Communication method and communication apparatus

Abstract

The present application provides a communication method and a communication apparatus. The method comprises: on the basis of a first physical channel, sending a first-type multipath component (MPC); and on the basis of a second physical channel, sending a second-type MPC, the first-type MPC and the second-type MPC being used for jointly determining channel information. In this way, determination of channel information on the basis of an MPC can be achieved, thereby reducing feedback overhead of the channel information. In addition, a terminal device is designed to separately send some MPCs on the basis of two physical channels. Compared with sending a complete MPC by means of the same physical channel, reporting of a larger number of MPCs can be implemented, and signaling overhead on one channel can be reduced.

Description

Communication method and communication apparatus

[0001] This application claims priority to the Chinese Patent Application No. 202411981577.5, filed on December 26, 2024, and entitled "Communication method and communication apparatus", the content of which is incorporated herein by reference in its entirety. TECHNICAL FIELD

[0002] The present application relates to the field of communications, and more particularly, to a communication method and a communication apparatus. BACKGROUND

[0003] In a communication system, in order to transmit and receive data, obtain system synchronization and feedback channel information, etc., a reference signal will be transmitted between the sending end and the receiving end. For example, the sending end sends a reference signal to the receiving end, and the receiving end receives the reference signal, and then can estimate channel information based on the reference information, and feed back the channel information, such as channel state information (CSI).

[0004] In the prior art, the CSI feedback codebook mainly includes the following types: type I codebook, type II codebook, and enhanced type II (etype II) codebook. The type I codebook uses a feedback mode of feedback codebook index, and the etype II codebook and the type II codebook use a feedback mode of feedback codebook index and quantization coefficient. With the increase of the number of antennas and the bandwidth, the overhead of the above feedback modes will increase exponentially. SUMMARY

[0005] The present application provides a communication method and a communication apparatus, which can reduce the feedback overhead of channel information.

[0006] In a first aspect, a communication method is provided, which can be executed by a communication apparatus. The communication apparatus can be a terminal device, or can be a component (such as a chip or circuit, which can be a modem chip, also known as a baseband chip, or a system on chip (SoC) or system in package (SIP) chip containing a modem core, etc.) for a terminal device, or can also be a logic module or software capable of realizing part or all functions of a terminal device, etc., which is not limited in the present application.

[0007] The method can comprise: transmitting a first type of multipath component (MPC) based on a first physical channel; and transmitting a second type of MPC based on a second physical channel, the first type of MPC and the second type of MPC being used to jointly determine channel information.

[0008] Based on the above technical solutions, taking a terminal device as an example, the terminal device can transmit a first type of multipath component (MPC) based on a first physical channel, and transmit a second type of MPC through a second physical channel; in other words, the MPC (i.e., the first type of MPC and the second type of MPC) reported by the terminal device to the network device can be transmitted to the network device through different physical channels, which facilitates the network device to determine complete MPC based on the received first type of MPC and second type of MPC, and further determine channel information (or data transmission parameters). In this way, not only can the channel information be determined based on the MPC, but also the feedback overhead of the channel information can be reduced. Moreover, by designing the terminal device to transmit part of the MPC based on two physical channels, compared with transmitting complete MPC through the same physical channel, more number of MPCs can be reported, and the signaling overhead on one physical channel can be reduced.

[0009] In combination with the first aspect, in some implementations of the first aspect, the first type of MPC comprises MPC of a first path, and the second type of MPC comprises MPC of a second path, the first path and the second path satisfying at least one of the following: a strength of the first path is greater than a strength of the second path; the strength of the first path is greater than a first threshold; the strength of the second path is less than a second threshold; a time delay of the first path is less than a time delay of the second path; the time delay of the first path is less than a third threshold; and the time delay of the second path is greater than a fourth threshold.

[0010] In combination with the first aspect, in some implementations of the first aspect, the method further comprises: receiving first indication information, the first indication information indicating the first path and / or the second path.

[0011] Based on the above technical solutions, the network device can indicate the first path and / or the second path to the terminal device through the indication information, so that the terminal device can directly determine the first path and / or the second path based on the indication of the network device, and further transmit the MPC of the corresponding path on the corresponding physical channel.

[0012] In combination with the first aspect, in some implementations of the first aspect, the first indication information indicates at least one of the following: a number of paths included in the first path, a number of paths included in the second path, a condition satisfied by the first path, and a condition satisfied by the second path.

[0013] In some implementations of the first aspect, the first type of MPC is transmitted based on the first physical channel, and the second type of MPC is transmitted based on the second physical channel.

