapping the third ports (wherein, the number of third ports can be one or more) among the multiple ports excluding the second port, and the fifth time-domain resource in the first time slot is used for mapping the other ports among the multiple ports excluding the second port and the third port; the third time-domain resource includes one or more time-domain symbols for carrying PTRS, and the fourth and fifth time-domain resources include one or more time-domain symbols for carrying additional DMRS.

[0198] As shown in Figure 5j, in a single time slot, the time domain symbol used to carry the pre-DMRS is one time domain symbol corresponding to symbol index 2, the number of time domain symbols used to carry the PTRS is 2 (i.e., symbol indices 4 and 10), and the number of time domain symbols used to carry the additional DMRS is 3 (i.e., symbol indices 6, 8, and 12). The two time domain symbols containing symbol indices 4 and 10 are used to map the second port, and the three time domain symbols containing symbol indices 6, 8, and 12 are used to map other ports besides the second port. Optionally, if the number of ports mapped on the three time domain symbols is greater than 1, these ports can be mapped according to one or more of the implementation methods one through four.

[0199] Please refer to Figure 6. This application embodiment provides a communication device 600, which can realize the functions of the second communication device or the first communication device in the above method embodiments, and thus can also achieve the beneficial effects of the above method embodiments. In this application embodiment, the communication device 600 can be the first communication device (or the second communication device), or it can be an integrated circuit or component inside the first communication device (or the second communication device), such as a chip.

[0200] It should be noted that the transceiver unit 602 may include a transmitting unit and a receiving unit, which are used to perform transmitting and receiving respectively.

[0201] In one possible implementation, when the device 600 is used to execute the method performed by the first communication device in the aforementioned embodiments, the transceiver unit 602 is used to receive a first DMRS, which carries a first time-domain symbol in a first time slot; wherein, the first DMRS is obtained by time-frequency domain transformation processing of a DMRS occupying M modulation symbols, the M modulation symbols being partial modulation symbols of multiple modulation symbols included in the first time-domain symbol, the first DMRS being mapped to N ports, where N and M are positive integers; the processing unit 601 demodulates part or all of the data carried in the first time slot based on the first DMRS.

[0202] In one possible implementation, when the device 600 is used to execute the method performed by the second communication device in the foregoing embodiments, the processing unit 601 is used to determine a first DMRS, which carries a first time-domain symbol in a first time slot; wherein, the first DMRS is obtained by time-frequency domain transformation processing of a DMRS occupying M modulation symbols, the M modulation symbols being partial modulation symbols of multiple modulation symbols included in the first time-domain symbol, the first DMRS being mapped to N ports, where N and M are positive integers; the transceiver unit 602 is used to transmit the first DMRS, which is used to demodulate part or all of the data carried in the first time slot.

[0203] It should be noted that the information execution process of the unit of the above-mentioned communication device 600 can be specifically described in the method embodiments shown above in this application, and will not be repeated here.

[0204] Please refer to Figure 7, which is another schematic structural diagram of the communication device 700 provided in this application. The communication device 700 includes a logic circuit 701 and an input / output interface 702. The communication device 700 can be a chip or an integrated circuit.

[0205] In Figure 6, the transceiver unit 602 can be a communication interface, which can be the input / output interface 702 in Figure 7, and the input / output interface 702 can include an input interface and an output interface. Alternatively, the communication interface can also be a transceiver circuit, which can include an input interface circuit and an output interface circuit.

[0206] Optionally, the input / output interface 702 is used to receive a first DMRS, which carries a first time-domain symbol in a first time slot; wherein, the first DMRS is obtained by time-frequency domain transformation of a DMRS occupying M modulation symbols, the M modulation symbols being partial modulation symbols of multiple modulation symbols contained in the first time-domain symbol, the first DMRS being mapped to N ports, where N and M are positive integers; the logic circuit 701 demodulates part or all of the data carried in the first time slot based on the first DMRS.

[0207] Optionally, logic circuit 701 is used to determine a first DMRS, which carries a first time-domain symbol in a first time slot; wherein, the first DMRS is obtained by time-frequency domain transformation of a DMRS occupying M modulation symbols, the M modulation symbols being partial modulation symbols of multiple modulation symbols contained in the first time-domain symbol, the first DMRS being mapped to N ports, where N and M are positive integers; the input / output interface 702 is used to transmit the first DMRS, which is used to demodulate part or all of the data carried in the first time slot.

