Communication method, communication apparatus, and communication system

Abstract

A communication method, a communication apparatus, and a communication system. The method comprises: a terminal receiving indication information from an access network device, wherein the indication information is used for indicating a first transmitting port, the first transmitting port is one first-type transmitting port, RSRP values of interference from the first-type transmitting ports and acting on K receiving ports of the terminal meet a first condition, and the K receiving ports are K of N receiving ports of the terminal; and using a first receiving port to receive data, wherein the RSRP value of interference from the first transmitting port and received by the first receiving port does not meet the first condition, and the first receiving port is included in the N receiving ports, but is not included in the K receiving ports. In the method, on the basis of an indication from an access network device, a terminal in a current cell selects a receiving port which is suited to receiving data, so as to minimize signal interference from data transmission of a neighboring cell and acting on the terminal of the current cell, thereby improving the signal-to-noise ratio, transmission rate and transmission stability of the terminal during data reception.

Description

A communication method, communication device and communication system

[0001] Cross-references to related applications

[0002] This application claims priority to Chinese Patent Application No. 202411860849.6, filed on December 17, 2024, entitled "A Communication Method, Communication Device and Communication System", the entire contents of which are incorporated herein by reference. Technical Field

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

[0004] Neighbor cell interference refers to co-channel interference from neighboring cells (also called neighboring cells) to the serving cell (i.e., the downlink direction). Specifically, it refers to the interference caused by the downlink signals transmitted by neighboring cells to the terminals in the serving cell. This interference has strong random fluctuation characteristics. From the perspective of a certain terminal, the maximum and minimum values ​​of neighbor cell interference at different times may even exceed 30 dBm.

[0005] In traditional communication systems, the transmitting end (e.g., base station) can detect sudden interference in advance and mitigate its impact through methods such as hybrid automatic repeat request (HARQ) retransmission and pre-lowering the modulation and coding scheme (MCS) level. However, for deterministic transmission scenarios, due to strong time delay constraints, the interference reduction schemes in traditional communication systems are not applicable.

[0006] How to reduce interference from neighboring communities remains to be solved. Summary of the Invention

[0007] This application provides a communication method, communication device, and communication system to reduce interference from neighboring cells.

[0008] In a first aspect, embodiments of this application provide a communication method that can be applied to the terminal side, such as a terminal or a communication module in the terminal, or a circuit or chip in the terminal that is responsible for communication functions (such as a modem chip, also known as a baseband chip, or a system-on-chip (SoC) chip containing a modem core or a system-in-package (SIP) chip). The method includes: receiving indication information from an access network device, the indication information indicating a first transmitting port, which is one of a first type of transmitting ports, wherein the RSRP value of the interference of the first type of transmitting port to K receiving ports of the terminal satisfies a first condition, the K receiving ports being K receiving ports out of N receiving ports of the terminal, where N is an integer greater than 1, K is an integer greater than 0 and less than or equal to M, and M is a pre-configured positive integer less than or equal to N; receiving data using the first receiving port, wherein the reference signal receiving power (RSRP) value of the interference received by the first receiving port from the first transmitting port does not satisfy the first condition, and the first receiving port is included in the N receiving ports but not in the K receiving ports.

[0009] Based on the above scheme, the terminal in this cell can select the appropriate receiving port to receive data according to the instructions of the access network equipment, so as to minimize the signal interference of data transmission from neighboring cells to the terminal in this cell, thereby improving the signal-to-noise ratio, transmission rate and transmission stability when the terminal receives data.

[0010] Secondly, embodiments of this application provide a communication method that can be applied to a terminal side, such as a terminal or a communication module within a terminal, or a circuit or chip (such as a modem chip, also known as a baseband chip, or a system-on-a-chip or system-in-package chip containing a modem core) responsible for communication functions within the terminal. The method includes: receiving indication information from an access network device, the indication information indicating that the RSRP value of interference received by the first receiving port from a first transmitting port does not satisfy a first condition; the first transmitting port is one of a first type of transmitting ports; the RSRP value of interference from the first type of transmitting port to K receiving ports of the terminal satisfies the first condition; the K receiving ports are K receiving ports out of N receiving ports of the terminal, where N is an integer greater than 1, K is an integer greater than 0 and less than or equal to M, and M is a pre-configured positive integer less than or equal to N; the first receiving port is included in the N receiving ports but not in the K receiving ports; and using the first receiving port to receive data.

[0011] Based on the above scheme, the terminal in this cell can select the appropriate receiving port to receive data according to the instructions of the access network equipment, so as to minimize the signal interference of data transmission from neighboring cells to the terminal in this cell, thereby improving the signal-to-noise ratio, transmission rate and transmission stability when the terminal receives data.

[0012] Thirdly, this application provides a communication method that can be applied to the terminal side, such as a terminal or a communication module in the terminal, or a circuit or chip in the terminal that is responsible for communication functions (such as a modem chip, also known as a baseband chip, or a system-on-a-chip or system-in-package chip containing a modem core). The method includes: receiving indication information from an access network device, the indication information indicating that a second receiving port of a terminal receives interference from a first transmitting port, the RSRP value of which satisfies a first condition, the first transmitting port being one of a first type of transmitting ports, the RSRP value of which satisfies interference from the first type of transmitting port to K receiving ports of the terminal, the K receiving ports being K receiving ports out of N receiving ports of the terminal, N being an integer greater than 1, K being an integer greater than 0 and less than or equal to M, M being a pre-configured positive integer less than or equal to N, and the second receiving port being included in the K receiving ports; and receiving data using a first receiving port, the first receiving port being included in the N receiving ports but not in the K receiving ports, the RSRP value of which receives interference from the first transmitting port not satisfying the first condition.

[0013] Based on the above scheme, the terminal in this cell can select the appropriate receiving port to receive data according to the instructions of the access network equipment, so as to minimize the signal interference of data transmission from neighboring cells to the terminal in this cell, thereby improving the signal-to-noise ratio, transmission rate and transmission stability when the terminal receives data.

[0014] Based on the first, second, or third aspect mentioned above, there are one or more possible implementation methods as follows:

[0015] As one possible implementation, it further includes: receiving a reference signal transmitted through a plurality of transmission ports; and sending first information to the access network device, the first information indicating a first type of transmission port, the first type of transmission port being included in the plurality of transmission ports.

[0016] Based on the above scheme, the terminal in this cell measures the reference signals transmitted by neighboring cells on multiple transmission ports and reports the first type of transmission port to the access network equipment to which this cell belongs. The first type of transmission port is a transmission port that causes slight interference (i.e. weak interference) to the terminal. Subsequently, when a neighboring cell uses the first type of transmission port to transmit data or prepares to transmit data, the terminal in this cell can select an appropriate receiving port to receive the data from this cell based on the notification from the access network equipment, so as to minimize the signal interference of the neighboring cell's data transmission to the terminal in this cell, thereby improving the signal-to-noise ratio, transmission rate and transmission stability when the terminal receives data.

[0017] As one possible implementation method, it further includes: sending second information to the access network device, the second information being used to indicate a second type of transmitting port, the second type of transmitting port being included in the plurality of transmitting ports, the RSRP value of the interference of the second type of transmitting port to the L receiving ports of the terminal satisfying the first condition, the L receiving ports being L of the N receiving ports of the terminal, where L is an integer greater than M and less than or equal to N.

[0018] Based on the above scheme, the terminal in this cell measures the reference signals transmitted by neighboring cells on multiple transmission ports and reports the second type of transmission port to the access network equipment to which this cell belongs. The second type of transmission port is the transmission port that causes severe interference (i.e. strong interference) to the terminal. Subsequently, this cell can instruct neighboring cells not to use the second type of transmission port for data transmission, so as to minimize the signal interference of neighboring cells' data transmission to the terminal in this cell, thereby improving the signal-to-noise ratio, transmission rate and transmission stability when the terminal receives data.

[0019] As one possible implementation method, it further includes: receiving first configuration information from the access network device, the first configuration information being used to configure the number of receiving ports to be measured of the terminal, the first configuration information being used to determine the N receiving ports.

[0020] Based on the above scheme, the terminal can select a suitable receiving port for measurement based on the configuration of the access network equipment, which helps to accurately select the receiving port used for data reception.

[0021] As one possible implementation method, it further includes: sending the total number of receiving ports of the terminal to the access network device, the total number of receiving ports being used to determine the first configuration information.

[0022] Based on the above scheme, the terminal sends the total number of its receiving ports to the access network device, which helps the access network device accurately configure the number of receiving ports to be measured on the terminal.

[0023] As one possible implementation method, it further includes: receiving second configuration information from the access network device, the second configuration information being used to indicate that the interference of the downlink data channel of each of the N receiving ports corresponds to the interference of the reference signal.

[0024] Based on the above scheme, the terminal in this cell will treat the interference from neighboring cells sending reference signals as the same as the interference from neighboring cells sending downlink data channels, which helps the terminal to quickly and accurately determine the interference from neighboring cells sending data.

[0025] As one possible implementation, the downlink data channel is a physical downlink shared channel (PDSCH), and the reference signal is a channel status information reference signal (CSI-RS).

