Communication method and related apparatus

Abstract

Provided in the embodiments of the present application are a communication method and a related apparatus. In the method, a terminal device determines a first feedback parameter of a first module by means of first information, and determines a second feedback parameter of a second module by means of second information. The first feedback parameter is different from the second feedback parameter, and the first feedback parameter and the second feedback parameter are used for determining feedback information for a reference signal. That is, parameters for feeding back reference signals are respectively and independently configured for transceivers with different power consumption, such that a terminal device can dynamically select a manner of feeding back reference signals, thereby improving the user experience.

Description

A communication method and related apparatus

[0001] This application claims priority to Chinese Patent Application No. 202411989523.3, filed on December 27, 2024, entitled "A Communication Method and Related Device", the entire contents of which are incorporated herein by reference. Technical Field

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

[0003] To reduce the power consumption of terminal devices, they can be woken up when data transmission is needed. This mechanism can be implemented using two modules: for example, the main module of the terminal device and a low-power module, also known as a wake-up receiver (WUR).

[0004] The wake-up receiver can monitor the wake-up signal with ultra-low power consumption. Upon receiving the wake-up signal, the wake-up receiver can trigger the main module to wake up and transmit data. If the wake-up receiver does not trigger the main module to wake up, the main module remains in a powered-off state or a deep sleep state.

[0005] Therefore, further exploration of the configuration or processing flow of the two modules is a future research direction. Summary of the Invention

[0006] This application provides a communication method and related apparatus. First feedback parameters of a first module are defined using first information, and second feedback parameters of a second module are defined using second information. The second module consumes more power than the first module, and the first and second feedback parameters differ. These first and second feedback parameters are used to determine the feedback information of a reference signal. In other words, by independently configuring the reference signal feedback parameters for transceivers with different power consumption, the terminal device can dynamically select the method of feeding back the reference signal, thereby improving the user experience.

[0007] This application provides 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 in the terminal responsible for communication functions (such as a modem chip, also known as a baseband chip, or a system-on-chip (SoC) chip or system-in-package (SIP) chip containing a modem core). In this first aspect and its possible implementations, the method is described using an example of it being executed by a terminal device. In this method, the terminal device receives first information, which indicates a first feedback parameter of a first module. The terminal device receives second information, which indicates a second feedback parameter of a second module; the first feedback parameter is different from the second feedback parameter; the first feedback parameter or the second feedback parameter is used to determine feedback information for a reference signal.

[0008] Based on the above technical solution, the first feedback parameters of the first module are determined by the first information, and the second feedback parameters of the second module are determined by the second information. The second module consumes more energy than the first module, and the first and second feedback parameters differ. These first and second feedback parameters are used to determine the feedback information of the reference signal. In other words, by independently configuring the reference signal feedback parameters for transceivers with different energy consumption levels, the terminal device can dynamically select the method of feedback reference signal, thereby improving the user experience.

[0009] In one possible implementation of the first aspect, the first bit string includes bits of first priority and bits of second priority, where the first priority is higher than the second priority. The terminal device may also discard some or all of the bits of second priority, and the feedback information includes bits of first priority.

[0010] In this possible implementation, the terminal device can discard low-priority bits in the first bit string associated with the first module, thereby reducing the number of bits transmitted by the first module and reducing the power consumption of the terminal device.

[0011] In one possible implementation of the first aspect, the terminal device may also receive a first low-power signal, which is used to instruct the first module or the second module to transmit feedback information.

[0012] In this possible implementation, the indication method using a first low-power signal is more energy-efficient than the traditional physical downlink control channel (PDCCH) indication. Furthermore, the first low-power signal allows for more flexible scheduling between the first and second modules.

[0013] In one possible implementation of the first aspect, the terminal device may also receive a second low-power signal, which indicates one or more of the following: during the active period of the discontinuous reception (DRX) of the second module, the second module is used to receive a reference signal; during the inactive period of the DRX of the second module, the first module is used to receive a reference signal; during the inactive period of the DRX of the second module, the first module is used to receive a reference signal; and during the active period of the DRX of the second module, the second module is used to transmit feedback information of the reference signal.

[0014] In this possible implementation, using a second low-power signal is more energy-efficient than the traditional PDCCH indication. Furthermore, using a second low-power signal allows for more flexible on-demand transmission, reducing power consumption compared to always using the second module for transmission.

[0015] A second aspect of this application provides a communication method, which is executed by a network device, or by a component (e.g., a processor, chip, or chip system) within the network device, or by a logic module or software capable of implementing all or part of the functions of the network device. In this second aspect and its possible implementations, the method is described as being executed by a network device. In this method, the network device sends first information, which indicates a first feedback parameter of a first module. The network device sends second information, which indicates a second feedback parameter of a second module, wherein the power consumption of the second module is greater than that of the first module; the first feedback parameter and the second feedback parameter are different; the first feedback parameter and the second feedback parameter are used to determine feedback information for a reference signal.

[0016] Based on the above technical solution, the first feedback parameters of the first module are configured using first information, and the second feedback parameters of the second module are configured using second information. The second module consumes more energy than the first module, and the first and second feedback parameters are different. These first and second feedback parameters are used to determine the feedback information of the reference signal. In other words, by independently configuring the reference signal feedback parameters for transceivers with different energy consumption levels, the terminal device can dynamically select the method of feedback reference signal, thereby improving the user experience.

[0017] In one possible implementation of the second aspect, the network device may also send a first low-power signal, which is used to instruct the first module or the second module to transmit feedback information.

[0018] In this possible implementation, the indication method using a first low-power signal is more energy-efficient than the traditional PDCCH indication. Furthermore, the first low-power signal allows for more flexible scheduling between the first and second modules.

[0019] In one possible implementation of the second aspect, the network device may also send a second low-power signal, which indicates one or more of the following: during the active period of the discontinuous reception DRX of the second module, the second module is used to receive a reference signal; during the inactive period of the DRX of the second module, the first module is used to receive a reference signal; during the inactive period of the DRX of the second module, the first module is used to receive a reference signal; and during the active period of the DRX of the second module, the second module is used to transmit feedback information of the reference signal.

[0020] In this possible implementation, using a second low-power signal is more energy-efficient than the traditional PDCCH indication. Furthermore, using a second low-power signal allows for more flexible on-demand transmission, reducing power consumption compared to always using the second module for transmission.

[0021] In one possible implementation of the first or second aspect, the first feedback parameter and the second feedback parameter include one or more of the following: the number or index of the channel quality indicator (CQI) table, the information category carried by the feedback information, the reporting accuracy of the feedback information, and the number of repetitions or transmissions of the feedback information.

[0022] In this possible implementation, the feedback parameters corresponding to the first module and the second module can include multiple parameters, thereby providing more references for network device scheduling.

[0023] In one possible implementation of the first or second aspect, the first feedback parameter includes a first CQI table associated with the first module, and the second feedback parameter includes a second CQI table associated with the second module, wherein the number of bits occupied by the CQI index in the first CQI table is less than the number of bits occupied by the CQI index in the second CQI table.

[0024] In this possible implementation, by limiting the bit size of the CQI table associated with the first feedback parameter and the second feedback parameter, the feedback overhead of the first module can be reduced, resulting in lower power consumption and greater energy efficiency.

[0025] In one possible implementation of the first or second aspect, the first CQI table includes one or more of the following: a 1-bit CQI table, a 2-bit CQI table, or a 3-bit CQI table; and the second CQI table is a 4-bit CQI table.

[0026] In this possible implementation, by limiting the number of bits in the first CQI table of the first module, the feedback overhead of the first module can be reduced, resulting in lower power consumption and greater energy efficiency.

[0027] In one possible implementation of the first or second aspect, the first parameter in the first CQI table is a subset of the second parameter in the second CQI table, and the first parameter and the second parameter include one or more of the following: modulation, code rate, or spectral efficiency.

[0028] In this possible implementation, the CQI table parameters corresponding to the first module and the second module can include multiple items, thereby providing more references for network device scheduling.

[0029] In one possible implementation of the first or second aspect, the first feedback parameter includes a first bit string carried by feedback information associated with the first module, and the second feedback parameter includes a second bit string carried by feedback information associated with the second module; the first bit string is a subset of the second bit string.

[0030] In this possible implementation, by defining the association between the first bit string of the first module and the second bit string transmitted by the second module, joint configuration can be achieved, reducing configuration overhead. Furthermore, the feedback overhead of the first module can be reduced, resulting in lower power consumption and greater energy efficiency.

[0031] In one possible implementation of the first or second aspect, the feedback information is Channel State Information (CSI), wherein the first bit string includes partial information from CSI part 1, and the second bit string includes all information from CSI part 1; or the first bit string includes partial information from CSI part 2, and the second bit string includes all information from CSI part 2; or the first bit string includes all information from CSI part 1, and the second bit string includes all information from CSI part 1 and partial or all information from CSI part 2; or the first bit string includes all information from CSI part 2, and the second bit string includes all information from CSI part 2 and all information from CSI part 1.

[0032] In this possible implementation, by defining the association between the first bit string of the first module and the second bit string transmitted by the second module, joint configuration is possible. Furthermore, the feedback overhead of the first module can be reduced, resulting in lower power consumption and greater energy efficiency.

[0033] In one possible implementation of the first or second aspect, the first feedback parameter includes a first precision of the feedback information associated with the first module, and the second feedback parameter includes a second precision of the feedback information associated with the second module; the first precision is lower than the second precision.

[0034] In this possible implementation, by limiting the feedback accuracy of the first module and the feedback accuracy of the second module, the feedback overhead of the first module can be reduced, the power consumption of the feedback is low, and it is more energy-efficient.

[0035] In one possible implementation of the first or second aspect, the feedback information associated with the first precision corresponding to the first module includes only broadband-related parameters.

[0036] In this possible implementation, by limiting the feedback accuracy of the first module to only include relevant parameters of the broadband, the feedback overhead of the first module can be reduced, the power consumption of the feedback is low, and it is more energy-efficient.

[0037] In one possible implementation of the first or second aspect, the first precision is related to the first table, and the second precision is related to the second table; the first table and the second table are different; the first table and the second table include one or more of the following parameters: the bandwidth in the first table and the second table is the same, and the first subband in the first table is greater than the second subband in the second table; the bandwidth in the first table and the second table is the same, and the number of modes supported by the first subband in the first table is less than the number of modes supported by the second subband in the second table; the range of the first bandwidth in the first table is greater than the range of the second bandwidth in the second table, and the first subband in the first table is greater than the second subband in the second table.

[0038] In this possible implementation, by defining the tabular relationship between the feedback accuracy of the first module and the feedback accuracy of the second module, the feedback overhead of the first module can be reduced, resulting in lower power consumption and greater energy efficiency.

[0039] In one possible implementation of the first or second aspect, the transmission of feedback information or the transmission of the first module is related to the first event, and / or the non-transmission of feedback information or the transmission of the second module is related to the second event.

[0040] In one possible implementation of the first or second aspect, the first event includes one or more of the following: the moving speed of the terminal device is greater than or equal to a first threshold, the terminal device includes a first module and a second module; the time interval between the terminal device and the last measurement is greater than or equal to a second threshold; the difference between the actual channel information and the configured channel information of the terminal device is greater than or equal to a third threshold.

[0041] In this possible implementation, the first event can be used in scenarios where the channel changes rapidly or significantly.

[0042] In one possible implementation of the first or second aspect, the second event includes one or more of the following: the moving speed of the terminal device is less than or equal to a fourth threshold; the time interval between the terminal device and the last measurement is less than or equal to a fifth threshold; and the difference between the actual channel information and the configured channel information of the terminal device is less than or equal to a sixth threshold.

[0043] In this possible implementation, the second event can be used in scenarios where the channel changes slowly or in small amounts.

[0044] In one possible implementation of the first or second aspect, the number of retransmissions or transmissions of feedback information sent by the first module is greater than the number of retransmissions or transmissions of feedback information sent by the second module.

[0045] In this possible implementation, since the feedback reliability of the first module is worse than that of the second module, the first module sends feedback information more times, which can improve the transmission reliability.

[0046] A third aspect of this application provides a communication device, which is a terminal device, or a component of a terminal device (e.g., a processor, chip, or chip system), or a logic module or software capable of implementing all or part of the functions of a terminal device. Taking the terminal device as an example, the terminal device includes a transceiver unit. Alternatively, the terminal device includes both a transceiver unit and a processing unit.

[0047] The transceiver unit is used to receive first information, which is used to indicate the first feedback parameter of the first module.

[0048] The transceiver unit is also used to receive second information, which is used to indicate the second feedback parameter of the second module; the first feedback parameter is different from the second feedback parameter; the first feedback parameter or the second feedback parameter is used to determine the feedback information of the reference signal.

[0049] In one possible implementation of the third aspect, the first bit string includes bits of first priority and bits of second priority, wherein the first priority is higher than the second priority; the processing unit is used to discard part or all of the bits of second priority, and the feedback information includes bits of first priority.

[0050] In one possible implementation of the third aspect, the transceiver unit is further configured to receive a first low-power signal, which is used to instruct the first module or the second module to transmit feedback information.

[0051] In one possible implementation of the third aspect, the transceiver unit is further configured to receive a second low-power signal, the second low-power signal being used to indicate one or more of the following:

[0052] During the active period of the discontinuous reception DRX of the second module, the second module is used to receive the reference signal; during the inactive period of the DRX of the second module, the first module is used to receive the reference signal.

[0053] During the inactive period of the second module's DRX, the first module is used to receive the reference signal; during the active period of the second module's DRX, the second module is used to transmit feedback information of the reference signal.

[0054] A fourth aspect of this application provides a communication device, which is a network device, or a component of a network device (e.g., a processor, chip, or chip system), or a logic module or software capable of implementing all or part of the functions of a network device. Taking the network device as an example, the network device includes a transceiver unit.