[0208] The logic circuit 701 and the input / output interface 702 can also perform other steps performed by the first or second communication device in any embodiment and achieve corresponding beneficial effects, which will not be elaborated here.

[0209] In one possible implementation, the processing unit 601 shown in FIG6 can be the logic circuit 701 in FIG7.

[0210] Optionally, the logic circuit 701 can be a processing device, the functions of which can be partially or entirely implemented in software.

[0211] Optionally, the processing apparatus may include a memory and a processor, wherein the memory is used to store a computer program, and the processor reads and executes the computer program stored in the memory to perform the corresponding processing and / or steps in any of the method embodiments.

[0212] Optionally, the processing device may consist of only a processor. A memory for storing computer programs is located outside the processing device, and the processor is connected to the memory via circuitry / wires to read and execute the computer programs stored in the memory. The memory and processor may be integrated together or physically independent of each other.

[0213] Optionally, the processing device may be one or more chips, or one or more integrated circuits. For example, the processing device may be one or more field-programmable gate arrays (FPGAs), application-specific integrated circuits (ASICs), system-on-chips (SoCs), central processing units (CPUs), network processors (NPs), digital signal processors (DSPs), microcontroller units (MCUs), programmable logic devices (PLDs), or other integrated chips, or any combination of the above chips or processors.

[0214] Please refer to Figure 8, which shows the communication device 800 involved in the above embodiments provided in the embodiments of this application. Specifically, the communication device 800 can be the communication device as a terminal device in the above embodiments. The communication device shown in Figure 8 is implemented through a terminal device (or a component in the terminal device).

[0215] The present invention is a possible logical structure diagram of the communication device 800, which may include, but is not limited to, at least one processor 801 and a communication port 802.

[0216] In Figure 6, the transceiver unit 602 can be a communication interface, which can be the communication port 802 in Figure 8. The communication port 802 can include an input interface and an output interface. Alternatively, the communication port 802 can also be a transceiver circuit, which can include an input interface circuit and an output interface circuit.

[0217] Further optionally, the device may also include at least one of a memory 803 and a bus 804. In the embodiments of this application, the at least one processor 801 is used to control the operation of the communication device 800.

[0218] Furthermore, the processor 801 can be a central processing unit, a general-purpose processor, a digital signal processor, an application-specific integrated circuit, a field-programmable gate array, or other programmable logic devices, transistor logic devices, hardware components, or any combination thereof. It can implement or execute the various exemplary logic blocks, modules, and circuits described in conjunction with the disclosure of this application. The processor can also be a combination that implements computing functions, such as a combination of one or more microprocessors, a combination of a digital signal processor and a microprocessor, etc. Those skilled in the art will clearly understand that, for the sake of convenience and brevity, the specific working processes of the systems, devices, and units described above can be referred to the corresponding processes in the foregoing method embodiments, and will not be repeated here.

[0219] It should be noted that the communication device 800 shown in Figure 8 can be used to implement the steps implemented by the terminal device in the aforementioned method embodiments and achieve the corresponding technical effects of the terminal device. The specific implementation of the communication device shown in Figure 9 can be referred to the description in the aforementioned method embodiments, and will not be repeated here.

[0220] Please refer to Figure 9, which is a schematic diagram of the structure of the communication device 900 involved in the above embodiments provided in the embodiments of this application. Specifically, the communication device 900 can be a communication device as a network device in the above embodiments. The communication device shown in Figure 9 is implemented through a network device (or a component in a network device). The structure of the communication device can refer to the structure shown in Figure 9.

[0221] The communication device 900 includes at least one processor 911 and at least one network interface 914. Optionally, the communication device further includes at least one memory 912, at least one transceiver 913, and one or more antennas 915. The processor 911, memory 912, transceiver 913, and network interface 914 are connected, for example, via a bus. In this embodiment, the connection may include various interfaces, transmission lines, or buses, etc., and this embodiment is not limited thereto. The antenna 915 is connected to the transceiver 913. The network interface 914 enables the communication device to communicate with other communication devices through a communication link. For example, the network interface 914 may include a network interface between the communication device and core network equipment, such as an S1 interface, or a network interface between the communication device and other communication devices (e.g., other network devices or core network equipment), such as an X2 or Xn interface.

