Communication method and apparatus

Abstract

A communication method and apparatus. The communication method comprises: an antenna unit receiving a plurality of sounding reference signals from K terminals; on the basis of the plurality of sounding reference signals, the antenna unit determining channel estimation information between each of the K terminals and an access network device; the antenna unit receiving a scheduling result, and calculating first weight information on the basis of the scheduling result, wherein the scheduling result indicates the scheduling of M terminals and data streams respectively corresponding to the M terminals, the M terminals belong to the K terminals, and the first weight information is determined on the basis of channel estimation information between each of the M terminals and the access network device; and on the basis of the first weight information, the antenna unit processing the data streams respectively corresponding to the M terminals, and sending the processed data streams respectively corresponding to the M terminals. The antenna unit does not need to provide an original sounding reference signal for a distributed unit, so that the amount of data exchanged can be reduced.

Description

A communication method and apparatus

[0001] Cross-reference to related applications

[0002] This application claims priority to Chinese Patent Application No. 202411864316.5, filed on December 16, 2024, entitled "A Communication Method and Apparatus", the entire contents of which are incorporated herein by reference. Technical Field

[0003] This application relates to the field of communications, and in particular to a communication method and apparatus. Background Technology

[0004] The 3rd Generation Partnership Project (3GPP) standardization organization proposed a new way of dividing base station functions in the 5G New Radio (NR) protocol. The base station function can be split into a central unit (CU), a distributed unit (DU), and a radio unit (RU).

[0005] Currently, the radio unit (RU) can calculate the weight coefficients required for precoding and perform precoding on user data based on the calculated weight coefficients. However, in this process, the RU needs to interact with the distributed unit (DU) multiple times to calculate the weight coefficients, and the amount of data exchanged is relatively large, resulting in a long latency for precoding and hindering the improvement of data transmission efficiency. Summary of the Invention

[0006] This application provides a communication method and apparatus to reduce the amount of data exchanged between DU and RU.

[0007] Firstly, this application provides a communication method applied to a wireless unit in an access network device. The wireless unit can be understood as a device with antenna unit functionality or a component within an antenna unit, or a device capable of supporting the antenna unit in achieving this function, such as a chip system, hardware circuit, software module, or a combination of hardware circuit and software module. Taking the antenna unit as the executing entity of this method as an example, the method includes: the antenna unit receiving multiple detection reference signals from K terminals, where K is a positive integer, and each of the K terminals corresponding to one or more of the multiple detection reference signals; the antenna unit determining channel estimation information between the K terminals and the access network device based on the multiple detection reference signals. The antenna unit receives the scheduling result and calculates the first weight information based on the scheduling result. The scheduling result indicates the scheduling of M terminals and the data streams corresponding to the M terminals. The M terminals belong to the K terminals, M≤K, and M is a positive integer. The first weight information is determined based on the channel estimation information between the M terminals and the access network device. The antenna unit processes the data streams corresponding to the M terminals based on the first weight information and sends the processed data streams corresponding to the M terminals.

[0008] Using the above method, the antenna element does not need to provide the original detection reference signal to the distributed element, which can reduce the amount of data exchanged, help ensure precoding delay, and improve communication efficiency.

[0009] In one possible design, before receiving the scheduling results, the antenna element transmits channel estimation information between the K terminals and the access network device, respectively. Using this design, the antenna element can provide the distributed unit with channel estimation information between the K terminals and the access network device, respectively.

[0010] In one possible design, before receiving the scheduling result, the antenna unit transmits second weight information, which includes individual user weights corresponding to the K terminals respectively. The individual user weight of each of the K terminals is determined based on channel estimation information between the corresponding terminal and the access network device. Using this design, the antenna unit can provide the distributed unit with the individual user weights corresponding to the K terminals respectively.

[0011] In one possible design, before receiving the scheduling results, the antenna unit transmits the channel measurement results corresponding to the K terminals respectively. The channel measurement result for each of the K terminals is determined based on channel estimation information between the corresponding terminal and the access network equipment. Each channel measurement result includes the signal-to-interference-plus-noise ratio (SNR) before equalization and / or the SNR after equalization. Using this design, the antenna unit can provide the distributed unit with the channel measurement results corresponding to the K terminals respectively.

[0012] In one possible design, the antenna unit transmits N channel estimation information, the identifier of the antenna port corresponding to each of the N channel estimation information, and the identifier of the first frequency domain resource. The N channel estimation information corresponds one-to-one with the N antenna ports of the first terminal. The N antenna ports are some or all of the antenna ports of the first terminal. The i-th channel estimation information is the channel estimation information between the i-th antenna port of the first terminal and the antenna port of the access network device on the first frequency domain resource, i≤N, and i and N are positive integers.

[0013] By adopting the above design, the antenna unit can provide more granular information to the distributed unit, and the distributed information can determine the scheduling result based on the above information, which is conducive to improving communication efficiency.

[0014] In one possible design, the antenna unit transmits third weight information, which includes N single-user weights of the first terminal, the identifier of the antenna port corresponding to each of the N single-user weights, and the identifier of the first frequency domain resource. The N single-user weights correspond one-to-one with the N antenna ports of the first terminal, and the N antenna ports are some or all of the antenna ports of the first terminal. The i-th single-user weight indicates the weight of the data stream corresponding to the i-th antenna port of the first terminal on the first frequency domain resource on different antenna ports of the access network device, i ≤ N, and i and N are positive integers.

[0015] By adopting the above design, the antenna unit can provide more granular information to the distributed unit, and the distributed information can determine the scheduling result based on the above information, which is conducive to improving communication efficiency.

[0016] In one possible design, the antenna unit receives N probe reference signals transmitted by the first terminal through the N antenna ports on the first frequency domain resource, where N is a positive integer, and the N antenna ports and the N probe reference signals correspond one-to-one. The i-th probe reference signal is any one of the N probe reference signals, transmitted by the first terminal through the i-th antenna port on the first frequency domain resource, where i ≤ N and i is a positive integer. The antenna unit determines the N channel estimation information based on the N probe reference signals, and the N channel estimation information corresponds one-to-one with the N probe reference signals.

[0017] In one possible design, the antenna element determines the N single-user weights based on the N channel estimation information, wherein each single-user weight in the N channel estimation information is determined based on the N channel estimation information.

[0018] In one possible design, the antenna element transmits the plurality of detection reference signals before receiving the scheduling results.

[0019] In one possible design, the plurality of detection reference signals are beam-dimensional detection reference signals.

[0020] In one possible design, the antenna element converts the plurality of probe reference signals from probe reference signals in the antenna port dimension to probe reference signals in the beam dimension.

[0021] In one possible design, the antenna unit determines the single-user weights corresponding to the K terminals respectively based on the channel estimation information between the K terminals and the access network device; when calculating the first weight information based on the scheduling result, the antenna unit determines the single-user weights corresponding to the M terminals respectively from the single-user weights corresponding to the K terminals respectively based on the scheduling result, and calculates the first weight information based on the single-user weights corresponding to the M terminals respectively.

[0022] In one possible design, when calculating the first weight information based on the scheduling result, the antenna unit determines the channel estimation information between the M terminals and the access network device from the channel estimation information between the K terminals and the access network device, determines the single-user weight corresponding to the M terminals based on the channel estimation information between the M terminals and the access network device, and calculates the first weight information based on the single-user weight corresponding to the M terminals.

[0023] In one possible design, if M=1, the first weight information indicates the single-user weight of a terminal, wherein the single-user weight of a terminal includes the weight of the data stream of the terminal on each antenna port of the access network device; if M≥2, and the data streams corresponding to the M terminals are carried through the same frequency domain resources, the first weight information indicates the multi-user weights corresponding to the M terminals, wherein the multi-user weights of the M terminals include the weight of the data stream of each of the M terminals on each antenna port of the access network device.

[0024] In one possible design, the scheduling result also includes indication information, which indicates whether the current scheduling is a single-user scheduling or a multi-user scheduling.

[0025] In one possible design, the scheduling result also indicates a second frequency domain resource, which is used to carry the data streams corresponding to the M terminals respectively.

[0026] In one possible design, the plurality of detection reference signals are carried by a third frequency domain resource; the second frequency domain resource belongs to the third frequency domain resource.

[0027] Secondly, this application provides a communication method applied to a distributed unit in an access network device. The distributed unit can be understood as a device with distributed unit functionality or a component within a distributed unit, or a device capable of supporting the distributed unit in implementing this function, such as a chip system, hardware circuit, software module, or a hardware circuit plus a software module. Taking the distributed unit as the executing entity of this method as an example, the method includes: the distributed unit receiving channel estimation information between K terminals and the access network device from a wireless unit, where K is a positive integer; the distributed unit determining a scheduling result based on the channel estimation information between the K terminals and the access network device, and sending the scheduling result, wherein the scheduling result indicates the scheduling of M terminals and the data streams corresponding to the M terminals, where M is a positive integer, and the M terminals belong to the K terminals.

[0028] Using the above method, the distributed unit does not need to obtain and process the original probe reference signal. By receiving the channel estimation information between the K terminals of the wireless unit and the access network device respectively, and determining the scheduling result based on the channel estimation information between the K terminals and the access network device respectively, the amount of data exchanged can be reduced, which is beneficial to ensuring precoding latency and improving communication efficiency.

[0029] In one possible design, the distributed unit receives second weight information from the radio unit, the second weight information including the single-user weights corresponding to the K terminals respectively; when determining the scheduling result based on the channel estimation information between the K terminals and the access network device respectively, the distributed unit determines the scheduling result based on the channel estimation information between the K terminals and the access network device respectively and the single-user weights corresponding to the K terminals respectively.

[0030] In one possible design, the distributed unit receives channel measurement results corresponding to the K terminals from the wireless unit, wherein each channel measurement result includes a signal-to-interference-plus-noise ratio (SIR) before equalization and / or a SIR after equalization; and determines the scheduling result based on the channel estimation information between the K terminals and the access network device, and the distributed unit determines the scheduling result based on the channel estimation information between the K terminals and the access network device and the channel measurement results corresponding to the K terminals.

[0031] In one possible design, the distributed unit receives N channel estimation information from the wireless unit, the identifier of the antenna port corresponding to each of the N channel estimation information, and the identifier of the first frequency domain resource. The N channel estimation information corresponds one-to-one with the N antenna ports of the first terminal. The N antenna ports are some or all of the antenna ports of the first terminal. The i-th channel estimation information is the channel estimation information between the i-th antenna port and the antenna port of the access network device on the first frequency domain resource, i≤N, and i and N are positive integers.

[0032] In one possible design, the distributed unit receives third weight information from the wireless unit. The third weight information includes N single-user weights of the first terminal, the identifier of the antenna port corresponding to each of the N single-user weights, and the identifier of the first frequency domain resource. The N single-user weights correspond one-to-one with the N antenna ports of the first terminal. The i-th single-user weight indicates the weight of the data stream corresponding to the i-th antenna port on the first frequency domain resource on different antenna ports of the access network device, i ≤ N, and i and N are positive integers.

[0033] In one possible design, if M=1, the first weight information indicates the single-user weight of a terminal, wherein the single-user weight of a terminal includes the weight of the data stream of the terminal on each antenna port of the access network device; if M≥2, and the data streams corresponding to the M terminals are carried through the same frequency domain resources, the first weight information indicates the multi-user weights corresponding to the M terminals, wherein the multi-user weights of the M terminals include the weight of the data stream of each of the M terminals on each antenna port of the access network device.

[0034] In one possible design, the scheduling result also includes indication information, which indicates whether the current scheduling is a single-user scheduling or a multi-user scheduling.

[0035] In one possible design, the scheduling result also indicates a second frequency domain resource, which is used to carry the data streams corresponding to the M terminals respectively.