[0055] The transceiver unit is used to send first information, which is used to indicate the first feedback parameter of the first module.

[0056] The transceiver unit is also used to send second information, which is used to indicate the second feedback parameter of the second module. The energy consumption of the second module is greater than that of the first module. The first feedback parameter is different from the second feedback parameter. The first feedback parameter and the second feedback parameter are used to determine the feedback information of the reference signal.

[0057] In one possible implementation of the fourth aspect, the transceiver unit is further configured to transmit a first low-power signal, which is used to instruct the first module or the second module to transmit feedback information.

[0058] In one possible implementation of the fourth aspect, the transceiver unit is further configured to transmit a second low-power signal, which indicates one or more of the following: during the active period of the discontinuous reception DRX of the second module, the second module is configured to receive a reference signal; during the inactive period of the DRX of the second module, the first module is configured to receive a reference signal; during the inactive period of the DRX of the second module, the first module is configured to receive a reference signal; and during the active period of the DRX of the second module, the second module is configured to transmit feedback information of the reference signal.

[0059] In one possible implementation of the third or fourth aspect, the first feedback parameter and the second feedback parameter include one or more of the following: the number or index of the Channel Quality Indicator (CQI) table, the information category carried by the feedback information, the reporting accuracy of the feedback information, or the number of times the feedback information is sent.

[0060] In one possible implementation of the third or fourth aspect, the first feedback parameter includes a first CQI table associated with the first module, and the second feedback parameter includes a second CQI table associated with the second module, wherein the number of bits occupied by the CQI index in the first CQI table is less than the number of bits occupied by the CQI index in the second CQI table.

[0061] In one possible implementation of the third or fourth aspect, the first CQI table includes one or more of the following: a 1-bit CQI table, a 2-bit CQI table, or a 3-bit CQI table; and the second CQI table is a 4-bit CQI table.

[0062] In one possible implementation of the third or fourth aspect, the first parameter in the first CQI table is a subset of the second parameter in the second CQI table, and the first parameter and the second parameter include one or more of the following: modulation, code rate, or spectral efficiency.

[0063] In one possible implementation of the third or fourth aspect, the first feedback parameter includes a first bit string carried by feedback information associated with the first module, and the second feedback parameter includes a second bit string carried by feedback information associated with the second module; the first bit string is a subset of the second bit string.

[0064] In one possible implementation of the third or fourth aspect, the feedback information is Channel State Information (CSI), where the first bit string includes partial information from CSI part 1 and the second bit string includes all information from CSI part 1; or the first bit string includes partial information from CSI part 2 and the second bit string includes all information from CSI part 2; or the first bit string includes all information from CSI part 1 and the second bit string includes all information from CSI part 1 and partial or all information from CSI part 2; or the first bit string includes all information from CSI part 2 and the second bit string includes all information from CSI part 2 and all information from CSI part 1.

[0065] In one possible implementation of the third or fourth aspect, the first feedback parameter includes a first precision of the feedback information associated with the first module, and the second feedback parameter includes a second precision of the feedback information associated with the second module; the first precision is lower than the second precision.

[0066] In one possible implementation of the third or fourth aspect, the feedback information associated with the first precision corresponding to the first module only includes broadband-related parameters.

[0067] In one possible implementation of the third or fourth aspect, the first precision is related to the first table, and the second precision is related to the second table; the first table and the second table are different; the first table and the second table include one or more of the following parameters: the bandwidth in the first table and the second table is the same, and the first subband in the first table is greater than the second subband in the second table; the bandwidth in the first table and the second table is the same, and the number of modes supported by the first subband in the first table is less than the number of modes supported by the second subband in the second table; the range of the first bandwidth in the first table is greater than the range of the second bandwidth in the second table, and the first subband in the first table is greater than the second subband in the second table.

[0068] In one possible implementation of the third or fourth aspect, the transmission of feedback information or the transmission of the first module is related to the first event, and / or the non-transmission of feedback information or the transmission of the second module is related to the second event.

[0069] In one possible implementation of the third or fourth aspect, the first event includes one or more of the following: the moving speed of the terminal device is greater than or equal to a first threshold, the terminal device includes a first module and a second module; the time interval between the terminal device and the last measurement is greater than or equal to a second threshold; the difference between the actual channel information and the configured channel information of the terminal device is greater than or equal to a third threshold.

[0070] In one possible implementation of the third or fourth aspect, the second event includes one or more of the following: the moving speed of the terminal device is less than or equal to the fourth threshold; the time interval between the terminal device and the last measurement is less than or equal to the fifth threshold; and the difference between the actual channel information and the configured channel information of the terminal device is less than or equal to the sixth threshold.

[0071] In one possible implementation of the third or fourth aspect, the number of retransmissions of feedback information sent by the first module is greater than the number of retransmissions of feedback information sent by the second module.

[0072] A fifth aspect of this application provides a communication device, which includes a memory and one or more processors. The memory stores part or all of the computer program or instructions necessary to implement the functions described in the first aspect 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 aspect above.

[0073] In one possible design, the communication device may also include interface circuitry, wherein the processor is used to communicate with other devices or components via the interface circuitry.

[0074] In one possible design, the communication device may also include a memory.

[0075] 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 (SoC) containing a modem module, or a chip or a system-in-package (SIP) chip.

[0076] The sixth aspect of this application provides a communication device including at least one processor, and a method for the at least one processor to implement any of the possible implementations of the second aspect described above.

[0077] In one possible design, the communication device further includes at least one memory, and at least one processor is coupled to at least one memory; the at least one memory is used to store a program or instructions; the at least one processor is used to execute the program or instructions to enable the device to implement any of the possible implementations of the second aspect described above.

[0078] Understandably, at least one memory device may also be external to the communication device.

[0079] The seventh aspect of this application provides a communication device including at least one logic circuit and at least one input / output interface; the logic circuit is used to perform a method as described in any possible implementation of the first or second aspect above.

[0080] The eighth aspect of this application provides a communication system, which includes a communication device that is an implementation of any of the possible embodiments of the third aspect and the fourth aspect.

[0081] The ninth aspect of this application provides a computer-readable storage medium for storing one or more computer-executable instructions, which, when executed by a processor, perform a method as described in any possible implementation of either the first or second aspect above.

[0082] The tenth aspect of this application provides a computer program product (or computer program) in which, when the computer program in the computer program product is executed by the processor, the processor executes any possible implementation of either the first or second aspect described above.

[0083] The eleventh aspect of this application provides a chip or chip system including at least one processor for supporting a method for a communication device to implement any possible implementation of the first or second aspect described above.

[0084] In one possible design, the chip system may further include at least one memory for storing program instructions and data necessary for the communication device. The chip system may be composed of chips or may include chips and other discrete components. Optionally, the chip system may also include interface circuitry that provides program instructions and / or data to at least one processor.

[0085] The technical effects of any of the design methods in aspects three through eleven can be found in the technical effects of different design methods in aspects one or two above, and will not be repeated here. Attached Figure Description

[0086] Figure 1A is a schematic diagram of the communication system involved in this application;

[0087] Figure 1B is another schematic diagram of the communication system involved in this application;

[0088] Figure 1C is another schematic diagram of the communication system involved in this application;

[0089] Figure 2A is a schematic diagram of an independent networking scenario involved in this application;

[0090] Figure 2B is a schematic diagram of a dual-connection scenario involved in this application;

[0091] Figure 2C is another schematic diagram of macro and micro technologies involved in this application;

[0092] Figure 3 is a structural example diagram of the terminal device involved in this application;

[0093] Figure 4 is a flowchart illustrating the communication method involved in this application;

[0094] Figure 5 is a schematic diagram of the relationship between the first module and the second module involved in this application for transmitting bit strings;

[0095] Figure 6 is a schematic diagram of several scenarios involving the measurement target and the reporting configuration in this application;

[0096] Figure 7 is an example diagram of scenario 2 involved in this application;

[0097] Figure 8 is an example diagram of scenario 3 involved in this application;

[0098] Figure 9 is another example diagram of scenario 3 involved in this application;

[0099] Figures 10 to 13 are several structural schematic diagrams of the communication device involved in this application. Detailed Implementation

[0100] The technical solutions in the embodiments of this application will be clearly and completely described below with reference to the accompanying drawings.

[0101] First, some terms used in the embodiments of this application will be explained to facilitate understanding by those skilled in the art.

[0102] 1. Configuration and Pre-configuration: This application uses both configuration and pre-configuration. Configuration refers to the network device / server sending configuration information or parameter values ​​to the terminal via messages or signaling, so that the terminal can determine communication parameters or transmission resources based on these values ​​or information. Pre-configuration is similar to configuration; it can be parameter information or parameter values ​​pre-negotiated between the network device / server and the terminal device, parameter information or parameter values ​​specified by standard protocols for use by the base station / network device or terminal device, or parameter information or parameter values ​​pre-stored in the base station / server or terminal device. This application does not limit this.

[0103] Furthermore, these values ​​and parameters can be changed or updated.

[0104] 2. In this application, "instruction" may include direct instruction, indirect instruction, explicit instruction, and implicit instruction. When describing a certain instruction information to indicate A, it can be understood that the instruction information carries A, directly indicates A, or indirectly indicates A.

[0105] In this application, the information indicated by the instruction information is called the information to be instructed. In specific implementation, there are many ways to instruct the information to be instructed. For example, it can be implemented through direct instruction, such as through the information to be instructed itself or its index. It can also be implemented indirectly by instructing other information, where there is a relationship between the other information and the information to be instructed. Alternatively, only a part of the information to be instructed can be indicated, while the other parts are known or pre-agreed upon. For example, the instruction of specific information can be achieved by using a pre-agreed (e.g., protocol-defined) arrangement of various pieces of information, thereby reducing instruction overhead to some extent.

[0106] The information to be instructed can be sent as a whole or divided into multiple sub-information messages, and the sending period and / or timing of these sub-information messages can be the same or different. This application does not limit the specific sending method. The sending period and / or timing of these sub-information messages can be predefined, for example, according to a protocol, or configured by the transmitting device by sending configuration information to the receiving device. This configuration information can include, for example, but not limited to, one or a combination of at least two of radio resource control (RRC) signaling, medium access control (MAC) layer signaling, and physical layer signaling. MAC layer signaling includes, for example, MAC layer control elements (CE); physical layer signaling includes, for example, downlink control information (DCI), uplink control information (UCI), sidelink control information (SCI), etc.

[0107] 3. In the embodiments of this application, "send" and "receive" indicate the direction of signal transmission. For example, "send information to XX" can be understood as the destination of the information being XX, which may include sending directly through the air interface or sending indirectly through the air interface by other units or modules. "Receive information from YY" can be understood as the source of the information being YY, which may include receiving directly from YY through the air interface or receiving indirectly from YY through the air interface by other units or modules.

[0108] "Sending" can also be understood as the "output" of the chip interface, such as the baseband chip outputting information to the radio frequency chip, and "receiving" can also be understood as the "input" of the chip interface; for example, "sending" can also be understood as the baseband part inside the device outputting information to the radio frequency part, and "receiving" can also be understood as the radio frequency part inside the device receiving the information output by the baseband part.

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

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

[0111] In the embodiments of this application, transmission includes sending and / or receiving. That is, transmission can be sending, receiving, or a combination of sending and receiving; no specific limitation is made here.

[0112] 4. The terms "system" and "network" in the embodiments of this application can be used interchangeably. "At least one" means one or more, and "more than one" means two or more. "And / or" describes the relationship between related objects, indicating that there can be three relationships. For example, A and / or B can mean: A exists alone, A and B exist simultaneously, or B exists alone, where A and B can be singular or plural. The character " / " generally indicates that the related objects before and after are in an "or" relationship. "At least one of the following" or similar expressions refer to any combination of these items, including any combination of single or plural items. For example, "at least one of A, B and C" includes A, B, C, AB, AC, BC or ABC. And, unless otherwise specified, the ordinal numbers such as "first" and "second" mentioned in the embodiments of this application are used to distinguish multiple objects and are not used to limit the order, sequence, priority or importance of multiple objects.

[0113] 5. In this application, the terms "exemplarily," "for example," etc., are used to indicate examples, illustrations, or descriptions. Any embodiment or design described as an "example" in this application should not be construed as being more preferred or advantageous than other embodiments or designs. Specifically, the use of the term "example" is intended to present concepts in a concrete manner. In the embodiments of this application, "of," "corresponding, relevant," and "corresponding" may sometimes be used interchangeably, and it should be noted that their intended meanings are consistent unless their distinction is emphasized.

[0114] 6. Reference signal (RS)

[0115] The reference signal can also be called a pilot, reference sequence, reference signal, or measurement signal. For consistency, the term "reference signal" will be used as an example in the following description.

[0116] Optionally, the reference signal may include one or more of the following: synchronization signal block (SSB), channel state information reference signal (CSI-RS), positioning reference signal (PRS), sounding reference signal (SRS), physical downlink share channel (PDSCH-DMRS), physical uplink share channel (PUSCH-DMRS), physical downlink control channel (PDCCH-DMRS), physical uplink control channel (PUCCH-DMRS), phase noise tracking reference signal (PTRS), cell reference signal (CRS), or time / frequency domain tracking synchronization signal in a new radio (NR). (signal, TRS, etc., specific ones are not limited here.)

[0117] Optionally, the reference signal can be used for channel measurement, channel estimation, or beam quality monitoring. For example, the reference signal can refer to the CSI-RS used in downlink channel measurement, the SRS used in uplink channel measurement, or other reference signals mentioned above; no specific limitation is made here.

[0118] A specific application scenario is illustrated below: In frequency division duplex (FDD) communication, because uplink and downlink channels lack reciprocity or cannot guarantee reciprocity, network devices typically send CSI-RS to terminal devices. The terminal devices then measure the received CSI-RS to obtain the channel state information (CSI) of the downlink channel and feed it back to the network device. Based on this CSI, the network device can determine the resources for scheduling the downlink data channel of the terminal device, the modulation and coding scheme (MCS), and precoding configurations.