[0026] Fourthly, embodiments of this application provide a communication method that can be applied to the network side, such as an access network device, a module (e.g., a circuit, chip, or chip system) within the access network device, or a logical node, logical module, or software capable of implementing all or part of the functions of the access network device. The method includes: generating indication information to indicate a first transmitting port, which is one of a first type of transmitting ports, wherein the RSRP value of the interference from the first type of transmitting port to K receiving ports of a terminal satisfies a first condition, and the K receiving ports are K receiving ports out of N receiving ports of the terminal, where N is an integer greater than 1, K is an integer greater than 0 and less than or equal to M, and M is a pre-configured positive integer less than or equal to N; and sending indication information to the terminal to trigger the terminal to select a first receiving port to receive data, wherein the RSRP value of the interference received by the first receiving port from the first transmitting port does not satisfy the first condition, and the first receiving port is included in the N receiving ports but not in the K receiving ports.

[0027] Based on the above scheme, the terminal in this cell can select the appropriate receiving port to receive data according to the instructions of the access network equipment, so as to minimize the signal interference of data transmission from neighboring cells to the terminal in this cell, thereby improving the signal-to-noise ratio, transmission rate and transmission stability when the terminal receives data.

[0028] Fifthly, embodiments of this application provide a communication method that can be applied to the network side, such as access network equipment, modules (e.g., circuits, chips, or chip systems) within the access network equipment, or logical nodes, logical modules, or software capable of implementing all or part of the functions of the access network equipment. The method includes: generating indication information, which indicates that a first receiving port of a terminal receives interference from a first transmitting port, and the RSRP value of this first receiving port does not satisfy a first condition. The first transmitting port is one of a first type of transmitting ports, and the RSRP value of interference from this first type of transmitting port to K receiving ports of the terminal satisfies the first condition. The K receiving ports are K receiving ports out of N receiving ports of the terminal, where N is an integer greater than 1, K is an integer greater than 0 and less than or equal to M, and M is a pre-configured positive integer less than or equal to N. The first receiving port is included in the N receiving ports but not in the K receiving ports. The method also includes sending the indication information to the terminal, which triggers the terminal to select the first receiving port to receive data.

[0029] Based on the above scheme, the terminal in this cell can select the appropriate receiving port to receive data according to the instructions of the access network equipment, so as to minimize the signal interference of data transmission from neighboring cells to the terminal in this cell, thereby improving the signal-to-noise ratio, transmission rate and transmission stability when the terminal receives data.

[0030] Sixthly, embodiments of this application provide a communication method that can be applied to the network side, such as access network equipment on the network side, modules (e.g., circuits, chips, or chip systems) in the access network equipment, or logical nodes, logical modules, or software that can implement all or part of the functions of the access network equipment. The method includes: generating indication information for indicating a second receiving port of a terminal, wherein the RSRP value of interference received by the second receiving port from a first transmitting port satisfies a first condition, the first transmitting port is one of a first type of transmitting ports, and the RSRP value of interference received by the first type of transmitting port from the terminal to K receiving ports satisfies the first condition, the K receiving ports being K receiving ports out of N receiving ports of the terminal, where N is an integer greater than 1, K is an integer greater than 0 and less than or equal to M, M is a pre-configured positive integer less than or equal to N, and the second receiving port is included in the K receiving ports; and sending indication information to the terminal, wherein the indication information triggers the terminal to select a first receiving port to receive data, the first receiving port being included in the N receiving ports but not in the K receiving ports, and the RSRP value of interference received by the first receiving port from the first transmitting port does not satisfy the first condition.

[0031] Based on the above scheme, the terminal in this cell can select the appropriate receiving port to receive data according to the instructions of the access network equipment, so as to minimize the signal interference of data transmission from neighboring cells to the terminal in this cell, thereby improving the signal-to-noise ratio, transmission rate and transmission stability when the terminal receives data.

[0032] Based on the fourth, fifth, or sixth aspects mentioned above, there are one or more possible implementation methods as follows:

[0033] As one possible implementation method, it further includes: receiving first information from the terminal, the first information being used to indicate the first type of transmission port, the first type of transmission port being included in a plurality of transmission ports, the plurality of transmission ports being used to send a reference signal to the terminal.

[0034] Based on the above scheme, the terminal in this cell measures the reference signals transmitted by neighboring cells on multiple transmission ports and reports the first type of transmission port to the access network equipment to which this cell belongs. The first type of transmission port is a transmission port that causes slight interference (i.e. weak interference) to the terminal. Subsequently, when a neighboring cell uses the first type of transmission port to transmit data or prepares to transmit data, the terminal in this cell can select an appropriate receiving port to receive the data from this cell based on the notification from the access network equipment, so as to minimize the signal interference of the neighboring cell's data transmission to the terminal in this cell, thereby improving the signal-to-noise ratio, transmission rate and transmission stability when the terminal receives data.

[0035] As one possible implementation method, it further includes: receiving second information from the terminal, the second information being used to indicate a second type of transmitting port, the second type of transmitting port being included in the plurality of transmitting ports, the RSRP value of the interference of the second type of transmitting port to the L receiving ports of the terminal satisfying the first condition, the L receiving ports being L of the N receiving ports of the terminal, where L is an integer greater than M and less than or equal to N.

[0036] Based on the above scheme, the terminal in this cell measures the reference signals transmitted by neighboring cells on multiple transmission ports and reports the second type of transmission port to the access network equipment to which this cell belongs. The second type of transmission port is the transmission port that causes severe interference (i.e. strong interference) to the terminal. Subsequently, this cell can instruct neighboring cells not to use the second type of transmission port for data transmission, so as to minimize the signal interference of neighboring cells' data transmission to the terminal in this cell, thereby improving the signal-to-noise ratio, transmission rate and transmission stability when the terminal receives data.

[0037] As one possible implementation method, it further includes: sending third information to the access network device corresponding to the first type of transmission port and the second type of transmission port, the third information being used to indicate that the second type of transmission port is not used to transmit data.

[0038] Based on the above scheme, avoiding neighboring cells using the second type of transmission port to send data can reduce strong interference from neighboring cells to the terminals in this cell.

[0039] As one possible implementation method, it also includes: receiving fourth information from the access network device, the fourth information being used to indicate that data is being transmitted using the first transmitting port.

[0040] Based on the above scheme, the access network equipment belonging to this cell can accurately determine the sending port used by the access network equipment belonging to neighboring cells based on the interaction between access devices.

[0041] As one possible implementation method, it further includes: sending first configuration information to the terminal, the first configuration information being used to configure the number of receiving ports to be measured on the terminal, the first configuration information being used to determine the N receiving ports.

[0042] Based on the above scheme, the terminal can select a suitable receiving port for measurement based on the configuration of the access network equipment, which helps to accurately select the receiving port used for data reception.

[0043] As one possible implementation method, it also includes: receiving the total number of receiving ports of the terminal; and determining the first configuration information based on the total number of receiving ports.

[0044] Based on the above scheme, the terminal sends the total number of its receiving ports to the access network device, which helps the access network device accurately configure the number of receiving ports to be measured on the terminal.

[0045] As one possible implementation method, it further includes: sending second configuration information to the terminal, the second configuration information being used to indicate that the interference of the downlink data channel of each of the N receiving ports corresponds to the interference of the reference signal.

[0046] Based on the above scheme, the terminal in this cell will treat the interference from neighboring cells sending reference signals as the same as the interference from neighboring cells sending downlink data channels, which helps the terminal to quickly and accurately determine the interference from neighboring cells sending data.

[0047] As one possible implementation, the downlink data channel is PDSCH and the reference signal is CSI-RS.

[0048] Seventhly, this application provides a communication device that has the functions of implementing the first, second, or third aspects described above. For example, the communication device includes modules, units, or means corresponding to the operations involved in the first, second, or third aspects described above. These modules, units, or means can be implemented by software, hardware, or a combination of software and hardware.

[0049] Eighthly, this application provides a communication device that has the functions of implementing the fourth, fifth or sixth aspects above. For example, the communication device includes modules, units or means corresponding to the operations involved in the fourth, fifth or sixth aspects above. The modules, units or means can be implemented by software, or by hardware, or by a combination of software and hardware.

[0050] Ninthly, 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 program or instructions for implementing the functions involved in the first, second, or third aspects described above. The one or more processors are capable of executing the computer program or instructions, which, when executed, cause the communication device to implement the methods in any possible design or implementation of the first, second, or third aspects described above. 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.

[0051] In one possible design, the processor is used to communicate with other devices or components through the interface circuit.

[0052] In one possible design, the communication device may also include the memory.

[0053] The aforementioned communication device may be a terminal, or a communication module in a terminal, or a chip in a terminal that is responsible for communication functions, such as a modem chip (also known as a baseband chip), or a system-on-a-chip or system-in-package chip containing a modem module.

[0054] Tenthly, 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 program or instructions for implementing the functions involved in the fourth, fifth, or sixth aspects described above. The one or more processors are capable of executing the computer program or instructions, which, when executed, cause the communication device to implement the methods in any possible design or implementation of the fourth, fifth, or sixth aspects described above. 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.

[0055] The aforementioned communication device may be an access network device, a module (e.g., a circuit, chip, or chip system) within the access network device, or a logical node, logical module, or software capable of implementing all or part of the functions of the access network device.