[0014] According to the above technical solution, the terminal device can transmit MPC information of different paths based on different physical channels, so that the MPC information of some paths (e.g., strong paths) can be transmitted through some physical channels (e.g., PUCCH), thereby improving the accuracy of the MPC information of the paths as much as possible, and improving the accuracy of the channel information obtained based on the MPC information.

[0015] In some implementations of the first aspect, the method further includes transmitting, based on the first physical channel, indication information of the number of the first paths, and / or transmitting, based on the second physical channel, indication information of the number of the second paths.

[0016] In some implementations of the first aspect, the priority of the MPC type of the first type of MPC is higher than the MPC type of the second type of MPC.

[0017] According to the above technical solution, the first type of MPC and the second type of MPC can be divided according to the MPC type, and the accuracy of the feedback MPC can be improved by transmitting the MPC of high priority on some physical channels (e.g., PUCCH).

[0018] In some implementations of the first aspect, the method further includes receiving second indication information, the second indication information indicating the MPC type of the first type of MPC and / or the MPC type of the second type of MPC.

[0019] According to the above technical solution, the network device can indicate the MPC type contained in the first type of MPC and / or the MPC type contained in the second type of MPC to the terminal device through the indication information, so that the terminal device can directly determine which types of MPC to be fed back on the first physical channel and which types of MPC to be fed back on the second physical channel based on the indication of the network device, and then transmit the MPC information of the corresponding types on the corresponding physical channels.

[0020] In some implementations of the first aspect, the second indication information indicates at least one of: a MPC type of the first type of MPCs, a number of MPC types of the first type of MPCs, a MPC type of the second type of MPCs, a number of MPC types of the second type of MPCs, one of S indexes, wherein different indexes of the S indexes correspond to different MPC type combinations, the MPC type combination represents a combination of the MPC type of the first type of MPCs and the MPC type of the second type of MPCs, and S is an integer greater than 1.

[0021] In some implementations of the first aspect, the method further includes: receiving third indication information, the third indication information indicating at least one of: a physical channel corresponding to the first type of MPCs is the first physical channel, a physical channel corresponding to the second type of MPCs is the second physical channel.

[0022] In a second aspect, a communication method is provided, which can be performed by a communication apparatus. The communication apparatus can be a network device, or can be a component (such as a chip, a chip system, or a circuit) for the network device, or can also be a logic module or software capable of realizing part or all functions of the network device, etc. The communication apparatus can also be a terminal device, or can be a component (such as a chip or a circuit, which can be a modem chip, also known as a baseband chip, or a SoC or SIP chip containing a modem core, etc.) for the terminal device, or can also be a logic module or software capable of realizing part or all functions of the terminal device, etc.

[0023] The method can include: receiving a first type of multipath components (MPCs) based on a first physical channel; and receiving a second type of MPCs based on a second physical channel, the first type of MPCs and the second type of MPCs being used to jointly determine channel information.

[0024] In some implementations of the second aspect, the first type of MPCs includes MPCs of a first path, and the second type of MPCs includes MPCs of a second path, the first path and the second path satisfying at least one of: an intensity of the first path being greater than an intensity of the second path; the intensity of the first path being greater than a first threshold; the intensity of the second path being less than a second threshold; a time delay of the first path being less than a time delay of the second path; the time delay of the first path being less than a third threshold; and the time delay of the second path being greater than a fourth threshold.

[0025] In some implementations of the second aspect, the method further includes: sending first indication information, the first indication information indicating the first path and / or the second path.

[0026] With reference to the second aspect, in some implementations of the second aspect, the first indication information indicates at least one of: a number of beams contained in the first beams, a number of beams contained in the second beams, a condition satisfied by the first beams, a condition satisfied by the second beams.

[0027] With reference to the second aspect, in some implementations of the second aspect, the receiving the first type of MPC based on the first physical channel comprises receiving MPC of at least one of the first beams based on the first physical channel; and / or, the receiving the second type of MPC based on the second physical channel comprises receiving MPC of at least one of the second beams based on the second physical channel.

[0028] With reference to the second aspect, in some implementations of the second aspect, the method further comprises: receiving indication information of the number of the first beams based on the first physical channel; and / or, receiving indication information of the number of the second beams based on the second physical channel.

[0029] With reference to the second aspect, in some implementations of the second aspect, a priority of the MPC type of the first type of MPC is higher than a priority of the MPC type of the second type of MPC.

[0030] With reference to the second aspect, in some implementations of the second aspect, the method further comprises: transmitting second indication information, the second indication information indicating the MPC type of the first type of MPC and / or the MPC type of the second type of MPC.