[0036] In one possible design, the plurality of detection reference signals are carried by a third frequency domain resource; the second frequency domain resource belongs to the third frequency domain resource.

[0037] Thirdly, this application provides a communication method applied to a distributed unit in an access network device. The distributed unit can be understood as a device with distributed unit functionality or a component within a distributed unit, or a device capable of supporting the distributed unit in implementing this function, such as a chip system, hardware circuit, software module, or a hardware circuit plus a software module. Taking the distributed unit as the executing entity of this method as an example, the method includes: the distributed unit receiving multiple probe reference signals from a radio unit, each of K terminals corresponding to one or more of the multiple probe reference signals; determining channel estimation information between the K terminals and the access network device based on the multiple probe reference signals; receiving second weight information from the radio unit, the second weight information including single-user weights corresponding to the K terminals; determining a scheduling result based on the channel estimation information between the K terminals and the access network device and the single-user weights corresponding to the K terminals; and sending the scheduling result, the scheduling result indicating the scheduling of M terminals and the data streams corresponding to the M terminals, where M is a positive integer, and the M terminals belong to the K terminals.

[0038] Using the above method, the antenna element can provide the original probe reference signal to the distributed element. The antenna element and the distributed element do not need to transmit channel state information determined based on the probe reference signal, which can reduce the amount of data exchanged, help ensure precoding delay, and improve communication efficiency.

[0039] In one possible design, the distributed unit receives channel measurement results corresponding to the K terminals from the wireless unit, wherein each channel measurement result includes a signal-to-interference-plus-noise ratio (SIR) before equalization and / or a SIR after equalization; when determining the scheduling result based on the channel estimation information between the K terminals and the access network device and the single-user weights corresponding to the K terminals, the distributed unit determines the scheduling result based on the channel estimation information between the K terminals and the access network device, the single-user weights corresponding to the K terminals, and the channel measurement results corresponding to the K terminals.

[0040] In one possible design, the distributed unit receives N channel estimation information from the wireless unit, the identifier of the antenna port corresponding to each of the N channel estimation information, and the identifier of the first frequency domain resource. The N channel estimation information corresponds one-to-one with the N antenna ports of the first terminal. The N antenna ports are some or all of the antenna ports of the first terminal. The i-th channel estimation information is the channel estimation information between the i-th antenna port and the antenna port of the access network device on the first frequency domain resource, i≤N, and i and N are positive integers.

[0041] By adopting the above design, the distributed unit can determine the scheduling result based on more granular information, which is beneficial to improving communication efficiency.

[0042] In one possible design, the distributed unit receives third weight information from the wireless unit. The third weight information includes N single-user weights of the first terminal, the identifier of the antenna port corresponding to each of the N single-user weights, and the identifier of the first frequency domain resource. The N single-user weights correspond one-to-one with the N antenna ports of the first terminal. The i-th single-user weight indicates the weight of the data stream corresponding to the i-th antenna port on the first frequency domain resource on different antenna ports of the access network device, i ≤ N, and i and N are positive integers.

[0043] By adopting the above design, the distributed unit can determine the scheduling result based on more granular information, which is beneficial to improving communication efficiency.

[0044] In one possible design, if M=1, the first weight information indicates the single-user weight of a terminal, wherein the single-user weight of a terminal includes the weight of the data stream of the terminal on each antenna port of the access network device; if M≥2, and the data streams corresponding to the M terminals are carried through the same frequency domain resources, the first weight information indicates the multi-user weights corresponding to the M terminals, wherein the multi-user weights of the M terminals include the weight of the data stream of each of the M terminals on each antenna port of the access network device.

[0045] In one possible design, the scheduling result also includes indication information, which indicates whether the current scheduling is a single-user scheduling or a multi-user scheduling.

[0046] In one possible design, the scheduling result also indicates a second frequency domain resource, which is used to carry the data streams corresponding to the M terminals respectively.

[0047] In one possible design, the plurality of detection reference signals are carried by a third frequency domain resource; the second frequency domain resource belongs to the third frequency domain resource.

[0048] Fourthly, this application provides a communication device, comprising: a transceiver unit and a processing unit; the transceiver unit is configured to receive multiple probe reference signals from K terminals, where K is a positive integer, and each of the K terminals corresponds to one or more probe reference signals among the multiple probe reference signals; the processing unit is configured to determine channel estimation information between the K terminals and the access network device based on the multiple probe reference signals; the transceiver unit is configured to receive a scheduling result, the scheduling result indicating the scheduling of M terminals and the data streams corresponding to the M terminals, wherein the M terminals belong to the K terminals, M≤K, and M is a positive integer; the processing unit is configured to calculate first weight information based on the scheduling result, wherein the first weight information is determined based on the channel estimation information between the M terminals and the access network device; and process the data streams corresponding to the M terminals based on the first weight information; the transceiver unit is configured to transmit the processed data streams corresponding to the M terminals.

[0049] In one possible design, the transceiver unit is used to send channel estimation information between the K terminals and the access network device respectively before receiving the scheduling result.

[0050] In one possible design, the transceiver unit is configured to send second weight information before receiving the scheduling result. The second weight information includes the single-user weights corresponding to the K terminals respectively, wherein the single-user weight of each of the K terminals is determined based on the channel estimation information between the corresponding terminal and the access network device.

[0051] In one possible design, the transceiver unit is configured to send channel measurement results corresponding to the K terminals respectively before receiving the scheduling result, wherein the channel measurement result of each of the K terminals is determined based on the channel estimation information between the corresponding terminal and the access network device, and each channel measurement result includes the signal-to-interference-plus-noise ratio before equalization and / or the signal-to-interference-plus-noise ratio after equalization.

[0052] In one possible design, the transceiver unit is used to transmit N channel estimation information, the identifier of the antenna port corresponding to each of the N channel estimation information, and the identifier of the first frequency domain resource. The N channel estimation information corresponds one-to-one with the N antenna ports of the first terminal. The N antenna ports are some or all of the antenna ports of the first terminal. The i-th channel estimation information is the channel estimation information between the i-th antenna port of the first terminal and the antenna port of the access network device on the first frequency domain resource, i≤N, and i and N are positive integers.

[0053] In one possible design, the transceiver unit is used to transmit third weight information, which includes N single-user weights of the first terminal, the identifier of the antenna port corresponding to each of the N single-user weights, and the identifier of the first frequency domain resource. The N single-user weights correspond one-to-one with the N antenna ports of the first terminal, and the N antenna ports are some or all of the antenna ports of the first terminal. The i-th single-user weight indicates the weight of the data stream corresponding to the i-th antenna port of the first terminal on the first frequency domain resource on different antenna ports of the access network device, i ≤ N, and i and N are positive integers.

[0054] In one possible design, a transceiver unit is configured to receive, on the first frequency domain resource, the N probe reference signals transmitted by the first terminal through the N antenna ports, where N is a positive integer, and the N antenna ports and the N probe reference signals correspond one-to-one, wherein the i-th probe reference signal is any one of the N probe reference signals, and the i-th probe reference signal is transmitted by the first terminal on the first frequency domain resource through the i-th antenna port, i≤N, and i is a positive integer; a processing unit is configured to determine the N channel estimation information based on the N probe reference signals, wherein the N channel estimation information corresponds one-to-one with the N probe reference signals.

[0055] In one possible design, the processing unit is configured to determine the N single-user weights based on the N channel estimation information, wherein each single-user weight in the N channel estimation information is determined based on the N channel estimation information.

[0056] In one possible design, the transceiver unit is used to send the plurality of probe reference signals before receiving the scheduling results.

[0057] In one possible design, the plurality of detection reference signals are beam-dimensional detection reference signals.

[0058] In one possible design, a processing unit is used to convert the plurality of probe reference signals from probe reference signals in the antenna port dimension to probe reference signals in the beam dimension.

[0059] In one possible design, the processing unit is configured to determine the single-user weights corresponding to the K terminals respectively based on the channel estimation information between the K terminals and the access network device; when calculating the first weight information based on the scheduling result, the processing unit is configured to determine the single-user weights corresponding to the M terminals respectively from the single-user weights corresponding to the K terminals based on the scheduling result; and calculate the first weight information based on the single-user weights corresponding to the M terminals.

[0060] In one possible design, the processing unit is configured to, when calculating the first weight information based on the scheduling result, determine the channel estimation information between the M terminals and the access network device respectively from the channel estimation information between the K terminals and the access network device respectively based on the scheduling result; determine the single-user weight corresponding to the M terminals respectively based on the channel estimation information between the M terminals and the access network device respectively; and calculate the first weight information based on the single-user weight corresponding to the M terminals respectively.

[0061] In one possible design, if M=1, the first weight information indicates the single-user weight of a terminal, wherein the single-user weight of a terminal includes the weight of the data stream of the terminal on each antenna port of the access network device; if M≥2, and the data streams corresponding to the M terminals are carried through the same frequency domain resources, the first weight information indicates the multi-user weights corresponding to the M terminals, wherein the multi-user weights of the M terminals include the weight of the data stream of each of the M terminals on each antenna port of the access network device.

[0062] In one possible design, the scheduling result also includes indication information, which indicates whether the current scheduling is a single-user scheduling or a multi-user scheduling.

[0063] In one possible design, the scheduling result also indicates a second frequency domain resource, which is used to carry the data streams corresponding to the M terminals respectively.

[0064] In one possible design, the plurality of detection reference signals are carried by a third frequency domain resource; the second frequency domain resource belongs to the third frequency domain resource.

[0065] Fifthly, this application provides a communication device, comprising: a transceiver unit and a processing unit; the transceiver unit is configured to receive channel estimation information between K terminals and an access network device from a wireless unit, wherein K is a positive integer; the processing unit is configured to determine a scheduling result based on the channel estimation information between the K terminals and the access network device, wherein the scheduling result indicates the scheduling of M terminals and the data streams corresponding to the M terminals, wherein M is a positive integer and the M terminals belong to the K terminals; the transceiver unit is configured to transmit the scheduling result.

[0066] In one possible design, a transceiver unit is configured to receive second weight information from the radio unit, the second weight information including individual user weights corresponding to the K terminals respectively; and a processing unit is configured to determine the scheduling result based on the channel estimation information between the K terminals and the access network device and the individual user weights corresponding to the K terminals respectively when determining the scheduling result based on the channel estimation information between the K terminals and the access network device respectively.

[0067] In one possible design, a transceiver unit is configured to receive channel measurement results corresponding to the K terminals from the wireless unit, wherein each channel measurement result includes a signal-to-interference-plus-noise ratio (SIR) before equalization and / or a SIR after equalization; a processing unit is configured to determine the scheduling result based on the channel estimation information between the K terminals and the access network device and the channel measurement results corresponding to the K terminals when determining the scheduling result based on the channel estimation information between the K terminals and the access network device.

[0068] In one possible design, the transceiver unit is configured to receive N channel estimation information from the wireless unit, an identifier of the antenna port corresponding to each of the N channel estimation information, and an identifier of the first frequency domain resource. The N channel estimation information corresponds one-to-one with the N antenna ports of the first terminal, and the N antenna ports are some or all of the antenna ports of the first terminal. The i-th channel estimation information is the channel estimation information between the i-th antenna port and the antenna port of the access network device on the first frequency domain resource, i≤N, and i and N are positive integers.

[0069] In one possible design, a transceiver unit is used to receive third weight information from the wireless unit. The third weight information includes N single-user weights of the first terminal, the identifier of the antenna port corresponding to each of the N single-user weights, and the identifier of the first frequency domain resource. The N single-user weights correspond one-to-one with the N antenna ports of the first terminal. The i-th single-user weight indicates the weight of the data stream corresponding to the i-th antenna port on the first frequency domain resource on different antenna ports of the access network device, i ≤ N, and i and N are positive integers.