[0056] In one aspect, this application provides a chip (or chip system) including a processor for implementing any one of the possible implementation methods of the first to sixth aspects described above.

[0057] In a twelfth aspect, this application provides a computer-readable storage medium storing a computer program or instructions that, when executed, implement the method in any of the possible designs of the first to sixth aspects described above.

[0058] In a thirteenth aspect, this application provides a computer program product comprising a computer program or instructions that, when executed, implement the method in any of the possible designs described in the first to sixth aspects.

[0059] In a fourteenth aspect, this application provides a communication system, including a terminal for performing the first aspect or any possible implementation of the first aspect, and an access network device for performing the fourth aspect or any possible implementation of the fourth aspect.

[0060] In a fifteenth aspect, this application provides a communication system, including a terminal for performing the second aspect or any possible implementation of the second aspect, and an access network device for performing the fifth aspect or any possible implementation of the fifth aspect.

[0061] In a sixteenth aspect, this application provides a communication system, including a terminal for performing the third aspect or any possible implementation of the third aspect, and an access network device for performing the sixth aspect or any possible implementation of the sixth aspect. Attached Figure Description

[0062] Figure 1 is a schematic diagram of a possible, non-limiting system;

[0063] Figure 2 shows an example diagram of interference measurement;

[0064] Figure 3 shows an example of interference from neighboring cells;

[0065] Figure 4 is a flowchart illustrating a communication method provided in an embodiment of this application;

[0066] Figure 5 is an example diagram of the terminal measurement reference signal provided in an embodiment of this application;

[0067] Figure 6 is a flowchart illustrating a communication method provided in an embodiment of this application;

[0068] Figure 7 is a possible exemplary block diagram of the communication device involved in the embodiments of this application;

[0069] Figure 8 is a schematic diagram of the structure of a terminal provided in an embodiment of this application. Detailed Implementation

[0070] Figure 1 is a possible, non-limiting system schematic diagram. As shown in Figure 1, the communication system 10 includes a radio access network (RAN) 100 and a core network (CN) 200. Optionally, the communication system also includes an Internet 300. RAN 100 includes at least one RAN node (110a and 110b in Figure 1, collectively referred to as 110) and at least one terminal (120a-120j in Figure 1, collectively referred to as 120). RAN 100 may also include other RAN nodes, such as wireless relay devices and / or wireless backhaul devices (not shown in Figure 1). Terminal 120 is wirelessly connected to RAN node 110. RAN node 110 is wirelessly or wired connected to core network 200. The core network equipment in core network 200 and RAN node 110 in RAN 100 can be different physical devices, or they can be the same physical device integrating core network logical functions and radio access network logical functions.

[0071] RAN100 can be a cellular system related to the 3rd Generation Partnership Project (3GPP), such as 4th generation (4G), 5th generation (5G) mobile communication systems, or future-oriented evolution systems. RAN100 can also be an open RAN (O-RAN or ORAN), a cloud radio access network (CRAN), or a wireless fidelity (WiFi) system. RAN100 can also be a communication system that integrates two or more of the above systems.

[0072] RAN node 110, sometimes also referred to as access network equipment, RAN entity, or access node, constitutes part of the communication system and is used to help terminals achieve wireless access. Multiple RAN nodes 110 in communication system 10 can be of the same type or different types. In some scenarios, the roles of RAN node 110 and terminal 120 are relative. For example, network element 120i in Figure 1 can be a helicopter or drone, which can be configured as a mobile base station. For terminals 120j accessing RAN 100 through network element 120i, network element 120i is a base station; but for base station 110a, network element 120i is a terminal. RAN node 110 and terminal 120 are sometimes both referred to as communication devices. For example, network elements 110a and 110b in Figure 1 can be understood as communication devices with base station functions, and network elements 120a-120j can be understood as communication devices with terminal functions.

[0073] In one possible scenario, the RAN node can be a base station, an evolved NodeB (eNodeB), an access point (AP), a transmission reception point (TRP), a next-generation NodeB (gNB), a base station in a future mobile communication system, or an access node in a WiFi system. The RAN node can be a macro base station (as shown in Figure 1, 110a), a micro base station or indoor station (as shown in Figure 1, 110b), a relay node or donor node, or a radio controller in a CRAN scenario. Optionally, the RAN node can also be a server, wearable device, vehicle, or in-vehicle equipment. For example, the access network equipment in vehicle-to-everything (V2X) technology can be a roadside unit (RSU). All or part of the functions of the RAN node in this application can also be implemented through software functions running on hardware, or through virtualization functions instantiated on a platform (e.g., a cloud platform). The RAN node can also be equipped with communication modules, circuits, or chips that perform corresponding communication functions. The RAN node can also be configured with program instructions for performing corresponding communication functions, as well as corresponding program instructions. The RAN node in this application can also be a logical node, logical module, or software capable of implementing all or part of the RAN node's functions.

[0074] In another possible scenario, multiple RAN nodes collaborate to assist the terminal in achieving wireless access, with different RAN nodes each implementing a portion of the base station's functions. For example, RAN nodes can be central units (CUs), distributed units (DUs), CU-control plane (CPs), CU-user plane (UPs), or radio units (RUs), etc. CUs and DUs can be set up separately or included in the same network element, such as a baseband unit (BBU). RUs can be included in radio equipment, such as remote radio units (RRUs), active antenna units (AAUs), or remote radio heads (RRHs).

[0075] In different systems, CU (or CU-CP and CU-UP), DU, or RU may have different names, but those skilled in the art will understand their meaning. For example, in an ORAN system, CU can also be called O-CU (open CU), DU can also be called O-DU, CU-CP can also be called O-CU-CP, CU-UP can also be called O-CU-UP, and RU can also be called O-RU. For ease of description, this application uses CU, CU-CP, CU-UP, DU, and RU as examples. Any of the units among CU (or CU-CP, CU-UP), DU, and RU in this application can be implemented through software modules, hardware modules, or a combination of software and hardware modules.

[0076] A terminal can be a device or module that accesses the aforementioned communication system and has corresponding communication functions. A terminal can also be called a terminal device, user equipment (UE), mobile station, mobile terminal, etc. Terminals can be widely used in various scenarios, such as device-to-device (D2D), vehicle-to-everything (V2X) communication, machine-type communication (MTC), Internet of Things (IoT), virtual reality, augmented reality, industrial control, autonomous driving, telemedicine, smart grids, smart furniture, smart offices, smart wearables, smart transportation, smart cities, etc. Terminals can be mobile phones, tablets, computers with wireless transceiver capabilities, wearable devices, vehicles, drones, helicopters, airplanes, ships, robots, robotic arms, smart home devices, transportation vehicles with wireless communication capabilities, communication modules, etc. The embodiments of this application do not limit the device form of the terminal. A terminal typically contains a communication module, circuit, or chip that performs the corresponding communication function. The terminal can also be configured with program instructions for performing the corresponding communication function.

[0077] To facilitate understanding of the present invention, the nouns or terms used in the present invention will be introduced below.

[0078] I. Deterministic Business

[0079] Deterministic services are those sensitive to network latency and require high bandwidth, high reliability, and low latency. Generally, deterministic services need to guarantee certain speed, latency, reliability, and user satisfaction requirements. Networks used to transmit deterministic services need to ensure predictable latency and jitter in data transmission to meet the needs of time-sensitive applications. For example, in remote surgery, any delay or jitter can lead to surgical failure; in industrial automation, latency and jitter can affect the efficiency and safety of production lines.

[0080] To achieve deterministic transmission of deterministic services, researchers have developed various technologies, including time-sensitive networking (TSN) and deterministic networking (DETNET). These technologies, through methods such as optimizing network architecture, packet scheduling, network automation, and intelligence, can provide predictable network service quality. The application of deterministic transmission technology is also crucial in 5G mobile communications. 5G networks, through technologies such as network slicing and end-to-end latency optimization, can provide low-latency, high-reliability communication services, supporting the needs of deterministic services. This makes 5G a technological foundation for supporting applications in these fields, such as the Industrial Internet and the Internet of Vehicles. Therefore, deterministic transmission technology is essential for supporting the development of time-sensitive applications; by providing predictable network service quality, it ensures the stability and reliability of data transmission, providing strong support for future network communications.

[0081] II. Zero-power channel status information reference signal (ZP CSI-RS) and non-zero-power channel status information reference signal (NZP CSI-RS)

[0082] ZP CSI-RS has zero power characteristics. When a cell transmits ZP CSI-RS on a certain resource, it can also be understood that the cell does not transmit CSI-RS on that resource, that is, the cell remains silent on that resource.

[0083] NZP CSI-RS has the characteristic of non-zero power. When a cell transmits NZP CSI-RS on a certain resource, it can also be understood that the cell transmits CSI-RS on that resource, that is, the cell does not remain silent on that resource.

[0084] ZP CSI-RS and NZP CSI-RS can be used to measure interference from neighboring cells to terminals in the current cell.