[0119] For example, CSI may include at least one of the following: precoding matrix indicator (PMI), channel quality indicator (CQI), rank indicator (RI), and channel state information reference signal resource indicator (CSI-RS resource indicator, CRI), layer indicator (LI), reference signal received power (RSRP), synchronization signal / physical broadcast channel block resource indicator (SSBRI), etc.

[0120] Where RI is the rank of the channel matrix, reflecting the maximum number of downlink data streams allowed under the current channel conditions. LI is the data transmission layer number. The specific quantities in the CSI feedback from the terminal device can be determined according to the configuration, for example, "CSI-ReportConfig".

[0121] 7. Reference signal resources

[0122] Reference signal resources: These can be used to configure the transmission attributes of reference signals, such as time-frequency resource location, port mapping relationships, power factors, and scrambling codes. For details, refer to the relevant sections on reference signal resources in 3GPP technical specifications (TS) 38.211 and 38.331. Transmitting devices can transmit reference signals based on reference signal resources, and receiving devices can receive reference signals based on these resources.

[0123] To distinguish different reference signal resources, each reference signal resource can correspond to a reference signal resource identifier, reference signal resource indicator, or reference signal resource index. Examples include Channel State Information Reference Signal Resource Indicator (CRI), SSB Resource Indicator (SSBRI), and SRS Resource Indicator (SRI).

[0124] 8. Index

[0125] In this application's embodiments, "index" is a general concept. Specifically, an index can be described as an indicator or an identity, etc., without limitation here. Alternatively, it can be understood that the terms "index," "indicator," and "identity" in this application's embodiments can be used interchangeably or interpreted in relation to each other.

[0126] 9. Low-power signals (e.g., subsequent first or second low-power signals)

[0127] In this application embodiment, the low power signal includes one or more of the following: low power wake up signal (LP-WUS), chirp signal; on-off keying (OOK) signal, such as OOK-1, OOK-2, OOK-3, OOK-4 or an overlaid sequence based on OOK, etc. The low-power signal can also be a low-power sequence signal, such as: Gold sequence signal, M sequence signal, ZC sequence signal, Chirp sequence signal, Walsh sequence signal, Golay sequence signal, Kasami sequence signal, low-density sequence signal, Discrete Fourier Transform (DFT) / Fast Fourier Transform (FFT) sequence signal, Quadrature Amplitude Modulation (QAM) signal, Symbol-based sequence signal, Amplitude Shift Keying (ASK) signal, Frequency Shift Keying (FSK) signal, or Orthogonal Frequency Division Multiplexing (OFDM) signal, etc. Alternatively, the low-power signal can also be a signal obtained by optimizing the above signals, etc., which is not limited in this application. Optionally, the above low-power signal can be a digital signal or an analog signal.

[0128] Next, the communication system in the embodiments of this application will be described.

[0129] Please refer to Figure 1A, which is a schematic diagram of the architecture of the communication system 10 used in the embodiments of this application. As shown in Figure 1A, the communication system includes a radio access network (RAN) 100 and a core network 200. Optionally, the communication system 10 may also include an Internet 300. The RAN 100 includes at least one RAN node (110a and 110b in Figure 1A, collectively referred to as 110), and may also include at least one terminal device (120a-120j in Figure 1A, collectively referred to as 120). The RAN 100 may also include other RAN nodes, such as wireless relay devices and / or wireless backhaul devices (not shown in Figure 1A). The terminal device 120 is wirelessly connected to the RAN node 110, and the RAN node 110 is wirelessly or wiredly connected to the core network 200. The core network device in the core network 200 and the RAN node 110 in the RAN 100 can be independent and different physical devices, or they can be the same physical device integrating the logical functions of the core network device and the logical functions of the RAN node. Terminal devices and RAN nodes can be interconnected via wired or wireless means.

[0130] RAN100 can be an evolved universal terrestrial radio access (E-UTRA) system, an NR system, or a future radio access system as defined in 3GPP. RAN100 can also include two or more of the above-mentioned different radio access systems. RAN100 can also be an open RAN (O-RAN).

[0131] RAN nodes, also known as radio access network devices, RAN entities, or access nodes, are used to help terminal devices access communication systems wirelessly. Furthermore, RAN nodes can also be called network devices, which are apparatuses deployed in a radio access network to provide wireless communication functions for terminal devices. Network devices can include various forms of macro base stations, micro base stations (also known as small cells), relay stations, access points, etc. The names of network devices may differ in systems employing different radio access technologies. It is understood that all or part of the functions of the access network devices in this application can also be implemented through software functions running on hardware, or through virtualization functions instantiated on a platform (e.g., a cloud platform). The embodiments of this application do not limit the specific technologies or specific device forms used in the radio access network devices.

[0132] In one application scenario, a RAN node can be a base station, an evolved NodeB (eNodeB), a transmission reception point (TRP), a next-generation NodeB (gNB) in a 5G mobile communication system, or a base station in a future mobile communication system. A RAN node can be a macro base station (as shown in Figure 1A, 110a), a micro base station or an indoor station (as shown in Figure 1A, 110b), a relay node or a donor node, or a radio controller in a Cloud Radio Access Network (CRAN) scenario. Of course, in future communication systems, RAN nodes may also be wearable devices or vehicle-mounted devices, etc.

[0133] In another application scenario, multiple RAN nodes can collaborate to help terminal devices achieve wireless access, with different RAN nodes implementing different functions of the base station. For example, a RAN node can be a central unit (CU), a distributed unit (DU), or a radio unit (RU). Here, the CU performs the functions of the base station's Radio Resource Control Protocol (RRCP) and Packet Data Convergence Protocol (PDCP), and can also perform the functions of the Service Data Adaptation Protocol (SDAP). The DU performs the functions of the base station's Radio Link Control (RAN) and MAC layers, and can also perform some or all of the physical layer functions. For specific descriptions of these protocol layers, refer to the relevant 3GPP technical specifications. The RU can be used to implement radio frequency signal transmission and reception. The CU and DU can be two independent RAN nodes or integrated into the same RAN node, such as within a baseband unit (BBU). The RU can be included in radio frequency equipment, such as in a remote radio unit (RRU) or an active antenna unit (AAU). The CU can be further divided into two types of RAN nodes: CU-control plane and CU-user plane.

[0134] In different systems, RAN nodes may have different names. For example, in an O-RAN system, a CU can be called an open CU (O-CU), a DU can be called an open DU (O-DU), and an RU can be called an open RU (O-RU). The RAN nodes in the embodiments of this application can be implemented through software modules, hardware modules, or a combination of software and hardware modules. For example, a RAN node can be a server loaded with the corresponding software modules. The embodiments of this application do not limit the specific technology or device form used in the RAN nodes.

[0135] A terminal device is a device with wireless transceiver capabilities, capable of sending signals to or receiving signals from RAN nodes. Terminal devices can also be called user equipment (UE), mobile stations, mobile terminal devices, etc. They can be widely used in various scenarios, such as wireless fidelity (WiFi) systems, device-to-device (D2D) communication, vehicle-to-everything (V2X) communication, machine-type communication (MTC), the Internet of Things (IoT), virtual reality (VR), augmented reality (AR), industrial control, autonomous driving, telemedicine, smart grids, smart furniture, smart offices, smart wearables, intelligent transportation, and smart cities. Terminal devices can be mobile phones, tablets, computers with wireless transceiver capabilities, wearable devices, vehicles, airplanes, ships, robots, robotic arms, smart home devices, etc. The embodiments of this application do not limit the specific technologies or device forms used in the terminal devices.

[0136] For example, a terminal device is a wearable device. Wearable devices, also known as wearable smart devices or smart wearable devices, are a general term for devices that utilize wearable technology to intelligently design and develop everyday wearables, such as glasses, gloves, watches, clothing, and shoes. Wearable devices are portable devices that are worn directly on the body or integrated into the user's clothing or accessories. Wearable devices are not just hardware devices, but also achieve powerful functions through software support, data interaction, and cloud interaction. Broadly speaking, wearable smart devices include those that are feature-rich, large in size, and can achieve complete or partial functions without relying on a smartphone, such as smartwatches or smart glasses, as well as those that focus on only one type of application function and need to be used in conjunction with other devices such as smartphones, such as various smart bracelets, smart helmets, and smart jewelry.

[0137] For ease of description, the communication system illustrated in Figure 1A is described using a base station as an example of an access network device. It is understood that when the communication system includes an integrated access and backhaul (IAB) network, the base station can be an IAB node. It should be noted that in the embodiments of this application, the base station and the access network device can be interchanged.

[0138] Base stations and terminal equipment can be fixed or mobile. They can be deployed on land, including indoors or outdoors, handheld or vehicle-mounted; they can also be deployed on water; and they can be deployed on aircraft, balloons, and satellites. The embodiments of this application do not limit the application scenarios of the base stations and terminal equipment.

[0139] The roles of base stations and terminal devices can be relative. For example, the helicopter or drone 120i in Figure 1A can be configured as a mobile base station. For terminal devices 120j that access the wireless access network 100 through 120i, terminal device 120i is a base station; however, for base station 110a, 120i is a terminal device, meaning that 110a and 120i communicate via a wireless air interface protocol. Of course, 110a and 120i can also communicate via a base station-to-base station interface protocol. In this case, relative to 110a, 120i is also a base station. Therefore, both base stations and terminal devices can be collectively referred to as communication devices. 110a and 110b in Figure 1A can be called communication devices with base station functions, and 120a-120j in Figure 1A can be called communication devices with terminal device functions.

[0140] Communication between base stations and terminal devices, between base stations, and between terminal devices can be conducted using licensed spectrum, unlicensed spectrum, or both simultaneously. Communication can be conducted using spectrum below 6 GHz, spectrum above 6 GHz, or both simultaneously. The embodiments of this application do not limit the spectrum resources used for wireless communication.

[0141] In the embodiments of this application, the functions of the base station can be executed by modules (such as chips) within the base station, or by a control subsystem that includes base station functions. This control subsystem, including base station functions, can be a control center in the aforementioned application scenarios such as smart grids, industrial control, intelligent transportation, and smart cities. Similarly, the functions of the terminal device can be executed by modules (such as chips or modems) within the terminal device, or by a device that includes terminal device functions.

[0142] In this application, the base station sends downlink signals or downlink information to the terminal, with the downlink information carried on the downlink channel; the terminal sends uplink signals or uplink information to the base station, with the uplink information carried on the uplink channel. In order to communicate with the base station, the terminal needs to establish a radio connection on a cell controlled by the base station. The cell with which the terminal has established a radio connection is called the terminal's serving cell.

[0143] As can be understood, RAN100, as previously described, includes at least one RAN node (110a and 110b in Figure 1A, collectively referred to as 110), and may also include at least one terminal device (120a-120j in Figure 1A, collectively referred to as 120).

[0144] In one possible implementation, the communication system shown in Figure 1A can also be as shown in Figure 1B, comprising a RAN node 110 and multiple terminal devices (120A and 120B in Figure 1B). In this case, a single RAN node can transmit data or control signaling to one or more terminal devices.

[0145] In another possible implementation, the communication system shown in Figure 1A can also be as shown in Figure 1C, comprising multiple RAN nodes (110A, 110B, and 110C in Figure 1C) 110 and a terminal device 120. In this case, the multiple RAN nodes can simultaneously transmit data or control signaling to a single terminal device.

[0146] The technical solution of this application can be applied to cellular communication systems related to the 3rd Generation Partnership Project (3GPP). For example, 4th generation (4G) communication systems, 5G communication systems, and communication systems beyond the 5th generation. For example, future communication systems. For example, 4th generation communication systems may include Long Term Evolution (LTE) communication systems. 5th generation communication systems may include NR communication systems. The technical solution of this application can also be applied to WiFi systems, standalone (SA) scenarios, dual connectivity (DC), macro-micro scenarios composed of base stations of different forms (e.g., scenarios with both wide-coverage and small-coverage base stations), D2D systems, V2X communication systems, non-terrestrial networks (NTN), IAB communication scenarios, reconfigurable intelligent surface (RIS) communication scenarios, etc., and is not specifically limited here.

[0147] For ease of description, the following description will use RAN nodes represented by network devices as an example.

[0148] As an example, Figure 2A illustrates an SA scenario where a terminal device is connected to a single network device. The network device to which the terminal device is connected, and the core network to which the network device is connected, are of the same standard. Optionally, the standard may refer to radio access technology (RAT).

[0149] For example, in the implementation of the 5G standard, the core network can be called the 5G core network (denoted as 5G Core), the network equipment can be called the 5G base station (denoted as 5G BS), and the 5G BS is connected to the 5G Core.

[0150] For example, in the implementation of a future standard (denoted as XG), the core network can be called the XG core network (denoted as XG Core), and the network equipment can be called XG base stations (denoted as XG BS), with the XG BS connected to the XG Core. Here, X is a positive integer or fraction greater than 5, and different X values ​​are used to represent different standards.

[0151] As an example, a DC scenario is shown in Figure 2B, where the terminal device is connected to both network device 1 and network device 2. Network device 1 and network device 2 can be network devices of different standards or network devices of the same standard.

[0152] For example, the core network is 5G Core, and the terminal device is connected to both 5G network equipment and XG network equipment. Among them, the 5G network equipment is the master station and the XG network equipment is the auxiliary station.

[0153] For example, the core network is XG Core, and the terminal device connects to both XG network equipment and 5G network equipment. The XG network equipment acts as the primary station, and the 5G network equipment acts as the secondary station.

[0154] For example, the core network is an XG Core, and the terminal device is connected to two XG network devices at the same time, that is, the main station and the auxiliary station are both XG network devices.