[0031] With reference to the second aspect, in some implementations of the second aspect, the second indication information indicates at least one of: the MPC type of the first type of MPC, a number of the MPC type of the first type of MPC, the MPC type of the second type of MPC, a number of the MPC type of the second type of MPC, one of S indexes; wherein different indexes of the S indexes correspond to different MPC type combinations, the MPC type combination representing a combination of the MPC type of the first type of MPC and the MPC type of the second type of MPC, S being an integer greater than 1.

[0032] With reference to the second aspect, in some implementations of the second aspect, the method further comprises: transmitting third indication information, the third indication information indicating at least one of: the physical channel corresponding to the first type of MPC being the first physical channel, the physical channel corresponding to the second type of MPC being the second physical channel.

[0033] In some implementations, in combination with the first aspect or the second aspect, the first physical channel is any one of the following: a physical uplink control channel (PUCCH), a physical uplink shared channel (PUSCH), and a physical random access channel (PRACH); and / or, the second physical channel is any one of the following: a PUCCH, a PUSCH, and a PRACH.

[0034] Based on the above technical solutions, two types of MPC information can be transmitted based on various physical channels. For example, considering that the error rate of a PUCCH is lower than that of a PUSCH, some important MPCs (such as the first type of MPC) can be transmitted based on the PUCCH, so as to improve the accuracy of the first type of MPC, and further improve the accuracy of the channel information obtained based on the first type of MPC and the second type of MPC.

[0035] In some implementations, in combination with the first aspect or the second aspect, the first physical channel and the second physical channel are physical channels of the same type, and the first physical channel and the second physical channel correspond to different time domain resources.

[0036] Based on the above technical solutions, assuming that the time domain resource corresponding to the first physical channel is located before the time domain resource occupied by the second physical channel, the terminal device transmits some important MPCs (such as the first type of MPC) based on the first physical channel, so that the network device can first receive the first type of MPC, and further, the network device can obtain more accurate channel information through the first type of MPC when the second type of MPC is not received.

[0037] In some implementations, in combination with the first aspect or the second aspect, the first type of MPC includes R1 types of MPCs, the second type of MPC includes R2 types of MPCs, the R1 types of MPCs include at least one type of MPC different from the R2 types of MPCs, R1 and R2 are integers greater than 1 or equal to 1; the first type of MPC includes P1 types of MPCs, the second type of MPC includes P2 types of MPCs, the P1 types of MPCs include at least one type of MPC different from the P2 types of MPCs, P1 and P2 are integers greater than 1 or equal to 1.

[0038] Based on the above technical solutions, the first type of MPC and the second type of MPC can be divided according to the type of the MPC, or can be divided according to the type of the MPC. In this way, not only the feedback of the channel information can be realized, but also the more important MPC information (such as the MPC of the strong path, or the MPC of high priority, etc.) can be transmitted on some physical channels (such as a PUCCH), so as to improve the accuracy of the feedback of the MPC.

[0039] The beneficial effects not described in detail with respect to the second aspect can be referred to the related description in the first aspect, which will not be described herein again.

[0040] In a third aspect, a communication apparatus is provided. The apparatus is configured to execute the method in any possible implementation of the first aspect or the second aspect. Specifically, the apparatus can include a unit and / or module configured to execute the method in any possible implementation of the first aspect or the second aspect, such as a processing unit and / or a communication unit.

[0041] In an implementation, the apparatus is a communication device, such as a terminal device, or a network device. When the apparatus is a communication device, the communication unit can be a transceiver, or an input / output interface; and the processing unit can be at least one processor. Optionally, the transceiver can be a transceiver circuit. Optionally, the input / output interface can be an input / output circuit.

[0042] In another implementation, the apparatus is a chip, chip system or circuit for a communication device, such as a terminal device, or a network device. When the apparatus is a chip, chip system or circuit for a communication device, the communication unit can be an input / output interface, an interface circuit, an output circuit, an input circuit, a pin or related circuitry, etc. on the chip, chip system or circuit; and the processing unit can be at least one processor, a processing circuit or a logic circuit, etc.

[0043] In a fourth aspect, a communication apparatus is provided. The apparatus includes at least one processor configured to execute computer programs or instructions stored in a memory to execute the method in any possible implementation of the first aspect or the second aspect. Optionally, the apparatus further includes the memory configured to store the computer programs or instructions; and the at least one processor is configured to execute the computer programs or instructions in the memory. Optionally, the apparatus further includes a communication interface coupled to the processor, configured to input information to the processor, or output information from the processor. Optionally, the processor reads the computer programs or instructions in the memory through the communication interface.