[0070] In one possible design, if M=1, the first weight information indicates the single-user weight of a terminal, wherein the single-user weight of a terminal includes the weight of the data stream of the terminal on each antenna port of the access network device; if M≥2, and the data streams corresponding to the M terminals are carried through the same frequency domain resources, the first weight information indicates the multi-user weights corresponding to the M terminals, wherein the multi-user weights of the M terminals include the weight of the data stream of each of the M terminals on each antenna port of the access network device.

[0071] In one possible design, the scheduling result also includes indication information, which indicates whether the current scheduling is a single-user scheduling or a multi-user scheduling.

[0072] In one possible design, the scheduling result also indicates a second frequency domain resource, which is used to carry the data streams corresponding to the M terminals respectively.

[0073] In one possible design, the plurality of detection reference signals are carried by a third frequency domain resource; the second frequency domain resource belongs to the third frequency domain resource.

[0074] In a sixth aspect, this application provides a communication apparatus, comprising: a transceiver unit and a processing unit; the transceiver unit is configured to receive a plurality of probe reference signals from a radio unit, wherein each of K terminals corresponds to one or more of the plurality of probe reference signals; the processing unit is configured to determine channel estimation information between the K terminals and the access network device based on the plurality of probe reference signals; the transceiver unit is configured to receive second weight information from the radio unit, the second weight information including single-user weights corresponding to the K terminals; the processing unit is configured to determine a scheduling result based on the channel estimation information between the K terminals and the access network device and the single-user weights corresponding to the K terminals, the scheduling result indicating the scheduling of M terminals and data streams corresponding to the M terminals, where M is a positive integer and the M terminals belong to the K terminals; the transceiver unit is configured to transmit the scheduling result.

[0075] In one possible design, a transceiver unit is configured to receive channel measurement results corresponding to the K terminals from the wireless unit, wherein each channel measurement result includes a signal-to-interference-plus-noise ratio (SIR) before equalization and / or a SIR after equalization; a processing unit is configured to determine the scheduling result based on the channel estimation information between the K terminals and the access network device, the single-user weights corresponding to the K terminals, and the channel measurement results corresponding to the K terminals when determining the scheduling result based on the channel estimation information between the K terminals and the access network device, the single-user weights corresponding to the K terminals, and the channel measurement results corresponding to the K terminals.

[0076] In one possible design, the transceiver unit is configured to receive N channel estimation information from the wireless unit, an identifier of the antenna port corresponding to each of the N channel estimation information, and an identifier of the first frequency domain resource. The N channel estimation information corresponds one-to-one with the N antenna ports of the first terminal, and the N antenna ports are some or all of the antenna ports of the first terminal. The i-th channel estimation information is the channel estimation information between the i-th antenna port and the antenna port of the access network device on the first frequency domain resource, i≤N, and i and N are positive integers.

[0077] In one possible design, a transceiver unit is used to receive third weight information from the wireless unit. The third weight information includes N single-user weights of the first terminal, the identifier of the antenna port corresponding to each of the N single-user weights, and the identifier of the first frequency domain resource. The N single-user weights correspond one-to-one with the N antenna ports of the first terminal. The i-th single-user weight indicates the weight of the data stream corresponding to the i-th antenna port on the first frequency domain resource on different antenna ports of the access network device, i ≤ N, and i and N are positive integers.

[0078] In one possible design, if M=1, the first weight information indicates the single-user weight of a terminal, wherein the single-user weight of a terminal includes the weight of the data stream of the terminal on each antenna port of the access network device; if M≥2, and the data streams corresponding to the M terminals are carried through the same frequency domain resources, the first weight information indicates the multi-user weights corresponding to the M terminals, wherein the multi-user weights of the M terminals include the weight of the data stream of each of the M terminals on each antenna port of the access network device.

[0079] In one possible design, the scheduling result also includes indication information, which indicates whether the current scheduling is a single-user scheduling or a multi-user scheduling.

[0080] In one possible design, the scheduling result also indicates a second frequency domain resource, which is used to carry the data streams corresponding to the M terminals respectively.

[0081] In one possible design, the plurality of detection reference signals are carried by a third frequency domain resource; the second frequency domain resource belongs to the third frequency domain resource.

[0082] In a seventh aspect, this application provides a communication device that has the functions of implementing the first to third aspects described above. For example, the communication device includes modules, units, or means that perform the operations involved in the first to third aspects described above. These modules, units, or means can be implemented by software, hardware, or a combination of software and hardware.

[0083] Eighthly, this application provides a communication device including an interface circuit and one or more processors. The one or more processors are coupled to a memory. The memory stores part or all of the necessary computer programs or instructions for implementing the functions described in the first to third aspects. The one or more processors can execute the computer programs or instructions, which, when executed, cause the communication device to implement the methods in any possible design or implementation of the first to third aspects. The interface circuit is used to implement the communication functions within the communication device and / or the communication functions between the communication device and other devices or components.

[0084] In one possible design, the processor is used to communicate with other devices or components through the interface circuit.

[0085] In one possible design, the communication device may also include the memory.

[0086] Ninthly, this application provides an access network device including an antenna unit and a distributed unit, wherein the antenna unit is used to perform the method in any possible design of the first aspect described above, and the distributed unit is used to perform the method in any possible design of the second or third aspect described above.

[0087] In a tenth aspect, this application provides a computer-readable storage medium storing computer-readable instructions that, when read and executed by a computer, cause the computer to perform any of the possible designs in the first to third aspects described above.

[0088] In one aspect, this application provides a computer program product that, when read and executed by a computer, causes the computer to perform any of the possible designs in the first to third aspects described above. Attached Figure Description

[0089] Figure 1 shows a schematic diagram of the new RAN architecture for future communication systems;

[0090] Figure 2 shows a schematic diagram of the functional division of the communication protocol stack between the BBU and RRU;

[0091] Figure 3 shows a schematic diagram of the CU / DU separation architecture of gNB under the 5G NG-RAN architecture;

[0092] Figure 4 shows a schematic diagram of the internal segmentation of the downlink physical layer;

[0093] Figure 5 shows a schematic diagram of the internal segmentation of the uplink physical layer;

[0094] Figure 6 shows a schematic diagram of a communication system with a functional segmentation architecture for access network equipment;

[0095] Figure 7 shows a schematic diagram illustrating various options for access network device function segmentation;

[0096] Figure 8 shows a schematic diagram of the open RAN architecture;

[0097] Figure 9 shows a schematic diagram of the split architecture of O-RAN CIBF;

[0098] Figure 10 shows an overview flowchart of a communication method in this application;

[0099] Figures 11A and 11B show schematic diagrams of two possible fronthaul split architectures;

[0100] Figure 12 shows an overview flowchart of another communication method in this application;

[0101] Figures 13A and 13B show schematic diagrams of two other possible fronthaul split architectures;

[0102] Figure 14 shows one of the structural schematic diagrams of a communication device according to this application;

[0103] Figure 15 shows a second schematic diagram of the structure of a communication device according to this application. Detailed Implementation

[0104] The specific implementations of this application are described below with reference to the accompanying drawings in the embodiments. However, the implementations of this application may also include combining these embodiments without departing from the scope of this application, such as using other embodiments and making structural changes. Therefore, the detailed description of the following embodiments should not be understood in a limiting sense. The terminology used in the embodiment section of this application is only used to explain the specific embodiments of this application and is not intended to limit this application.

[0105] Recently, the industry has proposed a new radio access network (RAN) architecture for future communication systems, as shown in Figure 1. The new architecture re-segments base station functions into radio unit (RU) functions, radio network area (RNA) functions, and RAN automation functions. RNA and RU functions communicate through a low layer split (LLS) interface. A RAN-UE interface is established between RU and user equipment (UE). A RAN-CN interface exists between RNA and the core network (CN). RAN automation functions manage RU and RNA functions through a network function (NF) management interface.

[0106] In global system for mobile communications (GSM), wideband code division multiple access (WCDMA), universal mobile telecommunications system (UMTS), long term evolution (LTE), and fifth-generation (5G) communication systems, base station functional entities have been divided into two functional units according to the underlying layer (i.e., physical layer and radio frequency part): baseband unit (BBU) and remote radio unit (RRU). The BBU is connected to one or more RRUs through fiber optic, metal cabling, or microwave links. The BBU mainly performs upper-layer centralized processing of baseband signals, while the RRU mainly performs functions such as receiving and transmitting baseband signals, as well as modulation and demodulation, data processing, and power amplification of mid-frequency and radio frequency signals. The RRU is closer to the antenna, resulting in lower feeder loss, and can also be called RU or active antenna unit (AAU). The interface between the BBU and RRU is usually called the fronthaul interface or underlying layer split interface.

[0107] In the base station systems corresponding to 2G, 3G, and 4G respectively, the interface specification between BBU and RRU adopts the Common Public Radio Interface (CPRI) protocol. The CPRI protocol defines the key communication interface specifications between radio equipment control (REC) and radio equipment (RE) in wireless communication networks. It includes the specification of functional decomposition between BBU and RRU from the radio frequency (RF) layer and physical layer (PHY) layer in the communication protocol stack, as shown in Figure 2. The RF layer functions are located in RRU, and the PHY layer and above are located in BBU.

[0108] Since the amount of communication data transmitted between the PHY layer of the BBU and the RF layer of the RRU is directly related to the size of the antenna array, the splitting method specified by the CPRI protocol results in an excessive amount of data on the fronthaul interface, which cannot support the scenario of 5G massive antenna arrays.

[0109] For example, a single fiber optic cable with a bandwidth of 9.8 gigabits per second (Gbps) can only support two cells with four transmit antennas and four receive antennas (4T4R) and a wireless bandwidth of 20 MHz on a CPRI fronthaul interface. The fronthaul interface traffic is approximately 3.9 Gbps. Therefore, the 9.8 Gbps fiber can support two such cells, 9.8 > 3.9 * 2. However, a cell with 64 antennas and an air interface bandwidth of 100 MHz has a fronthaul interface traffic of approximately 312 Gbps, requiring 32 such fibers to be deployed on the CPRI interface, 32 * 9.8 > 312.

[0110] Therefore, by evolving the CPRI protocol, the 5G base station system adopts the enhanced CPRI protocol (eCPRI). As shown in Figure 2, the eCPRI protocol further refines the communication protocol stack of the wireless network, dividing the PHY layer into two parts: a low physical layer (low PHY) and a high physical layer (high PHY). Low physical layer functions are deployed in the RRU, while high physical layer and above functions are deployed in the BBU. The interface specifications between the BBU and RRU at the low and high physical layers have also been redefined. The eCPRI protocol transforms the interface between the BBU and RRU from the RF layer-PHY layer interface specified in the CPRI protocol to a low physical layer-high physical layer interface. This transforms the original fiber optic communication between the RF layer and PHY layer into communication within the RRU's internal board or field-programmable gate array (FPGA) chip. Simultaneously, the data dimension of communication between the BBU's high physical layer and the RRU's low physical layer is reduced, becoming less directly related to the size of the antenna array on the RRU. CPRI and eCPRI employ a bottom-level splitting approach, allowing the BBU to process baseband signals in a highly centralized manner. This enables centralized deployment of computing resources, resulting in high resource utilization and low deployment costs. However, bottom-level splitting places high demands on the fronthaul link bandwidth between the BBU and RRU, leading to high fiber optic deployment costs.

[0111] The following is a brief description of the technical concepts involved in this application:

[0112] (1) Upper-layer segmentation of base station functions (F1 interface)

[0113] To reduce the pressure on fronthaul link bandwidth and deployment costs caused by the underlying segmentation method, the 3rd Generation Partnership Project (3GPP) standardization organization proposed a new base station function segmentation method in the 5G New Radio (NR) protocol. The 5G NR base station (gNodeB, gNB) adopts a high-level segmentation approach, segmenting between the Packet Data Convergence Protocol (PDCP) layer and the Radio Link Control (RLC) layer. This splits the base station into two functional entities: a central unit (CU) and a distributed unit (DU). The midhaul link between the CU and DU has lower network bandwidth requirements. Figure 3 shows the overall architecture of the 3GPP 5G Next Generation Radio Access Network (NG-RAN). Within NG-RAN, a gNB can consist of two parts: a gNB-CU and a gNB-DU. The 5G radio access network can also be referred to as the next-generation radio access network.

