Communication method and related apparatus

Abstract

Embodiments of the present application provide a communication method and a related apparatus. A terminal device acquires different channel information on the basis of models corresponding to different antenna ports and corresponding local channel information, and acquires third channel information on the basis of channel information corresponding to the different antenna ports. In one aspect, channel reconstruction is implemented by using a model, thereby improving the quality of subsequent data transmission. In another aspect, channel information is spliced by using different antenna ports, so that third channel information of a higher dimension can be obtained, thereby further improving the quality of subsequent data transmission on the basis of the third channel information.

Description

A communication method and related apparatus

[0001] This application claims priority to Chinese Patent Application No. 202411794761.9, filed with the State Intellectual Property Office of China on December 6, 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] The emergence of Multiple-Input Multiple-Output (MIMO) technology has revolutionized wireless communication. By deploying multiple antennas on both the transmitting and receiving devices, MIMO technology can significantly improve the performance of wireless communication systems. For example, in diversity scenarios, MIMO technology can effectively improve transmission reliability; in multiplexing scenarios, MIMO technology can greatly increase transmission throughput.

[0004] Currently, with the development of artificial intelligence (AI), neural networks have been extensively studied in many fields other than image and speech.

[0005] Therefore, how to improve the quality of data transmission in MIMO scenarios by leveraging neural networks is a technical problem that urgently needs to be solved. Summary of the Invention

[0006] This application provides a communication method and related apparatus. Terminal devices can utilize models to reconstruct channels, thereby improving the quality of subsequent data transmission. Furthermore, channel information can be spliced ​​using different antenna ports to obtain higher-dimensional channel information, further enhancing the quality of subsequent data transmission based on this higher-dimensional channel information.

[0007] This application provides a communication method that can be applied to a terminal-side device, such as a terminal or a communication module within a terminal, or a circuit or chip within the terminal responsible for communication functions (such as a modem chip, also known as a baseband chip, or a system-on-a-chip (SoC) chip containing a modem core, or a system-in-package (SiP) chip). In this first aspect and its possible implementations, the method is described using the example of it being executed by a terminal device. In this method, the terminal device determines first channel information based on first local channel information and a first model. The terminal device determines second channel information based on second local channel information and a second model. The terminal device determines third channel information based on the first channel information and the second channel information, and the third channel information is used for data transmission.

[0008] Specifically, the first local channel information is determined based on a first reference signal, whereby the first reference signal pattern is associated with one or more first antenna ports, and the first model corresponds to one or more first antenna ports. Correspondingly, the second local channel information is determined based on a second reference signal, whereby the second reference signal pattern is associated with one or more second antenna ports, and the second model corresponds to one or more second antenna ports.

[0009] Furthermore, the association of the first reference signal pattern with one or more first antenna ports can be interpreted in various ways. For example, the one or more first antenna ports may indicate the position of the first reference signal pattern in the space-time-frequency domain. Another example is that the third model used to output the first reference signal pattern is trained based on one or more first antenna ports, etc., without further limitation here. Similarly, the association of the second reference signal pattern with one or more second antenna ports can be interpreted in various ways. For example, the one or more second antenna ports may indicate the position of the second reference signal pattern in the space-time-frequency domain. Another example is that the fourth model used to output the second reference signal pattern is trained based on one or more second antenna ports, etc., without further limitation here.

[0010] Based on the above scheme, the terminal device obtains different channel information according to the model and corresponding local channel information for different antenna ports, and obtains third channel information based on the channel information corresponding to different antenna ports. On the one hand, channel reconstruction is achieved using the model, thereby improving the quality of subsequent data transmission. On the other hand, by splicing the channel information from different antenna ports, a higher-dimensional third channel information can be obtained, further improving the quality of subsequent data transmission based on the third channel information.

[0011] Optionally, in one possible implementation of the first aspect, the first reference signal pattern is indicated by a plurality of first position indices, and the second reference signal pattern is indicated by a plurality of second position indices;

[0012] Each of the plurality of first location indices is indicated by a first antenna port; each of the plurality of second location indices is indicated by a second antenna port.

[0013] Optionally, the first reference signal pattern is indicated by a plurality of first position indices, which can be understood as: the plurality of positions indicated by the plurality of first position indices are used for transmitting the first reference signal. Correspondingly, the second reference signal pattern is indicated by a plurality of second position indices, which can be understood as: the plurality of positions indicated by the plurality of second position indices are used for transmitting the second reference signal.

[0014] In this context, whether it is the position indicated by the first position index or the position indicated by the second position index, each position can be indicated by a one-dimensional coordinate in the spatial domain, a two-dimensional coordinate in the spatial and time domains, a two-dimensional coordinate in the spatial and frequency domains, a three-dimensional coordinate in the spatial, time, and frequency domains, or by an identifier related to the model or antenna port group, or by a four-dimensional coordinate in the spatial, time, and frequency domains, etc. The specific indication is not limited here.

[0015] In this possible implementation, the spatial indication reference signal pattern or reference signal pattern position is used, so that the corresponding channel information can be spliced ​​in the spatial domain to obtain high-dimensional channel information in the spatial domain.

[0016] Optionally, in one possible implementation of the first aspect, each of the plurality of first location indices is specifically indicated by a first antenna port, a first time-domain location, and a first frequency-domain location;

[0017] Each of the multiple second location indices is specifically indicated by a second antenna port, a second time-domain location, and a second frequency-domain location.

[0018] In this possible implementation, using the space-time-frequency domain to indicate the reference signal pattern or its position not only allows for the subsequent splicing of corresponding channel information in the spatial domain to obtain high-dimensional channel information, but also enhances the flexibility of the reference signal pattern indication.

[0019] Optionally, in one possible implementation of the first aspect, each of the plurality of first location indices is specifically indicated by a first index, a first antenna port, a first time-domain location, and a first frequency-domain location; the first index is used to identify a first model and / or a third model, the first model and a first group of antenna ports, the first group of antenna ports including the one or more first antenna ports;

[0020] Each of the multiple second location indices is specifically indicated by a second index, a second antenna port, a second time-domain location, and a second frequency-domain location; the second index is used to identify a second model and / or a second set of antenna ports, the second set of antenna ports including the one or more second antenna ports.

[0021] In this possible implementation, a model identifier is introduced on the basis of space-time-frequency, thereby transforming the position index of the reference signal pattern from local to global, which facilitates the unified configuration of the reference signal pattern by network devices.

[0022] Optionally, in one possible implementation of the first aspect, the aforementioned terminal device specifically splices the first channel information and the second channel information according to one or more first antenna ports and one or more second antenna ports to obtain the third channel information.

[0023] In this possible implementation, by splicing channel information using different antenna ports, higher-dimensional third-channel information can be obtained, further improving the quality of subsequent data transmission based on the third-channel information.

[0024] Optionally, in one possible implementation of the first aspect, the terminal device may further receive a first reference signal corresponding to a first reference signal pattern; and perform channel estimation based on the first reference signal to obtain first local channel information. Correspondingly, the terminal device may also receive a second reference signal corresponding to a second reference signal pattern; and perform channel estimation based on the second reference signal to obtain second local channel information.

[0025] Alternatively, this can be understood as the terminal device receiving a first reference signal at a spatial-time-frequency location corresponding to a first reference signal pattern. Correspondingly, the terminal device receives a second reference signal at a spatial-time-frequency location corresponding to a second reference signal pattern.

[0026] Alternatively, this can be understood as follows: the terminal device can receive an indication of a first reference signal pattern, determine the first reference signal pattern through this indication, and then receive a first reference signal based on the first reference signal pattern. That is, it determines the corresponding space-time-frequency position based on the first reference signal pattern, and then receives the corresponding first reference signal at that space-time-frequency position. Similarly, the terminal device can receive an indication of a second reference signal pattern, determine the second reference signal pattern through this indication, and then receive a second reference signal based on the second reference signal pattern. That is, it determines the corresponding space-time-frequency position based on the second reference signal pattern, and then receives the corresponding second reference signal at that space-time-frequency position.

[0027] In this possible implementation, the terminal device receives a reference signal pattern and a reference signal at the corresponding position, and then performs channel estimation based on the reference signal at the position of the reference signal pattern to obtain local channel information.

[0028] Optionally, in one possible implementation of the first aspect, the terminal device described above may also receive first information, which is used to indicate a first model; and receive second information, which is used to indicate a second model.

[0029] In this possible implementation, the terminal device can distinguish between the first model and the second model through the first information and the second information.

[0030] Optionally, in one possible implementation of the first aspect, the first model and the second model mentioned above belong to a plurality of pre-stored models, and different models correspond to different antenna ports; the first information is used to indicate the first identifier of the first model; and the second information is used to indicate the second identifier of the second model.

[0031] The terminal device can also determine the first model from multiple models based on the first identifier; and determine the second model from multiple models based on the second identifier.

[0032] In this possible implementation, the terminal device stores multiple models and identifies the first model and the second model through model identifiers indicated by the first information and the second information, thereby reducing the overhead of transmitting specific models.

[0033] Optionally, in one possible implementation of the first aspect, the first information mentioned above includes the structure and parameters of the first model, and the second information includes the structure and parameters of the second model.

[0034] In this possible implementation, the terminal device can determine the first model and the second model based on the model structure and parameters carried by the first information and the second information.

[0035] Optionally, in one possible implementation of the first aspect, the aforementioned terminal device may also send third information, which is used to indicate support for model-based channel reconstruction.

[0036] Furthermore, the third information is related to the first model. Alternatively, it can be understood as the third information being used by the network device to determine the first model. That is, the network device can decide which first model instruction to send to the terminal device based on the third information reported by the terminal device.

[0037] In this possible implementation, the terminal device can report capability information related to the first model through third information, so that the network device can determine the capabilities of the terminal device based on the third information, and then subsequently instruct the model applicable to the terminal device.

[0038] Optionally, in one possible implementation of the first aspect, the aforementioned terminal device may also send a fourth message, which is used to indicate service requirements. These service requirements may refer to one or more of the following: increased data volume requirements, communication quality requirements, or the mobile speed of the terminal device, etc.

[0039] Furthermore, the fourth information is related to the second model. Alternatively, it can be understood as the fourth information used by the network device to determine the second model. That is, the network device can decide which second model instruction to send to the terminal device based on the fourth information reported by the terminal device.

[0040] In this possible implementation, the terminal device can report service requirement information through the fourth information, which makes it easier for the network device to understand the service requirement information of the terminal device, so that subsequent instructions are more suitable for the model of the terminal device.

[0041] A second aspect of this application provides a communication method, which is executed by a network device, or by a component (e.g., a processor, chip, or chip system) within the network device, or by a logic module or software capable of implementing all or part of the functions of the network device. In this second aspect and its possible implementations, the method is described as being executed by a network device. In this method, the network device sends first information to determine a first model. The network device then sends second information to determine a second model.

[0042] The first model corresponds to one or more first antenna ports, which are associated with a first reference signal pattern. The first reference signal at the corresponding position of the first reference signal pattern is used to determine first local channel information. The first local channel information and the first model are used to determine first channel information. The second model is trained on one or more second antenna ports, which are associated with a second reference signal pattern. The second reference signal at the corresponding position of the second reference signal pattern is used to determine second local channel information. The second local channel information and the second model are used to determine second channel information. The first channel information and the second information are used to determine third channel information, and the third channel state is used for data transmission.

[0043] Furthermore, the association of the first reference signal pattern with one or more first antenna ports can be interpreted in various ways. For example, the one or more first antenna ports may indicate the position of the first reference signal pattern in the space-time-frequency domain. Another example is that the third model used to output the first reference signal pattern is trained based on one or more first antenna ports, etc., without further limitation here. Similarly, the association of the second reference signal pattern with one or more second antenna ports can be interpreted in various ways. For example, the one or more second antenna ports may indicate the position of the second reference signal pattern in the space-time-frequency domain. Another example is that the fourth model used to output the second reference signal pattern is trained based on one or more second antenna ports, etc., without further limitation here.

[0044] Based on the above scheme, the network device indicates the corresponding model through the first and second information. Different antenna ports correspond to different models and corresponding local channel information to obtain different channel information, and the channel information corresponding to different antenna ports is used to splice together to obtain third channel information. On the one hand, channel reconstruction is achieved using the model, thereby improving the quality of subsequent data transmission. On the other hand, splicing the channel information using different antenna ports can obtain higher-dimensional third channel information, further improving the quality of subsequent data transmission based on the third channel information.

[0045] Optionally, in one possible implementation of the second aspect, one or more first antenna ports belong to a first group of antenna ports, and one or more second antenna ports belong to a second group of antenna ports; the first group of antenna ports is used to train a first model and a third model, and the second group of antenna ports is used to train a second model and a fourth model; the third model is used to generate a first reference signal pattern, and the fourth model is used to generate a second reference signal pattern.

[0046] For example, network devices can also group multiple antenna ports to obtain a first group of antenna ports and a second group of antenna ports.

[0047] In this possible implementation, network devices can group multiple antenna ports and train different models using parameters such as different antenna port groups to meet the needs of terminal devices for different service scenarios.

[0048] Optionally, in one possible implementation of the second aspect, the first reference signal pattern described above is indicated by a plurality of first position indices, and the second reference signal pattern is indicated by a plurality of second position indices;

[0049] Each of the plurality of first location indices is indicated by a first antenna port; each of the plurality of second location indices is indicated by a second antenna port.

[0050] Optionally, the first reference signal pattern is indicated by a plurality of first position indices, which can be understood as: the plurality of positions indicated by the plurality of first position indices are used for transmitting the first reference signal. Correspondingly, the second reference signal pattern is indicated by a plurality of second position indices, which can be understood as: the plurality of positions indicated by the plurality of second position indices are used for transmitting the second reference signal.

[0051] In this context, whether it is the position indicated by the first position index or the position indicated by the second position index, each position can be indicated by a one-dimensional coordinate in the spatial domain, a two-dimensional coordinate in the spatial and time domains, a two-dimensional coordinate in the spatial and frequency domains, a three-dimensional coordinate in the spatial, time, and frequency domains, or by an identifier related to the model or antenna port group, or by a four-dimensional coordinate in the spatial, time, and frequency domains, etc. The specific indication is not limited here.

[0052] In this possible implementation, the spatial indication reference signal pattern or reference signal pattern position is used, so that the corresponding channel information can be spliced ​​in the spatial domain to obtain high-dimensional channel information in the spatial domain.