[0044] In an implementation, the apparatus is a communication device, such as a terminal device, or a network device.

[0045] In another implementation, the apparatus is a chip, chip system or circuit for a communication device, such as a terminal device, or a network device.

[0046] In a fifth aspect, a processor is provided. The processor is configured to execute the method in the first aspect or the second aspect.

[0047] For the sending and obtaining / receiving operations involved in the processor, if there is no special description, or if it does not contradict the actual role or the inherent logic in the related description, it can be understood as the processor output and receive, input, etc. operations, or can be understood as the sending and receiving operations performed by the radio frequency circuit and the antenna, and the present application does not limit this.

[0048] In a sixth aspect, a computer readable storage medium is provided, and the computer readable storage medium stores a computer program or instructions thereon, which, when executed on a communication device, cause the communication device to perform the method in any possible implementation of the first aspect or the second aspect.

[0049] In a seventh aspect, a computer program product is provided, and the computer program product includes a computer program or instructions for performing the method in any possible implementation of the first aspect or the second aspect. In other words, when the computer program product is executed on a computer, the computer performs the method in any possible implementation of the first aspect or the second aspect.

[0050] In an eighth aspect, a chip is provided, and the chip includes a processor and a communication interface. The processor reads instructions on a memory through the communication interface, and performs the method provided in any possible implementation of the first aspect or the second aspect.

[0051] Optionally, as an implementation, the chip further includes a memory, and the memory stores a computer program or instructions. The processor is configured to execute the computer program or instructions on the memory, and when the computer program or instructions are executed, the processor is configured to perform the method provided in any possible implementation of the first aspect or the second aspect.

[0052] In a ninth aspect, a communication system is provided, and the communication system includes a first communication device and a second communication device. The first communication device is configured to perform the method provided in the first aspect or any possible implementation of the first aspect, and the second communication device is configured to perform the method provided in the second aspect or any possible implementation of the second aspect. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS

[0053] FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram of a wireless communication system suitable for embodiments of the present application.

[0054] FIG. 2 is a schematic diagram of another wireless communication system suitable for embodiments of the present application.

[0055] FIG. 3 is a schematic diagram of another wireless communication system suitable for embodiments of the present application.

[0056] FIG. 4 is a schematic diagram of an access network device suitable for embodiments of the present application.

[0057] FIG. 5 is a schematic diagram of a communication method 500 provided by embodiments of the present application.

[0058] FIG. 6 is a schematic diagram of a communication method 600 provided by embodiments of the present application.

[0059] FIG. 7 is a schematic diagram of a communication apparatus 700 according to an embodiment of the present application.

[0060] FIG. 8 is a schematic diagram of another communication apparatus 800 according to an embodiment of the present application.

[0061] FIG. 9 is a schematic diagram of a chip system 900 according to an embodiment of the present application. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0062] The technical solutions in the present application will be described below with reference to the drawings.

[0063] Before introducing the solutions of the present application, the following points are explained.

[0064] (1) In the present application, "indication" can include direct indication, indirect indication, explicit indication, implicit indication, etc. When it is described that certain indication information is used to indicate A, it can be understood that the indication information carries A, carries an identifier of A, carries B having an association relationship with A, carries an identifier of B having an association relationship with A, etc. In other words, if the receiving side of certain indication information can determine A according to the indication information, it can be described that the indication information is used to indicate A, and the specific determination manner is not limited. When it is understood that the indication information carries A, "indication" or "used to indicate" can be replaced by "include", and at this time, similar to the expression "send / receive indication information, and the indication information is used to indicate A", it can be replaced by "send / receive A".

[0065] In the present application, the information indicated by the indication information is referred to as to-be-indicated information. In the specific implementation process, there are many ways to indicate the to-be-indicated information, for example but not limited to, the to-be-indicated information can be directly indicated, such as the to-be-indicated information itself or an index of the to-be-indicated information, etc. The to-be-indicated information can also be indirectly indicated by indicating other information, where the other information has an association relationship with the to-be-indicated information. The to-be-indicated information can also be only indicated in part, and the other part of the to-be-indicated information is known or agreed in advance. For example, the indication of a specific information can also be achieved by means of the arrangement order of each information agreed in advance (for example, specified by a protocol), thereby reducing the indication overhead to a certain extent. In addition, the to-be-indicated information can be sent as a whole, or can be sent separately into multiple sub-information, and the sending period and / or sending occasion of these sub-information can be the same or different.