[0085] Figure 2 illustrates an example of interference measurement. In this example, base station 1 and base station 2 coordinate. Base station 1 transmits ZP CSI-RS on a certain resource, and base station 2 transmits NZP CSI-RS on the same resource. Terminals within the cell of base station 1 (referred to as the local cell) then measure the channel from the terminal to the cell of base station 2 (referred to as the neighboring cell) on that resource, i.e., measuring the interference from the neighboring cell to the terminal within the local cell. Conversely, if base station 1 and base station 2 do not coordinate, base station 1 transmits ZP CSI-RS on a certain resource, and base station 2 transmits downlink data normally on the same resource. Terminals within the cell of base station 1 (referred to as the local cell) then measure the channel from the terminal to the cell of base station 2 (referred to as the neighboring cell) on that resource, i.e., measuring the interference from the neighboring cell to the terminal within the local cell.

[0086] Neighbor cell interference refers to co-channel interference from neighboring cells in the downlink direction. Specifically, it refers to the interference caused by downlink signals transmitted by neighboring cells to terminals in this cell. This interference exhibits strong random fluctuation characteristics. From the perspective of a particular terminal, the maximum and minimum values ​​of neighbor cell interference at different times can even exceed 30 dBm. Figure 3 shows an example of neighbor cell interference. In scenario 1 of the figure above, base station 1 sends a downlink signal to terminal #1, and base station 2 sends a downlink signal to terminal #2. Because terminal #1 and terminal #2 are close to each other and located in the same direction as base station 2, some energy leakage occurs when base station 2 sends a downlink signal to terminal #2, causing strong interference to terminal #1. In scenario 2 of the figure above, base station 1 sends a downlink signal to terminal #1, and base station 2 sends a downlink signal to terminal #3. Because terminal #1 and terminal #3 are far apart and located in different directions from base station 2, the interference caused to terminal #1 when base station 2 sends a downlink signal to terminal #3 is relatively small.

[0087] In traditional communication systems, the transmitting end (e.g., base station) can detect sudden interference in advance and reduce its impact through methods such as HARQ retransmission and pre-emptively reducing the MCS level. However, for deterministic transmission scenarios, due to the strong time delay constraints, the interference reduction schemes in traditional communication systems are not applicable.

[0088] How to reduce interference from neighboring communities remains to be solved.

[0089] To address the aforementioned issues, this application provides corresponding solutions.

[0090] The communication method and apparatus are described below with reference to the accompanying drawings. It is understood that this application uses access network equipment and a terminal as examples to illustrate the interaction, but this application does not limit the execution subject of the interaction. For example, the method executed by the access network equipment in this application can also be implemented by modules (e.g., circuits, chips, or chip systems) in the access network equipment, or by logic nodes, logic modules, or software that can implement all or part of the functions of the access network equipment; the method executed by the terminal in this application can also be implemented by a communication module in the terminal or by circuits or chips (such as modem chips (also known as baseband chips), or system-on-a-chip containing modem cores, or system-in-package chips) in the terminal responsible for communication functions.

[0091] Figure 4 is a flowchart illustrating a communication method provided in an embodiment of this application. The method includes the following steps:

[0092] Step 401: The access network device sends the first configuration information to the terminal. Accordingly, the terminal receives the first configuration information.

[0093] The first configuration information is used to configure the number of receiving ports to be measured on the terminal, and the first configuration information is used to determine the N receiving ports of the terminal.

[0094] In the following, N represents the number of receiver ports to be measured on the terminal, where N is an integer greater than 1. N is also called the number of repetitions of ZP CSI-RS / NZP CSI-RS.

[0095] Based on the first configuration information, the terminal determines N receiving ports to be measured. For example, the total number of receiving ports of the terminal is P, where P is an integer greater than 1. Each receiving port of the terminal corresponds to an analog receiving beam, therefore the P receiving ports of the terminal correspond to P analog receiving beams.

[0096] If P > N, the terminal selects N receiving ports from the P receiving ports as the receiving ports to be measured. This selection of N receiving ports from the P receiving ports can also be understood as selecting N analog receiving beams from the P analog receiving beams. For example, if P = 8 and N = 4, the terminal selects 4 receiving ports from the 8 receiving ports as the receiving ports to be measured. This application does not limit the specific implementation method of the terminal selecting N receiving ports from the P receiving ports, that is, it does not limit which N receiving ports are specifically selected as the receiving ports to be measured.

[0097] If P = N, then the terminal uses these P receiving ports as the receiving ports to be measured.

[0098] If P < N, the terminal can use the P receiving ports as the receiving ports to be measured, and determine whether to measure the P receiving ports once or multiple times. For example, if P = 2 and N = 4, the terminal can use 2 of its receiving ports as the receiving ports to be measured, and determine whether to measure the 2 receiving ports once or twice.

[0099] For example, before step 401, the terminal can send the total number P of its receiving ports to the access network device. The access network device determines the first configuration information based on the total number P of the terminal's receiving ports. For instance, the access network device can determine the number N of the terminal's receiving ports to be measured based on the total number P of the terminal's receiving ports, the cell load, and the CSI-RS overhead. Here, CSI-RS overhead refers to the proportion of CSI-RS transmission resources in the total resources. The terminal here can refer to one terminal under the access network device, or multiple terminals under the access network device. For example, terminal #1 under the access network device sends the total number P of its receiving ports as 8, terminal #2 sends the total number P of its receiving ports as 8, terminal #1 sends the total number P of its receiving ports as 4, and so on. Then, the access network device can determine the number N of the terminal's receiving ports to be measured based on the total number of receiving ports reported by each terminal, combined with the cell load and CSI-RS overhead. Here, N is the same for each terminal, that is, the number of receiving ports to be measured for terminals #1, #2, and #3 is N.

[0100] As one implementation method, the access network device can send the aforementioned first configuration information to multiple terminals via unicast, for example, through radio resource control (RRC) signaling.

[0101] As another implementation method, the access network device can also send the above-mentioned first configuration information to multiple terminals at once via broadcast.

[0102] Step 402: The terminal sends first information to the access network device. Correspondingly, the access network device receives the first information.

[0103] The cells of other access network devices adjacent to the aforementioned access network device transmit a reference signal (e.g., NZP CSI-RS) N times on all transmitting ports. Then, the terminal under that access network device measures its N receiving ports to determine the RSRP value of the received interference. The cell where the terminal is located is called the local cell, and the cell transmitting the reference signal is called the neighboring cell. Taking Figure 2 as an example, the neighboring cells of base station 2 transmit the reference signal N times, and the terminal in the local cell measures its N receiving ports.

[0104] The measurement process is explained below with reference to the example in Figure 5. In this example, the total number of receiving ports of the terminal is P = 8, and the number of receiving ports to be measured configured by the access network device (e.g., base station 1 in Figure 2) is N = 4 through the first configuration information. Assume that the four receiving ports selected by the terminal are receiving port #0 to receiving port #3. The cells of other access network devices (e.g., neighboring cells of base station 2 in Figure 2) transmit the reference signal a total of 4 times on all transmitting ports (i.e., transmitting port #0 to transmitting port #15).

[0105] After the neighboring cell sends the first reference signal, the terminal uses the receiving port #0 to measure the reference signals transmitted on the 16 transmitting ports to determine the RSRP value of the received interference for each transmitting port. In the example in Figure 5, if the RSRP value of the interference meets the first condition, it is represented by "1"; if the RSRP value of the interference does not meet the first condition, it is represented by "0".

[0106] After the neighboring cell sends the reference signal a second time, the terminal uses the receiving port #1 to measure the reference signals sent on the 16 transmitting ports to determine the RSRP value of the received interference corresponding to each transmitting port.

[0107] After the neighboring cell sends the reference signal for the third time, the terminal uses the receiving port #2 to measure the reference signals sent on the 16 transmitting ports to determine the RSRP value of the received interference corresponding to each transmitting port.

[0108] After the neighboring cell sends the reference signal for the fourth time, the terminal uses the receiving port #3 to measure the reference signals sent on the 16 transmitting ports to determine the RSRP value of the received interference for each transmitting port.

[0109] In this embodiment of the application, the RSRP value of the interference satisfies the first condition, which means that the RSRP value is greater than or equal to a preset threshold value. Correspondingly, the RSRP value of the interference does not satisfy the first condition, which means that the RSRP value is less than or equal to a preset threshold value.

[0110] The preset threshold value can be a relative value, such as (PX) dBm, where P is the RSRP value from the terminal to the access network device, and X is the value configured by the access network device through higher-layer signaling, for example, X = 10. For instance, if P equals -110 dBm, then the preset threshold value is (-110 - 10) dBm, which is -120 dBm. Alternatively, the preset threshold value can also be an absolute value, such as -100 dBm.

[0111] For example, prior to step 402, the access network device may send transmission port information to the terminal. This transmission port information indicates multiple transmission ports used for transmitting reference signals, specifically referring to transmission ports in neighboring cells used for transmitting reference signals. For instance, as shown in Figure 2, this transmission port information indicates information about the 16 transmission ports of base station 2. The transmission port information may, for example, be an index of the transmission port.

[0112] As can be seen, a reference signal is transmitted for each transmitting port. Therefore, the terminal can measure N RSRP values ​​of the reference signal transmitted on each transmitting port through N measurements. The terminal classifies the transmitting ports into three categories: Category 1, Category 2, and Category 3 transmitting ports.