[0053] Optionally, in one possible implementation of the second aspect, each of the plurality of first location indices described above is specifically indicated by a first antenna port, a first time-domain location, and a first frequency-domain location;

[0054] Each of the multiple second location indices is specifically indicated by a second antenna port, a second time-domain location, and a second frequency-domain location.

[0055] In this possible implementation, using the space-time-frequency domain to indicate the reference signal pattern or its position not only allows for the subsequent splicing of corresponding channel information in the spatial domain to obtain high-dimensional channel information, but also enhances the flexibility of the reference signal pattern indication.

[0056] Optionally, in one possible implementation of the second aspect, each of the plurality of first location indices is specifically indicated by a first index, a first antenna port, a first time-domain location, and a first frequency-domain location; the first index is used to identify a first model and / or a first group of antenna ports, the first group of antenna ports including the one or more first antenna ports;

[0057] Each of the multiple second location indices is specifically indicated by a second index, a second antenna port, a second time-domain location, and a second frequency-domain location; the second index is used to identify a second model and / or a second set of antenna ports, the second set of antenna ports including the one or more second antenna ports.

[0058] In this possible implementation, a model identifier is introduced on the basis of space-time-frequency, thereby transforming the position index of the reference signal pattern from local to global, which facilitates the unified configuration of the reference signal pattern by network devices.

[0059] Optionally, in one possible implementation of the second aspect, the network device described above may also transmit a first reference signal according to a first reference signal pattern and transmit a second reference signal according to a second reference signal pattern.

[0060] Alternatively, this can be understood as the network device transmitting a first reference signal at the spatial-temporal location corresponding to the first reference signal pattern. Correspondingly, the network device transmits a second reference signal at the spatial-temporal location corresponding to the second reference signal pattern.

[0061] In this possible implementation, the network device receives a reference signal pattern and a reference signal at the corresponding position, so that the terminal device can perform channel estimation based on the reference signal at the position of the reference signal pattern to obtain local channel information.

[0062] Optionally, in one possible implementation of the second aspect, the network device described above may also send first information to indicate the first model; and send second information to indicate the second model.

[0063] In this possible implementation, the network device can use the first information and the second information to enable the terminal device to distinguish between the first model and the second model.

[0064] Optionally, in one possible implementation of the second aspect, the first model and the second model mentioned above belong to multiple models pre-stored by the terminal device, and different models correspond to different antenna ports; the first information is used to indicate the first identifier of the first model; the second information is used to indicate the second identifier of the second model.

[0065] In this possible implementation, when multiple models are stored, the terminal device can easily identify the first model and the second model by using the indicated model identifier, thereby reducing the overhead of transmitting the specific model.

[0066] Optionally, in one possible implementation of the second aspect, the first information mentioned above includes the structure and parameters of the first model, and the second information includes the structure and parameters of the second model.

[0067] In this possible implementation, the terminal device can easily determine the first model and the second model by indicating the structure and parameters of the model.

[0068] Alternatively, in one possible implementation of the second aspect, the network device described above may also receive third information, which is used to indicate support for model-based channel reconfiguration.

[0069] Furthermore, the third information is related to the first model. Alternatively, it can be understood as the third information being used by the network device to determine the first model. That is, the network device can decide which first model instruction to send to the terminal device based on the third information reported by the terminal device.

[0070] In this possible implementation, the network device can obtain the capability information of the terminal device through third information, and then subsequently instruct the model applicable to the terminal device.

[0071] Optionally, in one possible implementation of the second aspect, the network device described above may also receive fourth information, which is used to indicate service requirements. These service requirements may refer to one or more of the following: increased data volume requirements, communication quality requirements, mobile speed of terminal devices, etc.

[0072] Furthermore, the fourth information is related to the second model. Alternatively, it can be understood as the fourth information used by the network device to determine the second model. That is, the network device can decide which second model instruction to send to the terminal device based on the fourth information reported by the terminal device.

[0073] In this possible implementation, the network device can clarify the service requirements of the terminal device through the fourth information, so that subsequent instructions are more suitable for the model of the terminal device.

[0074] A third aspect of this application provides a communication device, which is a terminal or a communication module within a terminal, or a circuit or chip (such as a modem chip, also known as a baseband chip, or a SoC chip or SiP chip containing a modem core) responsible for communication functions within a terminal. Taking the communication device as an example of a terminal device, the terminal device includes a processing unit. Alternatively, the terminal device includes a transceiver unit and a processing unit.

[0075] The processing unit is configured to determine the first channel information based on the first local channel information and the first model. The first local channel information is determined according to the first reference signal. The first reference signal corresponding to the first reference signal pattern is related to one or more first antenna ports. The first model corresponds to one or more first antenna ports.

[0076] The processing unit is further configured to determine the second channel information based on the second local channel information and the second model. The second local channel information is determined according to the second reference signal. The second reference signal corresponding to the second reference signal pattern is related to one or more second antenna ports. The second model corresponds to one or more second antenna ports.

[0077] The processing unit determines the third channel information based on the first channel information and the second channel information. The third channel information is used for data transmission.

[0078] Optionally, in one possible implementation of the third aspect, the aforementioned processing unit is specifically used to concatenate the first channel information and the second channel information based on one or more first antenna ports and one or more second antenna ports to obtain the third channel information.

[0079] Optionally, in one possible implementation of the third aspect, the transceiver unit described above is used to receive a first reference signal corresponding to the first reference signal pattern;

[0080] The processing unit is further configured to perform channel estimation based on the first reference signal to obtain first local channel information;

[0081] The transceiver unit is also used to receive the second reference signal corresponding to the second reference signal pattern;

[0082] The processing unit is also configured to perform channel estimation based on the second reference signal to obtain second local channel information.

[0083] Optionally, in one possible implementation of the third aspect, the aforementioned transceiver unit is further configured to receive first information, which is used to instruct the first model;

[0084] The transceiver unit is also used to receive second information, which is used to instruct the second model.

[0085] Optionally, in one possible implementation of the third aspect, the first model and the second model mentioned above belong to multiple pre-stored models, and different models correspond to different antenna ports; the first information is used to indicate the first identifier of the first model; the second information is used to indicate the second identifier of the second model;

[0086] The processing unit is also configured to determine a first model from multiple models based on a first identifier;

[0087] The processing unit is also used to determine a second model from multiple models based on the second identifier.

[0088] Optionally, in one possible implementation of the third aspect, the first information mentioned above includes the structure and parameters of the first model, and the second information includes the structure and parameters of the second model.

[0089] Alternatively, in one possible implementation of the third aspect, the aforementioned transceiver unit is further configured to transmit third information, which is used to indicate support for model-based channel reconstruction.

[0090] Alternatively, in one possible implementation of the third aspect, the aforementioned transceiver unit is further configured to send a fourth message, which indicates an increase in the amount of data to be transmitted and is related to the second model.

[0091] A fourth aspect of this application provides a communication device, which is a network device, or a component of a network device (e.g., a processor, chip, or chip system), or a logic module or software capable of implementing all or part of the functions of a network device. Taking the network device as an example, the network device includes a transceiver unit. Alternatively, the network device includes both a transceiver unit and a processing unit.

[0092] A transceiver unit is used to transmit first information, which is used to determine a first model. The first model corresponds to one or more first antenna ports. The one or more first antenna ports are related to a first reference signal pattern. The first reference signal at the corresponding position of the first reference signal pattern is used to determine first local channel information. The first local channel information and the first model are used to determine the first channel information.

[0093] The transceiver unit is also used to transmit second information, which is used to determine a second model. The second model corresponds to one or more second antenna ports. The one or more second antenna ports are related to a second reference signal pattern. The second reference signal at the corresponding position of the second reference signal pattern is used to determine second local channel information. The second local channel information and the second model are used to determine the second channel information.

[0094] The first channel information and the second channel information are used to determine the third channel information, and the third channel state is used for data transmission.

[0095] Optionally, in one possible implementation of the fourth aspect, the aforementioned one or more first antenna ports belong to a first group of antenna ports, and the one or more second antenna ports belong to a second group of antenna ports; the first group of antenna ports is used to train a first model and a third model, and the second group of antenna ports is used to train a second model and a fourth model; the third model is used to generate a first reference signal pattern, and the fourth model is used to generate a second reference signal pattern.

[0096] Optionally, the processing unit is used to group multiple antenna ports to obtain a first group of antenna ports and a second group of antenna ports.

[0097] Optionally, in one possible implementation of the fourth aspect, the transceiver unit described above is further configured to transmit a first reference signal according to a first reference signal pattern;

[0098] The transceiver unit is also used to transmit a second reference signal according to the second reference signal pattern.

[0099] Optionally, in one possible implementation of the fourth aspect, the aforementioned transceiver unit is further configured to transmit first information, which is used to instruct the first model;

[0100] The transceiver unit is also used to send second information, which is used to instruct the second model.

[0101] Optionally, in one possible implementation of the fourth aspect, the first model and the second model mentioned above belong to a plurality of pre-stored models, and different models correspond to different antenna ports; the first information is used to indicate the first identifier of the first model; and the second information is used to indicate the second identifier of the second model.

[0102] Optionally, in one possible implementation of the fourth aspect, the first information mentioned above includes the first model, and the second information includes the second model.

[0103] Alternatively, in one possible implementation of the fourth aspect, the aforementioned transceiver unit is further configured to receive third information, which is used to indicate support for model-based channel reconstruction.

[0104] Optionally, in one possible implementation of the fourth aspect, the aforementioned transceiver unit is further configured to receive fourth information, which indicates service requirements. These service requirements may refer to one or more of the following: increased data volume requirements, communication quality requirements, or mobile speed of terminal devices, etc. The fourth information is related to the second model.

[0105] Optionally, in one possible implementation of the third or fourth aspect, the first reference signal pattern described above is indicated by a plurality of first position indices, and the second reference signal pattern is indicated by a plurality of second position indices;

[0106] Each of the plurality of first location indices is indicated by a first antenna port; each of the plurality of second location indices is indicated by a second antenna port.

[0107] Optionally, in one possible implementation of the third or fourth aspect, each of the plurality of first location indices described above is specifically indicated by a first antenna port, a first time-domain location, and a first frequency-domain location;

[0108] Each of the multiple second location indices is specifically indicated by a second antenna port, a second time-domain location, and a second frequency-domain location.

[0109] Optionally, in one possible implementation of the third or fourth aspect, each of the plurality of first location indices described above is specifically indicated by a first index, a first antenna port, a first time-domain location, and a first frequency-domain location; the first index is used to identify a first model and / or a first group of antenna ports, the first group of antenna ports including the one or more first antenna ports;

[0110] Each of the multiple second location indices is specifically indicated by a second index, a second antenna port, a second time-domain location, and a second frequency-domain location; the second index is used to identify a second model and / or a second set of antenna ports, the second set of antenna ports including the one or more second antenna ports.

[0111] A fifth aspect of this application provides a communication device comprising one or more processors. The one or more processors are capable of executing a computer program or instructions that, when executed, cause the communication device to implement the methods of any possible design or implementation of the first aspect described above.

[0112] In one possible design, the communication device may further include an interface circuit, wherein the processor is used to communicate with other devices or components through the interface circuit.

[0113] In one possible design, the communication device may further include the memory. The memory is used to store part or all of the computer programs or instructions necessary to implement the functions involved in the first aspect described above.

[0114] The aforementioned communication device may be a terminal, or a communication module in a terminal, or a chip in a terminal that is responsible for communication functions, such as a modem chip (also known as a baseband chip), or a SoC or SiP chip containing a modem module.

[0115] The sixth aspect of this application provides a communication device including at least one processor, and a method for the at least one processor to implement any of the possible implementations of the second aspect described above.

[0116] In one possible design, the communication device further includes at least one memory, and at least one processor is coupled to at least one memory; the at least one memory is used to store a program or instructions; the at least one processor is used to execute the program or instructions to enable the device to implement any of the possible implementations of the second aspect described above.

[0117] Understandably, at least one memory device may also be external to the communication device.

[0118] The seventh aspect of this application provides a communication device including at least one logic circuit and at least one input / output interface; the logic circuit is used to perform a method as described in any possible implementation of the first or second aspect above.

[0119] The eighth aspect of this application provides a communication system, which includes a communication device that is an implementation of any of the possible embodiments of the third aspect and the fourth aspect.

[0120] The ninth aspect of this application provides a computer-readable storage medium for storing one or more computer programs or instructions, which, when executed by a processor, perform a method as described in any possible implementation of either the first or second aspect above.

[0121] The tenth aspect of this application provides a computer program product (or computer program) including a computer program or instructions, wherein when the computer program or instructions in the computer program product are executed by the processor, the processor performs any possible implementation of any of the first or second aspects described above.

[0122] The eleventh aspect of this application provides a chip or chip system including at least one processor for supporting a communication device in implementing the method described in any possible implementation of the first or second aspect above.

[0123] In one possible design, the chip system may further include at least one 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 components. Optionally, the chip system may also include interface circuitry that provides program instructions and / or data to at least one processor.

[0124] The technical effects of any of the design methods in aspects three through eleven can be found in the technical effects of different design methods in aspects one or two above, and will not be repeated here. Attached Figure Description

[0125] Figure 1A is a schematic diagram of the communication system involved in this application;

[0126] Figure 1B is another schematic diagram of the communication system involved in this application;

[0127] Figure 1C is another schematic diagram of the communication system involved in this application;

[0128] Figure 2 is a schematic diagram of an interaction between the access network device and the terminal device in an embodiment of this application;

[0129] Figure 3 is a flowchart illustrating the communication method involved in this application;

[0130] Figures 4 to 6A are several example diagrams of the three-dimensional coordinate system and reference signal pattern involved in this application;

[0131] Figure 6B is an example diagram of the splicing process involved in this application;

[0132] Figure 6C is another example of the splicing process involved in this application;

[0133] Figure 7 is another flowchart illustrating the communication method involved in this application;

[0134] Figure 8 is a schematic diagram of the multiple antenna ports involved in this application.

[0135] Figures 9 to 12 are several structural schematic diagrams of the communication device involved in this application. Detailed Implementation

[0136] The technical solutions in the embodiments of this application will be clearly and completely described below with reference to the accompanying drawings.

[0137] First, some terms in the embodiments of this application will be explained to facilitate understanding by those skilled in the art.