[0114] (2) Base station function low-level segmentation options

[0115] The Open Radio Access Network (O-RAN) protocol defines base station (DU) and RU functional entities using a low-level splitting method. Furthermore, eight possible splitting options, from Option 1 to Option 8, are currently provided at the protocol layer granularity. As shown in Figure 4, Option 1 splits between the Radio Resource Control (RRC) layer and the PDCP layer; Option 2 splits between the PDCP layer and the RLC layer; Option 3 splits within the RLC layer; Option 4 splits between the RLC layer and the Media Access Control (MAC) layer; Option 5 splits within the MAC layer; Option 6 splits between the MAC layer and the PHY layer; Option 7 splits within the PHY layer; and Option 8 splits between the PHY layer and the RF function. Option 8 is the same as the splitting method for the interface between the BBU and RRU specified in the CPRI protocol.

[0116] (3) Downlink physical layer intra-PHY segmentation options (including O-RAN segmentation)

[0117] As shown in Figure 5, the Intra-PHY segmentation method of Option 7 can be further subdivided according to the sub-functions within the PHY layer, resulting in Options 7-1, 7-2, and 7-3. Specifically, for downlink PHY packet processing, Option 7-1 segments between the Inverse Fast Fourier Transform (IFFT) and Digital Beamforming (DBF) functions; Option 7-2 segments between precoding and layer mapping functions; and Option 7-2a segments between DBF and Resource Element (RE) mapping functions. A resource element (RE) is a unit of radio resource defined by a subcarrier and a symbol. The O-RAN protocol supports the functional division between DU and RU using Option 7-2 (also known as Category B, Cat B) or Option 7-2a (also known as Category A, Cat A) splitting points; Option 7-3 splits between modulation and scrambling. The eCPRI protocol supports interfaces between BBU and RRU using Option 7-3 splitting, and some equipment manufacturers also refer to Option 7-3 as Ie or Ie2 splitting.

[0118] (4) Uplink Intra-PHY splitting options (including O-RAN splitting)

[0119] As shown in Figure 6, for uplink PHY packet processing, Option 7-1 splits between FFT / cyclic prefix removal and DBF functions; Option 7-2 splits between resource de-mapping (RE) and channel estimation (CE) and equalization functions; Option 7-2a can also split between DBF and resource de-mapping functions; Option 7-3 splits between demodulation and de-scrambling. The eCPRI protocol supports the interface between BBU and RRU using Option 7-2 splitting points, which is defined by some equipment vendors as Ie splitting. The O-RAN protocol supports the interface between DU and RU using interface splitting according to Option 7-2a. O-RAN also supports the splitting of DU and RU functional entities between channel estimation and equalization functions and demodulation functions. This splitting point is called uplink performance improvement-class A (ULPI-A), which is defined by some equipment vendors as Ie2 splitting or next-generation LLS (NG-LLS). O-RAN also supports the splitting of DU and RU between channel estimation functions and equalization functions. This splitting method is called uplink performance improvement-class B (ULPI-B).

[0120] (5) Intra-PHY precoding, channel estimation and equalization function modules

[0121] For the functional modules within the PHY, analog beamforming adjusts the phase of the digital signal on the antenna (all antennas process the same signal) via phase shifters in the analog domain, thereby generating a beam in a specific direction. Digital beamforming adjusts the phase and amplitude of baseband signals from different data streams, allowing each antenna to transmit a different signal. This enables more flexible generation of multiple beams with varying directions and power intensities, and more effectively utilizes spatial diversity or multiplexing. Beamforming is a signal processing technique that uses antenna arrays to transmit and receive signals directionally. By adjusting the phase parameters of the basic elements of the antenna array, signals at certain angles undergo constructive interference, while signals at other angles undergo destructive interference, effectively aligning the target signal only with the target receiver.

[0122] In actual systems, the BBU will also deploy a sounding reference signal-based beamforing (SRS-BF) generation function as well as a single-user beamforing (SU-BF) or multi-user beamforing (MU-BF) generation function. These functions are used to generate single-user weight coefficients (SU weights) or multi-user signal weight coefficients (MU weights) and provide them to the precoding module.

[0123] The sounding reference signal (SRS) is a signal sent by the terminal to the base station to probe the uplink channel. The base station receives the SRS and generates an SRS measurement report, which includes an uplink precoding matrix indication (PMI), an uplink channel quality indicator (CQI), and an uplink rank indication (RI). The base station sends the PMI to the terminal for uplink beamforming. Alternatively, the base station, leveraging the reciprocity of uplink and downlink channels in a time division duplex (TDD) system, inputs the SRS measurement report into the SU-BF or MU-BF to generate downlink weight coefficients. The corresponding signal to the SRS is the channel state information reference signal (CSI-RS). The CSI-RS is sent by the base station to the terminal to probe the downlink channel conditions. The terminal receives the CSI-RS signal and generates a CSI-RS measurement report, which includes downlink PMI, downlink CQI, and downlink RI. The terminal sends the measured CSI-RS report to the base station for downlink weight coefficient generation.

[0124] Furthermore, in the 5G NR protocol, the base station can send uplink or downlink demodulation reference signals (DMRS) to the terminal along with the data signals. These signals are used for demodulation of uplink or downlink data signals at the receiving side, including channel estimation and equalization of the uplink signals received by the base station or the downlink signals received by the terminal. The receiving end estimates the channel based on the DMRS signal reception results and the pilot sequence carried by the DMRS signal.

[0125] Figure 7 illustrates a possible wireless communication system architecture applicable to embodiments of this application. Data between the terminal and the server is transmitted through a base station and a core network. The base station function can be divided into three functional modules: CU, DU, and RU. The core network (e.g., a 5G core network (5GC)) can connect to one or more CUs. A CU can connect to one or more DUs via a midhaul link, and a DU can connect to one or more RUs via a fronthaul link. An RU can establish a physical transmission link with one or more terminals. CUs, DUs, and RUs can be deployed in different physical devices. The system architecture can also include scenarios where the base station function is divided into two functional modules. For example, if the CU and DU functions are deployed in the same physical device, then the CU and DU functions can be considered as one functional entity; or, if the DU and RU functions are deployed in the same physical device, then the DU and RU functions can be considered as one functional entity. The communication system is not limited to 5G network architecture but is also applicable to LTE networks and future communication network architectures, such as other network architectures with communication connectivity capabilities.

[0126] The functions of the three functional modules CU, DU, and RU shown in Figure 7 are briefly introduced below:

[0127] CU: Manages the base station's RRC, Service Data Adaptation Protocol (SDAP), and PDCP protocols, and controls one or more DU operations. The CU connects to the DU via the F1 interface. The CU is responsible for slow processing of non-real-time functions within the base station, such as handover and connection management.

[0128] DU: Manages the RLC, MAC, and PHY layers of the base station; its operation is controlled by CU. One DU supports one or more cells. One cell supports only one DU. The DU is responsible for the rapid processing of real-time functions within the base station, such as encoding / decoding and fast scheduling.

[0129] RU: Primarily responsible for receiving and transmitting baseband signals, as well as modulation and demodulation of radio frequency signals, data processing, and power amplification. RUs are deployed close to the antenna, resulting in low feeder loss.

[0130] Figure 8 shows a schematic diagram of an open radio access network that may be applied in the embodiments of this application. The O-RAN protocol divides the baseband unit and radio unit into three different modules and their protocol layers: O-RAN Radio Unit (O-RAN RU, O-RU), O-RAN Distributed Unit (O-RAN DU, O-DU), and O-RAN Central Unit (O-RAN CU, O-CU), and strives to maintain consistency and reuse with the network elements of the RAN access network defined by the 3GPP standard. The O-RAN architecture includes the following core components:

[0131] 1) O-RU: Its functions include the RU functions mentioned above, which are used to handle the lower part of the physical layer functions and communicate with the O-DU through the fronthaul interface between the O-DU and the O-RU.

[0132] 2) O-DU: Its functions include those of the DU mentioned above, used for baseband processing, scheduling, radio link control, media access control, and the higher-level physical layer. The O-DU communicates with the O-RU through the fronthaul interface and with the O-CU through the F1 interface between the O-DU and O-CU.

[0133] 3) O-CU: Its functions include those of the CU mentioned above, and it is used to handle protocol layer functions such as SDAP. The O-CU communicates with the O-DU through the F1 interface.

[0134] 4) Near-real-time RAN intelligent controller (Near-RT RIC): Used to collect network information and perform necessary optimization tasks. The Near-RT RIC communicates with the O-CU and O-DU via the E2 interface.

[0135] 4) Service Management and Orchestration Framework (SMO): This is a subsystem of OAM network management and non-real-time radio resource control. Its main functions include: 1) Operations, Administration and Maintenance (OAM) of cloud infrastructure, i.e., operation, maintenance and management of cloud infrastructure through the O2 interface; 2) RAN OAM, i.e., operation, maintenance and management of the radio access network through the O1 interface; 3) Non-Real Time RAN Intelligent Control (Non-RT RIC), i.e., combining artificial intelligence and big data analytics to implement non-real-time macro-control and intervention of O-RAN radio resources through the A1 interface. Each managed logical network element (O-RU / O-DU / O-CU) in the O-RAN architecture can act as an independent entity, communicating with the SMO using an independent, publicly accessible O1 communication interface.

[0136] Currently, the O-RAN protocol supports RUs to perform precoding on user data and allows RUs to calculate the weight coefficients (including SU weights and MU weights) required for precoding. The O-RAN protocol refers to the way RUs perform weight coefficient calculation as channel information-based beamforming (CIBF).

[0137] In this approach, the DU can periodically provide the RU with channel state information (CSI) and scheduling results for each terminal. The scheduling result can refer to the scheduled terminal. Based on the obtained CSI and scheduling results, the RU can calculate the weighting coefficients required for precoding the data stream of the scheduled terminal, process the data stream of the scheduled terminal according to the calculated weighting coefficients, and then transmit the processed data stream. Using this method, the interference cancellation benefit or diversity benefit of the scheduled terminal can be obtained.

[0138] As shown in Figure 9, the RU first needs to transmit the SRS to the DU, which then performs the SRS processing. This SRS processing specifically includes channel estimation and measurement. Further, the DU transmits the processed SRS channel estimation information and scheduling results back to the RU. Finally, the RU calculates the weight coefficients (including SU and MU weights) required for precoding based on this channel information and scheduling results, and then uses these calculated weight coefficients for precoding. This method involves numerous interaction steps between the DU and RU, requires a large amount of data exchange at the fronthaul interface, and increases the complexity of the information exchange timing at the fronthaul interface during weight coefficient calculation, posing a latency challenge to the real-time calculation of weights.

[0139] Based on this, in order to reduce the amount of data exchanged between the DU and RU, embodiments of this application provide the communication method shown in Figures 10 and 12. It is understood that the following embodiments are described using the distributed unit and wireless unit in the access network device as the execution entities. The distributed unit or wireless unit can be referred to as a communication device. Taking the distributed unit as an example, the distributed unit can be understood as a device with distributed unit functions or a part of a distributed unit, or it can be a device that supports the distributed unit in realizing this function, such as a chip system, hardware circuit, software module, or hardware circuit plus software module. This device can be installed in the distributed unit or can be used in conjunction with the distributed unit. Similarly, the wireless unit can also have similar extensions as described above, which will not be repeated here.