[0113] The RSRP value of interference from a first-type transmitting port to K of the N receiving ports of the terminal satisfies the first condition, where K is an integer greater than 0 and less than or equal to M, and M is a pre-configured positive integer less than or equal to N. This first-type transmitting port can be considered as a transmitting port that causes mild or weak interference to the terminal.

[0114] The RSRP value of interference from the second type of transmitting port to L of the N receiving ports of the terminal satisfies the first condition, where L is an integer greater than M and less than or equal to N. This second type of transmitting port can be considered a transmitting port that causes severe or strong interference to the terminal.

[0115] The RSRP values ​​of the third-type transmitting port for interference to the N receiving ports of the terminal do not meet the first condition. This third-type transmitting port can be considered as a transmitting port that does not cause interference to the terminal.

[0116] Here, the N receiving ports mentioned above refer to the N receiving ports used for RSRP measurement among all the receiving ports of the terminal.

[0117] Taking the example in Figure 5, assuming N=4 and M=2, the RSRP value of the interference of the first type of transmitting port to K of the four receiving ports of the terminal satisfies the first condition, where K is 1 or 2. Therefore, the first type of transmitting ports include: transmitting port #2, transmitting port #4, transmitting port #5, transmitting port #8, transmitting port #9, transmitting port #10, transmitting port #11, transmitting port #13, and transmitting port #15.

[0118] The RSRP values ​​of interference from the second type of transmitting ports to L of the terminal's four receiving ports satisfy the first condition, where L is 3 or 4. Therefore, the second type of transmitting ports include: transmitting port #0, transmitting port #1, transmitting port #6, transmitting port #7, and transmitting port #12.

[0119] The RSRP values ​​of the interference of the third type of transmitting port to the four receiving ports of the terminal do not meet the first condition. Therefore, the third type of transmitting ports include: transmitting port #3 and transmitting port #14.

[0120] After determining the first type of transmission port, the second type of transmission port, and the third type of transmission port, the terminal can send first information to the access network device. This first information indicates the first type of transmission port, which is included in the transmission port information indicating multiple transmission ports. Taking Figure 5 as an example, the transmission port information indicates transmission ports #0 to #15. This first information indicates the first type of transmission ports among these 15 transmission ports, namely transmission ports #2, #4, #5, #8, #9, #10, #11, #13, and #15. Exemplarily, this first information can be an index of the first type of transmission port.

[0121] Step 403: The terminal sends the second information to the access network device. Correspondingly, the access network device receives the second information.

[0122] Step 403 is an optional step.

[0123] After determining the first, second, and third type of transmission ports, the terminal can also send second information to the access network device. This second information indicates a second type of transmission port, which is included in the transmission port information indicating multiple transmission ports. Taking Figure 5 as an example, the transmission port information indicates transmission ports #0 to #15. This second information indicates the second type of transmission ports among these 15 ports, namely transmission port #0, transmission port #1, transmission port #6, transmission port #7, and transmission port #12. Exemplarily, this second information can be an index of the second type of transmission port.

[0124] As one implementation method, before or after any of steps 401, 402, or 403 above, the access network device may further send second configuration information to the terminal. This second configuration information indicates a correspondence between the interference of the downlink data channel and the interference of the reference signal at each of the terminal's N receiving ports. The downlink data channel can be PDSCH, and the reference signal can be CSI-RS. Alternatively, the access network device can configure a QCL for the terminal, indicating the correspondence between the port of interference of PDSCH and the interference measured by CSI-RS. This means that the interference caused to the terminal when a neighboring cell uses transmit port X to transmit CSI-RS is the same as the interference caused to the terminal when a neighboring cell uses transmit port X to transmit PDSCH.

[0125] Based on the above scheme, the terminal in this cell measures the reference signal transmitted by the neighboring cell on the transmitting port and reports the first type of transmitting port to the access network equipment to which this cell belongs. The first type of transmitting port is a transmitting port that causes slight interference to the terminal. Subsequently, when the neighboring cell uses the first type of transmitting port to transmit data or prepares to transmit data, the terminal in this cell can select an appropriate receiving port to receive the data from this cell based on the notification from the access network equipment, so as to minimize the signal interference of the neighboring cell's data transmission to the terminal in this cell, thereby improving the signal-to-noise ratio, transmission rate and transmission stability when the terminal receives data.

[0126] It should be understood that in various embodiments of the present invention, the measurement process can be varied; for example, measuring the reference signal can also involve determining the RSRP value based on the received reference signal. In various embodiments of the present invention, "terminal" can refer to a chip or processor within a terminal. "Network device" can refer to a chip or processor within a network device.

[0127] The following describes a specific method for reducing signal interference from neighboring cell data transmissions to terminals in the local cell, with reference to the embodiment shown in Figure 6. It should be noted that the embodiment shown in Figure 6 can be implemented in conjunction with the embodiment shown in Figure 4, or independently. This application does not limit the binding relationship between the embodiment shown in Figure 6 and the embodiment shown in Figure 4.

[0128] Figure 6 is a flowchart illustrating a communication method provided in an embodiment of this application. The method includes the following steps:

[0129] Step 601: The access network device generates indication information.

[0130] This indication information is used to trigger the terminal to select a first receiving port to receive data. The RSRP value of the interference received by the first receiving port from the first transmitting port does not meet the first condition. The first transmitting port is one of the first type of transmitting ports. The first receiving port is included in the N receiving ports to be measured in the embodiment of FIG4 above, but not included in the K receiving ports described in the embodiment of FIG4. The K receiving ports refer to the receiving ports whose RSRP value of the received interference meets the first condition.

[0131] The first transmitting port can be a transmitting port of a neighboring cell that is currently transmitting or preparing to transmit data.

[0132] The specific meanings of satisfying and not satisfying the first condition can be found in the relevant descriptions in the embodiments of Figure 4 above.

[0133] Step 602: The access network device sends an instruction message to the terminal. Correspondingly, the terminal receives the instruction message.

[0134] For example, this indication information may be carried in downlink control information (DCI) or other signaling.

[0135] Step 603: The terminal uses the first receiving port to receive data.

[0136] The following explanation uses an example from Figure 5. Referring to Figure 5, the first type of transmitting ports includes transmitting port #2, transmitting port #4, transmitting port #5, transmitting port #8, transmitting port #9, transmitting port #10, transmitting port #11, transmitting port #13, and transmitting port #15. For example, if the first transmitting port is transmitting port #2, then the terminal uses the first receiving port to receive downlink data from its own cell; this first receiving port is receiving port #1 or receiving port #2. As another example, if the first transmitting port is transmitting port #4, then the terminal uses the first receiving port to receive downlink data from its own cell; this first receiving port is receiving port #1, receiving port #2, or receiving port #3.

[0137] Based on the above scheme, the terminal in this cell can select the appropriate receiving port to receive data according to the instructions of the access network equipment, so as to minimize the signal interference of data transmission from neighboring cells to the terminal in this cell, thereby improving the signal-to-noise ratio, transmission rate and transmission stability when the terminal receives data.

[0138] For example, three different methods of implementing the above-mentioned instruction information are described below.

[0139] In the first implementation method, this indication information is used to indicate the first sending port.

[0140] When the indication information is used to indicate the first transmitting port, the terminal determines the first receiving port for receiving downlink data of the cell based on the indication information. Taking the example in Figure 5, when the indication information indicates transmitting port #2, the terminal can know from previous measurements that the RSRP values ​​of the interference received by the terminal's receiving ports #1 and #2 from transmitting port #2 do not meet the first condition. Therefore, the terminal selects receiving port #1 or receiving port #2 to receive downlink data of the cell, that is, the first receiving port is receiving port #1 or receiving port #2.

[0141] In the second implementation method, the indication information is used to indicate the terminal's first receiving port.

[0142] When the indication information is used to indicate the terminal's first receiving port, the terminal uses the first receiving port to receive downlink data from the local cell based on the indication information. Taking the example in Figure 5, assuming that the transmitting port #2 of the neighboring cell is transmitting data or is transmitting data accurately, the access network device to which the local cell belongs determines, based on the first type of transmitting port reported by the terminal, that the RSRP values ​​of the interference received by the terminal's receiving ports #1 and #2 from transmitting port #2 do not meet the first condition. Therefore, the access network device sends indication information to the terminal, which indicates the terminal's first receiving port, which is either receiving port #1 or receiving port #2.

[0143] In the third implementation method, the indication information is used to indicate the second receiving port of the terminal. The RSRP value of the interference received by the second receiving port from the first transmitting port satisfies the first condition. The second receiving port is included in the K receiving ports described in the embodiment of Figure 4.

[0144] When the indication information is used to indicate the terminal's second receiving port, the terminal determines its first receiving port based on this indication information and uses the first receiving port to receive downlink data from the local cell. Taking the example in Figure 5, assuming that the transmitting port #2 of the neighboring cell is transmitting data or is transmitting data accurately, the access network device to which the local cell belongs determines, based on the first type of transmitting port reported by the terminal, that the RSRP values ​​of the interference received by the terminal's receiving ports #1 and #2 from transmitting port #2 do not meet the first condition. Therefore, the access network device sends indication information to the terminal, which indicates the terminal's second receiving port, namely receiving port #0 and receiving port #3. Based on this indication information, the terminal determines whether to use receiving port #1 or receiving port #2 to receive downlink data from the local cell.