[0138] 1. Neural network (also called a model)

[0139] Neural networks can be composed of neural units, which can refer to units such as X. s The operation unit takes the intercept b as input, and the output of this operation unit can be:

[0140] Where s = 1, 2, ..., n, n is a natural number greater than 1, W s For X sThe weights are denoted by b, where b is the bias of the neural unit. f is the activation function of the neural unit, used to introduce nonlinear characteristics into the neural network to convert the input signal in the neural unit into an output signal. The output signal of this activation function can be used as the input to the next convolutional layer. The activation function can be a ReLU function. A neural network is a network formed by connecting many of the above-mentioned individual neural units together, that is, the output of one neural unit can be the input of another neural unit. The input of each neural unit can be connected to the local receptive field of the previous layer to extract the features of the local receptive field, which can be a region composed of several neural units.

[0141] The work of each layer in a neural network can be described by the mathematical expression y = a(Wx + b). From a physical perspective, the work of each layer in a neural network can be understood as transforming the input space (the set of input vectors) to the output space (i.e., from the row space to the column space of a matrix) through five operations on the input space. These five operations include: 1. Dimensionality increase / decrease; 2. Magnification / scaling; 3. Rotation; 4. Translation; 5. "Bending". Operations 1, 2, and 3 are performed by Wx, operation 4 by +b, and operation 5 by a(). The term "space" is used here because the objects being classified are not individual things, but a class of things, and space refers to the set of all individuals of this class of things. Here, W is the weight vector, and each value in this vector represents the weight value of a neuron in that layer of the neural network. This vector W determines the spatial transformation from the input space to the output space, that is, the weight W of each layer controls how the space is transformed. The purpose of training a neural network is to ultimately obtain the weight matrix of all layers of the trained neural network (a weight matrix formed by the vectors W of many layers). Therefore, the training process of a neural network is essentially about learning how to control the transformation space, and more specifically, learning the weight matrix.

[0142] 2. Loss Function

[0143] During neural network training, to ensure the output closely approximates the desired predicted value, we compare the network's prediction with the target value and update the weight vector of each layer based on the difference. (Of course, there's usually an initialization process before the first update, where parameters are pre-configured for each layer). For example, if the network's prediction is too high, the weight vector is adjusted to predict a lower value, and this adjustment continues until the neural network can predict the target value accurately. Therefore, we need to predefine "how to compare the difference between the predicted and target values," which is the loss function or objective function. These are important equations used to measure the difference between the predicted and target values. Taking the loss function as an example, a higher output value (loss) indicates a greater difference, so training the neural network becomes a process of minimizing this loss as much as possible.

[0144] 3. Configuration and Pre-configuration: This application uses both configuration and pre-configuration. Configuration refers to the network device / server sending configuration information or parameter values ​​to the terminal via messages or signaling, so that the terminal can determine communication parameters or transmission resources based on these values ​​or information. Pre-configuration is similar to configuration; it can be parameter information or values ​​pre-negotiated between the network device / server and the terminal device, parameter information or values ​​specified by standard protocols for use by the base station / network device or terminal device, or parameter information or values ​​pre-stored in the base station / server or terminal device. This application does not limit this.

[0145] Furthermore, these values ​​and parameters can be changed or updated.

[0146] 4. In this application, "instruction" may include direct instruction, indirect instruction, explicit instruction, and implicit instruction. When describing a certain instruction information for the purpose of instructing A, it can be understood that the instruction information carries A, directly instructs A, or indirectly instructs A.

[0147] In this application, the information indicated by the instruction information is called the information to be instructed. In specific implementation, there are many ways to instruct the information to be instructed. For example, it can be implemented through direct instruction, such as through the information to be instructed itself or its index. It can also be implemented indirectly by instructing other information, where there is a relationship between the other information and the information to be instructed. Alternatively, only a part of the information to be instructed can be indicated, while the other parts are known or pre-agreed upon. For example, the instruction of specific information can be achieved by using a pre-agreed (e.g., protocol-defined) arrangement of various pieces of information, thereby reducing instruction overhead to some extent.

[0148] The information to be instructed can be sent as a whole or divided into multiple sub-information messages, and the sending period and / or timing of these sub-information messages can be the same or different. This application does not limit the specific sending method. The sending period and / or timing of these sub-information messages can be predefined, for example, according to a protocol, or configured by the transmitting device by sending configuration information to the receiving device. This configuration information can include, for example, but not limited to, one or a combination of at least two of radio resource control (RRC) signaling, media access control (MAC) or medium access control (MAC) layer signaling, and physical layer signaling. MAC layer signaling includes, for example, MAC layer control elements (CE); physical layer signaling includes, for example, downlink control information (DCI), uplink control information (UCI), sidelink control information (SCI), etc.

[0149] 5. In the embodiments of this application, "sending / reporting" and "receiving" indicate the direction of signal transmission. In this application, entity A sends / reports information to entity B, either directly to B or indirectly through other entities. Similarly, entity B receives information from entity A, either directly or indirectly through other entities. Entities A and B can be radio access network (RAN) nodes or terminals, or modules within RAN nodes or terminals. The sending / reporting and receiving of information can be information interaction between RAN nodes and terminals, such as information interaction between a base station and a terminal; it can also be information interaction between two RAN nodes, such as information interaction between a CU and a DU; or it can be information interaction between different modules within a device, such as information interaction between a terminal chip and other modules of the terminal, or information interaction between a base station chip and other modules of the base station. "Send / report" can also be understood as the "output" of the chip interface, such as the baseband chip outputting information to the radio frequency chip, and "receive" can also be understood as the "input" of the chip interface; for example, "send / report" can also be understood as the baseband part inside the device outputting information to the radio frequency part, and "receive" can also be understood as the radio frequency part inside the device receiving the output information from the baseband part.

[0150] 6. The terms "system" and "network" in the embodiments of this application can be used interchangeably. "At least one" means one or more, and "more than one" 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.

[0151] 7. In this application, the terms "exemplarily," "for example," etc., are used to indicate examples, illustrations, or descriptions. Any embodiment or design scheme described as an "example" in this application should not be construed as being more preferred or advantageous than other embodiments or design schemes. Specifically, the use of the term "example" is intended to present concepts in a concrete manner. In the embodiments of this application, "of," "corresponding, relevant," and "corresponding" may sometimes be used interchangeably, and it should be noted that their intended meanings are consistent unless their distinction is emphasized.

[0152] 8. Reference signal (RS)

[0153] A reference signal can also be called a pilot, reference sequence, or reference signal. For consistency, it will be referred to as a reference signal below. Reference signals can be used for measurements, such as channel measurement or channel estimation. Reference signals can be used for channel measurement, channel estimation, or beam quality monitoring, etc.

[0154] At the physical layer, uplink communication can include the transmission of uplink physical channels and uplink signals. Uplink physical channels include the random access channel (PRACH), physical uplink control channel (PUCCH), and physical uplink shared channel (PUSCH), etc. Uplink signals include the channel sounding reference signal (SRS), the physical uplink control channel demodulation reference signal (PUCCH-DMRS), the physical uplink shared channel demodulation reference signal (PUSCH-DMRS), the demodulation reference signal (DMRS), the phase tracking reference signal (PTRS), and the positioning reference signal (SRS or SRS for positioning), etc.

[0155] At the physical layer, downlink communication can include the transmission of downlink physical channels and downlink signals. Downlink physical channels include the physical broadcast channel (PBCH), physical downlink control channel (PDCCH), and physical downlink shared channel (PDSCH), etc. Downlink signals include the primary synchronization signal (PSS) / secondary synchronization signal (SSS), physical downlink control demodulation reference signal (PDCCH-DMRS), physical downlink shared channel demodulation reference signal (PDSCH-DMRS), demodulation reference signal (DMRS), phase tracking reference signal (PTRS), channel state information reference signal (CSI-RS), cell reference signal (CRS), tracking reference signal (TRS), positioning reference signal (positioning RS), and synchronization signal block (SSB), etc.

[0156] The reference signal in the embodiments of this application is mainly used for channel measurement. For example, it may refer to the CSI-RS used in downlink channel measurement, the SRS used in uplink channel measurement, or other reference signals that can be used for channel measurement. This application does not limit this.

[0157] 9. Channel Information

[0158] Channel information represents information that reflects channel characteristics and channel quality.

[0159] As an example, channel information includes at least one of the following: channel state information (CSI), channel time-varying information, channel frequency offset information, or channel information obtained by multiplying CSI by a precoding matrix. The following explanation primarily uses CSI as an example of channel information; however, it is understood that any information reflecting channel characteristics and channel quality is applicable to the embodiments of this application.

[0160] Taking the method of obtaining downlink CSI through uplink feedback from terminal devices on the network side as an example, specifically, the network side sends downlink reference signals to the terminal devices, and the terminal devices receive the downlink reference signals. Since the terminal devices know the transmission information of the downlink reference signals, they can estimate (or measure) the downlink channel that the downlink reference signals have passed through based on the received downlink reference signals. Then, based on the measurement, the terminal devices can obtain the downlink channel matrix, generate CSI, and feed the CSI back to the network side.

[0161] As an example, CSI includes at least one of the following: channel quality indicator (CQI), precoding matrix indicator (PMI), rank indicator (RI), CSI-RS resource indicator (CRI), layer indicator (LI), reference signal received power (RSRP), signal to interference plus noise ratio (SINR), synchronization signal / physical broadcast channel block resource indicator (SSBRI), etc.

[0162] Where RI is the rank of the channel matrix, reflecting the maximum number of downlink data streams allowed under the current channel conditions. LI is the number of data transmission layers. The signal-to-interference-plus-noise ratio (SIR) can also be called the signal-to-interference-plus-noise ratio (SINR). The specific quantities in the CSI feedback from the terminal device can be determined according to the configuration, such as "CSI-ReportConfig," etc., and are not limited here.

[0163] The above explains some of the terms used in this application. The following describes the communication system used in the embodiments of this application.

[0164] Please refer to Figure 1A, which is a schematic diagram of the architecture of the communication system 10 used in the embodiments of this application. As shown in Figure 1A, the communication system includes a radio access network (RAN) 100 and a core network 200. Optionally, the communication system 10 may also include an Internet 300. The RAN 100 includes at least one RAN node (110a and 110b in Figure 1A, collectively referred to as 110), and may also include at least one terminal device (120a-120j in Figure 1A, collectively referred to as 120). The RAN 100 may also include other RAN nodes, such as wireless relay devices and / or wireless backhaul devices (not shown in Figure 1A). The terminal device 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 device 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 device and the logical functions of the RAN node. Terminal devices and RAN nodes can be interconnected via wired or wireless means.

[0165] RAN100 can be an evolved universal terrestrial radio access (E-UTRA) system, a new radio (NR) system, or a future radio access system as defined in 3GPP. RAN100 can also include two or more of the above-mentioned different radio access systems. RAN100 can also be an open RAN (O-RAN).

[0166] RAN nodes, also known as radio access network devices, RAN entities, or access nodes, are used to help terminal devices access communication systems wirelessly. Furthermore, RAN nodes can also be called network devices, which are apparatuses deployed in a radio access network to provide wireless communication functions for terminal devices. Network devices can include various forms of macro base stations, micro base stations (also known as small cells), relay stations, access points, etc. The names of network devices may differ in systems employing different radio access technologies. It is understood that all or part of the functions of the access network devices in this application can also be implemented through software functions running on hardware, or through virtualization functions instantiated on a platform (e.g., a cloud platform). The embodiments of this application do not limit the specific technologies or specific device forms used in the radio access network devices.

[0167] In one application scenario, a RAN node can be a base station, an evolved NodeB (eNodeB), a transmission reception point (TRP), a next-generation NodeB (gNB) in a 5G mobile communication system, or a base station in a future mobile communication system. A RAN node can be a macro base station (as shown in Figure 1A, 110a), a micro base station or an indoor station (as shown in Figure 1A, 110b), a relay node or a donor node, or a radio controller in a Cloud Radio Access Network (CRAN) scenario. Of course, in future communication systems, RAN nodes may also be wearable devices or vehicle-mounted devices, etc.

[0168] In another application scenario, multiple RAN nodes can collaborate to help terminal devices achieve wireless access, with different RAN nodes implementing different functions of the base station. For example, a RAN node can be a central unit (CU), a distributed unit (DU), or a radio unit (RU). Here, the CU performs the functions of the base station's Radio Resource Control Protocol (RRCP) and Packet Data Convergence Protocol (PDCP), and can also perform the functions of the Service Data Adaptation Protocol (SDAP). The DU performs the functions of the base station's Radio Link Control (RAN) and MAC layers, and can also perform some or all of the physical layer functions. For specific descriptions of these protocol layers, refer to the relevant 3GPP technical specifications. The RU can be used to implement radio frequency signal transmission and reception. The CU and DU can be two independent RAN nodes or integrated into the same RAN node, such as within a baseband unit (BU). The RU can be included in radio frequency equipment, such as in a remote radio unit (RRU) or an active antenna unit (AAU). The CU can be further divided into two types of RAN nodes: CU-control plane and CU-user plane.

[0169] In different systems, RAN nodes may have different names. For example, in an O-RAN system, a CU can be called an open CU (O-CU), a DU can be called an open DU (O-DU), and an RU can be called an open RU (O-RU). The RAN nodes in the embodiments of this application can be implemented through software modules, hardware modules, or a combination of software and hardware modules. For example, a RAN node can be a server loaded with the corresponding software modules. The embodiments of this application do not limit the specific technology or device form used in the RAN nodes.

[0170] A terminal device is a device with wireless transceiver capabilities, capable of sending signals to or receiving signals from RAN nodes. Terminal devices can also be called user equipment (UE), mobile stations, mobile terminal devices, etc. They can be widely used in various scenarios, such as wireless fidelity (WiFi) systems, device-to-device (D2D) communication, vehicle-to-everything (V2X) communication, machine-type communication (MTC), the Internet of Things (IoT), virtual reality (VR), augmented reality (AR), industrial control, autonomous driving, telemedicine, smart grids, smart furniture, smart offices, smart wearables, intelligent transportation, and smart cities. Terminal devices can be mobile phones, tablets, computers with wireless transceiver capabilities, wearable devices, vehicles, airplanes, ships, robots, robotic arms, smart home devices, etc. The embodiments of this application do not limit the specific technologies or device forms used in the terminal devices. Terminal devices typically contain communication modules, circuits, or chips that perform corresponding communication functions. The terminal device is also configured with program instructions for performing corresponding communication functions.