[0155] For example, an example of a macro-micro scenario is shown in the two ellipses in Figure 1A. Taking the network device name as a base station as an example, a macro-micro scenario can also be understood as a scenario where both wide-coverage base stations and small-coverage base stations exist simultaneously. Both wide-coverage base stations and small-coverage base stations can serve as access network elements for terminal devices. The signal coverage area of ​​the wide-coverage base station (represented by the larger solid ellipse in Figure 2A) is larger than the signal coverage area of ​​the small-coverage base station (represented by the smaller dashed ellipse in Figure 2A), and the signal coverage areas of the wide-coverage base station and the small-coverage base station overlap.

[0156] Optionally, the signal coverage area of ​​a small-coverage base station is a subset of the signal coverage area of ​​a wide-coverage base station.

[0157] As an example, another example of a macro-micro scenario is shown in Figure 2C. Taking the network device name as a base station as an example, a macro-micro scenario can also be understood as a scenario where both a super base station (super BS) and a ground base station exist simultaneously. The super BS can be a satellite, high altitude platform station (HAPS), air balloon station, drone station, broadcast station, or other implementation methods. The ground base station can be a cellular station in the communication system, such as a macro station, small station, micro station, or other implementation methods.

[0158] In Figure 2C, both the super BS and the terrestrial base station can serve as access network elements for terminal devices. The signal coverage area of ​​the super BS (represented by the elliptical dashed box in Figure 2C) is larger than the signal coverage area of ​​the terrestrial base station (represented by the hexagonal box in Figure 2C), and the signal coverage areas of the super BS and the terrestrial base station overlap.

[0159] Optionally, in the scenarios shown in Figures 1A and 2C, base stations with larger signal coverage areas can be referred to as macro base stations, and base stations with smaller signal coverage areas can be referred to as micro base stations. Therefore, the scenarios shown in Figures 1A and 2C can also be referred to as macro-micro scenarios.

[0160] It should be noted that in practical applications, the shape of the signal coverage area is not limited to the above-mentioned elliptical and hexagonal implementations. For example, the shape of the signal coverage area can also be rectangular, circular, or irregular. No limitation is made here.

[0161] To reduce the power consumption of terminal devices, the terminal devices can be woken up when data transmission is required. This mechanism can be implemented through two modules. For example, as shown in Figure 3, the terminal device includes a main module and a low-power module, which can also be called a wake-up receiver (WUR).

[0162] The wake-up receiver can receive or detect wake-up signals with ultra-low power consumption. Upon receiving a wake-up signal, the wake-up receiver can trigger the main module to wake up and transmit data. If the wake-up receiver does not trigger the main module to wake up, the main module remains in a powered-off state or a deep sleep state.

[0163] Therefore, further exploration of the configuration or processing flow of the two receivers is a future research direction.

[0164] To address this, embodiments of this application provide a communication method and related equipment. First feedback parameters of a first module are defined using first information, and second feedback parameters of a second module are defined using second information. The first and second feedback parameters are different and are used to determine the feedback information of a reference signal. That is, by independently configuring the reference signal feedback parameters for transceivers with different power consumptions, the terminal device can dynamically select the method of feeding back the reference signal, thereby improving the user experience.

[0165] Please refer to Figure 4, a flowchart corresponding to Scheme 1 provided in this application embodiment. The method may include steps 401 to 403. Steps 401 to 403 can be executed by a communication device, or by some components of the communication device (e.g., processor, chip, or chip system), or by a logic module or software capable of implementing all or part of the functions of the communication device. The following description uses execution by a communication device as an example. The processing performed by a single execution entity in steps 401 to 403 can also be divided into multiple execution entities, which can be logically and / or physically separated. For example, when the communication device is an access network device, the processing performed by the communication device can be divided into execution by at least one of network elements such as CU, DU, and RU. This method can be applied to any of the system architectures shown in Figures 1A to 2C above; specific limitations are not specified here.

[0166] Due to the long intervals between the steps, steps 401 to 403 will be briefly described here first, and then described in detail later. Step 401: The network device sends first information to the terminal device. Step 402: The network device sends second information to the terminal device. Step 403: The terminal device performs transmission based on the first and second information. The following is a detailed description of each step:

[0167] Step 401: The network device sends the first information to the terminal device.

[0168] Step 402: The network device sends the second information to the terminal device.

[0169] In step 401, the network device sends first information to the terminal device. Correspondingly, the terminal device receives the first information sent by the network device. The terminal device can be one of the terminal devices shown in Figures 1A to 2C, and the network device can be a RAN node or base station, etc., as shown in Figures 1A to 2C.

[0170] In step 402, the network device sends the second information to the terminal device. Correspondingly, the terminal device receives the second information sent by the network device.

[0171] Optionally, the first information and / or the second information may carry at least one of the following: RRC signaling, MAC CE, physical layer signaling DCI, or physical random access channel (PBCH), etc., without being limited here.

[0172] The first and second information can be carried in the same signaling or in different signaling; this is not limited here. Furthermore, the first and second information can be configured independently or in combination; this is also not limited here.

[0173] Optionally, the network device may send the first information and / or the second information to all terminal devices within its coverage area, or it may send the first information and / or the second information to specific terminal devices, etc., without any specific limitation here. A specific terminal device can be understood as a terminal device in a specific location, or a terminal device with a specific identifier, or a terminal device of a specific type, etc., without any specific limitation here.

[0174] Optionally, the type of terminal device can also be referred to as the user type. For example, the user type may include one or more of the following: artificial intelligence (AI) users, Redcap service users, enhanced mobile broadband (eMBB) users, ultra-reliable low-latency communication (URLLC) users, XR users, IoT users, 5G users, LTE users, NR users, etc., without specific limitations here. Correspondingly, a specific type of terminal device can be at least one of the above types, without specific limitations here.

[0175] This step 401 is described in two parts: one part describes the terminal device provided in the embodiments of this application, and the other part describes the first information and the second information mentioned above.

[0176] Part 1: The terminal equipment includes a first module and a second module.

[0177] In this context, the energy consumption of the first module is less than that of the second module. Alternatively, this can be understood as the operating power of the first module being less than that of the second module. Or, it can be understood as the first module being more energy-efficient than the second module. Or, it can be understood as the first module corresponding to narrowband and the second module corresponding to broadband. That is, the "high" in the second module and the "low" in the first module can be relative concepts. Of course, in other embodiments, it can also be determined whether it is the first or second module by comparing it with a threshold; this is not limited here.

[0178] In this embodiment, the second module may also be referred to as any of the following: high-power module, high-power radio, main radio (MR), main transceiver, main transmitter, main receiver, main transmitter, main radio, main communication module, or main circuit, etc. For ease of description, the following description will use MR as an example of the second module.

[0179] Optionally, MR can be used for one or more of the following: transmission (e.g., including receiving and / or sending) signaling, data, reference signals, measurement reports of reference signals, or measurement of reference signals.

[0180] Accordingly, the first module can be referred to as any of the following: low-power module, low-power radio (LR), low-power transceiver, auxiliary module, auxiliary transceiver, auxiliary transmitter, auxiliary receiver, auxiliary transmitter, auxiliary radio, wake-up receiver (WUR), low-power wake-up receiver (LP-WUR), wake-up circuit, communication auxiliary module or auxiliary circuit, etc. For ease of description, the following description will use LR as an example of the first module.

[0181] Optionally, LR can be used to transmit low-power signals or to notify MR of one or more of its functions such as wake-up / sleep / receive information.

[0182] It should be noted that the LR proposed in this application embodiment is not limited to receiving signals for waking up the MR. The LR may also be used to transmit reference signals and / or measurement reports of the reference signals. Alternatively, it can be understood that the LR can be used for one or more of the following processes: transmitting reference signals, transmitting measurement reports, receiving reference signals, receiving measurement reports, or measuring reference signals, etc. That is, the transmission proposed in this application embodiment includes receiving and / or transmitting. The measurement report of the reference signal can also be referred to as feedback information.

[0183] The reference signal can be referred to in the explanations of the aforementioned terms, and will not be repeated here. It should be noted that the reference signal transmitted by LR in this embodiment can also be called a low-power reference signal (LP RS or LR-RS). Correspondingly, the measurement report transmitted by LR can also be called a low-power measurement report or low-power measurement feedback.

[0184] Optionally, the low-power reference signal may serve one or more of the following functions: channel measurement and feedback, time-frequency tracking, radio resource management (RRM) mobility measurement, beam management (beam update), or positioning, etc., without specific limitations here. For example, SRS can also be called LP-SRS or LR-SRS, CSI-RS can also be called LP CSI-RS or LR CSI-RS, and CSI can also be called LP CSI or LR CSI, etc., without specific limitations here.

[0185] Furthermore, to reduce the power consumption of the terminal equipment or MR, the LR and MR do not transmit reference signals and / or reference signal measurement reports simultaneously. Alternatively, this can be understood as the LR transmitting reference signals and / or reference signal measurement reports while the MR does not. Or, it can be understood as the LR having a higher transmission priority than the MR.

[0186] Furthermore, the process of the terminal device receiving the first information can be either through MR or through LR; the specific method is not limited here. Similarly, the process of the terminal device receiving the second information can also be either through MR or through LR; the specific method is not limited here.

[0187] Part Two: The first information indicates the first feedback parameter of the first module. The second information indicates the second feedback parameter of the second module.

[0188] The first and second information can also be understood as configuration information or predefined information, etc., and no specific limitation is made here.

[0189] Since the first feedback parameter may be related to the second feedback parameter of the second module, it will be described together with the second feedback parameter below. Of course, the first feedback parameter of LR and the second feedback parameter of MR may also be unrelated, i.e., configured independently. For example, network devices may configure the corresponding reporting accuracy based on the capability information reported by terminal devices.

[0190] Optionally, the first feedback parameter and the second feedback parameter may include one or more of the following: the number or index of the channel quality indicator (CQI) table, the type of information carried by the feedback information, the reporting accuracy of the feedback information, the number of times the feedback information is repeated or transmitted, etc., which are not specifically limited here.

[0191] Furthermore, the first feedback parameter can be associated with the second feedback parameter. For example, the first feedback parameter may be a subset of the second feedback parameter. Another example is that the number of bits occupied by the CQI index in the first CQI table of the LR association is less than the number of bits occupied by the CQI index in the second CQI table of the MR association. Yet another example is that the first bit string of the LR association is a subset of the second bit string of the MR association. And yet another example is that the first precision of the feedback information of the LR association is lower than the second precision of the feedback information of the MR association.

[0192] The above items are described below:

[0193] 1. The number or index of the CQI form.

[0194] The protocol predefines multiple CQI tables, each containing two categories: a first category associated with the LR (Local Level) and a second category associated with the MR (Local Mapping). Network devices configure the LR with the first category table number (e.g., table X), and the network devices configure the MR with the second category table number (e.g., table Y, corresponding to Table 5.2.2.1-2, Table 5.2.2.1-3, Table 5.2.2.1-4, or Table 5.2.2.1-5, etc.).

[0195] Optionally, the cqi-Table configuration table number or index in the CSI-ReportConfig sent by the network device.

[0196] Optionally, the first feedback parameter includes a first CQI table associated with LR. The first CQI table includes one or more of the following: a 1-bit CQI table, a 2-bit CQI table, or a 3-bit CQI table. Alternatively, the CQI index in the first CQI table can be 1 bit, 2 bits, or 3 bits. Correspondingly, the second feedback parameter includes a second CQI table associated with MR. The second CQI table includes a 4-bit CQI table. Alternatively, the CQI index in the second CQI table can be 4 bits.

[0197] For example, the first CQI table is a 1-bit CQI table, and the CQI index in the feedback information reported by the terminal device through the LR only includes 1 bit. As another example, the first CQI table is a 2-bit CQI table, and the CQI index in the feedback information reported by the terminal device through the LR only includes 2 bits. As yet another example, the first CQI table is a 3-bit CQI table, and the CQI index in the feedback information reported by the terminal device through the LR only includes 3 bits. As yet another example, the second CQI table is a 4-bit CQI table, and the CQI index in the feedback information reported by the terminal device through the MR only includes 4 bits.

[0198] Optionally, the first CQI table and the second CQI table include a first parameter, which includes one or more of the following: modulation (also known as modulation order, modulation method or modulation mode, etc.), code rate (code rate x1024) or spectral efficiency, etc.

[0199] For example, the first parameter included in the first CQI table may be a subset of the parameters included in Tables 5.2.2.1-2, 5.2.2.1-3, 5.2.2.1-4, or 5.2.2.1-5 of the 3GPP Technical Specification (TS) 38214-i40. Tables 5.2.2.1-2, 5.2.2.1-3, and 5.2.2.1-5 are tables with a transport block error probability not exceeding 0.1, and Table 5.2.2.1-4 is a table with a transport block error probability not exceeding 1e-5. The second CQI table may be any of the above tables.

[0200] For example, a 1-bit CQI table is shown in Table 1, a 2-bit CQI table is shown in Table 2, and a 3-bit CQI table is shown in Table 3.

[0201] Table 1 1-bit CQI Table

[0202] Where CQI index is 0, the corresponding modulation method is quadrature phase shift keying (QPSK), the corresponding code rate is 308, and the corresponding spectral efficiency is 0.6016. Where CQI index is 1, the corresponding modulation method is quadrature amplitude modulation (QAM), the corresponding code rate is 666, and the corresponding spectral efficiency is 3.9023.

[0203] Table 2 2-bit CQI Table

[0204] Specifically, a CQI index of 00 corresponds to QPSK modulation, a code rate of 78, and a spectral efficiency of 0.1523. A CQI index of 01 corresponds to QPSK modulation, a code rate of 308, and a spectral efficiency of 0.6016. A CQI index of 10 corresponds to 16QAM modulation, a code rate of 490, and a spectral efficiency of 1.9141. A CQI index of 11 corresponds to 64QAM modulation, a code rate of 666, and a spectral efficiency of 3.9023.