[0145] As one implementation method, the access network device can also send third information to the access network devices corresponding to the first type of transmission port and the second type of transmission port (i.e., the access network devices to which the neighboring cell belongs). This third information is used to indicate that data should not be transmitted using the second type of transmission port. Taking the example in Figure 2, base station 1 sends this third information to base station 2. This is because the second type of transmission port has strong interference to the terminals in this cell. Taking transmission port #0 shown in Figure 5 as an example, the RSRP values ​​of the interference of transmission port #0 to the four receiving ports to be measured of the terminal all meet the first condition. Therefore, if the neighboring cell uses transmission port #0 to transmit data, the terminal in this cell will be subject to strong interference from the neighboring cell regardless of which receiving port from receiving port 0 to receiving port #3 it uses.

[0146] Upon receiving the third information, the access network equipment belonging to the neighboring cell can choose not to use the Type 2 transmission port to send data. For example, if this cell is sending or preparing to send Service Level Agreement (SLA) service data to terminals accessing this cell, and a neighboring cell is sending or preparing to send Enhanced Mobile Broadband (eMBB) service data to terminals accessing that neighboring cell using a Type 2 transmission port, since SLA services have a higher priority than eMBB services, this cell can send the third information to the neighboring cell. After receiving the third information, the neighboring cell can choose not to use the Type 2 transmission port to send data, thus ensuring the transmission reliability and speed of this cell's SLA services. For example, if a cell is sending SLA service data to a terminal accessing the cell, and a neighboring cell is sending SLA service data to a terminal accessing the neighboring cell using a Type II transmission port, and assuming that the SLA service of this cell has a higher priority than the SLA service of the neighboring cell, then this cell can send the third information to the neighboring cell. After receiving the third information, the neighboring cell chooses not to use the Type II transmission port to send data, so as to ensure the transmission reliability and rate of the SLA service of this cell.

[0147] As one implementation method, prior to step 601 above, the access network device can send fourth information to the terminal. This fourth information indicates that the neighboring cell is using or preparing to use the first transmission port among the first type of transmission ports to transmit data. For example, this fourth information may be data transmission weight information, which includes multiple weights, each corresponding to a transmission port of the neighboring cell. This data transmission weight information indicates the usage status of the neighboring cell's transmission port; therefore, the access network device to which this cell belongs can determine whether the neighboring cell is using or preparing to use the first transmission port to transmit data based on this data transmission weight information.

[0148] Figure 7 illustrates a possible exemplary block diagram of the communication device involved in the embodiments of this application. As shown in Figure 7, the communication device 700 may include modules or units for implementing the method embodiments described above. In one possible design, the communication device 700 includes a processing unit 702 and a communication unit 703. Optionally, the communication device 700 may further include a storage unit 701 for storing device program code and / or data.

[0149] The communication device 700 can be a terminal-side device in the above embodiments, such as a terminal or a communication module in a terminal, or a circuit or chip in a terminal that is responsible for communication functions.

[0150] For example, in the first embodiment, the processing unit 702 is configured to receive indication information from the access network device via the communication unit 703. The indication information is used to indicate a first transmitting port, which is one of a first type of transmitting ports. The RSRP value of the interference of the first type of transmitting port to the K receiving ports of the terminal satisfies a first condition. The K receiving ports are K receiving ports out of N receiving ports of the terminal, where N is an integer greater than 1, K is an integer greater than 0 and less than or equal to M, and M is a pre-configured positive integer less than or equal to N. The processing unit 702 is configured to receive data using the first receiving port via the communication unit 703. The RSRP value of the interference received by the first receiving port from the first transmitting port does not satisfy the first condition. The first receiving port is included in the N receiving ports but not in the K receiving ports.

[0151] For example, in the second embodiment, the processing unit 702 is configured to receive indication information from the access network device via the communication unit 703. This indication information indicates that the RSRP value of the first receiving port of the terminal, which receives interference from the first transmitting port, does not meet a first condition. The first transmitting port is one of a first type of transmitting port, and the RSRP value of the interference from this first type of transmitting port to K receiving ports of the terminal meets the first condition. The K receiving ports are K receiving ports out of N receiving ports of the terminal, where N is an integer greater than 1, K is an integer greater than 0 and less than or equal to M, and M is a pre-configured positive integer less than or equal to N. The first receiving port is included in the N receiving ports but not in the K receiving ports. The processing unit 702 uses the first receiving port to receive data via the communication unit 703.

[0152] For example, in the third embodiment, the processing unit 702 is configured to receive indication information from the access network device via the communication unit 703. This indication information indicates that the RSRP value of the second receiving port of the terminal, which receives interference from the first transmitting port, satisfies a first condition. The first transmitting port is one of a first type of transmitting port, and the RSRP value of the interference from this first type of transmitting port to K receiving ports of the terminal satisfies the first condition. The K receiving ports are K of the N receiving ports of the terminal, where N is an integer greater than 1, K is an integer greater than 0 and less than or equal to M, and M is a pre-configured positive integer less than or equal to N. The second receiving port is included in the K receiving ports. The processing unit 702 also receives data using the first receiving port via the communication unit 703. This first receiving port is included in the N receiving ports but not in the K receiving ports, and the RSRP value of the interference received by the first receiving port from the first transmitting port does not satisfy the first condition.

[0153] Based on any of the three embodiments described above, there are several possible implementation methods:

[0154] As one possible implementation, the processing unit 702 is also configured to receive a reference signal through the communication unit 703, the reference signal being transmitted through multiple transmission ports; and to send first information to the access network device, the first information being used to indicate the first type of transmission port, the first type of transmission port being included in the multiple transmission ports.

[0155] As one possible implementation, the processing unit 702 is further configured to send second information to the access network device via the communication unit 703. The second information is used to indicate a second type of transmitting port, which is included in the plurality of transmitting ports. The RSRP value of the interference of the second type of transmitting port to the L receiving ports of the terminal satisfies the first condition. The L receiving ports are L of the N receiving ports of the terminal, where L is an integer greater than M and less than or equal to N.

[0156] As one possible implementation, the processing unit 702 is further configured to receive first configuration information from the access network device via the communication unit 703, the first configuration information being used to configure the number of receiving ports to be measured for the terminal, and the first configuration information being used to determine the N receiving ports.

[0157] As one possible implementation, the processing unit 702 is further configured to send the total number of receiving ports of the terminal to the access network device via the communication unit 703, the total number of receiving ports being used to determine the first configuration information.

[0158] As one possible implementation, the processing unit 702 is also configured to receive second configuration information from the access network device via the communication unit 703. The second configuration information is used to indicate that the interference of the downlink data channel of each of the N receiving ports corresponds to the interference of the reference signal.

[0159] As one possible implementation, the downlink data channel is PDSCH and the reference signal is CSI-RS.

[0160] In one possible design, when the communication device 700 is a terminal or a communication module within a terminal, the function of the processing unit 702 can be implemented by one or more processors. Specifically, the processor may include a modem chip, or a system-on-a-chip (SoC) chip or a SIP chip containing a modem core. The function of the communication unit 703 can be implemented by transceiver circuitry.

[0161] In one possible design, when the communication device 700 is a circuit or chip in a terminal responsible for communication functions, such as a modem chip or a system-on-a-chip (SoC) or SIP chip containing a modem core, the function of the processing unit 702 can be implemented by a circuit system in the aforementioned chip that includes one or more processors or processor cores. The function of the communication unit 703 can be implemented by an interface circuit or data transceiver circuit on the aforementioned chip.

[0162] The communication device 700 can also be a network-side device in the above embodiments, such as a network-side access network device, a module (e.g., circuit, chip or chip system) in the access network device, or a logic node, logic module or software that can implement all or part of the functions of the access network device.

[0163] For example, in the first embodiment, the processing unit 702 is configured to generate indication information, which indicates a first transmitting port, one of a first type of transmitting port, whose RSRP value of interference to the terminal's K receiving ports satisfies a first condition, where the K receiving ports are K of the terminal's N receiving ports, where N is an integer greater than 1, K is an integer greater than 0 and less than or equal to M, and M is a pre-configured positive integer less than or equal to N; and to send indication information to the terminal via the communication unit 703, which indicates that the terminal selects a first receiving port to receive data, where the RSRP value of interference received by the first receiving port from the first transmitting port does not satisfy the first condition, and the first receiving port is included in the N receiving ports but not in the K receiving ports.

[0164] For example, in the second embodiment, the processing unit 702 is used to generate indication information, which indicates that the RSRP value of the first receiving port of the terminal receiving interference from the first transmitting port does not meet a first condition. The first transmitting port is one of a first type of transmitting port, and the RSRP value of the interference from the first type of transmitting port to the K receiving ports of the terminal meets the first condition. The K receiving ports are K receiving ports out of N receiving ports of the terminal, where N is an integer greater than 1, K is an integer greater than 0 and less than or equal to M, and M is a pre-configured positive integer less than or equal to N. The first receiving port is included in the N receiving ports but not in the K receiving ports. The processing unit 702 sends the indication information to the terminal through the communication unit 703, which triggers the terminal to select the first receiving port to receive data.