[0171] For example, a terminal device is a wearable device. Wearable devices, also known as wearable smart devices or smart wearable devices, are a general term for devices that utilize wearable technology to intelligently design and develop everyday wearables, such as glasses, gloves, watches, clothing, and shoes. Wearable devices are portable devices that are worn directly on the body or integrated into the user's clothing or accessories. Wearable devices are not just hardware devices, but also achieve powerful functions through software support, data interaction, and cloud interaction. Broadly speaking, wearable smart devices include those that are feature-rich, large in size, and can achieve complete or partial functions without relying on a smartphone, such as smartwatches or smart glasses, as well as those that focus on only one type of application function and need to be used in conjunction with other devices such as smartphones, such as various smart bracelets, smart helmets, and smart jewelry.

[0172] For ease of description, the communication system illustrated in Figure 1A is described using a base station as an example of an access network device. It is understood that when the communication system includes an integrated access and backhaul (IAB) network, the base station can be an IAB node. It should be noted that in the embodiments of this application, the base station and the access network device can be interchanged.

[0173] Base stations and terminal equipment can be fixed or mobile. They can be deployed on land, including indoors or outdoors, handheld or vehicle-mounted; they can also be deployed on water; and they can be deployed on aircraft, balloons, and satellites. The embodiments of this application do not limit the application scenarios of the base stations and terminal equipment.

[0174] The roles of base stations and terminal devices can be relative. For example, the helicopter or drone 120i in Figure 1A can be configured as a mobile base station. For terminal devices 120j that access the wireless access network 100 through 120i, terminal device 120i is a base station; however, for base station 110a, 120i is a terminal device, meaning that 110a and 120i communicate via a wireless air interface protocol. Of course, 110a and 120i can also communicate via a base station-to-base station interface protocol. In this case, relative to 110a, 120i is also a base station. Therefore, both base stations and terminal devices can be collectively referred to as communication devices. 110a and 110b in Figure 1A can be called communication devices with base station functions, and 120a-120j in Figure 1A can be called communication devices with terminal device functions.

[0175] Communication between base stations and terminal devices, between base stations, and between terminal devices can be conducted using licensed spectrum, unlicensed spectrum, or both simultaneously. Communication can be conducted using spectrum below 6 GHz, spectrum above 6 GHz, or both simultaneously. The embodiments of this application do not limit the spectrum resources used for wireless communication.

[0176] In the embodiments of this application, the functions of the base station can be executed by modules (such as chips) within the base station, or by a control subsystem that includes base station functions. This control subsystem, including base station functions, can be a control center in the aforementioned application scenarios such as smart grids, industrial control, intelligent transportation, and smart cities. Similarly, the functions of the terminal device can be executed by modules (such as chips or modems) within the terminal device, or by a device that includes terminal device functions.

[0177] In this application, the base station sends downlink signals or downlink information to the terminal, with the downlink information carried on the downlink channel; the terminal sends uplink signals or uplink information to the base station, with the uplink information carried on the uplink channel. In order to communicate with the base station, the terminal needs to establish a radio connection on a cell controlled by the base station. The cell with which the terminal has established a radio connection is called the terminal's serving cell.

[0178] As can be understood, RAN100, as previously described, includes at least one RAN node (110a and 110b in Figure 1A, collectively referred to as 110), and may also include at least one terminal device (120a-120j in Figure 1A, collectively referred to as 120).

[0179] In one possible implementation, the communication system shown in Figure 1A can also be as shown in Figure 1B, comprising a RAN node 110 and multiple terminal devices (120A and 120B in Figure 1B). In this case, a single RAN node can transmit data or control signaling to one or more terminal devices.

[0180] In another possible implementation, the communication system shown in Figure 1A can also be as shown in Figure 1C, comprising multiple RAN nodes (110A, 110B, and 110C in Figure 1C) 110 and a terminal device 120. In this case, the multiple RAN nodes can simultaneously transmit data or control signaling to a single terminal device.

[0181] The technical solution of this application can be applied to cellular communication systems related to the 3rd Generation Partnership Project (3GPP). For example, 4th generation (4G) communication systems, 5G communication systems, and communication systems beyond the 5th generation. For example, future communication systems. For example, 4th generation communication systems may include Long Term Evolution (LTE) communication systems. 5th generation communication systems may include NR communication systems. The technical solution of this application can also be applied to WiFi systems, standalone (SA) scenarios, dual connectivity (DC), macro-micro scenarios composed of base stations of different forms (e.g., scenarios with both wide-coverage and small-coverage base stations), D2D systems, V2X communication systems, non-terrestrial networks (NTN), IAB communication scenarios, reconfigurable intelligent surface (RIS) communication scenarios, etc., and is not specifically limited here.

[0182] Please refer to Figure 2, which is a schematic diagram of an interaction between the access network device and the terminal device in an embodiment of this application. The access network device and the terminal device may include an RRC signaling interaction module, a MAC signaling interaction module, and a physical layer (PHY) signaling and data interaction module.

[0183] The RRC signaling interaction module refers to the module used by access network equipment and terminal equipment to send and receive RRC signaling. For example, the access network equipment sends RRC signaling to the terminal equipment, and the terminal equipment receives RRC signaling from the access network equipment.

[0184] The MAC signaling interaction module refers to the module used by access network equipment and terminal equipment to send and receive MAC CE signaling. For example, the access network equipment sends MAC CE signaling to the terminal equipment, and the terminal equipment receives MAC CE signaling (or MAC CE message) from the access network equipment.

[0185] The PHY signaling and data interaction module refers to the module used by access network equipment and terminal equipment to send and receive uplink / downlink control signaling and uplink / downlink data. For example, the access network equipment sends PDCCH to the terminal equipment, such as DCI in PDCCH; the access network equipment sends PDSCH to the terminal equipment, such as downlink data in PDSCH; the terminal equipment sends PUCCH to the access network equipment, such as UCI in PUCCH; and the terminal equipment sends PUSCH to the access network equipment, such as uplink data in PUSCH.

[0186] Furthermore, since the embodiments of this application involve models, or artificial intelligence (AI) models, AI network elements can be introduced into the communication system provided in this application to implement some or all AI-related operations. AI network elements can also be called AI nodes, AI devices, AI entities, AI modules, AI models, or AI units, etc. AI network elements can be built into network elements within the communication system. For example, an AI network element can be an AI module built into: access network equipment, core network equipment, cloud servers, or operation, administration and maintenance (OAM) management systems to implement AI-related functions. OAM can be the management system for core network equipment and / or the management system for access network equipment. Alternatively, AI network elements can also be independently configured network elements within the communication system. Optionally, the terminal or its built-in chip can also include AI entities to implement AI-related functions.

[0187] AI, or Artificial Intelligence, is a branch of computer science that uses digital computers or computers-controlled machines to simulate, extend, and expand human intelligence. It encompasses theories, methods, technologies, and application systems for perceiving the environment, acquiring knowledge, and using that knowledge to achieve optimal results. In other words, AI attempts to understand the essence of intelligence and produce new intelligent machines that can react in a way similar to human intelligence. AI studies the design principles and implementation methods of various intelligent machines, enabling them to perceive, reason, and make decisions. Research in the field of AI includes robotics, natural language processing, computer vision, decision-making and reasoning, human-computer interaction, recommendation and search, and fundamental AI theories.

[0188] Furthermore, the emergence of Multiple-Input Multiple-Output (MIMO) technology has revolutionized wireless communication systems. By deploying multiple antennas on both the transmitting and receiving devices, MIMO technology can significantly improve the performance of wireless communication systems. For example, in diversity scenarios, MIMO technology can effectively improve transmission reliability; in multiplexing scenarios, it can greatly increase transmission throughput. Moreover, with the development of AI, neural networks have been extensively studied in many fields besides image and speech. Therefore, how to leverage neural networks to improve the quality of data transmission in MIMO scenarios is a pressing technical problem that needs to be solved.

[0189] In view of this, this application proposes that the terminal device acquires different channel information based on the model corresponding to different antenna ports and the corresponding local channel information, and acquires third channel information based on the channel information corresponding to different antenna ports. On the one hand, channel reconstruction is achieved using the model, thereby improving the quality of subsequent data transmission. On the other hand, by splicing the channel information from different antenna ports, a higher-dimensional third channel information can be obtained, further improving the quality of subsequent data transmission based on the third channel information.

[0190] Please refer to Figure 3, a flowchart illustrating a communication method provided in this application embodiment. This method may include steps 301 to 303. Steps 301 to 303 can be executed by a communication device, or by some components of the communication device (e.g., a processor, chip, or chip system), or by a logic module or software capable of implementing all or part of the functions of the communication device. The following description uses execution by a communication device as an example. The processing performed by a single execution entity in steps 301 to 303 can also be divided into multiple execution entities, which can be logically and / or physically separated. For example, when the communication device is an access network side device, the processing performed by the communication device can be divided into execution by at least one network element such as CU, DU, and RU. For example, when the communication device is a terminal-side device, the terminal device can refer to a terminal or a communication module within a terminal, or a circuit or chip within the terminal responsible for communication functions (such as a modem chip, also known as a baseband chip, or a system-on-a-chip (SoC) chip containing a modem core, or a system-in-package (SiP) chip). For ease of description, the following description will use a terminal device as an example. This method can be applied to any of the system architectures shown in Figures 1A to 2 above. For example, the terminal device can be the terminal device in Figures 1A to 2 above, and the network device can be the RAN node or base station in Figures 1A to 2 above. Of course, in addition to being applicable to any of the system architectures shown in Figures 1A to 2, it can also be applied to other system architectures, as described previously, and will not be repeated here.

[0191] Due to the long intervals between the steps, steps 301 to 303 will be briefly described here first, and then described in detail later. Step 301: The terminal device determines the first channel information based on the first local channel information and the first model. Step 302: The terminal device determines the second channel information based on the second local channel information and the second model. Step 303: The terminal device determines the third channel information based on the first channel information and the second channel information. The following is a detailed description of each step:

[0192] Step 301: The terminal device determines the first channel information based on the first local channel information and the first model.

[0193] In step 301, the terminal device acquires the first local channel information and the first model, and determines the first channel information based on the first local channel information and the first model.

[0194] The first local channel information is determined based on the first reference signal. The first reference signal pattern corresponding to the first reference signal is related to one or more first antenna ports, and the first model corresponds to one or more first antenna ports.

[0195] Optionally, the association of the first reference signal pattern with one or more first antenna ports can be interpreted in various ways. For example, the one or more first antenna ports may indicate the position of the first reference signal pattern in the space-time-frequency domain. Another example is that the third model used to output the first reference signal pattern is trained based on one or more first antenna ports, etc., without further limitation here.

[0196] Furthermore, the reference signal pattern is associated with one or more antenna ports, and may include one or more of the following: one antenna port corresponds to one reference signal pattern, multiple antenna ports correspond to one reference signal pattern, one antenna port corresponds to multiple reference signal patterns, or multiple antenna ports correspond to multiple reference signal patterns, etc., without further limitation here. For ease of description, the following description will use one antenna port corresponding to one reference signal pattern as an example.

[0197] Optionally, the network device may also send the association relationship (also known as the correspondence relationship) between the first reference signal pattern and the first model to the terminal device. The terminal device can use this correspondence relationship to determine the first channel information by comparing the local channel information of the reference signal at the corresponding position of the first reference signal pattern with the first model.

[0198] The following sections describe the process of the terminal device acquiring the first model, the terminal device acquiring the first local channel information, and the terminal device determining the first channel information based on the first local channel information and the first model in three parts:

[0199] Part 1: The terminal device acquires the first model.

[0200] The models (e.g., the first model and the second model) in this application embodiment are used for any of the following: channel reconstruction, channel estimation, or channel prediction. Alternatively, it can be understood that the first model can reconstruct complete channel information from local channel information corresponding to some known signals or sequences. Alternatively, it can be understood that the first model can estimate complete channel information from local channel information corresponding to some known signals or sequences. Alternatively, it can be understood that the first model can predict complete channel information from local channel information corresponding to some known signals or sequences. Alternatively, it can be understood that the first model can obtain complete channel information based on local channel information at the corresponding position of the reference signal pattern.

[0201] Correspondingly, the first model can also be called any of the following: channel reconstruction model, channel estimation model, channel prediction model, channel reconstruction network, channel estimation network, channel prediction network, component model, or component network, etc. The functional description and model name of the first model are not limited here.

[0202] In addition, the models in the embodiments of this application (such as the first model, the second model, the third model, the fourth model, model A, or model B, etc.) may include one or more of the following: convolutional neural network (CNN), feedforward neural network (FNN), recursive neural network (RNN) (such as long short-term memory network, gated recurrent unit, attention network, etc.), Transformers, generative adversarial network (GAN), etc. The embodiments of this application do not limit the specific structure, type, or training method (such as the type of loss function used, individual training or joint training, etc.) of the neural network.

[0203] There are several ways for terminal devices to obtain the first model. This can be achieved by training the first model using training data, by obtaining the first model from other devices (such as other terminal devices, network devices, core network devices, etc.), or by selecting it from a database, etc. Specific methods are not limited here. Of course, the above methods can be implemented individually or in combination.

[0204] For example, the terminal device acquires training data and trains the first model using this data. The stopping condition for the training process could be that the loss function value is less than a threshold, the number of training iterations reaches a threshold, or the training duration reaches a threshold, etc., and is not specifically limited here. For instance, the first model is trained using training data as input and with the goal of the loss function value being less than a threshold. The training data includes input data and its corresponding labels. Each input data corresponds to one or more first antenna ports (i.e., the first model is trained based on one or more first antenna ports), and the loss function represents the difference between the input data and its corresponding label. This input data can be understood as the local channel information used during training, and the output data is the complete channel information obtained by processing the local channel information through the first model. The label corresponding to the input data can be understood as the complete channel information corresponding to the local channel information used during training (which can be provided by the network device, measured by the terminal device, or obtained through other means). By training the first model, its output becomes closer to the ideal complete channel information, thereby improving the accuracy of subsequent channel reconstruction using the first model.

[0205] For example, a terminal device receives first information sent by a network device, which indicates a first model. For instance, the first information might indicate a first identifier for the first model. After receiving the first identifier, the terminal device can use it to find the corresponding first model in its local memory, or it can use the first identifier to download the first model from another device. Alternatively, the first information might include the first model itself. Or, it can be understood as the first information indicating the structure and parameters of the first model. After receiving the first information, the terminal device can determine the first model based on its structure and parameters.