[0222] In Figure 6, the transceiver unit 602 can be a communication interface, which can be the network interface 914 in Figure 9. The network interface 914 can include an input interface and an output interface. Alternatively, the network interface 914 can also be a transceiver circuit, which can include an input interface circuit and an output interface circuit.

[0223] The processor 911 is primarily used to process communication protocols and communication data, control the entire communication device, execute software programs, and process data from these programs, for example, to support the actions described in the embodiments of the communication device. The communication device may include a baseband processor and a central processing unit (CPU). The baseband processor is primarily used to process communication protocols and communication data, while the CPU is primarily used to control the entire terminal device, execute software programs, and process data from these programs. The processor 911 in Figure 9 can integrate the functions of both a baseband processor and a CPU. Those skilled in the art will understand that the baseband processor and CPU can also be independent processors interconnected via technologies such as buses. Those skilled in the art will understand that a terminal device may include multiple baseband processors to adapt to different network standards, and multiple CPUs to enhance its processing capabilities. The various components of the terminal device can be connected via various buses. The baseband processor can also be described as a baseband processing circuit or a baseband processing chip. The CPU can also be described as a central processing circuit or a central processing chip. The function of processing communication protocols and communication data can be built into the processor or stored in memory as a software program, which is then executed by the processor to implement the baseband processing function.

[0224] The memory is primarily used to store software programs and data. The memory 912 can exist independently or be connected to the processor 911. Optionally, the memory 912 can be integrated with the processor 911, for example, integrated into a single chip. The memory 912 can store program code that executes the technical solutions of the embodiments of this application, and its execution is controlled by the processor 911. The various types of computer program code being executed can also be considered as drivers for the processor 911.

[0225] Figure 9 shows only one memory and one processor. In actual terminal devices, there may be multiple processors and multiple memories. Memory can also be called storage medium or storage device, etc. Memory can be a storage element on the same chip as the processor, i.e., an on-chip storage element, or it can be a separate storage element; this application does not limit this.

[0226] Transceiver 913 can be used to support the reception or transmission of radio frequency (RF) signals between a communication device and a terminal. Transceiver 913 can be connected to antenna 915. Transceiver 913 includes a transmitter Tx and a receiver Rx. Specifically, one or more antennas 915 can receive RF signals. The receiver Rx of transceiver 913 receives the RF signals from the antennas, converts the RF signals into digital baseband signals or digital intermediate frequency (IF) signals, and provides the digital baseband signals or IF signals to processor 911 so that processor 911 can perform further processing on the digital baseband signals or IF signals, such as demodulation and decoding. Furthermore, the transmitter Tx in transceiver 913 is also used to receive modulated digital baseband signals or IF signals from processor 911, convert the modulated digital baseband signals or IF signals into RF signals, and transmit the RF signals through one or more antennas 915. Specifically, the receiver Rx can selectively perform one or more stages of downmixing and analog-to-digital conversion on the radio frequency signal to obtain a digital baseband signal or a digital intermediate frequency (IF) signal. The order of these downmixing and IF conversion processes is adjustable. The transmitter Tx can selectively perform one or more stages of upmixing and digital-to-analog conversion on the modulated digital baseband signal or digital IF signal to obtain a radio frequency signal. The order of these upmixing and IF conversion processes is also adjustable. The digital baseband signal and the digital IF signal can be collectively referred to as digital signals.

[0227] The transceiver 913 can also be called a transceiver unit, transceiver, transceiver device, etc. Optionally, the device in the transceiver unit that performs the receiving function can be regarded as the receiving unit, and the device in the transceiver unit that performs the transmitting function can be regarded as the transmitting unit. That is, the transceiver unit includes a receiving unit and a transmitting unit. The receiving unit can also be called a receiver, input port, receiving circuit, etc., and the transmitting unit can be called a transmitter, transmitter, or transmitting circuit, etc.