[0165] For example, in the third embodiment, the processing unit 702 is used to generate indication information, which indicates that the RSRP value of the second receiving port of the terminal receiving interference from the first transmitting port satisfies a first condition. The first transmitting port is one of a first type of transmitting port, and the RSRP value of the interference from the first type of transmitting port to the K receiving ports of the terminal satisfies the first condition. The K receiving ports are K receiving ports out of N receiving ports of the terminal, where N is an integer greater than 1, K is an integer greater than 0 and less than or equal to M, and M is a pre-configured positive integer less than or equal to N. The second receiving port is included in the K receiving ports. The processing unit 702 also sends indication information to the terminal through the communication unit 703, which triggers the terminal to select a first receiving port to receive data. The first receiving port is included in the N receiving ports but not in the K receiving ports, and the RSRP value of the interference from the first transmitting port to the first receiving port does not satisfy the first condition.

[0166] Based on any of the three embodiments described above, there are several possible implementation methods:

[0167] As one possible implementation, the processing unit 702 is also configured to receive first information from the terminal, the first information being used to indicate the first type of transmission port, the first type of transmission port being included in a plurality of transmission ports, the plurality of transmission ports being used to send a reference signal to the terminal.

[0168] As one possible implementation, the processing unit 702 is further configured to receive second information from the terminal via the communication unit 703. The second information is used to indicate a second type of transmitting port, which is included in the plurality of transmitting ports. The RSRP value of the interference of the second type of transmitting port to the L receiving ports of the terminal satisfies the first condition. The L receiving ports are L of the N receiving ports of the terminal, where L is an integer greater than M and less than or equal to N.

[0169] As one possible implementation, the processing unit 702 is further configured to send third information to the access network device corresponding to the first type of transmission port and the second type of transmission port via the communication unit 703, the third information being used to indicate that the second type of transmission port is not used to transmit data.

[0170] As one possible implementation, the processing unit 702 is also configured to receive fourth information from the access network device via the communication unit 703, the fourth information being used to indicate that data is being transmitted using the first transmitting port.

[0171] As one possible implementation, the processing unit 702 is also configured to send first configuration information to the terminal via the communication unit 703. The first configuration information is used to configure the number of receiving ports to be measured on the terminal and to determine the N receiving ports.

[0172] As one possible implementation, the processing unit 702 is further configured to receive the total number of receiving ports of the terminal via the communication unit 703; based on the total number of receiving ports, the processing unit 702 is further configured to determine the first configuration information.

[0173] As one possible implementation, the processing unit 702 is also configured to send second configuration information to the terminal via the communication unit 703. The second configuration information is used to indicate that the interference of the downlink data channel of each of the N receiving ports corresponds to the interference of the reference signal.

[0174] As one possible implementation, the downlink data channel is PDSCH and the reference signal is CSI-RS.

[0175] It is understood that the division of units in the above-described device is merely a logical functional division. One function can correspond to one functional unit, or two or more functions can be integrated into one functional unit. In actual implementation, all or some units can be integrated onto a single physical entity, or distributed across different physical entities. Furthermore, the aforementioned functional units can be implemented in hardware, software, or a combination of both. Whether a function is executed in hardware or software depends on the specific application and design constraints of the technical solution. Those skilled in the art can use different methods to implement the described functions for specific applications, but such implementations should not be considered beyond the scope of this application.

[0176] In one example, the functional unit in any of the above devices may be one or more integrated circuits configured to implement the above methods, such as: one or more application-specific integrated circuits (ASICs), or one or more central processing units (CPUs), one or more microcontroller units (MCUs), one or more digital signal processors (DSPs), or one or more field-programmable gate arrays (FPGAs), or a combination of at least two of these integrated circuit forms.

[0177] In one example, storage unit 701 may include random access memory, flash memory, read-only memory, programmable read-only memory or electrically erasable programmable memory and / or registers, etc.

[0178] Figure 8 is a schematic diagram of the structure of a terminal 800 provided in an embodiment of this application. This terminal 800 corresponds to the terminal shown in Figure 1 and is used to implement the operations of the terminal in the above embodiments. As shown in Figure 8, the terminal includes: one or more antennas 810, a radio frequency processing system 820, and a processor system 830.

[0179] In the downlink or sidelink direction, the RF processing system 820 receives RF signals through the antenna 810 and sends the RF-processed signals to the processor system 830 for further processing. In the uplink or sidelink direction, the processor system 830 processes the terminal-side information and sends it to the RF processing system 820, which then processes the signal and transmits it through the antenna 810.

[0180] In one example, the radio frequency (RF) processing system 820 serves as the communication interface for external communication of the terminal and may include a radio frequency frontend (RFFE) 821 and an RF transceiver 822. The RFFE 821 is primarily used for one or more processing operations, such as shaping, passband selection, or gain adjustment, on the RF signals received by the antenna or those to be transmitted through the antenna. It may include one or more components such as RF switches, duplexers, filters, power amplifiers, antenna tuners, and low-noise amplifiers. The RFFE 821 can be a circuit system composed of multiple discrete components or integrated into one or more chips. The RF transceiver 822 processes the RF signals received by the RFFE into baseband / IF signals for further processing by the processor system 830, and processes the baseband / IF signals provided by the processor system 830 into RF signals for transmission to the RFFE 821. The baseband / IF signals transmitted between the RF transceiver 822 and the processor system 830 can be digital or analog signals. The RF transceiver 822 can be implemented by one or more chips, which are commonly referred to as RF ICs.

[0181] In one example, the processor system 830 may include one or more processors for processing signals and executing one or more communication protocols. Optionally, the processor system 830 may also include a memory 836. In one example, the one or more processors include at least one baseband processor 831 (also known as a modem processor). The memory 836 is used to store data and / or computer program instructions. Optionally, the processor system 830 may also include one or more application processors 832 for implementing processing of the terminal operating system and application layer. Optionally, the processor system 830 may also include one or more of a voice subsystem 833, a multimedia subsystem 834, or an interface circuit 835. The voice subsystem 833 is used to process voice signals, the multimedia subsystem 834 is used to handle multimedia-related operations, such as video encoding / decoding, image processing, etc., and the interface circuit 835 is used to enable communication with other terminal components, such as a display 840, an input device 850, a memory 860, etc. The above-mentioned components in the processor system 830 can communicate with each other via a bus or communication interface circuit.

[0182] In one example, the processor system 830 can be packaged as a single processor chip, such as a SoC chip or a SIP chip. In another example, the processor system 830 can be a system composed of multiple chips; for example, the baseband processor 831 can be packaged as a single chip, or packaged with part or all of the circuitry of the radio frequency processing system into a single chip.

[0183] In one example, memory 836 can be on-chip memory, i.e., located on the system-on-a-chip 830. In another example, memory 860 can be off-chip memory, i.e. located outside the system-on-a-chip 830.

[0184] In one example, the baseband processor 831 may include one or more processor cores 8311 and interface circuitry 8314. The one or more processor cores 8311 are used to process signals and execute one or more communication protocols. Optionally, the baseband processor 831 may also include a memory 8312 for storing at least a portion of the corresponding computer program instructions and / or data. In one example, the one or more processor cores 8311 execute the computer program instructions stored in the memory 8312 to implement the relevant operations in the above method embodiments. In this disclosure, the memory 8312 storing the corresponding computer program instructions and / or data may mean that the memory 8312 stores all the corresponding computer program instructions and / or data for the processor core 8311 to execute; or it may mean that the memory 8312 stores a portion of the corresponding computer program instructions and / or data, which includes the computer program instructions and / or data currently needed to be executed by the processor core 8311. The memory 8312 can store different portions of computer program instructions and / or data multiple times for the processor core 8311 to execute in order to implement the relevant operations in the above method embodiments. The interface circuit 8314 serves as a communication interface for communication with other components, such as transmitting signals with the RF processing system 820, communicating with other subsystems and related components of the processor system 830 via a bus, such as transmitting data control signals with the application processor 832, and transmitting data or computer program instructions with the memory 836 or memory 860. Optionally, to reduce the load on the processor core, a baseband signal processing circuit 8313 can be provided to perform at least some baseband signal processing, including one or more of signal demodulation, modulation, encoding, or decoding.

[0185] In one example, the communication device provided in this application may be a terminal 800, a communication module including a processor system 830 and a radio frequency system 820, or a baseband processor 831.

[0186] The processor, processor system, application processor, baseband processor, processor circuit, or processor core mentioned above can be collectively referred to as a processor. The processor may include one or more of the following: central processing unit (CPU), digital signal processor (DSP), microprocessor unit (MPU), microcontroller unit (MCU), graphics processing unit (GPU), field programmable gate array (FPGA), artificial intelligence processor (AI processor), or neural processing unit (NPU).

[0187] The aforementioned memory may include one or more of the following storage media: random access memory (RAM), static random access memory (SRAM), dynamic random access memory (DRAM), phase-change memory (PCM), resistive random access memory (ReRAM), magnetoresistive random access memory (MRAM), ferroelectric random access memory (FRAM), cache, register, read-only memory (ROM), flash memory, erasable programmable read-only memory (EPROM), hard disk, etc. In one example, computer program instructions for executing the above embodiments may be stored on non-volatile memory, such as at least a portion of the aforementioned memory 860 (e.g., one or more of ROM, flash memory, EPROM, or hard disk). When the terminal is running, the corresponding computer program instructions may be partially or wholly loaded onto a memory with a faster transfer speed than the processor, such as at least a portion of memory 836 and / or memory 8312 (e.g., one or more of RAM, SRAM, DRAM, PCM, RERAM, MRAM, FRAM, cache, or register), for the processor to execute in order to implement the steps in the above method embodiments.