[0205] Table 3 3-bit CQI Table

[0206] Specifically, a CQI index of 000 corresponds to QPSK modulation with a code rate of 78 and a spectral efficiency of 0.1523. A CQI index of 001 corresponds to QPSK modulation with a code rate of 193 and a spectral efficiency of 0.3770. A CQI index of 010 corresponds to QPSK modulation with a code rate of 449 and a spectral efficiency of 0.8770. A CQI index of 011 corresponds to 16QAM modulation with a code rate of 378 and a spectral efficiency of 1.4766. A CQI index of 100 corresponds to 16QAM modulation with a code rate of 616 and a spectral efficiency of 2.4063. A CQI index of 101 corresponds to 64QAM modulation with a code rate of 567 and a spectral efficiency of 3.3223. A CQI index of 110 corresponds to a 64QAM modulation scheme, a code rate of 772, and a spectral efficiency of 4.5234. A CQI index of 111 corresponds to a 64QAM modulation scheme, a code rate of 948, and a spectral efficiency of 5.5547.

[0207] Furthermore, besides the parameters in the first CQI table being a subset of the following tables in TS 38214-i40: Table 5.2.2.1-2, Table 5.2.2.1-3, Table 5.2.2.1-4, or Table 5.2.2.1-5, the number of bits in the CQI index of the first CQI table can also be the first N bits from the aforementioned tables, and the corresponding parameters can be adjusted to low precision. That is, the first CQI table is a subset of the aforementioned tables.

[0208] For example, taking the 4-bit CQI table in Table 5.2.2.1-2 as an example, the 4-bit CQI table in Table 5.2.2.1-2 is shown in Table 4. The first CQI table is a subset of the 4-bit CQI table in Table 5.2.2.1-2, as shown in Table 5. For example, LR is associated with Table 5, and MR is associated with Table 4.

[0209] Table 4 4-bit CQI Table

[0210] Where CQI index is 0000, the parameter is out of range. CQI index 0001 corresponds to QPSK modulation, a code rate of 78, and a spectral efficiency of 0.1523. CQI index 0010 corresponds to QPSK modulation, a code rate of 120, and a spectral efficiency of 0.2344. CQI index 0011 corresponds to QPSK modulation, a code rate of 193, and a spectral efficiency of 0.3770. CQI index 0100 corresponds to QPSK modulation, a code rate of 308, and a spectral efficiency of 0.6016. CQI index 0101 corresponds to QPSK modulation, a code rate of 449, and a spectral efficiency of 0.8770. CQI index 0110 corresponds to QPSK modulation, a code rate of 602, and a spectral efficiency of 1.1758. A CQI index of 0111 corresponds to 16QAM modulation, a code rate of 378, and a spectral efficiency of 1.4766. A CQI index of 1000 corresponds to 16QAM modulation, a code rate of 490, and a spectral efficiency of 1.9141. A CQI index of 1001 corresponds to 16QAM modulation, a code rate of 616, and a spectral efficiency of 2.4063. A CQI index of 1010 corresponds to 64QAM modulation, a code rate of 466, and a spectral efficiency of 2.7305. A CQI index of 1011 corresponds to 64QAM modulation, a code rate of 567, and a spectral efficiency of 3.3223. A CQI index of 1100 corresponds to 64QAM modulation, a code rate of 666, and a spectral efficiency of 3.9023. A CQI index of 1101 corresponds to a 64QAM modulation scheme, a code rate of 772, and a spectral efficiency of 4.5234. A CQI index of 1110 corresponds to a 64QAM modulation scheme, a code rate of 873, and a spectral efficiency of 5.1152. A CQI index of 1111 corresponds to a 64QAM modulation scheme, a code rate of 948, and a spectral efficiency of 5.5547.

[0211] Table 5 2-bit CQI Table

[0212] Table 5 corresponds to the bolded portion of Table 4. For example, taking the first two bits of the CQI index in Table 4, the parameters correspond to the parameters of the first index. That is, a CQI index of 00 corresponds to QPSK modulation, a code rate of 78, and a spectral efficiency of 0.1523. A CQI index of 01 corresponds to QPSK modulation, a code rate of 308, and a spectral efficiency of 0.6016. A CQI index of 10 corresponds to 16QAM modulation, a code rate of 490, and a spectral efficiency of 1.9141. A CQI index of 11 corresponds to 64QAM modulation, a code rate of 666, and a spectral efficiency of 3.9023.

[0213] It is understood that Tables 4 and 5 above are merely illustrative descriptions using Table 5.2.2.1-2 as an example. In practical applications, the second CQI table associated with MR may include Table 5.2.2.1-3, Table 5.2.2.1-4, or Table 5.2.2.1-5. Correspondingly, the first CQI table associated with LR is a subset of the above tables.

[0214] 2. The types of information carried in the feedback information.

[0215] The first feedback parameter includes the information category carried by the feedback information of the LR, and can also be described as the first bit string carried by the feedback information associated with the LR. One or more first bit strings can correspond to an information category identifier.

[0216] Accordingly, the second feedback parameter includes the information category carried by the feedback information of the MR, which can also be referred to as the second feedback parameter including the second bit string carried by the feedback information associated with the MR. One or more second bit strings can correspond to an information category identifier. The information category identifier of the first bit string is different from the information category identifier of the second bit string. In the embodiments of this application, the bit string can also be referred to as a field or information group bit, etc., and is not specifically limited here.

[0217] Optionally, taking CSI as an example, the information categories carried by the feedback information associated with LR, which are predefined by the protocol or configured through the first information, include one or more of the following: partial information in CSI part1, all information in CSI part1, partial information in CSI part2, or all information in CSI part2.

[0218] Optionally, the information categories carried by the feedback information associated with MR, which is predefined by the protocol or configured through the second information, include one or more of the following: partial information in CSI part 1, all information in CSI part 1, partial information in CSI part 2, or all information in CSI part 2.

[0219] Furthermore, the bits associated with LR can be associated with the bits associated with MR. For example, the first bit string associated with LR is a subset of the second bit string associated with MR. Another example is that the first bit string includes some information from CSI part 1, and the second bit string includes all information from CSI part 1. Yet another example is that the first bit string includes some information from CSI part 2, and the second bit string includes all information from CSI part 2. Yet another example is that the first bit string includes all information from CSI part 1, and the second bit string includes all information from CSI part 1 and some or all information from CSI part 2. Yet another example is that the first bit string includes all information from CSI part 2, and the second bit string includes all information from CSI part 2 and all information from CSI part 1.

[0220] For example, the information categories carried by the feedback information associated with MR, which is predefined by the protocol or configured through the second information, include: all information in CSI part 1 and all information in CSI part 2.

[0221] For example, for Type I CSI feedback, Part 1 contains RI (if reported), CRI (if reported), and the CQI of the first codeword (if reported). Part 2 contains PMI (if reported), LI (if reported), and the CQI of the second codeword (if reported) when RI is greater than 4. For a CSI-ReportConfig with codebookType configured as 'typeI-SinglePanel' and the corresponding CSI-RS Resource Set for channel measurements configured with 2 resource groups and N resource pairs, Part 1 contains RI(s), CRI(s), the CQI(s) of the first codeword, and zero-padded to a fixed payload size (if needed). Part 2 contains the CQI(s) of the second codeword (if reported) when RI is greater than 4, LI (if reported), and PMI(s).

[0222] For example, for Type II CSI feedback, Part 1 contains the RI (if reported), CQI, and an indication of the number of non-zero bandwidth amplitude coefficients per layer for Type II CSI. The fields in Part 1 – RI (if reported), CQI, and the indication of the number of non-zero bandwidth amplitude coefficients per layer – are encoded separately. Part 2 contains the PMI and LI (if reported) for Type I ICSI. Elements of i_(1,4,l), i_(2,1,l) (if reported), and i_(2,2,l) (if reported) are reported in ascending order of their indices, i = 0, 1, ..., 2L-1, where the lowest-indexed element maps to the most significant bit, and the highest-indexed element maps to the least significant bit. Part 1 and Part 2 are encoded separately.

[0223] For example, for Enhanced Type II CSI feedback and Further Enhanced Type II Port Selection CSI feedback, Part 1 contains indications of RI (if reported), CQI, and the total number of non-zero amplitude coefficients across layers. The fields for Part 1 – RI (if reported), CQI, and the total number of non-zero amplitude coefficients across layers – are coded separately. Part 2 contains the PMI for Enhanced Type II or Further Enhanced Type II Port Selection CSI. Part 1 and Part 2 are coded separately.

[0224] For example, the information categories carried by the feedback information associated with LR, which is predefined by the protocol or configured through the first information, include: some or all of the information in CSI part 1.

[0225] For example, the CSI feedback associated with LR contains some or all of the information in Type I CSI feedback part 1: RI (if reported), CRI (if reported), and CQI of the first codeword (if reported). In this way, LR feedback has low overhead and low power consumption, making it more energy-efficient.

[0226] For example, the CSI feedback associated with the LR may contain some or all of the information from Type I ICSI feedback part 1: RI (if reported), CQI, and an indication of the number of non-zero wideband amplitude coefficients at each layer of Type II CSI. This allows for the provision of more channel information through the LR, such as spatial channel information, resulting in a more accurate understanding of channel conditions.

[0227] For example, the LR-related CSI feedback contains some or all of the information from the enhanced Type II CSI feedback and the further enhanced Type II port selection CSI feedback: Part 1 contains an indication of RI (if reported), CQI, and the total number of cross-layer non-zero amplitude coefficients.

[0228] For example, the information categories carried by the feedback information associated with LR, which is predefined by the protocol or configured through the first information, include: partial information from CSI part 1 and partial information from CSI part 2.

[0229] For example, the LR-associated CSI feedback includes partial information from Type I CSI feedback part 1 and part 2, such as one or more of the following: RI (if reported), CRI (if reported), CQI of the first codeword (if reported), PMI (if reported), LI (if reported), and CQI of the second codeword (if reported) when RI is greater than 4. This results in low overhead and low power consumption for LR feedback, making it more energy-efficient.

[0230] Furthermore, the protocol predefines or configures the reporting priority in the feedback information associated with LR through the first information configuration. In this way, the terminal device can decide the content of the feedback information to be sent as needed based on its own capabilities or the resources available for reporting, and discard some content as needed.

[0231] For example, the protocol predefines or configures the priorities of feedback information. The terminal device can report information categories with higher priorities and not report information categories with lower priorities. Correspondingly, the terminal device can discard information categories with lower priorities.

[0232] For example, the terminal device reports higher priority information categories in CSI Part 1, discards lower priority information categories in CSI Part 1, and discards all information categories in Part 2.

[0233] One possible interpretation is that the terminal device reports higher-priority information categories and discards lower-priority information categories. Higher-priority information categories may include those from CSI part 1 and CSI part 2, and similarly, lower-priority information categories may also include those from part 1 and part 2.

[0234] For example, Figure 5 shows an example of the association between the first bit string of LR and the second bit string of MR. That is, the feedback information associated with LR includes CSI part1, and the feedback information associated with MR includes CSI part1 and CSI part2.

[0235] 3. The accuracy of feedback information reporting.

[0236] The first feedback parameter includes the first precision of the feedback information associated with LR. The second feedback parameter includes the second precision of the feedback information associated with MR.

[0237] Optionally, the first precision of LR association can be lower than the second precision of MR association.

[0238] Furthermore, the feedback information predefined by the protocol or configured through the first information and associated with the LR only includes wideband-related parameters. For example, one or more of the wideband CQI, PMI, RSRP, or L1-SINR. This helps reduce the LR's reporting overhead and saves reporting energy. Correspondingly, the feedback information predefined by the protocol or configured through the second information and associated with the MR, in addition to wideband-related parameters, can also include other parameters (such as subband parameters).

[0239] Optionally, the protocol predefines or configures multiple subband tables through first information, including a first table associated with LR and a second table associated with MR.

[0240] For example, the protocol predefines multiple subband tables. Network devices can configure the subband table identifier or index of the LR (Local Range) using the first information. Network devices can configure the subband table identifier or index of the MR (Local Range) using the second information.

[0241] Of course, the protocol can also predefine multiple sub-band tables, and the network device can configure the corresponding sub-band table for the terminal device based on the capability information reported by the terminal device.

[0242] Furthermore, the first precision is related to the first table, and the second precision is related to the second table; the first table and the second table are different.

[0243] Alternatively, the relationship between the first table and the second table can take several forms:

[0244] 1. The bandwidth in the first table and the second table is the same, and the first sub-band in the first table is greater than the second sub-band in the second table.

[0245] 2. The bandwidth in the first table and the second table is the same, but the number of modes supported by the first subband in the first table is less than the number of modes supported by the second subband in the second table.

[0246] 3. The first broadband range in the first table is greater than the second broadband range in the second table, and the first sub-band in the first table is greater than the second sub-band in the second table.

[0247] It is understood that the above-mentioned relationships are just examples. In other embodiments, there may be other relationships, which are not limited here.

[0248] For example, taking the bandwidth part (BWP) granularity, which includes multiple physical resource blocks (PRBs), as an example, the second table is shown in Table 6.

[0249] Table 6Table 5.2.1.4-2: Configurable subband sizes

[0250] Specifically, when BWP is between 24 and 72, the sub-band size can be 4 or 8. When BWP is between 73 and 144, the sub-band size can be 8 or 16. When BWP is between 145 and 275, the sub-band size can be 16 or 32.

[0251] For example, in the above relationship 1, the second table can be as shown in Table 6, and the first table can be as shown in Table 7.

[0252] Table 7Configurable subband sizes

[0253] Specifically, when the BWP is between 24 and 72, the subband size can be 16 or 32. When the BWP is between 73 and 144, the subband size can be 32 or 64. When the BWP is between 145 and 275, the subband size can be 64 or 128. In this example, the reporting overhead of LR can be reduced, supporting low-power CSI feedback.