[0206] If the terminal device stores multiple models, each model corresponds to a different antenna port. The first information will be described in conjunction with other embodiments later, and will not be elaborated upon here.

[0207] The second part involves the terminal device acquiring the first local channel information.

[0208] In this application embodiment, the local channel information (e.g., first local channel information or second local channel information) can refer to the local channel information obtained by channel estimation based on the reference signal at the corresponding position of the reference signal pattern (or reference signal pattern, pilot pattern, pilot pattern, etc.). That is, the first local channel information is determined based on the first reference signal corresponding to the first reference signal pattern.

[0209] The location in the embodiments of this application can be interpreted in various ways. It can refer to the spatial location, the spatial location and the time domain location, the spatial location and the time domain location, or the spatial location, the time domain location and the frequency domain location, etc. No specific limitation is made here.

[0210] Alternatively, it can be understood as either the position indicated by the first position index or the position indicated by the second position index. Each position can be indicated by a one-dimensional coordinate in the spatial domain, a two-dimensional coordinate in the spatial and time domains, a two-dimensional coordinate in the spatial and frequency domains, a three-dimensional coordinate in the spatial, time, and frequency domains, or by a marker associated with the model or antenna port group, or by a four-dimensional coordinate in the spatial, time, and frequency domains, etc. The specific method is not limited here.

[0211] In this context, the pilot pattern can be understood as indicating the location of the pilot signal. By sending the pilot pattern, the network device enables the terminal device to clearly identify the pilot's location, allowing channel estimation to be performed to obtain the channel characteristics (i.e., local channel information) at that location. Similarly, the reference signal pattern can be understood as indicating the location of the reference signal. By sending the reference signal pattern, the network device enables the terminal device to clearly identify the reference signal's location, allowing channel estimation to be performed using the reference signal. Of course, the network device can send the reference signal along with the data to the terminal device, indicating the reference signal's location through the reference signal pattern. Alternatively, the network device can send only the reference signal to the terminal device.

[0212] Alternatively, it can be understood as inserting some known pilot symbols, training sequences, or reference signals at certain fixed positions in the signals sent by network devices, and then using these pilot symbols, training sequences, or reference signals to perform channel estimation according to certain algorithms at the terminal devices.

[0213] Additionally, the reference signals (e.g., the first reference signal and the second reference signal) in the embodiments of this application can also be referred to as downlink reference signals. The downlink reference signals can be referred to in the foregoing description of reference signals, and will not be repeated here.

[0214] The channel estimation described above can be understood as the process of estimating the characteristics of the channel using the various states exhibited by the received signal. Channel estimation is a mathematical representation of the channel's influence on the input signal.

[0215] The channel estimation algorithm used in this application embodiment may be one or more of the following: Least Square Error (LS), Minimum Mean Square Error (MMSE), etc., and the specific algorithm is not limited here.

[0216] For example, taking the reference signal as p, the local channel information at the corresponding location obtained from the reference signal can be denoted as p. f(.) represents the algorithm used for channel estimation.

[0217] Optionally, the terminal device receives an indication of a first reference signal pattern sent by the network device, and then receives a first reference signal according to the first reference signal pattern. Alternatively, the terminal device receives the first reference signal at the corresponding position according to the indication of the first reference signal pattern. It then performs channel estimation on the first reference signal at the corresponding position of the first reference signal pattern to obtain first local channel information.

[0218] This application proposes a method of using spatial indication of reference signal patterns or reference signal pattern positions, so that corresponding channel information can be spliced ​​in the spatial domain to obtain high-dimensional channel information in the spatial domain.

[0219] For example, the position of the reference signal can be indicated using the spatial domain. Alternatively, the position can be indicated using both the spatial and time domains. Another example is indicating the position using both the spatial and frequency domains. Yet another example is indicating the position using the spatial, time, and frequency domains.

[0220] Reference signals can be inserted in a time-division manner across the entire frequency band (i.e., inserting a reference signal along the time axis, also known as a block pilot). Alternatively, reference signals can be inserted in a frequency-division manner across the entire time domain (i.e., inserting a reference signal along the frequency axis). Finally, reference signals can be inserted in a time-frequency skip-style manner (i.e., inserting reference signals along both the time and frequency axes).

[0221] It should be noted that the reference signals corresponding to different groups of antenna ports or different antenna ports may be in the same or different positions in the time and frequency domains, and no specific restrictions are imposed here.

[0222] In the embodiments of this application, any group of antenna ports includes one or more antenna ports. This group of antenna ports may also be referred to as an antenna port group or an antenna port set, etc. For ease of description, the following description uses a group of antenna ports as an example. For example, the subsequent first group of antenna ports and the second group of antenna ports. In practical applications, the first group of antenna ports may also be referred to as a first antenna port group or a first antenna port set. Correspondingly, the second group of antenna ports may also be referred to as a second antenna port group or a second antenna port set.

[0223] To facilitate understanding, several possible reference signal patterns are illustrated below.

[0224] For example, to transmit reference signals and data, the time-domain granularity is Orthogonal Frequency Division Multiplexing (OFDM) symbols, and the frequency-domain granularity is subcarriers, taking 16 OFDM symbols and 8 subcarriers as an example.

[0225] For example, Figure 4 shows an example of a three-dimensional coordinate system and a time-division multiplexing reference signal pattern across the entire frequency band. The left side of Figure 4 only shows the spatial-temporal coordinate axes; there are no limitations on the reference signal pattern in the left side of Figure 4 (e.g., the positions of reference signals corresponding to different spatial domains in the time-frequency domain can be the same or different). The right side of Figure 4 shows an example of the position of a reference signal in the time-frequency domain. In the time domain, one OFDM symbol is transmitted each time interval. In the frequency domain, the subcarrier of the last OFDM symbol in every four OFDM symbols is entirely the reference signal; that is, the last OFDM symbol is used to estimate the channel, and then the other three OFDM symbols transmit data. In the spatial domain, different points are used to represent different antenna ports. For example, the position of the reference signal corresponding to a certain antenna port in the time-frequency domain is shown on the right side of Figure 4. It should be noted that the positions of the reference signals corresponding to different groups of antenna ports in the time-frequency domain can be the same or different; this is not specifically limited here.

[0226] For example, Figure 5 shows an example of a reference signal pattern in a three-dimensional coordinate system with full-time frequency division. In the frequency domain, an OFDM symbol consists of eight subcarriers. The reference signal is transmitted on the first and fifth subcarriers, while data is transmitted on the other subcarriers. Similarly, the reference signal pattern on the left side of Figure 5 is not limited (e.g., the corresponding reference signals in different spatial domains may have the same or different positions in the time-frequency domain). The right side of Figure 5 shows an example of the position of the reference signal in the time-frequency domain.

[0227] For example, Figure 6A shows an example of a three-dimensional coordinate system and a time-frequency skipping reference signal pattern. That is, reference signal transmission occurs in both the time and frequency domains. Similarly, the reference signal pattern on the left side of Figure 6A is not limited (e.g., the corresponding reference signals in different spatial domains may have the same or different positions in the time-frequency domain). The right side of Figure 6A shows an example of the position of a reference signal in the time-frequency domain.

[0228] It should be noted that Figures 4 to 6A are just a few examples of reference signal patterns. In practical applications, there may be other forms of reference signal patterns, which are not limited here.

[0229] Optionally, the first reference signal pattern is indicated by a plurality of first position indices. Alternatively, it can be understood that the plurality of positions indicated by the plurality of first position indices are used to transmit the first reference signal. The first reference signal pattern is associated with one or more first antenna ports, including: each of the plurality of first position indices is indicated by a first antenna port.

[0230] Furthermore, each of the multiple first position indices is specifically indicated by a first antenna port, a first time-domain position, and a first frequency-domain position. This indication method can also be called three-dimensional indication, that is, indicating the position of the reference signal from the perspectives of the spatial domain, time domain, and frequency domain.

[0231] For example, taking a three-dimensional indicator for the first position index, and having a quantity of k1 first position indices, where k1 is an integer greater than 0, the i-th first position index can be represented as... in, Indicates the first antenna port. Indicates the first time domain position. Indicates the position of the first frequency domain.

[0232] The terminal device determines the first local channel information using reference signals p1 at k1 first position indices. That is, the first local channel information can be denoted as...

[0233] The third part involves the terminal device determining the first channel information based on the first local channel information and the first model.

[0234] After acquiring the first model and the first local channel information, the terminal device can determine the first channel information based on the first model and the first local channel information. This process can also be understood as estimating the complete channel information based on the local channel results obtained from the known signal. In simpler terms, it's the process of estimating the complete channel information using partial channel information.

[0235] Alternatively, it can be understood that network devices can obtain channel estimation results for pilot locations by inserting known pilot symbols into the transmitted useful data. Then, using the channel estimation results for the pilot locations, interpolation methods are used to obtain channel estimation results for the useful data locations, thus completing the channel estimation. The interpolation methods can be one or more of the following: constant interpolation, linear interpolation, polynomial interpolation, non-constant interpolation, nonlinear interpolation, etc., without specific limitations here.

[0236] Optionally, the terminal device inputs the first local channel information into the first model to obtain the first channel information. That is, the first model can implement the process of estimating the complete channel information from the local channel information using the interpolation method described above.

[0237] For example, the terminal device according to Local channel information corresponding to the location Channel reconstruction is performed using methods such as interpolation to obtain the first complete channel information.

[0238] Optionally, after obtaining the first channel information, the terminal device may also send the first channel information to the network device.

[0239] For example, if the first reference signal is CSI-RS, the terminal device may also report the first channel information to the network device.

[0240] Step 302: The terminal device determines the second channel information based on the second local channel information and the second model.

[0241] In step 302, the terminal device acquires the second local channel information and the second model, and determines the second channel information based on the second local channel information and the second model.

[0242] The second local channel information is determined based on the second reference signal. The second reference signal pattern corresponding to the second reference signal is related to one or more second antenna ports, and the second model corresponds to one or more second antenna ports.

[0243] Optionally, the association of the second reference signal pattern with one or more second antenna ports can be interpreted in various ways. For example, the one or more second antenna ports may indicate the position of the second reference signal pattern in the space-time-frequency domain. Another example is that the fourth model used to output the second reference signal pattern is trained based on one or more second antenna ports, etc., without further limitation here.

[0244] The description of the terminal device acquiring the second model and the second local channel information is similar to the first two parts of step 301, and will not be repeated here. After acquiring the second model and the second local channel information, the terminal device can determine the second channel information based on the second model and the second local channel information.

[0245] Optionally, the terminal device inputs the second local channel information into the second model to obtain the second channel information. The second model is trained based on one or more second antenna ports.

[0246] Optionally, the second reference signal pattern is indicated by a plurality of second position indices. Alternatively, it can be understood that the plurality of positions indicated by the plurality of second position indices are used to transmit the second reference signal. The second reference signal pattern is associated with one or more second antenna ports, including: each of the plurality of second position indices is indicated by a second antenna port.

[0247] Furthermore, each of the multiple second position indices is specifically indicated by a second antenna port, a second time-domain position, and a second frequency-domain position. This indication method can also be called three-dimensional indication, that is, indicating the position of the reference signal from the perspectives of the spatial domain, time domain, and frequency domain.

[0248] For example, taking the second position index as a three-dimensional indicator, and the number of multiple second position indices as k2, where k2 is an integer greater than 0, the i-th second position index can be represented as... in, Indicates the second line port. Indicates the second time domain location. This represents the second frequency domain position. The terminal device determines the second local channel information using the reference signal p2 at the k2 second position indices. That is, the second local channel information can be denoted as...

[0249] Terminal equipment according to Local channel information corresponding to the location Channel reconstruction is performed using interpolation methods to obtain a second complete channel information.

[0250] Optionally, after obtaining the second channel information, the terminal device can also send the second channel information to the network device.

[0251] For example, if the second reference signal is CSI-RS, the terminal device can also report the second channel information to the network device.

[0252] Step 303: The terminal device determines the third channel information based on the first channel information and the second channel information.

[0253] In step 303, after the terminal device acquires the first channel information and the second channel information, it can determine the third channel information based on the first channel information and the second channel information. This third channel information is used for data transmission. This transmission can include sending and / or receiving. That is, the data transmitted through the third channel information can include uplink data and / or downlink data.

[0254] Optionally, the terminal device may concatenate the first channel information with the second channel information to obtain the third channel information.

[0255] Furthermore, the terminal device concatenates the first channel information and the second channel information based on the one or more first antenna ports and the one or more second antenna ports to obtain the third channel information. Alternatively, it can be understood that the terminal device concatenates the first channel information and the second channel information at the antenna port dimension to obtain the third channel information. That is, the terminal device can concatenate the first channel information and the second channel information in the spatial domain to obtain high-dimensional third channel information in the spatial domain.

[0256] For example, the terminal device splices the first channel information. With second channel information To obtain third channel information

[0257] In this embodiment of the application, the splicing of channel information (i.e., step 303) can be equivalent to the splicing of the reference signal pattern in Figure 6B, or the splicing of the model in Figure 6C, or the splicing of the antenna port, etc., and is not specifically limited here.

[0258] For example, the splicing of the first channel information and the second channel information can be equivalent to the splicing of the first reference signal pattern and the second reference signal pattern, or it can be equivalent to the splicing of the first model and the second model (i.e., the splicing of the channel reconstruction network), or it can be equivalent to the splicing of the first antenna port and the second antenna port, etc.

[0259] For example, as shown in Figure 6B, the first reference signal pattern corresponding to the first channel information is as shown in (a), and the spatial domain of the first reference signal pattern includes two antenna ports (referred to as port 1 and port 2). The second reference signal pattern corresponding to the second channel information is as shown in (b), and the spatial domain of the second reference signal pattern includes three antenna ports (referred to as port 3, port 4, and port 5). Therefore, the process of splicing multiple channel information in this step is equivalent to the process of splicing the reference signal patterns (c) obtained by splicing (a) and (b) in Figure 6B, that is, splicing the first channel information corresponding to port 1 and port 2, and the second channel information corresponding to port 3, port 4, and port 5 to obtain the channel information from port 1 to port 5 (i.e., the third channel information).

[0260] The example in Figure 6B illustrates a scenario where one antenna port corresponds to one reference signal pattern. Specifically, port 1 corresponds to one reference signal pattern, and port 2 corresponds to one reference signal pattern. Of course, if the first group of antenna ports includes both port 1 and port 2, it can also be understood that the first group of antenna ports corresponds to two reference signal patterns. In practical applications, multiple antenna ports can correspond to one reference signal pattern, one antenna port can correspond to multiple reference signal patterns, or multiple antenna ports can correspond to multiple reference signal patterns, etc. The specific interpretation is not limited here.