[0066] (2) In this application, the expression " / " is used to indicate that the objects before and after are in an "or" relationship; for example, A / B can mean: A or B. The expression "and / or" is used to indicate that the objects before and after are in a relationship of either "and" or "or"; for example, A and / or B can mean the following: A exists alone, B exists alone, A and B exist simultaneously, where A and B can be single or multiple. "At least one of the following" or similar expressions are used to indicate any combination of the listed items; for example, at least one of A, B and / or C can mean the following: A exists alone, B exists alone, C exists alone, A and B exist simultaneously, B and C exist simultaneously, A and C exist simultaneously, A, B and C exist simultaneously, where A, B, and C can be single or multiple.

[0067] (3) In 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 direct transmission via the air interface or indirect transmission by other units or modules via the air interface. "Receive information from YY" can be understood as the source of the information being YY, which may include direct reception from YY via the air interface or indirect reception from YY by other units or modules via the air interface. "Send" can also be understood as the "output" of the chip interface, and "receive" can also be understood as the "input" of the chip interface. 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 a bus, wiring, or interface.

[0068] (4) In the various embodiments of this application, unless otherwise specified or in case of logical conflict, the terms 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.

[0069] (5) In this application, "first," "second," and "#1," "#2," and "#A" are merely for descriptive convenience and are used to distinguish objects, and are not intended to limit the scope of the embodiments of this application. They are not used to describe the order or sequence of features. It should be understood that such described objects can be interchanged where appropriate in order to describe solutions other than those in the embodiments of this application.

[0070] (6) In this application, "predefined" can mean a standard protocol predefined, or it can mean a pre-agreed or pre-negotiated agreement between devices. Here, "protocol" can refer to a standard protocol in the field of communications, for example, it may include fourth-generation (4G) protocols. thGeneration 4G network, fifth generation (5G) network th This application does not limit the scope to network protocols such as 5G (generation, 5G), New Radio (NR), 5.5G, and related protocols applied in future communication networks.

[0071] (7) In this application, the configuration can be signaling configuration, such as radio resource control (RRC) messages, control information (such as downlink control information (DCI)), or medium access control (MAC) signaling (such as MAC control element (MAC CE / MAC-CE)). As an example, signaling configuration can be configured by signaling to the device, such as a network device configuration scheme (or a network device configuration scheme for a terminal device), which can be understood as the network device instructing the terminal device to use signaling.

[0072] (8) In this application, the words “exemplary,” “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 word “example” is intended to present the concept 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.

[0073] (9) In this application, “reporting”, “feedback” and “sending” can sometimes be used interchangeably. It should be noted that when the distinction is not emphasized, they have the same meaning.

[0074] (10) In this application, there are multiple instances of “receiving a first type of MPC based on a first physical channel”, “sending a first type of MPC based on a first physical channel”, “receiving a second type of MPC based on a second physical channel”, and “sending a second type of MPC based on a second physical channel”.

[0075] In this context, "transmitting a first type of MPC based on a first physical channel" can be replaced with: "transmitting a first type of MPC on a first physical channel", "transmitting a first type of MPC, the first type of MPC being carried / mapped on a first physical channel", "transmitting a first type of MPC carried / mapped on a first physical channel", or "transmitting a first type of MPC carried on a first physical channel", and of course, this application is not limited to these; similarly, "transmitting a second type of MPC based on a second physical channel" can be replaced with similar alternative expressions.

[0076] The phrase “receive a first type of MPC based on a first physical channel” can be replaced with: “receive a first type of MPC on a first physical channel”, “receive a first type of MPC, wherein the first type of MPC is carried / mapped on a first physical channel”, “receive a first type of MPC carried / mapped on a first physical channel”, or “receive a first type of MPC carried on a first physical channel”. Of course, this application is not limited to these expressions. Similarly, “receive a second type of MPC based on a second physical channel” can be replaced with similar expressions.

[0077] First, let me introduce the communication system to which this application applies.

[0078] The technical solution provided in this application can be applied to various communication systems, such as 5th generation (5G) or new radio (NR) systems, frequency division duplex (FDD) systems, and time division duplex (TDD) systems. The technical solution provided in this application can also be applied to 6th generation (6G) systems. th 6G (6G generation, or 6G radio, 6GR) systems and future communication networks. The technical solutions provided in this application can also be applied to device-to-device (D2D) communication, vehicle-to-everything (V2X) communication, machine-to-machine (M2M) communication, machine-type communication (MTC), and Internet of Things (IoT) communication systems. The technical solutions provided in this application can also be applied to non-terrestrial network (NTN) systems such as inter-satellite communication and satellite communication.