[0188] In one example, the RF transceiver 822 and the RF front-end 821 can also be packaged in a single chip. In another example, the RF transceiver 822, the RF front-end 821, and the baseband processor 831 can also be packaged in a single chip.

[0189] This application provides a chip (or chip system) including a processor for implementing any of the above-described method embodiments.

[0190] This application provides a computer-readable storage medium storing a computer program or instructions that, when executed, implement any of the above-described method embodiments.

[0191] This application provides a computer program product, which includes a computer program or instructions that, when executed, implement any of the above-described method embodiments.

[0192] This application provides a communication system, including the terminal and access network device in the method embodiment of FIG4 above.

[0193] This application provides a communication system, including the terminal and access network device in the method embodiment of FIG6 above.

[0194] The terms "system" and "network" in this application embodiment are used interchangeably. "At least one" refers to one or more, and "multiple" refers to 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. The character " / " generally indicates that the preceding and following related objects are in an "or" relationship. "At least one of the following" or similar expressions refer to any combination of these items, including any combination of single or plural items. For example, "at least one of A, B, or C" includes A, B, C, AB, AC, BC, or ABC; "at least one of A, B, and C" can also be understood as including A, B, C, AB, AC, BC, or ABC. Furthermore, unless otherwise specified, the ordinal numbers such as "first" and "second" mentioned in this application embodiment are used to distinguish multiple objects and are not used to limit the order, sequence, priority, or importance of multiple objects.

[0195] Those skilled in the art will understand that embodiments of this application can be provided as methods, systems, or computer program products. Therefore, this application can take the form of a completely hardware embodiment, a completely software embodiment, or an embodiment combining software and hardware aspects. Furthermore, this application can take the form of a computer program product embodied on one or more computer-usable storage media (including, but not limited to, disk storage, optical storage, etc.) containing computer-usable program code.

[0196] This application is described with reference to flowchart illustrations and / or block diagrams of methods, apparatus (systems), and computer program products according to this application. It should be understood that each block of the flowchart illustrations and / or block diagrams, and combinations of blocks in the flowchart illustrations and / or block diagrams, can be implemented by computer program instructions. These computer program instructions can be provided to a processor of a general-purpose computer, special-purpose computer, embedded processor, or other programmable data processing apparatus to produce a machine, such that the instructions, which execute via the processor of the computer or other programmable data processing apparatus, create means for implementing the functions specified in one or more blocks of the flowchart illustrations and / or one or more blocks of the block diagrams.

[0197] These computer program instructions may also be stored in a computer-readable storage medium that can direct a computer or other programmable data processing device to function in a particular manner, such that the instructions stored in the computer-readable storage medium produce an article of manufacture including instruction means that implement the functions specified in one or more flowcharts and / or one or more block diagrams.

[0198] These computer program instructions may also be loaded onto a computer or other programmable data processing apparatus to cause a series of operational steps to be performed on the computer or other programmable apparatus to produce a computer-implemented process, such that the instructions, which execute on the computer or other programmable apparatus, provide steps for implementing the functions specified in one or more flowcharts and / or one or more block diagrams.

[0199] Obviously, those skilled in the art can make various modifications and variations to this application without departing from the scope of this application. Therefore, if such modifications and variations fall within the scope of the claims of this application and their equivalents, this application also intends to include such modifications and variations.

Claims

1. A communication method, characterized in that, Applied to the terminal side, the method includes: The system receives indication information from the access network device. The indication information is used to indicate a first transmitting port, which is one of a first type of transmitting port. The RSRP value of the interference of the first type of transmitting port to the K receiving ports of the terminal satisfies a first condition. The K receiving ports are K receiving ports out of the N receiving ports of the terminal, where N is an integer greater than 1, K is an integer greater than 0 and less than or equal to M, and M is a pre-configured positive integer less than or equal to N. Data is received using a first receiving port. The RSRP value of the interference received by the first receiving port from the first transmitting port does not meet the first condition. The first receiving port is included in the N receiving ports but not in the K receiving ports.

2. The method as described in claim 1, characterized in that, Also includes: Receive a reference signal, which is transmitted through multiple transmission ports; Send first information to the access network device, the first information being used to indicate the first type of transmission port, the first type of transmission port being included in the plurality of transmission ports.

3. The method as described in claim 2, characterized in that, Also includes: Send second information to the access network device. The second information is used to indicate a second type of transmitting port, which is included in the plurality of transmitting ports. The RSRP value of the interference of the second type of transmitting port to the L receiving ports of the terminal satisfies the first condition. The L receiving ports are L of the N receiving ports of the terminal, where L is an integer greater than M and less than or equal to N.

4. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 3, characterized in that, Also includes: The terminal receives first configuration information from the access network device, the first configuration information being used to configure the number of receiving ports to be measured, and the first configuration information being used to determine the N receiving ports.

5. The method as described in claim 4, characterized in that, Also includes: The total number of receiving ports of the terminal is sent to the access network device, and the total number of receiving ports is used to determine the first configuration information.

6. The method as described in claim 2 or 3, characterized in that, Also includes: The system receives second configuration information from the access network device, the second configuration information being used to indicate that the interference of the downlink data channel of each of the N receiving ports corresponds to the interference of the reference signal.

7. The method as described in claim 6, characterized in that, The downlink data channel is the Physical Downlink Shared Channel (PDSCH), and the reference signal is the Channel State Information Reference Signal (CSI-RS).

8. A communication method, characterized in that, Applied to the access network device side, the method includes: Generate indication information, which is used to indicate a first transmitting port, which is one of a first type of transmitting port, and the RSRP value of the interference of the first type of transmitting port to the K receiving ports of the terminal satisfies a first condition. The K receiving ports are K receiving ports out of the N receiving ports of the terminal, where N is an integer greater than 1, K is an integer greater than 0 and less than or equal to M, and M is a pre-configured positive integer less than or equal to N. Send indication information to the terminal, the indication information is used to trigger the terminal to select a first receiving port to receive data, the RSRP value of the first receiving port receiving interference from the first sending port does not meet the first condition, the first receiving port is included in the N receiving ports and is not included in the K receiving ports.

9. The method as described in claim 8, characterized in that, Also includes: The terminal receives first information, which indicates the first type of transmission port, which is comprised of multiple transmission ports, and the multiple transmission ports are used to send a reference signal to the terminal.

10. The method as described in claim 9, characterized in that, Also includes: The terminal receives second information, which indicates a second type of transmitting port, which is included in the plurality of transmitting ports. The RSRP value of the interference of the second type of transmitting port to the L receiving ports of the terminal satisfies the first condition. The L receiving ports are L of the N receiving ports of the terminal, where L is an integer greater than M and less than or equal to N.

11. The method as described in claim 10, characterized in that, Also includes: A third message is sent to the access network devices corresponding to the first type of transmission port and the second type of transmission port, the third message being used to indicate that the second type of transmission port is not used to send data.

12. The method according to any one of claims 8 to 11, characterized in that, Also includes: A fourth message is received from the access network device, the fourth message indicating that data is being transmitted using the first transmitting port.

13. The method according to any one of claims 8 to 12, characterized in that, Also includes: Send first configuration information to the terminal, the first configuration information being used to configure the number of receiving ports to be measured on the terminal, and the first configuration information being used to determine the N receiving ports.

14. The method as described in claim 13, characterized in that, Also includes: The total number of receiving ports of the terminal; The first configuration information is determined based on the total number of receiving ports.

15. The method according to any one of claims 9 to 11, characterized in that, Also includes: Send second configuration information to the terminal, the second configuration information being used to indicate that the interference of the downlink data channel of each of the N receiving ports corresponds to the interference of the reference signal.

16. The method as described in claim 15, characterized in that, The downlink data channel is the Physical Downlink Shared Channel (PDSCH), and the reference signal is the Channel State Information Reference Signal (CSI-RS).

17. A communication device, characterized in that, Includes modules for performing the method of any one of claims 1 to 7, or the method of any one of claims 8 to 16.

18. A communication device, characterized in that, It includes a processor and an interface circuit, the processor being configured to communicate with other devices via the interface circuit to implement the method of any one of claims 1 to 7, or to implement the method of any one of claims 8 to 16.

19. A computer program product, characterized in that, The computer program product includes a computer program or instructions that, when executed, implement the method of any one of claims 1 to 7, or the method of any one of claims 8 to 16.

20. A computer-readable storage medium, characterized in that, The storage medium stores a computer program or instructions, which, when executed, implement the method of any one of claims 1 to 7, or the method of any one of claims 8 to 16.

21. A chip, characterized in that, The chip includes a processor for implementing the method of any one of claims 1 to 7, or the method of any one of claims 8 to 16.

22. A communication system, characterized in that, include: A terminal for implementing the method of any one of claims 1 to 7, and an access network device for implementing the method of any one of claims 8 to 16.

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