[0261] For example, as shown in Figure 6C, from the model's perspective, this is equivalent to "splicing" the first model and the second model, or it can be understood as parallel processing. For ease of understanding, for the model, splicing the model's output can be equivalent to splicing the model's input, etc., and the specifics are not limited here.

[0262] Furthermore, to facilitate the stitching of multiple channel information based on antenna ports, the previously mentioned reference signal pattern position index can be further enhanced with a model identifier. Alternatively, it can be understood as indicating the position of the reference signal pattern using four dimensions. This extends the local index to a global index, which also facilitates the unified configuration of the global reference signal pattern position index by network devices when multiple models are used.

[0263] For example, each of the aforementioned multiple first location indices is specifically indicated by a first index, a first antenna port, a first time-domain location, and a first frequency-domain location; the first index is used to identify the model (e.g., a first model and / or a third model) or the first group of antenna ports associated with the first group of antenna ports. The first model and the third model are jointly trained, and the third model is used to output a first reference signal pattern. The first group of antenna ports includes one or more first antenna ports.

[0264] For example, each of the aforementioned multiple second location indices is specifically indicated by a second index, a second antenna port, a second time-domain location, and a second frequency-domain location; the second index is used to identify the model (e.g., the second model and / or the fourth model) or the second set of antenna ports associated with the second set of antenna ports. The second model and the fourth model are jointly trained, and the fourth model is used to output the second reference signal pattern. The second set of antenna ports includes one or more second antenna ports.

[0265] For example, consider multiple second position indices, where the number of second position indices is k2. The i-th second position index can be represented as... Where M represents the identifier of the model associated with the second group of antenna ports (i.e., the second model or the fourth model) or the identifier of the second group of antenna ports, and the positions of the reference signals corresponding to different groups of antenna ports in different space-time-frequency domains may be the same or different. M is a real number, such as an integer greater than 0, etc., which is not limited here.

[0266] Furthermore, the process of terminal equipment splicing channel information can be understood as splicing the first model and the second model, or as using the second model to update the first model, etc., without being limited here.

[0267] Optionally, after obtaining the third channel information, the terminal device can also send the third channel information to the network device.

[0268] For example, when the reference signal is (e.g., the first reference signal and the second reference signal) CSI-RS, the terminal device can also report third channel information to the network device.

[0269] In this embodiment, the terminal device obtains different channel information based on the model corresponding to different antenna ports and the corresponding local channel information, and splices the channel information corresponding to different antenna ports to obtain third channel information for data transmission. On the one hand, channel reconstruction is achieved using the model, thereby improving the quality of subsequent data transmission. On the other hand, splicing the channel information using different antenna ports can obtain higher-dimensional third channel information, further improving the quality of subsequent data transmission based on the third channel information. Furthermore, by introducing the position of the spatial indication reference signal pattern, it is convenient to splice the first and second channel information from the spatial dimension. Additionally, a model identifier can be introduced based on the space-time-frequency model, thereby transforming the position index of the reference signal pattern from local to global, thus facilitating the unified configuration of the reference signal pattern by network devices.

[0270] The methods provided in the embodiments of this application have been described above from the perspective of the terminal side. The methods provided in the embodiments of this application will be described below from the perspective of the interaction between the terminal side and the network side.

[0271] Please refer to Figure 7, a flowchart illustrating a communication method provided in this application embodiment. This method may include steps 701 to 712. Steps 701 to 712 can be executed by a communication device, or by some components of the communication device (e.g., a processor, chip, or chip system), or by a logic module or software capable of implementing all or part of the functions of the communication device. The following description uses execution by a communication device as an example. The processing performed by a single execution entity in steps 701 to 712 can also be divided into multiple execution entities, which can be logically and / or physically separated. For example, when the communication device is an access network side device, the processing performed by the communication device can be divided into execution by at least one network element such as CU, DU, and RU. For example, when the communication device is a terminal-side device, the terminal device can refer to a terminal or a communication module within a terminal, or a circuit or chip within the terminal responsible for communication functions (such as a modem chip, also known as a baseband chip, or a system-on-a-chip (SoC) chip containing a modem core, or a system-in-package (SiP) chip). For ease of description, the following description will use a terminal device as an example. This method can be applied to any of the system architectures shown in Figures 1A to 2 above. For example, the terminal device can be the terminal device in Figures 1A to 2 above, and the network device can be the RAN node or base station in Figures 1A to 2 above. Of course, in addition to being applicable to any of the system architectures shown in Figures 1A to 2, it can also be applied to other system architectures, as described previously, and will not be repeated here.

[0272] Due to the long intervals between the steps, steps 701 to 712 are briefly described here first, and then described in detail later. Step 701: The network device groups multiple antenna ports and trains each group to obtain multiple models. Step 702: The terminal device sends third information to the network device. Step 703: The network device sends first information to the terminal device. Step 704: The network device sends an indication of a first reference signal pattern to the terminal device. Step 705: The network device sends a first reference signal to the terminal device. Step 706: The terminal device determines first channel information based on the first model, the first reference signal pattern, and the first reference signal. Step 707: The terminal device sends fourth information to the network device. Step 708: The network device sends second information to the terminal device. Step 709: The network device sends an indication of a second reference signal pattern to the terminal device. Step 710: The network device sends a second reference signal to the terminal device. Step 711: The terminal device determines second channel information based on the second model, the second reference signal pattern, and the second reference signal. Step 712: The terminal device determines the third channel information based on the first channel information and the second channel information. The following is a detailed description of each step:

[0273] Step 701: The network device groups multiple antenna ports and trains them separately to obtain multiple sets of models.

[0274] In step 701, the network device groups multiple antenna ports and trains each group to obtain multiple models. The number of groups can be two or more, and the specific number is not limited here.

[0275] Optionally, the network device groups multiple antenna ports to obtain multiple groups of antenna ports. These multiple groups of antenna ports include a first group and a second group. The first group includes one or more first antenna ports, and the second group includes one or more second antenna ports.

[0276] Optionally, after the network device groups multiple antenna ports, for a given group of antenna ports, the network device can train a set of models based on the density of the reference signal and the corresponding antenna ports. This set of models includes model A and model B. Model A can also be called a pilot pattern design network or pilot pattern design model, and model B can also be called a channel reconstruction network or channel reconstruction model. Model A is used to generate the reference signal pattern, and model B is used to estimate the complete channel information using local channel information corresponding to some known signals or sequences. Alternatively, model B can be understood as using the local channel information of the reference signal at the corresponding position of the reference signal pattern to perform channel reconstruction and obtain the complete channel information.

[0277] The density of the reference signal can also be called the pilot density, the density of the reference signal position, or the density of the pilot position, etc., and no specific definition is given here.

[0278] For example, network devices acquire training data and use it to train a set of models. The stopping condition for the training process could be that the loss function value is less than a threshold, the number of training iterations reaches a threshold, or the training duration reaches a threshold, etc., but the specific condition is not limited here. This set of models includes a pilot pattern design model and a channel reconstruction model.

[0279] For example, a group model is trained using training data as input and with the goal of obtaining a loss function value less than a threshold. The training data includes input data and its corresponding labels (e.g., the input itself during training serves as the label). Each input data corresponds to one or more first antenna ports (i.e., the group model is trained based on one or more first antenna ports), and the loss function represents the difference between the input data and its corresponding label. This input data can be understood as the complete channel information used during training, and the output data is the reconstructed channel information. The labels corresponding to the input data can also be understood as the complete channel information used during training.

[0280] During the training of the group model, existing complete information is input into the pilot pattern design model to obtain the output (e.g., the reference signal pattern or local channel information at the corresponding position of the reference signal pattern). The local channel information at the corresponding position of the reference signal pattern is then used as the input to the channel reconstruction model to obtain the complete channel information during the training process. By training the group model, the output of the group model becomes closer to the theoretical complete channel information, thereby improving the accuracy of subsequent channel reconstruction using the group model.

[0281] Accordingly, after acquiring multiple sets of antenna ports, the network device trains on these multiple sets of antenna ports to obtain multiple sets of models. These multiple sets of models include a first set of models and a second set of models. The first set of models is obtained through training on the first set of antenna ports, and the second set of models is obtained through training on the second set of antenna ports. That is, the first set of antenna ports is used to train the first set of models, and the second set of antenna ports is used to train the second set of models.

[0282] For example, taking a group of 8 as an example, the multiple antenna ports can be as shown in Figure 8. It should be noted that the embodiments of this application do not limit the number of multiple groups or the number of antenna ports included in each group. Moreover, the number of antenna ports corresponding to different groups can be the same or different.

[0283] The first set of models includes a first model and a third model, while the second set of models includes a second model and a fourth model. The first model is used to perform channel estimation on the first reference signal at the location of the first reference signal pattern to obtain first local channel information. The second model is used to perform channel estimation on the second reference signal at the location of the second reference signal pattern to obtain second local channel information. The third model is used to generate the first reference signal pattern, and the fourth model is used to generate the second reference signal pattern.

[0284] Alternatively, it can be understood that the first and third models are trained through one or more first antenna ports, while the second and fourth models are trained through one or more second antenna ports.

[0285] For example, after the network device groups multiple antenna ports, it trains a first model based on the density of a first reference signal and the first group of antenna ports. Then, it trains a second model based on the density of a second reference signal and the second group of antenna ports.

[0286] Understandably, network devices can also consider different compression ratios and other parameters when training models, thereby differentiating the compression ratio of the model.

[0287] Step 702: The terminal device sends third information to the network device. This step is optional.

[0288] Optionally, the terminal device sends third information to the network device. Correspondingly, the network device receives the third information sent by the terminal device. This third information is used to indicate whether the terminal device supports model-based channel reconfiguration.

[0289] For example, the third information is used to indicate that the terminal device supports model-based channel reconstruction. As another example, the third information is used to indicate that the terminal device does not support model-based channel reconstruction. As another example, the third information is used to indicate that the terminal device supports neural network-based channel reconstruction. As another example, the third information is used to indicate that the terminal device does not support neural network-based channel reconstruction.

[0290] The third piece of information can also be understood as capability information reported by the terminal device, that is, the third piece of information is used to indicate whether the terminal device has the capability to perform channel reconstruction using a model. Alternatively, the third piece of information can be used to indicate whether the terminal device has the capability to perform channel reconstruction using a neural network.

[0291] Optionally, the third information is related to the first information, or the third information is related to the first model. That is, the third information is used by the network device to determine the model indicated by the first information.

[0292] For example, besides indicating whether model-based channel reconstruction is supported, the third piece of information can also indicate one or more of the following: whether the terminal device supports channel information splicing, whether the terminal device supports reference signal pattern indication in the spatial domain, capability information related to the reference signal pattern, the data volume of the terminal device's transmitted services, the terminal device's service scenario, capability information related to antenna ports, and capability information related to the reference signal pattern. For example, scenarios with large data volumes require models with more antenna ports. Also, a higher reference signal density corresponds to a faster terminal device movement speed, etc., but specific details are not limited here.

[0293] Step 703: The network device sends the first information to the terminal device.

[0294] Step 704: The network device sends an instruction of the first reference signal pattern to the terminal device.

[0295] Step 705: The network device sends a first reference signal to the terminal device.

[0296] Step 706: The terminal device determines the first channel information based on the first model, the first reference signal pattern, and the first reference signal.

[0297] Steps 703 to 706 in this embodiment are similar to those described in step 301 of the embodiment shown in Figure 3 above, and will not be repeated here.

[0298] Step 707: The terminal device sends the fourth piece of information to the network device. This step is optional.

[0299] Optionally, the terminal device sends a fourth piece of information to the network device. Correspondingly, the network device receives the fourth piece of information sent by the terminal device. This fourth piece of information is used to indicate service requirements.

[0300] Optionally, the aforementioned business requirements may refer to one or more of the following: increased data volume requirements, communication quality requirements, mobile speed of terminal devices, etc., without being limited here.

[0301] Alternatively, it can be understood that the terminal device requests models corresponding to more antenna ports through the fourth information, or requests a reference signal pattern with a higher density than the first reference signal pattern, or the terminal device indicates a need for antennas with greater dimensions through the fourth information, etc., without being limited here.

[0302] For example, the fourth piece of information may also indicate one or more of the following: whether the terminal device supports channel information splicing, whether the terminal device supports reference signal pattern indication in the spatial domain, capability information related to the reference signal pattern, the data volume of the terminal device's transmitted services, the service scenario of the terminal device, capability information related to antenna ports, and capability information related to the reference signal pattern, etc. For example, scenarios with a large data volume require models with more antenna ports. Also, a higher reference signal density corresponds to a faster terminal device movement speed, etc., but specific details are not limited here.

[0303] Step 708: The network device sends the second information to the terminal device.

[0304] Step 709: The network device sends an instruction for the second reference signal pattern to the terminal device.

[0305] Step 710: The network device sends a second reference signal to the terminal device.

[0306] Step 711: The terminal device determines the second channel information based on the second model, the second reference signal pattern, and the second reference signal.

[0307] Steps 708 to 711 in this embodiment are similar to those described in step 302 in the embodiment shown in Figure 3 above, and will not be repeated here.

[0308] Step 712: The terminal device determines the third channel information based on the first channel information and the second channel information.

[0309] Step 712 in this embodiment is similar to step 303 in the embodiment shown in Figure 3 above, and will not be repeated here.

[0310] The method provided in this embodiment has multiple variations. For example, the method provided in this embodiment includes steps 703 to 706. Another example is that the method provided in this embodiment includes steps 702 to 706. Yet another example is that the method provided in this embodiment includes steps 701 to 706. Yet another example is that the method provided in this embodiment includes steps 701 and steps 703 to 706. Yet another example is that the method provided in this embodiment includes steps 701, 703 to 706, and steps 708 to 712. Yet another example is that the method provided in this embodiment includes steps 701 to 706 and steps 708 to 712. Yet another example is that the method provided in this embodiment includes steps 701 and 703 to 712, and so on. The specific variations are not limited here.

[0311] Furthermore, this embodiment does not limit the timing of the various steps. For example, step 701 can be before or after step 702. Similarly, step 703 can be before or after step 704. Another example is that step 703 can be before or after step 705. Yet another example is that step 704 can be before or after step 705. Another example is that step 702 can be before or after step 707. Yet another example is that step 703 can be before or after step 708, and so on. No specific limitations are imposed here.