[0079] As an example, a satellite communication system includes a satellite base station and terminal equipment. The satellite base station provides communication services to the terminal equipment. Satellite base stations can also communicate with each other. A satellite can act as a base station or as a terminal device. Here, "satellite" can refer to drones, hot air balloons, low-Earth orbit satellites, medium-Earth orbit satellites, high-Earth orbit satellites, etc. "Satellite" can also refer to non-terrestrial base stations or non-terrestrial equipment.

[0080] As an example, V2X communication can include: vehicle-to-vehicle (V2V) communication, vehicle-to-infrastructure (V2I) communication, vehicle-to-pedestrian (V2P) communication, and vehicle-to-network (V2N) communication.

[0081] In a communication system, a device can send signals to or receive signals from another device. These signals can include information, signaling, or data. The device can also be replaced by an entity, network entity, communication equipment, communication module, node, communication node, etc. This application uses a device as an example for description.

[0082] The terminal device in this application embodiment can be a device or module that accesses the aforementioned communication system and has corresponding communication functions. The terminal device can include various devices with wireless communication capabilities, which can be used to connect people, objects, machines, etc. The terminal device can be widely applied in various scenarios, such as: cellular communication, D2D, V2X, peer-to-peer, M2M, MTC, IoT, virtual reality (VR), augmented reality (AR), industrial control, autonomous driving, telemedicine, smart grids, smart furniture, smart offices, smart wearables, smart transportation, smart cities, drones, robots, remote sensing, passive sensing, positioning, navigation and tracking, autonomous delivery, etc. The terminal device can be a terminal in any of the above scenarios, such as an MTC terminal, an IoT terminal, etc. Terminal equipment can be user equipment (UE), terminal, fixed equipment, mobile station equipment or mobile equipment, subscriber unit, handheld device, vehicle-mounted equipment, wearable device, cellular phone, smartphone, session initiation protocol (SIP) phone, wireless data card, personal digital assistant (PDA), computer, tablet computer, laptop computer, wireless modem, handset, laptop computer, computer with wireless transceiver capability, smart book, vehicle, satellite, global positioning system (GPS) device, target tracking device, aircraft (e.g., drone, helicopter, multiple helicopters, four helicopters, or airplanes), ship, remote control device, smart home device, industrial equipment, transportation vehicle with wireless communication capability, communication module, or roadside unit with terminal function, all conforming to the 3rd generation partnership project (3GPP) standard. The device may be a wireless communication unit (RSU), or a device built into the aforementioned device (e.g., a communication module, modem, or chip in the aforementioned device), or other processing devices connected to the wireless modem.

[0083] It should be understood that in certain scenarios, a UE can also be used as a base station. For example, a UE can act as a scheduling entity, providing sidelink signaling between UEs in scenarios such as V2X, D2D, or end-to-end.

[0084] In this embodiment, the device for implementing the functions of a terminal device, i.e., the terminal device, can be the terminal device itself, or it can be any device capable of supporting the terminal device in implementing the functions, such as a chip system, chip, circuit, or communication module (i.e., a communication module that performs communication functions). This device can be installed in the terminal device. In this embodiment, the chip system can be composed of chips, or it can include chips and other discrete devices. Furthermore, the device can also be configured with program instructions for performing corresponding communication functions.

[0085] The network device in this application embodiment can be a device or module with corresponding communication functions. The network device can be a device used to communicate with terminal devices; it can also be called an access network device or a wireless access network device, such as a base station. In this application embodiment, the network device can refer to a radio access network (RAN) node (or device) that connects the terminal device to the wireless network. A base station can broadly encompass, or be replaced by, various names including: NodeB, evolved NodeB (eNB), next-generation NodeB (gNB), relay station, access point, transmitting and receiving point (TRP), transmitter, master station, auxiliary station, multiple standard radio (MSR) node, home base station, network controller, access node, wireless node, access point (AP), transmission node, transceiver node, baseband unit (BBU), remote radio unit (RRU), active antenna unit (AAU), remote radio head (RRH), central unit (CU), distributed unit (DU), positioning node, etc. A base station can be a macro base station, micro base station, relay node, donor node, or a combination thereof. A base station can also refer to a communication module, modem, or chip installed within the aforementioned equipment or apparatus. A base station can also be a mobile switching center, a device that performs base station functions in D2D, V2X, and M2M communications, or a device that performs base station functions in future communication systems. A base station can support networks using the same or different access technologies. The embodiments of this application do not limit the specific technologies or device forms used in the network equipment.

[0086] Base stations can be fixed or mobile. For example, a helicopter or drone can be configured to act as a mobile base station, and one or more cells can move depending on the location of the mobile base station. In other examples, a helicopter or drone can be configured as a device to communicate with another base station.