[0140] Referring to Figures 10, 11A, and 11B, this application provides a communication method, which includes:

[0141] Step 1001: The antenna unit receives multiple detection reference signals from K terminals.

[0142] Where K is a positive integer, and each of the K terminals corresponds to one or more of the multiple detection reference signals.

[0143] For example, the antenna unit receiving multiple probe reference signals from K terminals can be understood as the antenna unit receiving multiple probe reference signals from K terminals over a period of time; or, in other words, some or all of the K terminals can periodically transmit probe reference signals, and the antenna unit can receive probe reference signals from one or more rounds. That is to say, the multiple probe reference signals involved in step 1001 are not limited to the probe reference signals received by the antenna unit at one time.

[0144] For example, let's take terminal A as an example, where terminal A is any one of K terminals. Assume terminal A has four antenna ports: antenna port 1, antenna port 2, antenna port 3, and antenna port 4. Terminal A can use antenna port 1 to transmit a sound reference signal on three REs within an RB, and achieve this through at least four rounds of transmission on all 12 REs within the RB. Similarly, terminal A can use antenna port 2 to achieve this through at least four rounds of transmission on all 12 REs within the RB. And so on. Two terminals with four antenna ports would require at least eight rounds to achieve this, with each port transmitting a sound reference signal on all 12 REs within the RB.

[0145] For example, multiple detection reference signals can be carried through a third frequency domain resource, where each frequency domain resource refers to a set or range of frequency domain resources consisting of one or more unit frequency domain resources. A unit frequency domain resource can be any one of a resource particle, a group of resource particles, a resource block, or a group of resource blocks. A resource block can also be replaced by a physical resource block, and a group of resource blocks can also be replaced by a group of physical resource blocks.

[0146] Step 1002: The antenna unit determines the channel estimation information between the K terminals and the access network equipment based on multiple detection reference signals.

[0147] The channel estimation information between each terminal and the access network device can indicate the channel estimation matrix between that terminal and the access network device. For example, each channel estimation information includes in-phase and quadrature components (IQ). For example, if multiple probe reference signals can be carried through third frequency domain resources, then the channel estimation information between K terminals and the access network device respectively refers to the channel estimation information between the K terminals and the access network device respectively on the third frequency domain resources.

[0148] For example, the antenna element can first convert the received probe reference signal from the antenna port dimension to the beam dimension. This process can also be called antenna-to-beam (A2B) mapping of the probe reference signal. Further, the antenna element can determine channel estimation information based on the beam dimension probe reference signal.

[0149] The following is a specific example of the A2B process for probing the reference signal. Assume the terminal has n antenna ports, the access network device has k antenna ports, and the antenna element receives a k-dimensional probe reference signal (hereinafter denoted as y) from the k antenna ports. k×1 Perform the Discrete Fourier Transform (DFT), i.e., W k×k *y k×1 Thus, a k-dimensional beam dimension detection reference signal is obtained, where W k×k W is the DFT transformation matrix. k×k The element at each position in is Where k and n are positive integers.

[0150] Step 1003: The antenna unit sends channel estimation information between the K terminals and the access network equipment to the distributed unit. Correspondingly, the distributed unit receives the channel estimation information between the K terminals and the access network equipment from the antenna unit.

[0151] For example, the antenna unit can send channel estimation information between the K terminals and the access network device, as well as the identifiers of the K terminals, to the distributed unit.

[0152] Optionally, the antenna unit can also determine the single-user weights corresponding to the K terminals based on the channel estimation information between the K terminals and the access network equipment, and send second weight information to the distributed unit. The second weight information includes the single-user weights corresponding to the K terminals, wherein the single-user weight of each of the K terminals is determined based on the channel estimation information between the corresponding terminal and the access network equipment. For example, the aforementioned single-user weights can also be referred to as SU weights, and the single-user weight of a terminal includes the weight of the terminal's data stream on each antenna port of the access network equipment. Furthermore, the second weight information may also include the identifiers of the K terminals, and / or the IQ components of the single-user weights corresponding to the K terminals, etc.

[0153] The following explanation uses the calculation process of a single user weight for a terminal as an example, where the single user weight is also referred to as the SU weight. The calculation process described below is for illustrative purposes only and is not intended to limit the scope of this application.

[0154] Assume the terminal has n antenna ports and the access network equipment has k antenna ports. The channel estimation matrix H between the terminal and the access network equipment... n×k Singular value decomposition yields H will be discussed below n×k Abbreviated as H, U n×n Abbreviated as U, H n×k Abbreviated as H' It is abbreviated as V*. Among them, the channel estimation information between the terminal and the access network equipment can indicate the channel estimation matrix H between the terminal and the access network equipment. Matrix U and matrix V are unitary matrices (a unitary matrix multiplied by its conjugate transpose equals an identity matrix). Matrix V is the matrix composed of the single user weights (i.e., SU weights) of the terminal. Matrix V* is the conjugate transpose of matrix V, and matrix H' is a diagonal matrix.

[0155] When the access network device transmits the terminal's data stream using the obtained single-user weights, it multiplies the transmitted signal x by matrix V (i.e., the single-user weights), resulting in a final transmitted signal of Vx. The terminal multiplies the received signal Y by the conjugate transpose U* of matrix U, obtaining Y' = U*Y = U*HVx = U*UH'V*Vx = H'x. The terminal can then perform channel equalization according to H' to recover the original transmitted signal x.

[0156] Optionally, the antenna element can also determine the channel measurement results corresponding to the K terminals respectively based on the channel estimation information between the K terminals and the access network equipment, and send the channel measurement results corresponding to the K terminals respectively to the distributed network element. For example, each channel measurement result includes the signal-to-interference-plus-noise ratio (SIR) before equalization and / or the SIR after equalization. For example, each channel measurement result may also include one or more of the following: reference signal received power, precoding matrix indication, rank indication, channel quality indication, and uplink timing synchronization. This application does not limit the specific content included in the channel measurement results.

[0157] For example, the channel estimation information, second weight information, and channel measurement results corresponding to the K terminals and the access network equipment can be carried in the same message or in different messages. These messages can be control plane signaling (e.g., O-RAN control plane messages) or management plane signaling (e.g., O-RAN management plane messages).

[0158] In one possible implementation, the antenna element can receive sounding reference signals transmitted by the same terminal through different antenna ports on a single frequency domain resource. For example, the antenna element can receive sounding reference signals transmitted by terminal A through different antenna ports on frequency domain resource 1, or the antenna element can receive sounding reference signals transmitted by terminal A through different antenna ports on frequency domain resource 2, or the antenna element can receive sounding reference signals transmitted by terminal B through different antenna ports on frequency domain resource 1. Furthermore, the antenna element can transmit channel estimation information at the antenna port granularity and / or single-user weights at the antenna port granularity to the distributed unit.

[0159] For example, taking the first terminal transmitting a probe reference signal on a first frequency domain resource as an example, the terminal can transmit the probe reference signal through N antenna ports on the first frequency domain resource, that is, the terminal can transmit N probe reference signals. Correspondingly, the antenna unit can receive the N probe reference signals transmitted by the first terminal through the N antenna ports on the first frequency domain resource, where N is a positive integer, and the N antenna ports and N probe reference signals correspond one-to-one. The N antenna ports are some or all of the antenna ports of the first terminal.

[0160] Wherein, the i-th detection reference signal is any one of the N detection reference signals, and the i-th detection reference signal is transmitted by the first terminal through the i-th antenna port on the first frequency domain resource, i≤N, and i is a positive integer;

[0161] Furthermore, the antenna element can determine N channel estimation information based on N detection reference signals. The N channel estimation information, the N detection reference signals, and the N antenna ports of the first terminal correspond one-to-one. The i-th channel estimation information is determined based on the i-th detection reference signal. The i-th channel estimation information is the channel estimation information between the i-th antenna port of the first terminal and the antenna port of the access network device on the first frequency domain resource; that is, the i-th channel estimation information can be a vector with a dimension equal to the number of antenna ports of the access network device.

[0162] Furthermore, the antenna unit can determine N single-user weights for the first terminal based on N channel estimation information. Each of the N single-user weights corresponds one-to-one with one of the N antenna ports. Each of the N single-user weights is determined based on the N channel estimation information, and the i-th single-user weight indicates the weight of the data stream corresponding to the i-th antenna port on different antenna ports of the access network device in the first frequency domain resource. Additionally, it is possible that when the channel correlation is high or the channel matrix is ​​not full rank (i.e., the rank L of the matrix composed of the N channel estimation information may be less than N), the antenna unit determines L single-user weights for the first terminal based on the N channel estimation information, corresponding to the L antenna ports among the N antenna ports of the base station.

[0163] Optionally, the antenna unit can send N channel estimation information to the distributed unit, wherein each of the N channel estimation information corresponds to the identifier of the antenna port and the identifier of the first frequency domain resource.

[0164] Optionally, the antenna unit can send third weight information to the distributed unit. The third weight information includes N single-user weights, the identifier of the antenna port corresponding to each of the N single-user weights, and the identifier of the first frequency domain resource.

[0165] By adopting the above design, the antenna unit can provide more granular information to the distributed unit, and the distributed information can determine the scheduling result based on the above information, which is conducive to improving communication efficiency.

[0166] Step 1004: The distributed unit determines the scheduling result based on the channel estimation information between the K terminals and the access network equipment.

[0167] The scheduling result can also be referred to as the Layer 2 scheduling result. For example, the scheduling result can indicate the scheduling of M terminals and the data streams corresponding to each of the M terminals, where M is a positive integer and the M terminals belong to K terminals. Each of the M terminals can have one or more data streams; this application does not limit this.

[0168] For example, the scheduling result may also include indication information, which indicates whether the scheduling was a single-user scheduling or a multi-user scheduling.

[0169] For example, the scheduling result can also indicate a second frequency domain resource, which is used to carry the data streams corresponding to M terminals respectively. The second frequency domain resource can also be referred to as the scheduled frequency domain resource. For example, the second frequency domain resource belongs to the third frequency domain resource, and multiple detection reference signals are carried through the third frequency domain resource; or, the second frequency domain resource belongs to the resource range or resource set determined by the third frequency domain resource. The granularity of the second and third frequency domain resources can be the same or different, and this application does not limit this.

[0170] In one possible implementation, the distributed unit determines the individual user weights for each of the K terminals based on the channel estimation information between the K terminals and the access network equipment. The calculation process for the individual user weights can be found in the aforementioned details. Furthermore, the distributed unit determines the scheduling result based on the channel estimation information between the K terminals and the access network equipment and the individual user weights for each of the K terminals, as shown in Figure 11A. This design eliminates the need to transmit individual user weights through the fronthaul interface, thus reducing the amount of data exchanged.

[0171] In another possible implementation, the antenna unit can also send second weight information to the distributed unit. The second weight information includes the individual user weights corresponding to the K terminals. Accordingly, the distributed unit receives the second weight information from the radio unit and determines the scheduling result based on the channel estimation information between the K terminals and the access network equipment and the individual user weights corresponding to the K terminals, as shown in Figure 11B.

[0172] The following two examples illustrate how distributed units determine scheduling results:

[0173] Example 1: Given K terminals, including terminal A and terminal B, if the distributed unit determines that the channel similarity between terminal A and the access network equipment is high based on the channel estimation information between terminal A and the access network equipment, and the channel estimation information between terminal B and the access network equipment, then terminals A and B cannot be scheduled simultaneously, or in other words, terminals A and B are SU paired. Further, the frequency domain resources used for scheduling terminal A can be determined based on the frequency domain resources corresponding to the channel estimation information between terminal A and the access network equipment, and the frequency domain resources used for scheduling terminal B can be determined based on the frequency domain resources corresponding to the channel estimation information between terminal B and the access network equipment. The distributed unit can determine the number of data streams scheduled for terminal A and the corresponding data stream identifiers based on the rank of the single-user weight matrix corresponding to terminal A, and the number of data streams scheduled for terminal B and the corresponding data stream identifiers based on the rank of the single-user weight matrix corresponding to terminal B. The number of data streams that a terminal can send in parallel will not exceed the rank of its single-user weight matrix, and the rank of the single-user weight matrix will not exceed the number of antenna ports of the terminal.