[0312] Furthermore, the steps shown in Figure 7 can also be combined into one step. For example, when steps 702 and 707 exist, steps 702 and 707 can be the same message. Similarly, steps 703 and 708 can also be the same message. Furthermore, steps 704 and 705 can be the same message. And so on, steps 709 and 710 can be the same message, etc. Specific details are not limited here.

[0313] In this embodiment, the terminal device obtains different channel information based on the model corresponding to different antenna ports and the corresponding local channel information, and splices the channel information corresponding to different antenna ports to obtain third channel information for data transmission. On the one hand, channel reconstruction is achieved using the model, thereby improving the quality of subsequent data transmission. On the other hand, splicing the channel information using different antenna ports can obtain higher-dimensional third channel information, further improving the quality of subsequent data transmission based on the third channel information. Furthermore, by introducing the position of the spatial indication reference signal pattern, it is convenient to splice the first and second channel information from the spatial dimension. Additionally, model identifiers can be introduced based on space, time, and frequency, thereby transforming the position index of the reference signal pattern from local to global, thus facilitating the unified configuration of the reference signal pattern by network devices. Moreover, network devices can obtain different pilot pattern design models and channel reconstruction models through training with different antenna port groups and other parameters, thus facilitating the indication of the corresponding channel reconstruction model to the terminal device based on its capabilities. Furthermore, a more suitable channel reconstruction model can be indicated to the terminal device based on its new requirements, and the terminal device can splice the channel information of the antenna ports based on the existing channel reconstruction model and the newly indicated channel reconstruction model to obtain channel information at a higher antenna dimension.

[0314] Furthermore, the embodiments in this application are merely illustrative descriptions using the example of the network side transmitting a reference signal pattern to the terminal side. In practical applications, the terminal side can also transmit a reference signal pattern to the network side, and this is not limited here. Similarly, the above illustrative description only uses the example of the network side transmitting a downlink reference signal to the terminal side. In practical applications, the terminal side can also transmit an uplink reference signal to the network side, and this is not limited here. Likewise, the above description only uses the network side to train the model group or channel reconstruction network, but the training of the model group or channel reconstruction network can also be performed on the terminal side, and this is not limited here.

[0315] The communication methods in the embodiments of this application have been described above. The communication devices in the embodiments of this application are described below. Please refer to Figure 9, which shows an embodiment of the communication device 900 in this application. This communication device 900 can implement the functions of the terminal device or network device in the above method embodiments, and therefore can also achieve the beneficial effects of the above method embodiments. In this application embodiment, the communication device 900 can be a communication device, or it can be an integrated circuit or component inside the communication device, such as a chip. The communication device 900 includes a processing unit 902. Alternatively, the communication device 900 includes a transceiver unit 901 and a processing unit 902, wherein the transceiver unit 901 is used to perform operations related to the transmission and reception of the terminal device or network device in the above method embodiments, and the processing unit 902 is used to perform other operations of the terminal device or network device in the above method embodiments besides the transmission and reception operations.

[0316] In one possible implementation, the communication device 900 is the terminal device in the embodiments shown in Figures 1A to 8 above, in which case the functions of each unit are as follows:

[0317] Processing unit 902 is configured to determine first channel information based on first local channel information and a first model, wherein the first local channel information is determined according to a first reference signal, the first reference signal pattern corresponding to the first reference signal is related to one or more first antenna ports, and the first model corresponds to the one or more first antenna ports;

[0318] Processing unit 902 is further configured to determine second channel information based on second local channel information and second model, the second local channel information being determined according to a second reference signal, the second reference signal pattern corresponding to the second reference signal being related to one or more second antenna ports, and the second model corresponding to the one or more second antenna ports;

[0319] The processing unit 902 is also configured to determine third channel information based on the first channel information and the second channel information, and the third channel information is used for data transmission.

[0320] Optionally, the processing unit 902 is specifically used to concatenate the first channel information and the second channel information according to one or more first antenna ports and one or more second antenna ports to obtain the third channel information.

[0321] Optionally, the transceiver unit 901 is used to receive the first reference signal corresponding to the first reference signal pattern;

[0322] The processing unit 902 is further configured to perform channel estimation based on the first reference signal to obtain first local channel information;

[0323] The transceiver unit 901 is also used to receive the second reference signal corresponding to the second reference signal pattern;

[0324] The processing unit 902 is also configured to perform channel estimation based on the second reference signal to obtain second local channel information.

[0325] Optionally, the transceiver unit 901 is also configured to receive first information, which is used to indicate the first model;

[0326] The transceiver unit 901 is also used to receive second information, which is used to instruct the second model.

[0327] Optionally, the first model and the second model are multiple pre-stored models, and different models correspond to different antenna ports; the first information is used to indicate the first identifier of the first model; the second information is used to indicate the second identifier of the second model;

[0328] Processing unit 902 is further configured to determine a first model from multiple models based on a first identifier;

[0329] The processing unit 902 is also used to determine a second model from multiple models based on the second identifier.

[0330] Optionally, the transceiver unit 901 is also used to transmit third information, which is used to indicate support for model-based channel reconstruction.

[0331] Optionally, the transceiver unit 901 is also used to send a fourth message, which indicates a service requirement. The service requirement may refer to one or more of the following: increased data volume requirements, communication quality requirements, or mobile speed of terminal devices, etc. The fourth message is related to the second model.

[0332] In this embodiment, the operations performed by each unit in the communication device are similar to those described in the terminal devices shown in the embodiments of Figures 1A to 8 above, and will not be repeated here.

[0333] In this embodiment, the transceiver unit 901 obtains different channel information based on the model corresponding to different antenna ports and the corresponding local channel information, and obtains third channel information based on the channel information corresponding to different antenna ports. On the one hand, channel reconstruction is achieved using the model, thereby improving the quality of subsequent data transmission. On the other hand, by splicing the channel information using different antenna ports, a higher-dimensional third channel information can be obtained, further improving the quality of subsequent data transmission based on the third channel information.

[0334] In another possible implementation, the communication device 900 is a network device in the embodiments shown in Figures 1A to 8 above, in which case the functions of each unit are as follows:

[0335] Transceiver unit 901 is used to transmit first information, which is used to determine a first model. The first model corresponds to one or more first antenna ports. The one or more first antenna ports are related to a first reference signal pattern. The first reference signal at the corresponding position of the first reference signal pattern is used to determine first local channel information. The first local channel information and the first model are used to determine the first channel information.

[0336] The transceiver unit 901 is also used to transmit second information, which is used to determine a second model. The second model corresponds to one or more second antenna ports. The one or more second antenna ports are related to a second reference signal pattern. The second reference signal at the corresponding position of the second reference signal pattern is used to determine second local channel information. The second local channel information and the second model are used to determine the second channel information.

[0337] The first channel information and the second channel information are used to determine the third channel information, and the third channel state is used for data transmission.

[0338] Optionally, the processing unit 902 is used to group multiple antenna ports to obtain a first group of antenna ports and a second group of antenna ports. The first group of antenna ports includes one or more first antenna ports, and the second group of antenna ports includes one or more second antenna ports. The first group of antenna ports is used to train a first model and a third model, and the second group of antenna ports is used to train a second model and a fourth model. The third model is used to generate a first reference signal pattern, and the fourth model is used to generate a second reference signal pattern.

[0339] Optionally, the transceiver unit 901 is further configured to transmit a first reference signal according to a first reference signal pattern;

[0340] The transceiver unit 901 is also used to transmit a second reference signal according to the second reference signal pattern.

[0341] Optionally, the transceiver unit 901 is also configured to send first information, which is used to indicate the first model;

[0342] The transceiver unit 901 is also used to send second information, which is used to instruct the second model.

[0343] Optionally, the transceiver unit 901 is also configured to receive third information, which indicates support for model-based channel reconstruction.

[0344] Optionally, the transceiver unit 901 is also used to receive fourth information, which indicates service requirements. These service requirements may be one or more of the following: increased data volume requirements, communication quality requirements, or mobile speed of terminal devices, etc. The fourth information is related to the second model.

[0345] In this embodiment, the operations performed by each unit in the communication device are similar to those described in the network devices shown in the embodiments of Figures 1A to 8 above, and will not be repeated here.

[0346] In this embodiment, the transceiver unit 901 indicates the corresponding model through the first and second information. Different antenna ports correspond to different models and corresponding local channel information to obtain different channel information, and the channel information corresponding to different antenna ports is used to splice together to obtain third channel information. On the one hand, channel reconstruction is achieved using the model, thereby improving the quality of subsequent data transmission. On the other hand, splicing the channel information using different antenna ports can obtain higher-dimensional third channel information, further improving the quality of subsequent data transmission based on the third channel information.

[0347] Please refer to Figure 10, which is another schematic structural diagram of the communication device 1000 provided in this application. The communication device 1000 includes a logic circuit 1001 and an input / output interface 1002. The communication device 1000 can be a chip or an integrated circuit.

[0348] The transceiver unit 901 shown in Figure 9 can be a communication interface, which can be the input / output interface 1002 in Figure 10. The input / output interface 1002 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. The processing unit 902 shown in Figure 9 can be the logic circuit 1001 in Figure 10.

[0349] The logic circuit 1001 and the input / output interface 1002 can also execute other steps performed by the network device or terminal device in any of the embodiments and achieve corresponding beneficial effects, which will not be elaborated here. The input / output interface 1002 is used to execute operations related to transmission and reception of the terminal device or network device in the above method embodiments, and the logic circuit 1001 is used to execute other operations of the terminal device or network device in the above method embodiments besides transmission and reception operations.

[0350] For example, when the communication device 1000 is a terminal device, the input / output interface 1002 can be used for one or more of the following: sending third information, receiving first information, sending fourth information, receiving second information, receiving an indication of a reference signal pattern, receiving a reference signal, sending first channel information, sending second channel information, sending third channel information, etc. The logic circuit 1001 can be used for one or more of the following: determining first channel information based on first local channel information and a first model, determining second channel information based on second local channel information and a second model, concatenating first channel information and second channel information to obtain third channel information, etc.

[0351] For example, when the communication device 1000 is a network device, the input / output interface 1002 can be used for one or more of the following: transmitting first information, transmitting second information, transmitting an indication of a reference signal pattern, transmitting a reference signal, receiving third information, receiving fourth information, etc. The logic circuit 1001 can be used for one or more of the following: grouping multiple antenna ports, training a model based on multiple groups of antenna ports, etc.

[0352] Optionally, the logic circuit 1001 can be a processing device, the functions of which can be partially or entirely implemented in software.

[0353] 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.

[0354] 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.

[0355] 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 group of the above chips or processors.

[0356] Please refer to Figure 11A, which shows the communication device 1100 involved in the above embodiments provided in the embodiments of this application. Specifically, the communication device 1100 can be a communication device that serves as a network device or a terminal device in the above embodiments, or it can be a chip or functional module in a network device or a terminal device.

[0357] A possible logical structure diagram of the communication device 1100, which may include, but is not limited to, at least one processor 1101 and a communication port 1102.

[0358] In Figure 9, the transceiver unit 901 can be a communication interface, which can be the communication port 1102 in Figure 11A. The communication port 1102 can include an input interface and an output interface. Alternatively, the communication port 1102 can also be a transceiver circuit, which can include an input interface circuit and an output interface circuit, or it can be the input / output interface of a chip.

[0359] The communication port 1102 is used to perform operations related to sending and receiving of the terminal device or network device in the above method embodiments, and the processor 1101 is used to perform other operations of the terminal device or network device in the above method embodiments besides sending and receiving operations.

[0360] Optionally, the device may further include at least one of a memory 1103 and a bus. In embodiments of this application, the at least one processor 1101 is used to control the operation of the communication device 1100. The memory 1103 is used to store device program code and / or data.

[0361] For example, when the communication device 1100 is a terminal device, the communication port 1102 can be used for one or more of the following: sending third information, receiving first information, sending fourth information, receiving second information, receiving an indication of a reference signal pattern, receiving a reference signal, sending first channel information, sending second channel information, sending third channel information, etc. At least one processor 1101 can be used for one or more of the following: determining first channel information based on first local channel information and a first model, determining second channel information based on second local channel information and a second model, concatenating first channel information and second channel information to obtain third channel information, etc.

[0362] For example, when the communication device 1100 is a network device, the communication port 1102 can be used for one or more of the following: transmitting first information, transmitting second information, transmitting an indication of a reference signal pattern, transmitting a reference signal, receiving third information, receiving fourth information, etc. At least one processor 1101 can be used for one or more of the following: grouping multiple antenna ports, training a model based on multiple groups of antenna ports, etc.

[0363] Furthermore, the processor 1101 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.

[0364] It is understood that this application does not limit the number of the various components shown in FIG11A. For example, the number of processors 1101, the number of communication ports 1102, and the number of memory 1103 can each be one or more, and no specific limitation is made here.

[0365] It should be noted that the communication device 1100 shown in Figure 11A can be used to implement the steps implemented by the network device or terminal device in the aforementioned method embodiments and achieve the corresponding technical effects. The specific implementation of the communication device shown in Figure 11A can be referred to the description in the aforementioned method embodiments, and will not be repeated here.

[0366] Figure 11B shows a schematic diagram of a possible communication device. It is understood that the communication device 11000 includes means of the necessary form, such as modules, units, elements, circuits, or interfaces, appropriately configured together to perform this solution. The aforementioned communication device 11000 can be the aforementioned terminal device or network device, or a component (e.g., a chip) within these devices, used to implement the methods described in the above method embodiments.

[0367] The communication device 11000 includes one or more processors 111. The processor 111 can be a general-purpose processor or a dedicated processor, such as a baseband processor or a central processing unit (CPU). The baseband processor can be used to process communication protocols and communication data, while the CPU can be used to control the communication device (e.g., a RAN node, terminal, or chip), execute software programs, and process data from the software programs.

[0368] Optionally, in one design, the processor 111 may include a program 113 (sometimes referred to as code or instructions) that can be run on the processor 111 to cause the communication device 11000 to perform the methods described in the above embodiments.

[0369] Optionally, the communication device 11000 may include one or more memories 112 storing a program 114 (sometimes referred to as code or instructions), which can be run on the processor 111 to cause the communication device 11000 to perform the methods described in the above method embodiments.