[0087] In some deployments, the network devices mentioned in the embodiments of this application may be devices including CU, or DU, or devices including CU and DU, or devices with control plane CU nodes (central unit-control plane (CU-CP)) and user plane CU nodes (central unit-user plane (CU-UP)) and DU nodes.

[0088] In some deployments, multiple RAN nodes collaborate to assist terminal devices in achieving wireless access, with different RAN nodes each implementing some of the base station's functions. For example, RAN nodes can be CUs, DUs, CU-CPs, CU-UPs, or radio units (RUs). CUs and DUs can be configured separately or included in the same network element, such as a BBU. RUs can be included in radio equipment or radio units, such as RRUs, AAUs, or RRHs.

[0089] In different systems, CU (or CU-CP and CU-UP), DU, or RU may have different names, but those skilled in the art will understand their meaning. For example, a radio access network can also be an open radio access network (O-RAN or ORAN) architecture. In an O-RAN system, CU can also be called an open CU (open CU, O-CU), DU can also be called an open DU (open DU, O-DU), CU-CP can also be called an open CU-CP (O-CU-CP), CU-UP can also be called an open CU-UP (O-CU-UP), and RU can also be called an open RU (open RU, O-RU). Any of the units among CU (or CU-CP, CU-UP), DU, and RU in this application can be implemented through software modules, hardware modules, or a combination of software modules and hardware modules.

[0090] In this embodiment, the device for implementing the functions of a network device can be a network device itself, or a device capable of supporting the network device in implementing those functions, such as a chip system, chip, circuit, or communication module (i.e., a communication module that performs communication functions). This device can be installed within the network device. In this embodiment, the chip system can be composed of chips, or it can include chips and other discrete devices. Furthermore, the device can be configured with program instructions for performing corresponding communication functions. This embodiment only uses a network device as an example to illustrate the device for implementing the functions of a network device, and does not limit the solution of this embodiment.

[0091] Network devices and terminal devices can be deployed on land, including indoors or outdoors, handheld or vehicle-mounted; they can also be deployed on water; and they can also be deployed in the air on airplanes, balloons, and satellites. This application does not limit the scenario in which the network devices and terminal devices are located.

[0092] Referring to Figure 1, as an example, Figure 1 is a schematic diagram of a wireless communication system applicable to an embodiment of this application. As shown in Figure 1, the wireless communication system includes a wireless access network 100. The wireless access network 100 can be a next-generation (e.g., 6G, or future or higher) wireless access network, or a traditional (e.g., 5G, 4G, 3G, or 2G) wireless access network. One or more terminal devices (120a-120j, collectively referred to as 120) can be interconnected or connected to one or more network devices (110a, 110b, collectively referred to as 110) in the wireless access network 100. Network elements in the wireless communication system are connected through interfaces (e.g., NG, Xn) or air interfaces.

[0093] When network devices and terminal devices communicate, the network device can manage one or more cells, and a cell can include at least one terminal device. A cell can be understood as an area within the wireless signal coverage range of the network device.

[0094] Figure 1 is just a schematic diagram. The wireless communication system may also include other devices, such as core network devices, wireless relay devices and / or wireless backhaul devices, which are not shown in Figure 1.

[0095] Referring to Figure 2, as an example, Figure 2 is a schematic diagram of another wireless communication system applicable to embodiments of this application. As shown in Figure 2, the wireless communication system includes at least one network device, such as network device 210 shown in Figure 2, and may also include at least one terminal device, such as terminal device 220 shown in Figure 2. Both the network device and the terminal device can be configured with multiple antennas, and the network device and the terminal device can communicate using multi-antenna technology. The wireless communication system also includes a reconfigurable intelligent surface (RIS) 230. The RIS can be used to assist communication between devices, such as between a network device and a terminal device. For example, if the transmitting end (such as a network device or a terminal device) and the receiving end (such as a network device or a terminal device) cannot communicate directly, or the signal is weak when communicating directly, such as when there is an obstacle blocking the transmission between the transmitting end and the receiving end, communication can be achieved through the RIS.

[0096] RIS, also known as an intelligent reflective surface (IRS) or large intelligent surface (LIS), will be used as the example below for simplicity. RIS is a subwavelength-scale artificial two-dimensional material, typically composed of metals, dielectrics, and tunable elements, and can be equivalently characterized as a radio link control (RLC) circuit. By adjusting the physical properties of the electromagnetic units, such as capacitive reactance, impedance, or inductive reactance, the radiation characteristics of the RIS can be altered, enabling unconventional physical phenomena such as irregular reflection, negative refraction, absorption, focusing, and polarization conversion, thereby dynamically controlling electromagnetic waves. RIS can generate the required electromagnetic behavior for each electromagnetic unit by controlling the bias voltage of varactor diodes, PIN switches, microelectromechanical systems (MEMS) switches, liquid crystals, graphene, etc.