[0228] It should be noted that the communication device 900 shown in Figure 9 can be used to implement the steps implemented by the network device in the aforementioned method embodiments and achieve the corresponding technical effects of the network device. The specific implementation of the communication device 900 shown in Figure 9 can be referred to the description in the aforementioned method embodiments, and will not be repeated here.

[0229] Please refer to Figure 10, which is a schematic diagram of the structure of the communication device involved in the above embodiments provided in the embodiments of this application.

[0230] It is understood that the communication device 10 includes, for example, modules, units, elements, circuits, or interfaces, which are appropriately configured together to execute the technical solutions provided in this application. The communication device 10 may be the terminal device or network device described above, or a component (e.g., a chip) within these devices, used to implement the methods described in the following method embodiments. The communication device 10 includes one or more processors 101. The processor 101 may be a general-purpose processor or a dedicated processor, for example, a baseband processor or a central processing unit. The baseband processor can be used to process communication protocols and communication data, and the central processing unit can be used to control the communication device (e.g., RAN node, terminal, or chip), execute software programs, and process data from the software programs.

[0231] Optionally, in one design, processor 101 may include program 103 (sometimes also referred to as code or instructions), which may be executed on processor 101 to cause communication device 10 to perform the methods described in the embodiments below. In yet another possible design, communication device 10 includes circuitry (not shown in FIG10).

[0232] Optionally, the communication device 10 may include one or more memories 102 storing a program 104 (sometimes referred to as code or instructions), which can be run on the processor 101 to cause the communication device 10 to perform the methods described in the above method embodiments.

[0233] Optionally, the processor 101 and / or memory 102 may include AI modules 107 and 108, which are used to implement AI-related functions. The AI ​​modules can be implemented through software, hardware, or a combination of both. For example, the AI ​​module may include a radio intelligence control (RIC) module. For example, the AI ​​module may be a near real-time RIC or a non-real-time RIC.

[0234] Optionally, the processor 101 and / or memory 102 may also store data. The processor and memory may be configured separately or integrated together.

[0235] Optionally, the communication device 10 may further include a transceiver 105 and / or an antenna 106. The processor 101, sometimes referred to as a processing unit, controls the communication device (e.g., a RAN node or terminal). The transceiver 105, sometimes referred to as a transceiver unit, transceiver, transceiver circuit, or transceiver, is used to realize the transmission and reception functions of the communication device through the antenna 106.

[0236] In this context, the processing unit 601 shown in Figure 6 can be a processor 101. The transceiver unit 602 shown in Figure 6 can be a communication interface, which can be the transceiver 105 in Figure 10. The transceiver 105 can include an input interface and an output interface. Alternatively, the transceiver 105 can also be a transceiver circuit, which can include an input interface circuit and an output interface circuit.

[0237] This application also provides a computer-readable storage medium for storing one or more computer-executable instructions. When the computer-executable instructions are executed by a processor, the processor performs the method described in the possible implementations of the first or second communication device in the foregoing embodiments.

[0238] This application also provides a computer program product (or computer program) that, when executed by a processor, executes the method described above for the possible implementation of the first or second communication device.

[0239] This application also provides a chip system including at least one processor for supporting a communication device in implementing the functions involved in the possible implementations of the communication device described above. Optionally, the chip system further includes an interface circuit that provides program instructions and / or data to the at least one processor. In one possible design, the chip system may also include a memory for storing the program instructions and data necessary for the communication device. The chip system may be composed of chips or may include chips and other discrete devices, wherein the communication device may specifically be the first communication device or the second communication device in the aforementioned method embodiments.

[0240] This application also provides a communication system, which includes a first communication device and a second communication device in any of the above embodiments.

[0241] 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 an indirect coupling or communication connection between apparatuses or units through some interfaces, and may be electrical, mechanical, or other forms.

[0242] 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.