[0370] Optionally, the processor 111 and / or memory 112 may include AI modules 117 and 118, which are used to implement AI-related functions. The AI ​​modules may be implemented through software, hardware, or a combination of both. For example, the AI ​​module may include a RAN intelligent controller (RIC) module. For example, the AI ​​module may be a near real-time RIC or a non-real-time RIC.

[0371] Optionally, the processor 111 and / or memory 112 may also store data. The processor and memory may be configured separately or integrated together.

[0372] Optionally, the communication device 11000 may further include a transceiver 115 and / or an antenna 116. The processor 111, sometimes referred to as a processing unit, controls the communication device (e.g., a RAN node or terminal). The transceiver 115, sometimes referred to as a transceiver unit, transceiver, transceiver circuit, or transceiver, is used to implement the transmission and reception functions of the communication device via the antenna 116. The transceiver 115 performs transmission and reception related operations of the terminal device or network device in the above method embodiments, while the processor 111 performs other operations of the terminal device or network device in the above method embodiments besides transmission and reception operations.

[0373] For example, when the communication device 11000 is a terminal device, the transceiver 115 can be used for one or more of the following: transmitting third information, receiving first information, transmitting fourth information, receiving second information, receiving an indication of a reference signal pattern, receiving a reference signal, transmitting first channel information, transmitting second channel information, transmitting third channel information, etc. At least one processor 111 can be used for one or more of the following: determining first channel information based on first local channel information and a first model, determining second channel information based on second local channel information and a second model, concatenating first channel information and second channel information to obtain third channel information, etc.

[0374] For example, when the communication device 11000 is a network device, the transceiver 115 can be used for one or more of the following: transmitting first information, transmitting second information, transmitting an indication of a reference signal pattern, transmitting a reference signal, receiving third information, receiving fourth information, etc. At least one processor 111 can be used for one or more of the following: grouping multiple antenna ports, training a model based on multiple groups of antenna ports, etc.

[0375] It should be noted that the communication device 11000 shown in Figure 11B can be used to implement the steps implemented by the network device or terminal device in the aforementioned method embodiments and achieve the corresponding technical effects. The specific implementation of the communication device shown in Figure 11B can be referred to the description in the aforementioned method embodiments, and will not be repeated here.

[0376] Please refer to Figure 12, which is a schematic diagram of the structure of the communication device 1200 involved in the above embodiments provided in the embodiments of this application. Specifically, the communication device 1200 can be a communication device as a network device in the above embodiments, and the structure of the communication device can be referred to the structure shown in Figure 12.

[0377] The communication device 1200 includes at least one processor 1211 and at least one network interface 1214. Optionally, the communication device further includes at least one memory 1212, at least one transceiver 1213, and one or more antennas 1215. The processor 1211, memory 1212, transceiver 1213, and network interface 1214 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 1215 is connected to the transceiver 1213. The network interface 1214 enables the communication device to communicate with other communication devices through a communication link. For example, the network interface 1214 may include a network interface between the communication device and core network equipment, such as an S1 interface; the network interface may also include 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.

[0378] The transceiver 1213 is used to perform network device transmission and reception related operations in the above method embodiments, and the processor 1211 is used to perform other operations of the network device in the above method embodiments besides transmission and reception operations.

[0379] Optionally, the communication device 1200 shown in FIG12 may further include an AI module for implementing AI-related functions (e.g., implementing the process of training a network device model in the above embodiments). This AI module can be implemented through software, hardware, or a combination of both. The AI ​​module can be independent of the processor 1211 and / or memory 1212, or it can be integrated within the processor 1211 and / or memory 1212. For example, the AI ​​module may include a RAN intelligent controller (RIC) module. For example, the AI ​​module may be a near real-time RIC or a non-real-time RIC.

[0380] The transceiver unit 1201 shown in Figure 12 can be a communication interface, which can be the network interface 1214 in Figure 12. The network interface 1214 can include an input interface and an output interface. Alternatively, the network interface 1214 can also be a transceiver circuit, which can include an input interface circuit and an output interface circuit.

[0381] The processor 1211 is primarily used to process communication protocols and communication data, control the entire communication device, execute software programs, and process data from the software 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 communication device, execute software programs, and process data from the software programs. The processor 1211 in Figure 12 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 the communication 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 communication 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.

[0382] The memory is primarily used to store software programs and data. The memory 1212 can exist independently or be connected to the processor 1211. Optionally, the memory 1212 can be integrated with the processor 1211, for example, integrated within a single chip. The memory 1212 can store program code that executes the technical solutions of the embodiments of this application, and its execution is controlled by the processor 1211. The various types of computer program code being executed can also be considered as drivers for the processor 1211.

[0383] Figure 12 shows only one memory and one processor. In actual communication devices, there can 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; the embodiments of this application do not limit this.

[0384] Transceiver 1213 can be used to support the reception or transmission of radio frequency signals between a communication device and a terminal. Transceiver 1213 can be connected to antenna 1215. Transceiver 1213 includes a transmitter Tx and a receiver Rx. Specifically, one or more antennas 1215 can receive radio frequency signals. The receiver Rx of transceiver 1213 is used to receive the radio frequency signals from the antennas, convert the radio frequency signals into digital baseband signals or digital intermediate frequency signals, and provide the digital baseband signals or digital intermediate frequency signals to processor 1211 so that processor 1211 can perform further processing on the digital baseband signals or digital intermediate frequency signals, such as demodulation and decoding. In addition, the transmitter Tx in transceiver 1213 is also used to receive the modulated digital baseband signals or digital intermediate frequency signals from processor 1211, convert the modulated digital baseband signals or digital intermediate frequency signals into radio frequency signals, and transmit the radio frequency signals through one or more antennas 1215. 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.

[0385] The transceiver 1213 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, output port, or transmitting circuit, etc.

[0386] It should be noted that the communication device 1200 shown in Figure 12 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 1200 shown in Figure 12 can be referred to the description in the aforementioned method embodiments, and will not be repeated here.

[0387] When the aforementioned communication device is a chip applied to a terminal, the terminal chip implements the functions of the terminal in the above method embodiments. The terminal chip receives information from other modules (such as an RF module or antenna) in the terminal, information sent to the terminal by the base station; or, the terminal chip sends information to other modules (such as an RF module or antenna) in the terminal, information sent to the base station by the terminal. For example, in the case of a terminal, sending information can be understood as the process of the terminal's chip outputting information.

[0388] When the aforementioned communication device is a module applied to a base station, the base station module implements the functions of the base station in the above method embodiments. The base station module receives information from other modules (such as radio frequency modules or antennas) in the base station, information sent by the terminal to the base station; or, the base station module sends information to other modules (such as radio frequency modules or antennas) in the base station, information sent by the base station to the terminal. Here, the base station module can be the baseband chip of the base station, or a DU (Digital Unit) or other modules. The DU can be a DU under an Open Radio Access Network (O-RAN) architecture. For example, in the case of a base station, the base station sending information can be understood as the process of the base station's chip outputting information.

[0389] The method steps in the embodiments of this application can be implemented in hardware or in software instructions executable by a processor. The software instructions can consist of corresponding software modules, which can be stored in random access memory, flash memory, read-only memory, programmable read-only memory, erasable programmable read-only memory, electrically erasable programmable read-only memory, registers, hard disks, portable hard disks, CD-ROMs, or any other form of storage medium known in the art. An exemplary storage medium is coupled to a processor, enabling the processor to read information from and write information to the storage medium. The storage medium can also be a component of the processor. The processor and storage medium can reside in an ASIC. Alternatively, the ASIC can reside in a base station or terminal. The processor and storage medium can also exist as discrete components in a base station or terminal.

[0390] In the above embodiments, implementation can be achieved entirely or partially through software, hardware, firmware, or any combination thereof. When implemented using software, it can be implemented entirely or partially in the form of a computer program product. The computer program product includes one or more computer programs or instructions. When the computer program or instructions are loaded and executed on a computer, the processes or functions described in the embodiments of this application are performed entirely or partially. The computer can be a general-purpose computer, a special-purpose computer, a computer network, a network device, a user equipment, or other programmable device. The computer program or instructions can be stored in a computer-readable storage medium or transferred from one computer-readable storage medium to another. For example, the computer program or instructions can be transferred from one website, computer, server, or data center to another website, computer, server, or data center via wired or wireless means. The computer-readable storage medium can be any available medium that a computer can access or a data storage device such as a server or data center that integrates one or more available media. The available medium can be a magnetic medium, such as a floppy disk, hard disk, or magnetic tape; it can also be an optical medium, such as a digital video optical disc; or it can be a semiconductor medium, such as a solid-state drive. The computer-readable storage medium may be a volatile or non-volatile storage medium, or may include both types of storage media.

[0391] In the various embodiments of this application, unless otherwise specified or in case of logical conflict, the terminology and / or descriptions of different embodiments are consistent and can be referenced by each other. The technical features of different embodiments can be combined to form new embodiments according to their inherent logical relationship.

Claims

1. A communication method, characterized in that, The method includes: The first channel information is determined based on the first local channel information and the first model. The first local channel information is determined according to the first reference signal. The first reference signal pattern corresponding to the first reference signal is related to one or more first antenna ports. The first model corresponds to the one or more first antenna ports. The second channel information is determined based on the second local channel information and the second model. The second local channel information is determined according to the second reference signal. The second reference signal pattern corresponding to the second reference signal is related to one or more second antenna ports. The second model corresponds to the one or more second antenna ports. A third channel information is determined based on the first channel information and the second channel information, and the third channel information is used for data transmission.

2. The method according to claim 1, characterized in that, The first reference signal pattern is indicated by a plurality of first position indices, and the second reference signal pattern is indicated by a plurality of second position indices; Each of the plurality of first location indices is indicated by a first antenna port; each of the plurality of second location indices is indicated by a second antenna port.

3. The method according to claim 2, characterized in that, Each of the plurality of first location indices is specifically indicated by the first antenna port, the first time domain location, and the first frequency domain location; Each of the plurality of second location indices is specifically indicated by a second antenna port, a second time-domain location, and a second frequency-domain location.

4. The method according to claim 3, characterized in that, Each of the plurality of first location indices is specifically indicated by a first index, a first antenna port, a first time-domain location, and a first frequency-domain location; the first index is used to identify the first model and / or a first group of antenna ports, the first group of antenna ports including the one or more first antenna ports; Each of the plurality of second location indices is specifically indicated by a second index, the one second antenna port, the second time-domain location, and the second frequency-domain location; the second index is used to identify the second model and / or the second group of antenna ports, the second group of antenna ports including the one or more second antenna ports.

5. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 4, characterized in that, The process of obtaining third channel information based on the first channel information and the second channel information includes: The third channel information is obtained by concatenating the first channel information and the second channel information based on the one or more first antenna ports and the one or more second antenna ports.

6. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 5, characterized in that, The method further includes: Receive the first reference signal corresponding to the first reference signal pattern; Channel estimation is performed based on the first reference signal to obtain the first local channel information; Receive the second reference signal corresponding to the second reference signal pattern; Channel estimation is performed based on the second reference signal to obtain the second local channel information.

7. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 6, characterized in that, The method further includes: Receive first information, which is used to instruct the first model; Receive second information, which is used to instruct the second model.

8. The method according to claim 7, characterized in that, The first model and the second model are multiple models that are pre-stored, and different models correspond to different antenna ports; the first information is used to indicate the first identifier of the first model; The second information is used to indicate the second identifier of the second model; The method further includes: The first model is determined from the plurality of models based on the first identifier; The second model is determined from the plurality of models based on the second identifier.

9. The method according to claim 7, characterized in that, The first information includes the structure and parameters of the first model, and the second information includes the structure and parameters of the second model.

10. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 9, characterized in that, Before determining the first channel information based on the first local channel information and the first model, the method further includes: Send a third message, which indicates support for model-based channel reconstruction.

11. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 10, characterized in that, Before determining the second channel information based on the second local channel information and the second model, the method further includes: Send a fourth message, which indicates business requirements and is related to the second model.

12. A communication method, characterized in that, The method includes: Send first information, the first information being used to determine a first model, the first model corresponding to one or more first antenna ports, the one or more first antenna ports being related to a first reference signal pattern, the first reference signal corresponding to the first reference signal pattern being used to determine first local channel information; the first local channel information and the first model being used to determine first channel information. Send second information, which is used to determine a second model, the second model corresponding to one or more second antenna ports, the one or more second antenna ports being related to a second reference signal pattern, and the second reference signal at the corresponding position of the second reference signal pattern being used to determine second local channel information; the second local channel information and the second model are used to determine second channel information. The first channel information and the second channel information are used to determine the third channel information, and the third channel state is used for data transmission.

13. The method according to claim 12, characterized in that, The one or more first antenna ports belong to a first group of antenna ports, and the one or more second antenna ports belong to a second group of antenna ports; the first group of antenna ports is used to train the first model and the third model, and the second group of antenna ports is used to train the second model and the fourth model. The third model is used to generate the first reference signal pattern, and the fourth model is used to generate the second reference signal pattern.

14. The method according to claim 12 or 13, characterized in that, The first reference signal pattern is indicated by a plurality of first position indices, and the second reference signal pattern is indicated by a plurality of second position indices; Each of the plurality of first location indices is indicated by a first antenna port; each of the plurality of second location indices is indicated by a second antenna port.

15. The method according to claim 14, characterized in that, Each of the plurality of first location indices is specifically indicated by the first antenna port, the first time domain location, and the first frequency domain location; Each of the plurality of second location indices is specifically indicated by the second antenna port, the second time-domain location, and the second frequency-domain location.

16. The method according to claim 15, characterized in that, Each of the plurality of first location indices is specifically indicated by a first index, a first antenna port, a first time-domain location, and a first frequency-domain location; the first index is used to identify the first model and / or a first group of antenna ports, the first group of antenna ports including the one or more first antenna ports; Each of the plurality of second location indices is specifically indicated by a second index, the one second antenna port, the second time-domain location, and the second frequency-domain location; the second index is used to identify the second model and / or the second group of antenna ports, the second group of antenna ports including the one or more second antenna ports.

17. A communication device, characterized in that, Includes a module for performing the method as described in any one of claims 1 to 16.

18. A communication device, characterized in that, It includes at least one processor for executing a computer program or instructions in memory to implement the method as described in any one of claims 1 to 16.

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

20. A computer program product, characterized in that, Includes a computer program or instructions that, when run on a computer, cause the computer to perform the method as described in any one of claims 1 to 16.

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