[0174] The distributed unit can send scheduling results to the antenna unit. The scheduling results indicate the scheduled terminals (including terminal A and terminal B), the identifiers of the frequency domain resources used to schedule terminal A and terminal B, the number of data streams scheduled for terminal A and their corresponding identifiers, and the number of data streams scheduled for terminal B and their corresponding identifiers. The scheduling results may also include indication information, indicating that this scheduling is a single-user scheduling, the number of frequency domain resources scheduled, the size of the frequency domain resources used to schedule terminal A, and the size of the frequency domain resources used to schedule terminal B, etc.

[0175] Example 2: Given K terminals, including terminal C and terminal D, if the distributed unit determines that the channel similarity between terminal C and the access network equipment is low based on the channel estimation information between terminal C and the access network equipment, and terminal D and the access network equipment respectively, then terminals C and D can be scheduled simultaneously. In other words, terminals C and D belong to a MU pairing. The scheduled frequency domain resources can then be determined based on the frequency domain resources corresponding to the channel estimation information between terminal C and the access network equipment, and the frequency domain resources corresponding to the channel estimation information between terminal D and the access network equipment. The distributed unit can also determine the number of data streams scheduled for terminal A and the corresponding data stream identifiers for terminal B, based on the rank of the single-user weight matrix corresponding to terminal A, the rank of the single-user weight matrix corresponding to terminal B, and the correlation between the single-user weight matrices corresponding to terminal A and terminal B. The number of data streams that a terminal can send in parallel will not exceed the rank of its single-user weight matrix, and the rank of the single-user weight matrix will not exceed the number of antenna ports of the terminal.

[0176] The distributed unit can send scheduling results to the antenna unit. The scheduling results indicate the scheduled terminals, including terminals C and D, the identifiers of the frequency domain resources used to schedule terminals C and D, the number of data streams scheduled for terminal A and their corresponding identifiers, and the number of data streams scheduled for terminal B and their corresponding identifiers. The scheduling results may also include indication information, indicating that this scheduling is multi-user scheduling, the number of frequency domain resources scheduled, and the size of the frequency domain resources used to schedule terminals C and D.

[0177] Furthermore, combining Examples 1 and 2 above, if the K terminals include terminal A, terminal B, terminal C, and terminal D, the scheduling result can include the scheduling result in Example 1 and the scheduling result in Example 2, which will not be elaborated here.

[0178] Optionally, the antenna unit can also send the channel measurement results corresponding to the K terminals to the distributed unit. For example, each channel measurement result includes the signal-to-interference-plus-noise ratio (SIR) before equalization and / or the SIR after equalization. Correspondingly, the distributed unit receives the channel measurement results corresponding to the K terminals from the radio unit. The distributed unit determines the scheduling result based on the channel estimation information between the K terminals and the access network equipment and the channel measurement results corresponding to the K terminals; alternatively, the distributed unit determines the scheduling result based on the channel estimation information between the K terminals and the access network equipment, the single-user weights corresponding to the K terminals, and the distributed units corresponding to the K terminals. Using the above design, the distributed unit can determine the scheduling result by combining the pre-equalization signal-to-interference-plus-noise ratio (SIR) and / or post-equalization SIR, thereby improving transmission efficiency. For example, in Examples 1 and 2 above, regardless of whether it is SU pairing or MU pairing, the distributed unit can first determine whether to schedule the terminal's data to be transmitted on the corresponding frequency domain resources based on the magnitude of the pre-equalization SIR and / or post-equalization SIR of the channel between each terminal and the access network device. If the SIR is lower than a preset threshold, then the terminal is not considered for SU pairing or MU pairing.

[0179] Optionally, the distributed unit can also send power allocation information, transmitting antenna information, or antenna shutdown information to the antenna unit, indicating whether data is being transmitted to different terminals. The power allocation information can be understood as the power allocation information for each data stream of each terminal on different antennas within each scheduled frequency domain resource. The antenna unit combines the above information to determine the transmission power and related antenna information.

[0180] Step 1005: The distributed unit sends the scheduling result to the antenna unit. Correspondingly, the antenna unit receives the scheduling result from the distributed unit.

[0181] For example, scheduling results can be carried in the header of user plane packets (e.g., the eCPRI header).

[0182] Step 1006: The antenna unit calculates the first weight information based on the scheduling result.

[0183] The first value information is determined based on the channel estimation information between the M terminals and the access network equipment.

[0184] For example, if M=1, the first weight information indicates the single-user weight of a terminal. If M≥2, and the data streams of M terminals are carried through the same frequency domain resources, the first weight information indicates the multi-user weights corresponding to the M terminals, wherein the multi-user weights of the M terminals include the weight of the data stream of each of the M terminals on each antenna port of the access network device.

[0185] In one possible implementation, before calculating the first weight information, the antenna unit can determine the single-user weight corresponding to each of the K terminals based on the channel estimation information between the K terminals and the access network equipment. When calculating the first weight information based on the scheduling result, the antenna unit determines the single-user weight corresponding to each of the M terminals from the single-user weight corresponding to the K terminals based on the scheduling result, and further calculates the first weight information based on the single-user weight corresponding to the M terminals.

[0186] In another possible implementation, when the antenna unit calculates the first weight information based on the scheduling result, it can determine the channel estimation information between M terminals and the access network equipment from the channel estimation information between K terminals and the access network equipment, and then determine the single-user weight corresponding to each of the M terminals based on the channel estimation information between the M terminals and the access network equipment, and further calculate the first weight information based on the single-user weight corresponding to each of the M terminals.

[0187] The following explanation uses the calculation process of multi-user weights as an example, where multi-user weights can also be referred to as MU weights. The calculation process described below is for illustrative purposes only and is not intended to limit the scope of this application.

[0188] Assume the access network device has k antenna ports, and the access network device layer schedules M terminals (denoted as UE1,…,UEM) on a resource block. UEm is any one of the M terminals, where m is a positive integer, 1≤m≤M, and the number of flows scheduled for UEm is L. m The single-user weight (i.e., SU weight) of UE m is The individual user weights corresponding to the M terminals are concatenated to obtain L is the sum of the data streams scheduled from all M terminals, and H is the concatenation of these streams. ′ L×K Performing orthogonalization processing according to the MMSE precoding formula (i.e., ensuring orthogonality between multi-user streams to reduce inter-stream interference) yields the multi-user weights (i.e., MU weights) W. k×L =H ′H (H ′ H ′H +N0I) -1 N0 is the power of the noise covariance matrix, I is the identity matrix, and H ′ It is H ′ L×k H ′H It is H ′ L×k The conjugate transpose of .

[0189] Step 1007: The antenna unit processes the data streams corresponding to the M terminals based on the first weight information.

[0190] For example, the antenna unit performs weighted processing (i.e., precoding) on ​​the data streams corresponding to the M terminals based on the first weight information. After processing such as RE mapping, inverse fast fourier transform (IFFT), adding a cyclic prefix, converting digital signals to analog signals, and analog beamforming, the data streams are transmitted to the M terminals via the air interface. For details, please refer to the schematic diagrams shown in Figures 11A and 11B.

[0191] Step 1008: The antenna unit transmits the processed data streams corresponding to the M terminals respectively.

[0192] Using the above method, the antenna unit does not need to provide the original probe reference signal to the distributed unit. Instead, the antenna unit can send channel state information determined based on the probe reference signal to the distributed unit. This can reduce the amount of data exchanged, which is beneficial for ensuring precoding delay and improving communication efficiency.

[0193] Referring to Figures 12, 13A, and 13B, this application provides a communication method, which includes:

[0194] Step 1201: The antenna unit receives multiple detection reference signals from K terminals.

[0195] For details, please refer to the relevant content of step 1001 above, which will not be repeated here.

[0196] Step 1202: The antenna unit sends multiple detection reference signals to the distributed unit.

[0197] For example, the antenna element can first convert the received probe reference signal from the probe reference signal in the antenna port dimension to the probe reference signal in the beam dimension. This process can also be called the A2B of the probe reference signal. Further, the antenna element sends the probe reference signal in the beam dimension to the distributed element. The specific process of the A2B of the probe reference signal can be referred to step 1002 above, and will not be repeated here.

[0198] Step 1203: The antenna unit and the distributed unit determine the channel estimation information between the K terminals and the access network equipment based on multiple detection reference signals. In other words, the antenna unit and the distributed unit each determine their own information estimation information, thus eliminating the need for transmission of this information and reducing the amount of data exchanged.

[0199] Among them, the distributed unit can determine the channel estimation information between the K terminals and the access network equipment respectively based on the multiple detection reference signals received from the antenna unit.

[0200] Step 1204: The distributed unit determines the scheduling result based on the channel estimation information between the K terminals and the access network equipment.

[0201] The details of the scheduling results can be found in the relevant description in step 1004 above, and will not be repeated here.

[0202] In one possible implementation, the distributed unit determines the individual user weights for each of the K terminals based on the channel estimation information between the K terminals and the access network equipment obtained in step 1203. The calculation process for the individual user weights can be found in the relevant content described above. Further, the distributed unit determines the scheduling result based on the channel estimation information between the K terminals and the access network equipment and the individual user weights for each of the K terminals, as shown in Figure 13A. This design eliminates the need to transmit individual user weights through the fronthaul interface, which helps reduce the amount of data exchanged.

[0203] In another possible implementation, the antenna unit can also send second weight information to the distributed unit. This second weight information includes the individual user weights corresponding to the K terminals. Correspondingly, the distributed unit receives the second weight information from the radio unit and determines the scheduling result based on the channel estimation information between the K terminals and the access network equipment, and the individual user weights corresponding to the K terminals, as detailed in Figure 13B.

[0204] Step 1205: The distributed unit sends the scheduling result to the antenna unit. Correspondingly, the antenna unit receives the scheduling result from the distributed unit.

[0205] Step 1206: The antenna unit calculates the first weight information based on the scheduling result.

[0206] Step 1207: The antenna unit processes the data streams corresponding to the M terminals based on the first weight information.

[0207] Step 1208: The antenna unit transmits the processed data streams corresponding to the M terminals respectively.

[0208] Steps 1205 to 1208 can refer to the aforementioned steps 1005 to 1008, and will not be repeated here.

[0209] Using the above method, the antenna element can provide the original probe reference signal to the distributed element. The antenna element and the distributed element do not need to transmit channel state information determined based on the probe reference signal, which can reduce the amount of data exchanged, help ensure precoding delay, and improve communication efficiency.

[0210] It is understood that, in order to achieve the functions in the above embodiments, each communication device (e.g., an antenna unit or distributed unit in an access network device) includes hardware structures and / or software modules corresponding to perform each function. Those skilled in the art should readily recognize that, based on the units and method steps of the various examples described in conjunction with the embodiments disclosed in this application, this application can be implemented in hardware or a combination of hardware and computer software. Whether a function is executed in hardware or by computer software driving hardware depends on the specific application scenario and design constraints of the technical solution.

[0211] Figures 14 and 15 are schematic diagrams of possible communication devices provided in embodiments of this application. These communication devices can be used to implement the functions of the various communication devices in the above method embodiments, and thus can also achieve the beneficial effects of the above method embodiments.

[0212] As shown in Figure 14, the communication device 1400 includes a processing unit 1410 and a transceiver unit 1420.