[0254] For example, in the above relationship 2, the second table can be as shown in Table 6, and the first table can be as shown in Table 8.

[0255] Table 8Configurable subband sizes

[0256] Specifically, when BWP is between 24 and 72, the subband size can be 32. When BWP is between 73 and 144, the subband size can be 64. When BWP is between 145 and 275, the subband size can be 128. In this example, the reporting overhead of LR can be reduced, supporting low-power CSI feedback. The reporting mode is simplified, reducing the terminal's buffering overhead.

[0257] For example, in the above relationship 3, the second table can be as shown in Table 6, and the first table can be as shown in Table 9.

[0258] Table 9Configurable subband sizes

[0259] When the BWP is between 24 and 128, the subband size can be 16 or 32. When the BWP is between 128 and 275, the subband size can be 32 or 64. In this example, the reporting overhead of LR can be reduced, supporting low-power CSI feedback. The reporting mode is further simplified, reducing the terminal's buffering overhead.

[0260] Of course, the reporting accuracy of LR can also be independent of that of MR, meaning they can be configured separately. For example, network devices can configure the reporting accuracy based on the capability information reported by terminal devices. Another example is that the protocol predefines or configures LR to report only one or more parameters such as CQI, PMI, RSRP, or L1-SINR for a subset of subbands, either through the first information. Yet another example is that the protocol predefines or configures LR to report parameters for odd or even subbands, either through the first information.

[0261] It is understood that the above feedback parameters are merely examples. In other embodiments, other feedback parameters may also exist. For instance, the first feedback parameter may include the number of retransmissions or transmissions of LR feedback, and the second feedback parameter may include the number of retransmissions or transmissions of MR feedback (e.g., the number of LR retransmissions is greater than the number of MR retransmissions), etc. Specific limitations are not specified here. In this example, because the feedback reliability of the first module is worse than that of the second module, the first module sends feedback information more times, which can improve transmission reliability.

[0262] Step 403: The terminal device transmits information based on the first information or the second information.

[0263] Step 403 can take several forms. For example, after receiving the first information, the terminal device can use LR to transmit the reference signal and / or a measurement report of the reference signal based on the first information. Alternatively, after receiving the second information, the terminal device can use MR to transmit the reference signal and / or a measurement report of the reference signal based on the second information. Or, after receiving both the first and second information, the terminal device can determine whether to use LR or MR to transmit the reference signal and / or the measurement report of the reference signal based on a first low-power signal or event or predefined terminal-side behavior.

[0264] Alternatively, the configuration of the first information can be understood as a prerequisite for LR transmission. In practice, other prerequisites may also exist (such as the aforementioned first low-power signal or event). It should be noted that the terminal device can directly use LR for transmission after receiving the first information. Alternatively, after receiving the first information, the terminal device may need to receive activation, enable, or indication before using LR for transmission.

[0265] Correspondingly, the configuration of the second information is a prerequisite for MR transmission. In practice, other prerequisites may also exist (such as the aforementioned first low-power signal or event). It should be noted that the terminal device can directly use MR for transmission after receiving the second information. Alternatively, after receiving the second information, the terminal device may need to receive activation, enable, or indication before using MR for transmission.

[0266] The first low-power signal and event described above are described below:

[0267] 1. First low-power signal.

[0268] The first low-power signal is used to indicate the LR or MR transmission of the reference signal and / or the measurement report of the reference signal.

[0269] For example, when the first low-power signal is used to indicate that the LR is transmitting a reference signal and / or a measurement report of the reference signal, the terminal device transmits via the LR. As another example, when the first low-power signal is used to indicate that the MR is transmitting a reference signal and / or a measurement report of the reference signal, the terminal device transmits via the MR.

[0270] 2. Event.

[0271] The events in the embodiments of this application can be divided into a first event and a second event. For example, the first event is used to activate LR transmission, and the second event is used to activate MR transmission. Another example is that the first event is used to activate LR transmission, and the second event is used to deactivate LR transmission. Yet another example is that the first event is used to activate MR transmission, and the second event is used to deactivate MR transmission. Yet another example is that the first event is used for feedback information of the LR transmission reference signal, and the second event is used for feedback information of the LR not feeding back the reference signal.

[0272] Alternatively, it can be understood that the first event can be used in scenarios where the channel changes rapidly or significantly, while the second event can be used in scenarios where the channel changes slowly or less significantly.

[0273] Optionally, the first event may include one or more of the following:

[0274] B1: The moving speed of the terminal device is greater than or equal to the first threshold, and the terminal device includes a first low-power module and a second module;

[0275] B2: The time interval between the last measurement and the terminal device is greater than or equal to the second threshold;

[0276] B3: The difference between the actual channel information and the configured channel information of the terminal device is greater than or equal to the third threshold.

[0277] Optionally, the second event may include one or more of the following:

[0278] B4: The moving speed of the terminal device is less than or equal to the fourth threshold;

[0279] B5: The time interval between the last measurement and the terminal device is less than or equal to the fifth threshold;

[0280] B6: The difference between the actual channel information and the configured channel information of the terminal device is less than or equal to the sixth threshold.

[0281] The actual channel information of the terminal device can be obtained by measuring the reference signal (such as CSI-RS or LR CSI-RS), or by the channel quality perceived by the terminal device, etc., without being limited here.

[0282] The thresholds for the events and / or events mentioned above can be configured or pre-configured (e.g., the "reportConfig" field or the DCI field, etc.), and the thresholds for the events can also include hysteresis thresholds, etc., which are not limited here.

[0283] For example, the first event is B1, and the second event is B4. Another example is that the first event is B2, and the second event is B5. Yet another example is that the first event is B3, and the second event is B6. Another example is that the first event includes B1 and B2, and the second event includes B4 and B5. Yet another example is that the first event includes B1 and B3, and the second event includes B4 and B6. Yet another example is that the first event includes B2 and B3, and the second event includes B5 and B6. Yet another example is that the first event includes B1, B2, and B3, and the second event includes B4, B5, and B6. It is understood that B1 to B6 are merely examples; in other embodiments, other letters and / or other numbers may be used, such as S1 to S6, or A7 to A12, etc., which are not specifically limited here.

[0284] It is understood that the first low-power signal and event mentioned above are just a few examples of the above preconditions. In other embodiments, the behavior of the terminal device can also be predefined, which is not limited here.

[0285] Optionally, the network device and the terminal device may also transmit one or more of the following: the processing power of the terminal device, the quality of service (QoS) of the terminal device, a reference signal, the configuration of the reference signal, the aforementioned first low-power signal, the configuration of the first low-power signal, a second low-power signal, the configuration of the second low-power signal, and the measurement report or event configuration information of the reference signal.

[0286] The processing capability of the terminal device can refer to the LR's ability to transmit reference signals and / or reference signal measurement reports. This includes, for example, the LR's hardware support, the latency of LR transmission of reference signals and / or reference signal measurement reports, or the number of bits carried. Correspondingly, after receiving the processing capability reported by the terminal device, the network device can dynamically adjust the configuration of the reference signals and / or reference signal measurement reports based on the terminal device's processing capability. For example, this could involve switching the LR's measurement configuration (e.g., switching from LR measurement configuration 1 to measurement configuration 2). Another example is switching from LR transmission of reference signals and / or reference signal measurement reports to MR transmission of reference signals and / or reference signal measurement reports. Yet another example is switching from MR transmission of reference signals and / or reference signal measurement reports to LR transmission of reference signals and / or reference signal measurement reports, and so on.

[0287] The second low-power signal is used to indicate one or more of the following:

[0288] a. During the active period of the discontinuous reception (DRX) of the second module, the second module is used to receive the reference signal; during the inactive period of the DRX of the second module, the first module is used to receive the reference signal.

[0289] b. During the inactive period of the DRX in the second module, the first module is used to receive the reference signal. During the active period of the DRX in the second module, the second module is used to transmit the feedback information of the reference signal.

[0290] The DRX of the second module can also be called the DRX of the terminal device, the DRX of the UE, or the DRX of the MR. Alternatively, it can be understood that the DRX of the terminal device actually constrains the behavior of the MR, but not the behavior of the LR. Therefore, the DRX of the terminal device can be called the MR DRX. The DRX activation period can also be called DRX on or DRX non-dormant period, and the DRX inactive period can also be called DRX off or DRX dormant period.

[0291] Furthermore, the second low-power signal can be understood as associating the transmission behavior of LR with the DRX of MR. For example, transmission is performed by LR during the inactive period of MR DRX.

[0292] Since the embodiments of this application may involve LR or MR transmission, several scenarios on the terminal device side are described below as examples.

[0293] For example, as shown in Figure 6, the scenario corresponding to measurement identifier 1 is the MR reporting configuration corresponding to the LR measurement target. The scenario corresponding to measurement identifier 2 is the MR reporting configuration corresponding to the MR measurement target. The scenario corresponding to measurement identifier 3 is the LR reporting configuration corresponding to the MR measurement target. The scenario corresponding to measurement identifier 4 is the LR reporting configuration corresponding to the LR measurement target.

[0294] Scenario 1: MR measurement target corresponds to LR reporting configuration.

[0295] Scenario 1 can also be understood as MR measuring the reference signal and LR transmitting feedback information of the reference signal.

[0296] Optionally, during UE DRX on (or MR enabled), the terminal device receives a reference signal via MR. During UE DRX off (or MR disabled), the terminal device uses LR to send feedback of the reference signal, reducing feedback latency.

[0297] Optionally, during UE DRX on (or MR enabled), the terminal device or MR receives a reference signal. During UE DRX off (or MR disabled), the terminal device uses LR to send feedback of the reference signal, reducing feedback latency.

[0298] For example, scenario 1 corresponds to measurement marker 3 in Figure 6.

[0299] Scenario 2: LR measurement target corresponding to MR reporting configuration.

[0300] Scenario 2 can also be understood as LR measuring the reference signal and MR transmitting feedback information of the reference signal.

[0301] Optionally, during the UE DRX off period (or understood as the MR off period), the terminal device receives the LR reference signal; during the UE DRX on period (or understood as the MR on period), the terminal device uses MR to send measurement feedback, thereby improving the reliability and coverage of the feedback.

[0302] For example, scenario 2 corresponds to measurement marker 1 in Figure 6.

[0303] Optionally, an LR measurement target corresponds to an MR reporting configuration, which helps to improve the reliability of feedback and ensure the accuracy of feedback.

[0304] For example, scenario 2 can also be illustrated in Figure 7, where one LR measurement target can correspond to multiple sub-bands (or frequency domain components), with each sub-band corresponding to different time-domain and frequency-domain resources. This can also be understood as frequency hopping of the reference signal. This is beneficial for narrowband LR receivers to receive all or part of the CSI-RS bandwidth, resulting in more accurate channel quality.

[0305] For example, the frequency domain width of each measured target component is less than or equal to the bandwidth that LR can receive; for example, the frequency domain width can be 1 resource block (RB), 2 RB, 3 RB, 4 RB, ... or 11 RB, etc. Another example is that the time domain granularity of each reference signal component can be 1 to 2 symbols, and the time interval between frequency hopping components can be 7 slots, etc.

[0306] It is understood that the temporal granularity in the embodiments of this application may include one or more of the following: radio frame, subframe, slot, mini-slot, OFDM symbol, cyclic prefix (CP), absolute time (e.g., seconds, milliseconds, etc.), etc., and is not specifically limited here.

[0307] For example, the feedback information of the MR transmission reference signal can be configured in various ways. For instance, in a DRX scenario, the network device can configure the MR-associated feedback signal to be at the start position during DRX on, which facilitates fast and highly reliable feedback signals, enabling the network device to quickly obtain channel information and transmit data rapidly. For example, the network device can configure the DRX on start position to have a time-domain offset from the feedback signal. As another example, in an MR sleep scenario, the network device can configure the MR-associated feedback signal to be at the start position of MR wake-up, which facilitates fast and highly reliable feedback signals, allowing the MR to immediately provide measurement feedback and transmit data rapidly upon wake-up.

[0308] Scenario 3: LR measurement target corresponds to LR reporting configuration.

[0309] Scenario 3 can also be understood as LR measuring the reference signal and LR transmitting feedback information of the reference signal.

[0310] For example, scenario 3 corresponds to measurement marker 4 in Figure 6.

[0311] For example, scenario 3 can be as shown in Figure 8, where one reference signal measured by LR corresponds to one LR reporting configuration, and multiple reference signals can be frequency-divided and time-divided, which is beneficial for covering a larger bandwidth.

[0312] For example, scenario 3 can be illustrated in Figure 9. In a DRX scenario, the network device can configure the LR-associated feedback information to occur before the DRX on period or before the DRX off period ends. This facilitates fast and highly reliable feedback signals, enabling the network device to quickly obtain channel information and transmit data rapidly. For instance, the network device can configure a time-domain offset between the feedback position and the start position of DRX on. As another example, in a MR sleep scenario, the network device can configure the LR-associated feedback signal to occur before the MR wakes up. This also facilitates fast and highly reliable feedback signals, allowing the MR to immediately provide measurement feedback and transmit data upon waking.

[0313] Scenario 4: MR measurement target corresponding to MR reporting configuration.

[0314] Scenario 4 can also be understood as MR measuring the reference signal and MR transmitting feedback information of the reference signal.

[0315] For example, scenario 4 corresponds to measurement marker 2 in Figure 6.

[0316] It is understandable that the above scenarios are just examples. In actual applications, there may be other scenarios, which are not limited here.