[0243] Furthermore, the functional units in the various embodiments of this application can be integrated into one processing unit, or each unit can exist physically separately, or two or more units can be integrated into one unit. The integrated unit can be implemented in hardware or as a software functional unit. If the integrated unit is implemented as a software functional unit and sold or used as an independent product, it can be stored in a computer-readable storage medium. Based on this understanding, the technical solution of this application, in essence, or the part that contributes, or all or part of the technical solution, can be embodied in the form of a software product. This computer software product is stored in a storage medium and includes several instructions to cause a computer device (which may be a personal computer, server, or network device, etc.) to execute all or part of the steps of the methods described in the various embodiments of this application. The aforementioned storage medium includes various media capable of storing program code, such as USB flash drives, portable hard drives, read-only memory (ROM), random access memory (RAM), magnetic disks, or optical disks.

Claims

1. A communication method characterized by comprising: include: A first demodulation reference signal DMRS is received, wherein the first DMRS carries a first time-domain symbol in a first time slot; wherein the first DMRS is obtained by time-frequency domain transformation of a DMRS occupying M modulation symbols, wherein the M modulation symbols are partial modulation symbols of multiple modulation symbols included in the first time-domain symbol, and the first DMRS is mapped to N ports, where N and M are positive integers; Based on the first DMRS demodulation, some or all of the data carried in the first time slot.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein, When N equals 1, the method further includes: Receive a second DMRS, which is carried in a second time-domain symbol in the first time slot. The second DMRS is obtained by time-frequency domain transformation of a DMRS occupying K modulation symbols. The K modulation symbols are included in the second time-domain symbol, where K is a positive integer. The second DMRS is mapped to a first port, which is different from the N ports. Based on the second DMRS demodulation of part or all of the data carried in the first time slot.

3. The method according to claim 1, characterized in that, On the first time-domain symbol, the DMRS mapped to different ports among the N ports occupies the time-domain resources of different modulation symbols among the M modulation symbols.

4. The method according to claim 3, characterized in that, DMRS mapped to any two different ports among the N ports correspond to different DMRS groups; or, DMRS mapped to at least two different ports among the N ports correspond to the same DMRS group; Within the same DMRS group, there are different DMRSs that occupy consecutive modulation symbols in the same time domain symbol.

5. The method according to claim 1, characterized in that, In the first time domain symbol, different ports among the N ports occupy the same time domain position, and the DMRS mapped by different ports among the N ports are obtained by processing different orthogonal sequences.

6. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 5, characterized in that, The method further includes: Receive a third DMRS, which is carried in a third time-domain symbol in the first time slot. The third DMRS is mapped to P ports, which are different from the N ports, where P is a positive integer. The third DMRS is mapped to one or more subcarriers on the third time-domain symbol. Based on the third DMRS demodulation, some or all of the data carried in the first time slot is demodulated.

7. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 6, characterized in that, The first time slot includes a fourth time-domain symbol, which is used to carry a single-port phase tracking reference signal (PTRS). The second port of the PTRS mapping is different from the port of any DMRS mapping.

8. The method of claim 7, wherein, In the first time slot, the number of time-domain symbols used to carry PTRS is greater than or equal to the number of time-domain symbols used to carry additional DMRS; Wherein, the first time slot is used for mapping multiple ports, the first time domain resource in the first time slot is used for mapping the second port, and the second time domain resource in the first time slot is used for mapping the other ports among the multiple ports besides the second port; the first time domain resource includes one or more time domain symbols for carrying PTRS, and the second time domain resource includes one or more time domain symbols for carrying additional DMRS.

9. The method of claim 7, wherein, In the first time slot, the number of time-domain symbols used to carry PTRS is less than the number of time-domain symbols used to carry additional DMRS; Wherein, the first time slot is used for mapping multiple ports, the third time domain resource in the first time slot is used for mapping the second port, the fourth time domain resource in the first time slot is used for mapping the third port among the multiple ports other than the second port, and the fifth time domain resource in the first time slot is used for mapping the other ports among the multiple ports other than the second port and the third port; the third time domain resource includes one or more time domain symbols for carrying PTRS, and the fourth and fifth time domain resources include one or more time domain symbols for carrying additional DMRS.

10. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 9, characterized in that, The method further includes: Receive a front-end DMRS, wherein the front-end DMRS is carried in one or more time-domain symbols in the first time slot; Based on the pre-DMRS demodulation, some or all of the data carried in the first time slot is transmitted.