[0213] When the communication device 1400 is used to implement the function of the antenna unit in the method embodiment shown in FIG14 above:

[0214] The transceiver unit 1420 is configured to receive multiple probe reference signals from K terminals, where K is a positive integer, and each of the K terminals corresponds to one or more probe reference signals among the multiple probe reference signals; the processing unit 1410 is configured to determine channel estimation information between the K terminals and the access network device based on the multiple probe reference signals; the transceiver unit 1420 is configured to receive a scheduling result, the scheduling result indicating the scheduling of M terminals and the data streams corresponding to the M terminals, the M terminals belonging to the K terminals, M≤K, and M is a positive integer; the processing unit 1410 is configured to calculate first weight information based on the scheduling result, wherein the first weight information is determined based on the channel estimation information between the M terminals and the access network device; process the data streams corresponding to the M terminals based on the first weight information; and the transceiver unit 1420 is configured to send the processed data streams corresponding to the M terminals.

[0215] In one possible design, the transceiver unit 1420 is used to send channel estimation information between the K terminals and the access network device respectively before receiving the scheduling result.

[0216] In one possible design, the transceiver unit 1420 is configured to send second weight information before receiving the scheduling result. The second weight information includes the single-user weights corresponding to the K terminals respectively, wherein the single-user weight of each of the K terminals is determined based on the channel estimation information between the corresponding terminal and the access network device.

[0217] In one possible design, the transceiver unit 1420 is used to send channel measurement results corresponding to the K terminals respectively before receiving the scheduling result, wherein the channel measurement result of each of the K terminals is determined based on the channel estimation information between the corresponding terminal and the access network device, and each channel measurement result includes the signal-to-interference-plus-noise ratio before equalization and / or the signal-to-interference-plus-noise ratio after equalization.

[0218] In one possible design, the transceiver unit 1420 is used to transmit N channel estimation information, the identifier of the antenna port corresponding to each of the N channel estimation information, and the identifier of the first frequency domain resource. The N channel estimation information corresponds one-to-one with the N antenna ports of the first terminal. The N antenna ports are some or all of the antenna ports of the first terminal. The i-th channel estimation information is the channel estimation information between the i-th antenna port of the first terminal and the antenna port of the access network device on the first frequency domain resource, i≤N, and i and N are positive integers.

[0219] In one possible design, the transceiver unit 1420 is used to transmit third weight information, which includes N single-user weights of the first terminal, the identifier of the antenna port corresponding to each of the N single-user weights, and the identifier of the first frequency domain resource. The N single-user weights correspond one-to-one with the N antenna ports of the first terminal, and the N antenna ports are some or all of the antenna ports of the first terminal. The i-th single-user weight indicates the weight of the data stream corresponding to the i-th antenna port of the first terminal on the first frequency domain resource on different antenna ports of the access network device, i≤N, and i and N are positive integers.

[0220] In one possible design, the transceiver unit 1420 is configured to receive, on the first frequency domain resource, the N probe reference signals transmitted by the first terminal through the N antenna ports, where N is a positive integer, and the N antenna ports and the N probe reference signals correspond one-to-one, wherein the i-th probe reference signal is any one of the N probe reference signals, and the i-th probe reference signal is transmitted by the first terminal on the first frequency domain resource through the i-th antenna port, i≤N, and i is a positive integer; the processing unit 1410 is configured to determine the N channel estimation information based on the N probe reference signals, wherein the N channel estimation information corresponds one-to-one with the N probe reference signals.

[0221] In one possible design, the processing unit 1410 is configured to determine the N single-user weights based on the N channel estimation information, wherein each single-user weight in the N channel estimation information is determined based on the N channel estimation information.

[0222] In one possible design, the transceiver unit 1420 is used to send the plurality of probe reference signals before receiving the scheduling results.

[0223] In one possible design, the plurality of detection reference signals are beam-dimensional detection reference signals.

[0224] In one possible design, the processing unit 1410 is used to convert the plurality of probe reference signals from probe reference signals in the antenna port dimension to probe reference signals in the beam dimension.

[0225] In one possible design, the processing unit 1410 is configured to determine the single-user weights corresponding to the K terminals respectively based on the channel estimation information between the K terminals and the access network device; when calculating the first weight information based on the scheduling result, the processing unit 1410 is configured to determine the single-user weights corresponding to the M terminals respectively from the single-user weights corresponding to the K terminals based on the scheduling result; and calculate the first weight information based on the single-user weights corresponding to the M terminals.

[0226] In one possible design, the processing unit 1410 is configured to, when calculating the first weight information based on the scheduling result, determine the channel estimation information between the M terminals and the access network device from the channel estimation information between the K terminals and the access network device respectively, determine the single-user weight corresponding to the M terminals respectively based on the channel estimation information between the M terminals and the access network device respectively, and calculate the first weight information based on the single-user weight corresponding to the M terminals respectively.

[0227] For some possible designs and beneficial effects of the communication device 1400, please refer to the relevant content in the embodiments shown in Figure 10 or Figure 12 above, which will not be repeated here.

[0228] When the communication device 1400 is used to implement the function of the distributed unit in the method embodiment shown in FIG10 above:

[0229] The transceiver unit 1420 is used to receive channel estimation information between K terminals and the access network device from the radio unit, where K is a positive integer; the processing unit 1410 is used to determine a scheduling result based on the channel estimation information between the K terminals and the access network device, wherein the scheduling result indicates the scheduling of M terminals and the data streams corresponding to the M terminals, where M is a positive integer and the M terminals belong to the K terminals; the transceiver unit 1420 is used to send the scheduling result.

[0230] In one possible design, transceiver unit 1420 is configured to receive second weight information from the radio unit, the second weight information including the single-user weights corresponding to the K terminals respectively; processing unit 1410 is configured to determine the scheduling result based on the channel estimation information between the K terminals and the access network device and the single-user weights corresponding to the K terminals respectively when determining the scheduling result based on the channel estimation information between the K terminals and the access network device respectively.

[0231] In one possible design, transceiver unit 1420 is configured to receive channel measurement results corresponding to the K terminals from the wireless unit, wherein each channel measurement result includes a signal-to-interference-plus-noise ratio (SIR) before equalization and / or a SIR after equalization; and processing unit 1410 is configured to determine the scheduling result based on the channel estimation information between the K terminals and the access network device and the channel measurement results corresponding to the K terminals when determining the scheduling result based on the channel estimation information between the K terminals and the access network device.

[0232] In one possible design, the transceiver unit 1420 is configured to receive N channel estimation information from the wireless unit, the identifier of the antenna port corresponding to each of the N channel estimation information, and the identifier of the first frequency domain resource. The N channel estimation information corresponds one-to-one with the N antenna ports of the first terminal. The N antenna ports are some or all of the antenna ports of the first terminal. The i-th channel estimation information is the channel estimation information between the i-th antenna port and the antenna port of the access network device on the first frequency domain resource, i≤N, and i and N are positive integers.

[0233] In one possible design, the transceiver unit 1420 is used to receive third weight information from the wireless unit. The third weight information includes N single-user weights of the first terminal, the identifier of the antenna port corresponding to each of the N single-user weights, and the identifier of the first frequency domain resource. The N single-user weights correspond one-to-one with the N antenna ports of the first terminal. The i-th single-user weight indicates the weight of the data stream corresponding to the i-th antenna port on the first frequency domain resource on different antenna ports of the access network device, i≤N, and i and N are positive integers.

[0234] For some possible designs and beneficial effects of the communication device 1400, please refer to the relevant content in the embodiment shown in Figure 10 above, which will not be repeated here.

[0235] When the communication device 1400 is used to implement the function of the distributed unit in the method embodiment shown in FIG12 above:

[0236] Transceiver unit 1420 is configured to receive multiple probe reference signals from a radio unit, wherein each of the K terminals corresponds to one or more of the multiple probe reference signals; processing unit 1410 is configured to determine channel estimation information between the K terminals and the access network device based on the multiple probe reference signals; transceiver unit 1420 is configured to receive second weight information from the radio unit, wherein the second weight information includes single-user weights corresponding to the K terminals; processing unit 1410 is configured to determine a scheduling result based on the channel estimation information between the K terminals and the access network device and the single-user weights corresponding to the K terminals, wherein the scheduling result indicates scheduling M terminals and the data streams corresponding to the M terminals, where M is a positive integer and the M terminals belong to the K terminals; transceiver unit 1420 is configured to transmit the scheduling result.

[0237] In one possible design, transceiver unit 1420 is configured to receive channel measurement results corresponding to the K terminals from the wireless unit, wherein each channel measurement result includes a signal-to-interference-plus-noise ratio (SIR) before equalization and / or a SIR after equalization; processing unit 1410 is configured to determine the scheduling result based on the channel estimation information between the K terminals and the access network device, the single-user weights corresponding to the K terminals, and the channel measurement results corresponding to the K terminals when determining the scheduling result based on the channel estimation information between the K terminals and the access network device, the single-user weights corresponding to the K terminals, and the scheduling result.

[0238] In one possible design, the transceiver unit 1420 is configured to receive N channel estimation information from the wireless unit, the identifier of the antenna port corresponding to each of the N channel estimation information, and the identifier of the first frequency domain resource. The N channel estimation information corresponds one-to-one with the N antenna ports of the first terminal. The N antenna ports are some or all of the antenna ports of the first terminal. The i-th channel estimation information is the channel estimation information between the i-th antenna port and the antenna port of the access network device on the first frequency domain resource, i≤N, and i and N are positive integers.

[0239] In one possible design, the transceiver unit 1420 is used to receive third weight information from the wireless unit. The third weight information includes N single-user weights of the first terminal, the identifier of the antenna port corresponding to each of the N single-user weights, and the identifier of the first frequency domain resource. The N single-user weights correspond one-to-one with the N antenna ports of the first terminal. The i-th single-user weight indicates the weight of the data stream corresponding to the i-th antenna port on the first frequency domain resource on different antenna ports of the access network device, i≤N, and i and N are positive integers.

[0240] For some possible designs and beneficial effects of the communication device 1400, please refer to the relevant content in the embodiment shown in Figure 12 above, which will not be repeated here.

[0241] As shown in Figure 15, the communication device 1500 includes a processor 1510 and an interface circuit 1520. The processor 1510 and the interface circuit 1520 are coupled to each other. It is understood that the interface circuit 1520 can be a transceiver or an input / output interface. Optionally, the communication device 1500 may also include a memory 1530 for storing instructions executed by the processor 1510, or storing input data required by the processor 1510 to execute instructions, or storing data generated after the processor 1510 executes instructions.

[0242] When the communication device 1500 is used to implement the above method embodiment, the processor 1510 is used to implement the function of the processing unit 1410, and the interface circuit 1520 is used to implement the function of the transceiver unit 1420.

[0243] It is understood that the processor in the embodiments of this application can be a central processing unit (CPU), or other general-purpose processors, digital signal processors (DSPs), application-specific integrated circuits (ASICs), field-programmable gate arrays (FPGAs), or other programmable logic devices, transistor logic devices, hardware components, or any combination thereof. A general-purpose processor can be a microprocessor or any conventional processor.

[0244] This application provides another example of a device, the notification device including at least one processor and at least one memory, the at least one processor and the at least one memory coupled together, the at least one memory for storing instructions, which, when executed by the at least one processor, cause the communication device to perform the methods described in the above embodiments. Taking a communication device including a processor and a memory as an example, as shown in FIG15, communication device 1500 includes a processor 1510 and a memory 1530. The processor 1510 and the memory 1530 are coupled together, the memory 1530 stores instructions, and when the instructions stored in the memory 1530 are executed by the processor 1510, the communication device 1500 performs the methods performed by the various communication devices in the above embodiments.