[0317] For example, in the configuration of reference signals for interaction between network devices and terminal devices, the time-frequency resources of the reference signals can be related to the time-frequency resources of LR feedback information or the time-frequency resources of MR feedback information. Network devices predefine or preconfigure the following behaviors:

[0318] 1. During UE DRX off or MR off. Scenarios 1 and 3 are used by default to reduce feedback latency. Of course, to further improve feedback reliability, the terminal device can repeatedly send low-power feedback information via LR. Alternatively, by default, unreceived MR reference signals are discarded during UE DRX off or MR off.

[0319] 2. During UE DRX on or MR enabled. Scenarios 2 and 4 are used by default to improve feedback coverage and reliability. Alternatively, by default, unfelt LR reference signals are discarded during DRX on or MR enabled.

[0320] It should be noted that the method provided in this embodiment has multiple variations. For example, the method provided in this embodiment includes steps 401 and 403. Another example is that the method provided in this embodiment includes steps 402 and 403. Yet another example is that the method provided in this embodiment includes steps 401 to 403.

[0321] In this embodiment, on one hand, the first feedback parameter of the first module is determined by the first information, and the second feedback parameter of the second module is determined by the second information. The energy consumption of the second module is greater than that of the first module, and the first and second feedback parameters are different. These parameters are used to determine the feedback information of the reference signal. That is, by independently configuring the reference signal feedback parameters for transceivers with different energy consumption, the terminal device can dynamically select the method of feedback of the reference signal, thereby improving the user experience. On the other hand, the first feedback parameter of the LR and the second feedback parameter of the MR can be configured separately or jointly. Furthermore, by using a first low-power signal or event to indicate whether the terminal device transmits the reference signal and / or the reference signal measurement report via LR or MR, the flexibility of dynamic scheduling is improved. Moreover, by limiting the information transmitted by LR and MR, the applicability of the solution in various scenarios can be enhanced. Additionally, during UE DRX on or off, LR replaces MR for transmission, enabling deep sleep of MR and reducing terminal energy consumption. Furthermore, MR can quickly update channel conditions and transmit data rapidly upon waking.

[0322] The communication method provided in the embodiments of this application has been described above. The communication device in the embodiments of this application is described below. Please refer to FIG10, which shows an embodiment of the communication device 1000 in this application. This communication device 1000 can realize the functions of the terminal device or network device in the above method embodiments, and therefore can also achieve the beneficial effects of the above method embodiments. In the embodiments of this application, the communication device 1000 can be a communication device, or it can be an integrated circuit or component inside the communication device, such as a chip. The communication device 1000 includes: a transceiver unit 1001. Alternatively, the communication device 1000 includes: a transceiver unit 1001 and a processing unit 1002, wherein the transceiver unit 1001 is used to perform operations related to the transmission and reception of the terminal device or network device in the above method embodiments, and the processing unit 1002 is used to perform other operations of the terminal device or network device in the above method embodiments besides the transmission and reception operations.

[0323] It should be noted that the transceiver unit 1001 may further include a low-power transceiver unit and a main transceiver unit. The low-power transceiver unit can refer to the LR in the aforementioned method embodiments, and the main transceiver unit can refer to the MR in the aforementioned embodiments. Specific details will not be elaborated here. For example, when the communication device 1000 is a terminal device, the transceiver unit 1001 may perform the transceiver-related operations, or the LR or MR may perform the transceiver-related operations, etc. Specific details are not limited here.

[0324] In one possible implementation, the communication device 1000 is the terminal device shown in the embodiments of Figures 1A to 2C above, in which case the functions of each unit are as follows:

[0325] The transceiver unit 1001 is used to receive first information, which is used to indicate the first feedback parameter of the first module.

[0326] The transceiver unit 1001 is also used to receive second information, which is used to indicate the second feedback parameter of the second module; the first feedback parameter is different from the second feedback parameter; the first feedback parameter or the second feedback parameter is used to determine the feedback information of the reference signal.

[0327] Optionally, the processing unit is used to discard part or all of the second-priority bit string, and the feedback information includes the first-priority bit string.

[0328] Optionally, the transceiver unit 1001 is also configured to receive a first low-power signal, which is used to instruct the first module or the second module to transmit feedback information.

[0329] Optionally, the transceiver unit 1001 is further configured to receive a second low-power signal, the second low-power signal being used to indicate one or more of the following:

[0330] During the active period of the discontinuous reception DRX of the second module, the second module is used to receive the reference signal; during the inactive period of the DRX of the second module, the first module is used to receive the reference signal.

[0331] During the inactive period of the second module's DRX, the first module is used to receive the reference signal; during the active period of the second module's DRX, the second module is used to transmit feedback information of the reference signal.

[0332] In this embodiment, the operations performed by each unit in the communication device are similar to those described in the terminal devices shown in the embodiments of Figures 1A to 2C above, and will not be repeated here.

[0333] In this embodiment, the first feedback parameters of the first module are determined by the first information received by the transceiver unit 1001, and the second feedback parameters of the second module are determined by the second information received by the transceiver unit 1001. Furthermore, the energy consumption of the second module is greater than that of the first module, and the first and second feedback parameters are different. These first and second feedback parameters are used to determine the feedback information of the reference signal. That is, by independently configuring the reference signal feedback parameters for transceivers with different energy consumption, the terminal device can dynamically select the method of feedback reference signal, thereby improving the user experience.

[0334] In another possible implementation, the communication device 1000 is a network device in the embodiments shown in Figures 1A to 2C above, in which case the functions of each unit are as follows:

[0335] The transceiver unit 1001 is used to send first information, which is used to indicate the first feedback parameter of the first module.

[0336] The transceiver unit 1001 is also used to send second information, which is used to indicate the second feedback parameter of the second module. The energy consumption of the second module is greater than that of the first module. The first feedback parameter is different from the second feedback parameter. The first feedback parameter and the second feedback parameter are used to determine the feedback information of the reference signal.

[0337] The transceiver unit 1001 is also used to send a first low-power signal, which is used to instruct the first module or the second module to transmit feedback information.

[0338] Optionally, the transceiver unit 1001 is further configured to transmit a second low-power signal, the second low-power signal being used to indicate one or more of the following:

[0339] During the active period of the discontinuous reception DRX of the second module, the second module is used to receive the reference signal; during the inactive period of the DRX of the second module, the first module is used to receive the reference signal.

[0340] During the inactive period of the second module's DRX, the first module is used to receive the reference signal; during the active period of the second module's DRX, the second module is used to transmit feedback information of the reference signal.

[0341] In this embodiment, the operations performed by each unit in the communication device are similar to those described in the network devices shown in the embodiments of Figures 1A to 2C above, and will not be repeated here.

[0342] In this embodiment, the first feedback parameters of the first module are configured by the first information sent by the transceiver unit 1001, and the second feedback parameters of the second module are configured by the second information sent by the transceiver unit 1001. The second module consumes more power than the first module, and the first and second feedback parameters are different. These first and second feedback parameters are used to determine the feedback information of the reference signal. That is, by independently configuring the reference signal feedback parameters for transceivers with different power consumptions, the terminal device can dynamically select the method of feedback reference signal, thereby improving the user experience.

[0343] Please refer to Figure 11, which is another schematic structural diagram of the communication device 1100 provided in this application. The communication device 1100 includes a logic circuit 1101 and an input / output interface 1102. The communication device 1100 can be a chip or an integrated circuit.

[0344] The transceiver unit 1001 shown in Figure 10 can be a communication interface, which can be the input / output interface 1102 in Figure 11. The input / output interface 1102 can include an input interface and an output interface. Alternatively, the communication interface can also be a transceiver circuit, which can include an input interface circuit and an output interface circuit. The processing unit 1002 shown in Figure 10 can be the logic circuit 1101 in Figure 11.

[0345] The logic circuit 1101 and the input / output interface 1102 can also perform other steps performed by the network device or terminal device in any embodiment and achieve corresponding beneficial effects, which will not be elaborated here.

[0346] In this embodiment, when the communication device 1100 is a terminal device, the input / output interface 1102 includes LR and MR. The descriptions of LR and MR can be found in the embodiment shown in Figure 5 above, and will not be repeated here. Of course, when the communication device 1100 is a network device, the transceiver unit 1001 may also include LR and MR.

[0347] For example, when the communication device 1100 is a terminal device, the input / output interface 1102 can be used for one or more of the following: receiving first information, receiving second information, receiving a first low-power signal, receiving a second low-power signal, transmitting a reference signal, receiving a reference signal, transmitting a measurement report of the reference signal, or receiving configuration information (e.g., configuration information of the first low-power signal, configuration information of the second low-power signal, configuration information of an event, configuration information of the reference signal, or configuration information of a zero-measurement report of the reference signal, etc.). The logic circuit 1101 can be used for one or more of the following: determining whether to use LR or MR to transmit the reference signal and / or the measurement report of the reference signal, measuring the reference signal, etc.

[0348] For example, when the communication device 1100 is a network device, the input / output interface 1102 can be used for one or more of the following: sending first information, sending second information, sending a first low-power signal, sending a second low-power signal, sending a reference signal, receiving a reference signal, receiving a measurement report of the reference signal, or sending configuration information (such as one or more of the following: configuration information of the first low-power signal, configuration information of the second low-power signal, configuration information of an event, configuration information of the reference signal, or configuration information of a zero-measurement report of the reference signal).

[0349] Optionally, the logic circuit 1101 can be a processing device, the functions of which can be partially or entirely implemented in software.

[0350] Optionally, the processing apparatus may include a memory and a processor, wherein the memory is used to store a computer program, and the processor reads and executes the computer program stored in the memory to perform the corresponding processing and / or steps in any of the method embodiments.

[0351] Optionally, the processing device may consist of only a processor. A memory for storing computer programs is located outside the processing device, and the processor is connected to the memory via circuitry / wires to read and execute the computer programs stored in the memory. The memory and processor may be integrated together or physically independent of each other.

[0352] Optionally, the processing device may be one or more chips, or one or more integrated circuits. For example, the processing device may be one or more field-programmable gate arrays (FPGAs), application-specific integrated circuits (ASICs), system-on-chips (SoCs), central processing units (CPUs), network processors (NPs), digital signal processors (DSPs), microcontroller units (MCUs), programmable logic devices (PLDs), or other integrated chips, or any group of the above chips or processors.

[0353] Please refer to Figure 12, which shows the communication device 1200 involved in the above embodiments provided in the embodiments of this application. Specifically, the communication device 1200 can be a communication device that serves as a network device or a terminal device in the above embodiments, or it can be a chip or functional module in a network device or a terminal device.

[0354] The present invention provides a possible logical structure diagram of the communication device 1200, which may include, but is not limited to, at least one processor 1201 and a communication port 1202.

[0355] The transceiver unit shown in Figure 13 can be a communication interface, which can be the communication port 1202 in Figure 12. The communication port 1202 can include an input interface and an output interface. Alternatively, the communication port 1202 can also be a transceiver circuit, which can include an input interface circuit and an output interface circuit, or it can be the input / output interface of a chip.

[0356] In this embodiment, when the communication device 1200 is a terminal device, the communication port 1202 includes LR and MR. The descriptions of LR and MR can be found in the embodiment shown in Figure 5 above, and will not be repeated here. Of course, when the communication device 1200 is a network device, the communication port 1202 may also include LR and MR.

[0357] Optionally, the device may further include at least one of a memory 1203 and a bus. In embodiments of this application, the at least one processor 1201 is used to control the operation of the communication device 1200. The memory 1203 is used to store device program code and / or data.

[0358] For example, when the communication device 1200 is a terminal device, the communication port 1202 can be used for one or more of the following: receiving first information, receiving second information, receiving a first low-power signal, receiving a second low-power signal, transmitting a reference signal, receiving a reference signal, transmitting a measurement report of the reference signal, or receiving configuration information (e.g., configuration information of the first low-power signal, configuration information of the second low-power signal, configuration information of an event, configuration information of the reference signal, or configuration information of a zero-measurement report of the reference signal, etc.). At least one processor 1201 can be used for one or more of the following: determining whether to use LR or MR to transmit the reference signal and / or the measurement report of the reference signal, measuring the reference signal, etc.

[0359] For example, when the communication device 1200 is a network device, the communication port 1202 can be used for one or more of the following: sending first information, sending second information, sending a first low-power signal, sending a second low-power signal, sending a reference signal, receiving a reference signal, receiving a measurement report of the reference signal, or sending configuration information (such as one or more of the following: configuration information of the first low-power signal, configuration information of the second low-power signal, configuration information of an event, configuration information of the reference signal, or configuration information of a zero-measurement report of the reference signal).

[0360] Furthermore, the processor 1201 can be a central processing unit, a general-purpose processor, a digital signal processor, an application-specific integrated circuit, a field-programmable gate array, or other programmable logic devices, transistor logic devices, hardware components, or any combination thereof. It can implement or execute various exemplary logic blocks, modules, and circuits described in conjunction with the disclosure of this application. The processor can also be a combination that implements computing functions, such as a combination of one or more microprocessors, a combination of a digital signal processor and a microprocessor, etc. Those skilled in the art will clearly understand that, for the sake of convenience and brevity, the specific working processes of the systems, devices, and units described above can be referred to the corresponding processes in the foregoing method embodiments, and will not be repeated here.

[0361] It is understood that this application does not limit the number of the various components shown in Figure 12. For example, the number of processors 1201, the number of communication ports 1202, and the number of memory 1203 can each be one or more, and no specific limitation is made here.

[0362] It should be noted that the communication device 1200 shown in Figure 12 can be used to implement the steps implemented by the network device or terminal device in the aforementioned method embodiments and achieve the corresponding technical effects. The specific implementation of the communication device shown in Figure 12 can be referred to the description in the aforementioned method embodiments, and will not be repeated here.

[0363] Please refer to Figure 13, which is a schematic diagram of the structure of the communication device 1300 involved in the above embodiments provided in the embodiments of this application. Specifically, the communication device 1300 can be a communication device as a network device in the above embodiments, and the structure of the communication device can be referred to the structure shown in Figure 13.