11. A communication method, comprising: include: A first demodulation reference signal DMRS is determined, wherein the first DMRS is carried in a first time-domain symbol in a first time slot; wherein the first DMRS is obtained by time-frequency domain transformation of a DMRS occupying M modulation symbols, wherein the M modulation symbols are partial modulation symbols of multiple modulation symbols contained in the first time-domain symbol, and the first DMRS is mapped to N ports, where N and M are positive integers; The first DMRS is transmitted, and the first DMRS is used to demodulate part or all of the data carried in the first time slot.

12. The method of claim 11, wherein, When N equals 1, the method further includes: Send a second DMRS, which is used to demodulate part or all of the data carried in the first time slot; The second DMRS carries the second time-domain symbol in the first time slot. The second DMRS is obtained by time-frequency domain transformation of the DMRS occupying K modulation symbols. The K modulation symbols are included in the second time-domain symbol, where K is a positive integer. The second DMRS is mapped to a first port, which is different from the N ports.

13. The method according to claim 11, characterized in that, On the first time-domain symbol, the DMRS mapped to different ports among the N ports occupies the time-domain resources of different modulation symbols among the M modulation symbols.

14. The method according to claim 13, characterized in that, DMRS mapped to any two different ports among the N ports correspond to different DMRS groups; or, DMRS mapped to at least two different ports among the N ports correspond to the same DMRS group; Within the same DMRS group, there are different DMRSs that occupy consecutive modulation symbols in the same time domain symbol.

15. The method according to claim 11, characterized in that, In the first time domain symbol, different ports among the N ports occupy the same time domain position, and the DMRS mapped by different ports among the N ports are obtained by processing different orthogonal sequences.

16. The method according to any one of claims 11 to 15, characterized in that, The method further includes: A third DMRS is transmitted, wherein the second DMRS is used to demodulate part or all of the data carried in the first time slot; The third DMRS is carried in the third time domain symbol in the first time slot, and the third DMRS is mapped to P ports, which are different from the N ports, where P is a positive integer; the third DMRS is mapped to one or more subcarriers on the third time domain symbol.

17. The method according to any one of claims 11 to 16, characterized in that, The first time slot includes a fourth time-domain symbol, which is used to carry a single-port phase tracking reference signal (PTRS). The second port of the PTRS mapping is different from the port of any DMRS mapping.

18. The method of claim 17, wherein, In the first time slot, the number of time-domain symbols used to carry PTRS is greater than or equal to the number of time-domain symbols used to carry additional DMRS; Wherein, the first time slot is used for mapping multiple ports, the first time domain resource in the first time slot is used for mapping the second port, and the second time domain resource in the first time slot is used for mapping the other ports among the multiple ports besides the second port; the first time domain resource includes one or more time domain symbols for carrying PTRS, and the second time domain resource includes one or more time domain symbols for carrying additional DMRS.

19. The method of claim 17, wherein, In the first time slot, the number of time-domain symbols used to carry PTRS is less than the number of time-domain symbols used to carry additional DMRS; Wherein, the first time slot is used for mapping multiple ports, the third time domain resource in the first time slot is used for mapping the second port, the fourth time domain resource in the first time slot is used for mapping the third port among the multiple ports other than the second port, and the fifth time domain resource in the first time slot is used for mapping the other ports among the multiple ports other than the second port and the third port; the third time domain resource includes one or more time domain symbols for carrying PTRS, and the fourth and fifth time domain resources include one or more time domain symbols for carrying additional DMRS.

20. The method according to any one of claims 11 to 19, characterized in that, The method further includes: A pre-diffraction DMRS is transmitted, which is used to demodulate part or all of the data carried in the first time slot, wherein the pre-diffraction DMRS carries one or more time-domain symbols in the first time slot.

21. A communication device, characterized in that, Includes a module for performing the method as described in any one of claims 1 to 20.

22. A communications device, characterized by It includes at least one processor coupled to a memory; the at least one processor is used to perform the method as described in any one of claims 1 to 20.

23. A readable storage medium characterized by, The storage medium stores a computer program or instructions, which, when executed by a communication device, implement the method as described in any one of claims 1 to 20.

24. A computer program product, characterized in that, It includes a computer program or instructions that, when executed by a computer, implement the method as described in any one of claims 1 to 20.

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