[0245] 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 well 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 the storage medium can reside in an ASIC. In the above embodiments, implementation can be achieved, in whole or in part, by software, hardware, firmware, or any combination thereof. When implemented in software, it can be implemented, in whole or in part, as a computer program product. The computer program product includes one or more computer programs or instructions. The computer program or instructions may 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 may 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 may 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 may be a magnetic medium, such as a floppy disk, hard disk, or magnetic tape; or an optical medium, such as a digital video optical disc; or 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 volatile and non-volatile types of storage media.

[0246] In the various embodiments of this application, unless otherwise specified or in case of logical conflict, the terminology and / or descriptions between different embodiments are consistent and can be referenced by each other. Technical features in different embodiments can be combined to form new embodiments based on their inherent logical relationships.

[0247] In this application, "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 three relationships can exist. For example, A and / or B can represent: A alone, A and B simultaneously, or B alone, where A and B can be singular or plural. In the textual description of this application, the character " / " generally indicates an "or" relationship between the preceding and following related objects; in the formulas of this application, the character " / " indicates a "division" relationship between the preceding and following related objects. "Including at least one of A, B, and C" can mean: including A; including B; including C; including A and B; including A and C; including B and C; including A, B, and C.

[0248] It is understood that the various numerical designations used in the embodiments of this application are merely for descriptive convenience and are not intended to limit the scope of the embodiments of this application. The order of the process numbers described above does not imply the order of execution; the execution order of each process should be determined by its function and internal logic.

Claims

1. A communication method characterized by comprising: The method is applied to a radio unit in an access network device, and the method includes: Receive multiple detection reference signals from K terminals, where K is a positive integer, and each of the K terminals corresponds to one or more detection reference signals among the multiple detection reference signals; Based on the plurality of detection reference signals, channel estimation information between the K terminals and the access network device is determined respectively; Receive scheduling results, which indicate the scheduling of M terminals and the data streams corresponding to the M terminals respectively. The M terminals belong to the K terminals, M≤K, and M is a positive integer. The first weight information is calculated based on the scheduling result, wherein the first weight information is determined based on the channel estimation information between the M terminals and the access network device respectively. The data streams corresponding to the M terminals are processed based on the first weight information; The processed data streams corresponding to the M terminals are sent.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein, Before receiving the scheduling result, the method further includes: The channel estimation information between the K terminals and the access network device is transmitted respectively.

3. The method of claim 1 or 2, wherein, Before receiving the scheduling result, the method further includes: Send second weight information, which includes the single-user weights corresponding to the K terminals respectively, wherein the single-user weight of each of the K terminals is determined based on the channel estimation information between the corresponding terminal and the access network device.

4. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 3, characterized in that, Before receiving the scheduling result, the method further includes: The channel measurement results corresponding to the K terminals are sent, wherein the channel measurement result of each of the K terminals is determined based on the channel estimation information between the corresponding terminal and the access network device, and each channel measurement result includes the signal-to-interference-plus-noise ratio before equalization and / or the signal-to-interference-plus-noise ratio after equalization.

5. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 4, wherein The method further includes: The system sends N channel estimation information, the identifier of the antenna port corresponding to each of the N channel estimation information, and the identifier of the first frequency domain resource. The N channel estimation information corresponds one-to-one with the N antenna ports of the first terminal. The N antenna ports are some or all of the antenna ports of the first terminal. The i-th channel estimation information is the channel estimation information between the i-th antenna port of the first terminal and the antenna port of the access network device on the first frequency domain resource, i≤N, and i and N are positive integers.

6. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 5, wherein, The method further includes: Send third weight information, which includes N single-user weights of the first terminal, the identifier of the antenna port corresponding to each of the N single-user weights, and the identifier of the first frequency domain resource. The N single-user weights correspond one-to-one with the N antenna ports of the first terminal. The N antenna ports are some or all of the antenna ports of the first terminal. The i-th single-user weight indicates the weight of the data stream corresponding to the i-th antenna port of the first terminal on the first frequency domain resource on different antenna ports of the access network device, i≤N, and i and N are positive integers.

7. The method of claim 5 or 6, wherein, The method further includes: The first terminal receives the N detection reference signals transmitted through the N antenna ports on the first frequency domain resource, where N is a positive integer, and the N antenna ports and the N detection reference signals correspond one-to-one. The i-th detection reference signal is any one of the N detection reference signals, and the i-th detection reference signal is transmitted by the first terminal through the i-th antenna port on the first frequency domain resource, where i ≤ N and i is a positive integer. The N channel estimation information is determined based on the N detection reference signals, and the N channel estimation information corresponds one-to-one with the N detection reference signals.

8. The method of claim 7, wherein, The method further includes: The N single-user weights are determined based on the N channel estimation information, and each single-user weight in the N channel estimation information is determined based on the N channel estimation information.

9. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 8, wherein, Before receiving the scheduling result, the method further includes: Send the multiple detection reference signals.

10. The method of claim 9, wherein, The plurality of detection reference signals are beam-dimensional detection reference signals.

11. The method of any one of claims 1-10, wherein, The description also includes: The plurality of detection reference signals are converted from detection reference signals in the antenna port dimension to detection reference signals in the beam dimension.

12. The method of any one of claims 1-11, wherein, The method further includes: The single-user weights corresponding to the K terminals are determined based on the channel estimation information between the K terminals and the access network device. The first weight information is calculated based on the scheduling result, including: Based on the scheduling result, determine the individual user weights corresponding to the M terminals from the individual user weights corresponding to the K terminals respectively; The first weight information is calculated based on the individual user weights corresponding to the M terminals.

13. The method of any one of claims 1-11, wherein, The first weight information is calculated based on the scheduling result, including: Based on the scheduling result, the channel estimation information between the M terminals and the access network device is determined from the channel estimation information between the K terminals and the access network device respectively; The single-user weights corresponding to the M terminals are determined based on the channel estimation information between the M terminals and the access network device. The first weight information is calculated based on the individual user weights corresponding to the M terminals.

14. A communication method, comprising: The method is applied to a distributed unit in an access network device, and the method includes: Receive channel estimation information from K terminals of the radio unit and the access network equipment, respectively, where K is a positive integer; The scheduling result is determined based on the channel estimation information between the K terminals and the access network device, and the scheduling result indicates the scheduling of M terminals and the data streams corresponding to the M terminals, where M is a positive integer and the M terminals belong to the K terminals. Send the scheduling result.

15. The method of claim 14, wherein, The method further includes: Receive second weight information from the wireless unit, the second weight information including the single-user weights corresponding to the K terminals respectively; The scheduling result is determined based on the channel estimation information between the K terminals and the access network equipment, including: The scheduling result is determined based on the channel estimation information between the K terminals and the access network equipment, and the single-user weights corresponding to the K terminals.

16. The method of claim 14 or 15, wherein, The method further includes: Receive channel measurement results from the K terminals of the wireless unit, respectively, wherein each channel measurement result includes the signal-to-interference-plus-noise ratio before equalization and / or the signal-to-interference-plus-noise ratio after equalization; The scheduling result is determined based on the channel estimation information between the K terminals and the access network equipment, including: The scheduling result is determined based on the channel estimation information between the K terminals and the access network equipment, and the channel measurement results corresponding to the K terminals.

17. The method of any one of claims 14-16, wherein, The method further includes: The system receives N channel estimation information from the wireless unit, the identifier of the antenna port corresponding to each of the N channel estimation information, and the identifier of the first frequency domain resource. The N channel estimation information corresponds one-to-one with the N antenna ports of the first terminal. The N antenna ports are some or all of the antenna ports of the first terminal. The i-th channel estimation information is the channel estimation information between the i-th antenna port and the antenna port of the access network device on the first frequency domain resource, i≤N, and i and N are positive integers.

18. The method of any one of claims 14-17, wherein, The method further includes: The system receives third weight information from the wireless unit. The third weight information includes N single-user weights of the first terminal, the identifier of the antenna port corresponding to each of the N single-user weights, and the identifier of the first frequency domain resource. The N single-user weights correspond one-to-one with the N antenna ports of the first terminal. The i-th single-user weight indicates the weight of the data stream corresponding to the i-th antenna port on the first frequency domain resource on different antenna ports of the access network device, i≤N, and i and N are positive integers.

19. A method of communication, comprising: The method is applied to a distributed unit in an access network device, and the method includes: Receive multiple probe reference signals from the wireless unit, and each of the K terminals corresponds to one or more of the multiple probe reference signals; Based on the plurality of detection reference signals, channel estimation information between the K terminals and the access network device is determined respectively; Receive second weight information from the wireless unit, the second weight information including the single-user weights corresponding to the K terminals respectively; The scheduling result is determined based on the channel estimation information between the K terminals and the access network device and the single-user weight corresponding to the K terminals. The scheduling result indicates the scheduling of M terminals and the data streams corresponding to the M terminals, where M is a positive integer and the M terminals belong to the K terminals. Send the scheduling result.

20. The method of claim 19, wherein, The method further includes: Receive channel measurement results from the K terminals of the wireless unit, respectively, wherein each channel measurement result includes the signal-to-interference-plus-noise ratio before equalization and / or the signal-to-interference-plus-noise ratio after equalization; The scheduling result is determined based on the channel estimation information between the K terminals and the access network equipment, and the single-user weights corresponding to the K terminals, including: The scheduling result is determined based on the channel estimation information between the K terminals and the access network equipment, the scheduling result determined by the single-user weights corresponding to the K terminals, and the channel measurement results corresponding to the K terminals.

21. The method of claim 19 or 20, wherein, The method further includes: The system receives N channel estimation information from the wireless unit, the identifier of the antenna port corresponding to each of the N channel estimation information, and the identifier of the first frequency domain resource. The N channel estimation information corresponds one-to-one with the N antenna ports of the first terminal. The N antenna ports are some or all of the antenna ports of the first terminal. The i-th channel estimation information is the channel estimation information between the i-th antenna port and the antenna port of the access network device on the first frequency domain resource, i≤N, and i and N are positive integers.

22. The method of any one of claims 19-21, wherein, The method further includes: The system receives third weight information from the wireless unit. The third weight information includes N single-user weights of the first terminal, the identifier of the antenna port corresponding to each of the N single-user weights, and the identifier of the first frequency domain resource. The N single-user weights correspond one-to-one with the N antenna ports of the first terminal. The i-th single-user weight indicates the weight of the data stream corresponding to the i-th antenna port on the first frequency domain resource on different antenna ports of the access network device, i≤N, and i and N are positive integers.

23. The method of any one of claims 1-22, wherein, If M=1, the first weight information indicates the single-user weight of a terminal, wherein the single-user weight of a terminal includes the weight of the data stream of the terminal on each antenna port of the access network device; If M≥2, and the data streams corresponding to the M terminals are carried through the same frequency domain resources, the first weight information indicates the multi-user weights corresponding to the M terminals, wherein the multi-user weights of the M terminals include the weights of the data streams of each of the M terminals on each antenna port of the access network device.

24. The method of any one of claims 1-23, wherein, The scheduling result also includes indication information, which indicates whether the scheduling is a single-user scheduling or a multi-user scheduling.

25. The method of any one of claims 1-24, wherein, The scheduling result also indicates a second frequency domain resource, which is used to carry the data streams corresponding to the M terminals respectively.

26. The method of claim 25, wherein, The multiple detection reference signals are carried through third frequency domain resources; The second frequency domain resource belongs to the third frequency domain resource.

27. A communications device, characterized by Includes units or modules for performing the method as described in any one of claims 1 to 26.

28. A communications device, characterized by The communication device includes at least one processor; the at least one processor is configured to perform the method as described in any one of claims 1 to 26.

29. A computer-readable storage medium, characterized in that, The computer-readable storage medium includes a program that, when run on the device, causes the device to perform the method as described in any one of claims 1 to 26.

30. A computer program product, characterised in that, The computer program product includes a program or instructions that, when executed by a device, cause the device to perform the method as described in any one of claims 1 to 26.

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