[0364] The communication device 1300 includes at least one processor 1311 and at least one network interface 1314. Optionally, the communication device further includes at least one memory 1312, at least one transceiver 1313, and one or more antennas 1315. The processor 1311, memory 1312, transceiver 1313, and network interface 1314 are connected, for example, via a bus. In this embodiment, the connection may include various interfaces, transmission lines, or buses, etc., and this embodiment is not limited thereto. The antenna 1315 is connected to the transceiver 1313. The network interface 1314 enables the communication device to communicate with other communication devices through a communication link. For example, the network interface 1314 may include a network interface between the communication device and core network equipment, such as an S1 interface; the network interface may also include a network interface between the communication device and other communication devices (e.g., other network devices or core network equipment), such as an X2 or Xn interface.

[0365] The transceiver unit shown in Figure 13 can be a communication interface, which can be the network interface 1314 in Figure 13. The network interface 1314 can include an input interface and an output interface. Alternatively, the network interface 1314 can also be a transceiver circuit, which can include an input interface circuit and an output interface circuit.

[0366] Processor 1311 is primarily used for processing communication protocols and communication data, controlling the entire communication device, executing software programs, and processing data from the software programs, for example, to support the actions described in the embodiments of the communication device. The communication device may include a baseband processor and a central processing unit (CPU). The baseband processor is primarily used for processing communication protocols and communication data, while the CPU is primarily used for controlling the entire communication device, executing software programs, and processing data from the software programs. Processor 1311 in Figure 13 can integrate the functions of both a baseband processor and a CPU. Those skilled in the art will understand that the baseband processor and CPU can also be independent processors interconnected via technologies such as buses. Those skilled in the art will understand that the communication device may include multiple baseband processors to adapt to different network standards, and multiple CPUs to enhance its processing capabilities. The various components of the communication device can be connected via various buses. The baseband processor can also be described as a baseband processing circuit or a baseband processing chip. The CPU can also be described as a central processing circuit or a central processing chip. The function of processing communication protocols and communication data can be built into the processor or stored in memory as a software program, which is then executed by the processor to implement the baseband processing function.

[0367] The memory is primarily used to store software programs and data. The memory 1312 can exist independently or be connected to the processor 1311. Optionally, the memory 1312 can be integrated with the processor 1311, for example, integrated into a single chip. The memory 1312 can store program code that executes the technical solutions of the embodiments of this application, and its execution is controlled by the processor 1311. The various types of computer program code being executed can also be considered as drivers for the processor 1311.

[0368] Figure 13 shows only one memory and one processor. In actual communication devices, there can be multiple processors and multiple memories. Memory can also be called storage medium or storage device, etc. Memory can be a storage element on the same chip as the processor, i.e., an on-chip storage element, or it can be a separate storage element; the embodiments of this application do not limit this.

[0369] Transceiver 1313 can be used to support the reception or transmission of radio frequency (RF) signals between a communication device and a terminal. Transceiver 1313 can be connected to antenna 1315. Transceiver 1313 includes a transmitter Tx and a receiver Rx. Specifically, one or more antennas 1315 can receive RF signals. The receiver Rx of transceiver 1313 receives the RF signals from the antennas, converts the RF signals into digital baseband signals or digital intermediate frequency (IF) signals, and provides the digital baseband signals or IF signals to processor 1311 so that processor 1311 can perform further processing on the digital baseband signals or IF signals, such as demodulation and decoding. Furthermore, the transmitter Tx in transceiver 1313 is also used to receive modulated digital baseband signals or IF signals from processor 1311, convert the modulated digital baseband signals or IF signals into RF signals, and transmit the RF signals through one or more antennas 1315. Specifically, the receiver Rx can selectively perform one or more stages of downmixing and analog-to-digital conversion on the radio frequency signal to obtain a digital baseband signal or a digital intermediate frequency (IF) signal. The order of these downmixing and IF conversion processes is adjustable. The transmitter Tx can selectively perform one or more stages of upmixing and digital-to-analog conversion on the modulated digital baseband signal or digital IF signal to obtain a radio frequency signal. The order of these upmixing and IF conversion processes is also adjustable. The digital baseband signal and the digital IF signal can be collectively referred to as digital signals.

[0370] The transceiver 1313 can also be called a transceiver unit, transceiver, transceiver device, etc. Optionally, the device in the transceiver unit that performs the receiving function can be regarded as the receiving unit, and the device in the transceiver unit that performs the transmitting function can be regarded as the transmitting unit. That is, the transceiver unit includes a receiving unit and a transmitting unit. The receiving unit can also be called a receiver, input port, receiving circuit, etc., and the transmitting unit can be called a transmitter, transmitter, or transmitting circuit, etc.

[0371] It should be noted that the communication device 1300 shown in Figure 13 can be used to implement the steps implemented by the network device in the aforementioned method embodiments and to achieve the corresponding technical effects of the network device. The specific implementation of the communication device 1300 shown in Figure 13 can be referred to the description in the aforementioned method embodiments, and will not be repeated here.

[0372] When the aforementioned communication device is a chip applied to a terminal, the terminal chip implements the functions of the terminal in the above method embodiments. The terminal chip receives information from other modules (such as an RF module or antenna) in the terminal, information sent to the terminal by the base station; or, the terminal chip sends information to other modules (such as an RF module or antenna) in the terminal, information sent to the base station by the terminal. For example, in the case of a terminal, sending information can be understood as the process of the terminal's chip outputting information.

[0373] When the aforementioned communication device is a module applied to a base station, the base station module implements the functions of the base station in the above method embodiments. The base station module receives information from other modules (such as radio frequency modules or antennas) in the base station, information sent by the terminal to the base station; or, the base station module sends information to other modules (such as radio frequency modules or antennas) in the base station, information sent by the base station to the terminal. Here, the base station module can be the baseband chip of the base station, or a DU (Digital Unit) or other modules. The DU can be a DU under an Open Radio Access Network (O-RAN) architecture. For example, in the case of a base station, the base station sending information can be understood as the process of the base station's chip outputting information.

[0374] The method steps in the embodiments of this application can be implemented in hardware or in software instructions executable by a processor. The software instructions can consist of corresponding software modules, which can be stored in random access memory, flash memory, read-only memory, programmable read-only memory, erasable programmable read-only memory, electrically erasable programmable read-only memory, registers, hard disks, portable hard disks, CD-ROMs, or any other form of storage medium known in the art. An exemplary storage medium is coupled to a processor, enabling the processor to read information from and write information to the storage medium. The storage medium can also be a component of the processor. The processor and storage medium can reside in an ASIC. Alternatively, the ASIC can reside in a base station or terminal. The processor and storage medium can also exist as discrete components in a base station or terminal.

[0375] In the above embodiments, implementation can be achieved entirely or partially through software, hardware, firmware, or any combination thereof. When implemented using software, it can be implemented entirely or partially in the form of a computer program product. The computer program product includes one or more computer programs or instructions. When the computer program or instructions are loaded and executed on a computer, the processes or functions described in the embodiments of this application are performed entirely or partially. The computer can be a general-purpose computer, a special-purpose computer, a computer network, a network device, a user equipment, or other programmable device. The computer program or instructions can be stored in a computer-readable storage medium or transferred from one computer-readable storage medium to another. For example, the computer program or instructions can be transferred from one website, computer, server, or data center to another website, computer, server, or data center via wired or wireless means. The computer-readable storage medium can be any available medium that a computer can access or a data storage device such as a server or data center that integrates one or more available media. The available medium can be a magnetic medium, such as a floppy disk, hard disk, or magnetic tape; it can also be an optical medium, such as a digital video optical disc; or it can be a semiconductor medium, such as a solid-state drive. The computer-readable storage medium may be a volatile or non-volatile storage medium, or may include both types of storage media.

[0376] In the various embodiments of this application, unless otherwise specified or in case of logical conflict, the terminology and / or descriptions of different embodiments are consistent and can be referenced by each other. The technical features of different embodiments can be combined to form new embodiments according to their inherent logical relationship.

Claims

1. A communication method characterized by comprising: The method is applied to a terminal device, the terminal device including a first module and a second module, wherein the energy consumption of the second module is greater than the energy consumption of the first module, and the method includes: Receive first information, which is used to indicate the first feedback parameter of the first module; Receive second information, which is used to indicate the second feedback parameter of the second module; the first feedback parameter is different from the second feedback parameter; the first feedback parameter or the second feedback parameter is used to determine the feedback information of the reference signal.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein, The first feedback parameter and the second feedback parameter include one or more of the following: the number or index of the Channel Quality Indicator (CQI) table, the information category carried by the feedback information, the reporting accuracy of the feedback information, and the number of times the feedback information is sent or transmitted.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein, The first feedback parameter includes a first CQI table associated with the first module, and the second feedback parameter includes a second CQI table associated with the second module. The number of bits occupied by the CQI index in the first CQI table is less than the number of bits occupied by the CQI index in the second CQI table.

4. The method according to claim 3, characterized in that, The first CQI table includes one or more of the following: a 1-bit CQI table, a 2-bit CQI table, or a 3-bit CQI table; the second CQI table is a 4-bit CQI table.

5. The method according to claim 3 or 4, characterized in that, The first parameter in the first CQI table is a subset of the second parameter in the second CQI table, and the first parameter and the second parameter include one or more of the following: modulation, code rate, or spectral efficiency.

6. The method according to any one of claims 2 to 5, characterized in that, The first feedback parameter includes a first bit string carried by the feedback information associated with the first module, and the second feedback parameter includes a second bit string carried by the feedback information associated with the second module; the first bit string is a subset of the second bit string.

7. The method of claim 6, wherein, The feedback information is Channel State Information (CSI), the first bit string includes part of the information in CSIpart1, and the second bit string includes all the information in CSIpart1. Alternatively, the first bit string may include part of the information in CSI part2, and the second bit string may include all the information in CSI part2; Alternatively, the first bit string may include all the information in CSI part 1, and the second bit string may include all the information in CSI part 1 and some or all of the information in CSI part 2; Alternatively, the first bit string may include all the information in CSI part 2, and the second bit string may include all the information in CSI part 2 and all the information in CSI part 1.

8. The method according to claim 6 or 7, characterized in that, The first bit string includes bits of a first priority and bits of a second priority, wherein the first priority is higher than the second priority; The method further includes: Discard some or all of the bits of the second priority, wherein the feedback information includes the bits of the first priority.

9. The method according to any one of claims 2 to 8, characterized in that, The first feedback parameter includes a first precision of the feedback information associated with the first module, and the second feedback parameter includes a second precision of the feedback information associated with the second module; the first precision is lower than the second precision.

10. The method of claim 9, wherein, The first accuracy corresponds to the feedback information associated with the first module, which only includes broadband-related parameters.

11. The method of claim 9, wherein, The first precision is related to the first table, and the second precision is related to the second table; the first table and the second table are different. The first table and the second table include one or more of the following parameters: The first table and the second table have the same bandwidth, and the first sub-band in the first table is larger than the second sub-band in the second table; The first table has the same bandwidth as the second table, but the number of modes supported by the first subband in the first table is less than the number of modes supported by the second subband in the second table. The first broadband range in the first table is larger than the second broadband range in the second table, and the first sub-band in the first table is larger than the second sub-band in the second table.

12. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 11, characterized in that, The method further includes: A first low-power signal is received, which is used to instruct the first module or the second module to transmit the feedback information.

13. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 11, characterized in that, The transmission of the feedback information or the transmission of the first module is related to the first event, and / or the non-transmission of the feedback information or the transmission of the second module is related to the second event.

14. The method of claim 13, wherein, The first event includes one or more of the following: The terminal device moves at a speed greater than or equal to a first threshold, and the terminal device includes the first module and the second module; The time interval between the last measurement and the last measurement of the terminal device is greater than or equal to the second threshold. The difference between the actual channel information and the configured channel information of the terminal device is greater than or equal to the third threshold.

15. The method according to claim 13 or 14, characterized in that, The second event includes one or more of the following: The terminal device's moving speed is less than or equal to the fourth threshold; The time interval between the last measurement and the terminal device is less than or equal to the fifth threshold. The difference between the actual channel information and the configured channel information of the terminal device is less than or equal to the sixth threshold.

16. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 15, characterized in that, The method further includes: Receive a second low-power signal, the second low-power signal being used to indicate one or more of the following: During the active period of the discontinuous reception DRX of the second module, the second module is used to receive the reference signal; during the inactive period of the DRX of the second module, the first module is used to receive the reference signal. During the inactive period of the DRX of the second module, the first module is used to receive the reference signal. During the active period of the DRX of the second module, the second module is used to transmit feedback information of the reference signal.

17. The method of any one of claims 1 to 16, wherein, The number of times the first module retransmits or transmits the feedback information is greater than the number of times the second module retransmits or transmits the feedback information.

18. A communication method, characterized in that, The method includes: Send a first message, which is used to indicate the first feedback parameter of the first module; Send a second message, which is used to indicate a second feedback parameter of the second module, the energy consumption of the second module is greater than that of the first module; the first feedback parameter is different from the second feedback parameter; the first feedback parameter and the second feedback parameter are used to determine the feedback information of the reference signal.

19. A communication device, characterized in that, Includes a module for performing the method as described in any one of claims 1 to 18.

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

21. A chip or chip system, characterized in that, The chip or chip system is used to perform the method as described in any one of claims 1 to 18.

22. A communication system, characterized by It includes a communication device for performing the method of any one of claims 1 to 17, and a communication device for performing the method of claim 18.

23. A readable storage medium characterized by, The storage medium stores a computer program or instructions, which, when executed by a communication device, implement the method as described in any one of claims 1 to 18.

24. A computer program product, characterised in that, Includes a computer program or instructions that, when run on a computer, cause the computer to perform the method as described in any one of claims 1 to 18.

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