[0097] The RIS can be considered a reflective panel, which is a smart panel comprising multiple antenna elements 231 (referred to as elements). At least one element can act as a passive reflector. By flexibly configuring the parameters of each element (such as amplitude and / or phase), the fading of the wireless channel can be controlled, and a desired directional beam can be formed. The RIS can be installed in various environments, such as on large flat surfaces (e.g., indoor walls or ceilings, outdoor buildings or signs), to reflect radio frequency (RF) energy around obstacles and create a virtual line-of-sight (LoS) propagation path between the communication source and the target.

[0098] The above description of RIS is merely illustrative and is not intended to limit the scope of this application. Furthermore, while the following embodiments primarily use RIS as an example, any device or apparatus capable of implementing the functions of RIS is applicable to the embodiments of this application.

[0099] Figures 1 and 2 above are only schematic diagrams. The wireless communication system may also include other devices, such as core network devices, wireless relay devices and / or wireless backhaul devices, as well as a greater number of network devices, terminal devices, etc., which are not shown in Figures 1 and 2.

[0100] Referring to Figure 3, as an example, Figure 3 is a schematic diagram of another wireless communication system applicable to embodiments of this application. As an example, this communication system may also be referred to as an ORAN system. This communication system may include a core network, access network equipment, and a UE. As an example, this communication system may also include other components besides those shown in Figure 3; specific details are not limited in this application.

[0101] Access network equipment can communicate with the core network (CN) via a backhaul link. Access network equipment can also communicate with the UE via an air interface. Specifically, the BBU in the access network equipment communicates with the core network via a backhaul link. The RU in the access network equipment communicates with at least one UE via an air interface. The BBU communicates with at least one RU via a fronthaul link; the BBU and RU may or may not be co-located. A BBU includes at least one CU and at least one DU, and the CU and DU can communicate via at least one midhaul link.

[0102] Referring to Figure 4, as an example, Figure 4 is a schematic diagram of an access network device applicable to an embodiment of this application.

[0103] Optionally, the access network equipment includes a CU. The CU is a logical node that carries the radio resource control (RRC), service data adaptation protocol (SDAP) layer, packet data convergence protocol (PDCP) layer, and other control functions of the access network equipment. The CU can connect to network nodes such as the core network through interfaces, such as the E2 interface. The CU may have some core network functions. The CU (e.g., the PDCP layer and / or higher layers of the CU) connects to the DU (e.g., the radio link control (RLC) layer and lower layers of the DU) through interfaces, such as the F1 interface. Optionally, the F1 interface can provide control plane (C-Plane) and user plane (U-Plane) functions (e.g., interface management, system information management, UE context management, RRC message transmission, etc.). F1AP is the application protocol of the F1 interface, defining the signaling procedures of F1 in some examples. The F1 interface supports control plane F1-C and user plane F1-U.

[0104] As an example, a CU includes CU-CP and CU-UP. CU-CP is a logical node carrying the control plane (PDCP-C) layer, which carries the RRC layer and the Packet Data Convergence Protocol layer, and is used to implement the CU's control plane functions. CU-CP can interact with network elements in the core network used to implement control plane functions. These network elements in the core network can be access and mobility function (AMF) network elements, such as the access and mobility management function (AMF) in a 5G system. The AMF network element is responsible for mobility management in the mobile network, such as terminal device location updates, terminal device registration with the network, and terminal device handover. CU-UP is a logical node carrying the user plane (PDCP-U) layer, which carries the SDAP layer and the Packet Data Convergence Protocol layer, and is used to implement the CU's user plane functions. CU-UP can interact with network elements in the core network used to implement user plane functions. These network elements in the core network, such as the user plane function (UPF) in a 5G system, are responsible for data forwarding and receiving in terminal devices. The above CU and DU configurations are merely examples. In practical applications, the functions of the CU and DU can be configured as needed. For instance, the CU or DU can be configured to have more protocol layer functions, or to have only some protocol layer processing functions. For example, some RLC layer functions and protocol layer functions above the RLC layer can be placed in the CU, while the remaining RLC layer functions and protocol layer functions below the RLC layer can be placed in the DU. Furthermore, the functions of the CU or DU can be divided according to service type or other system requirements. For example, based on latency, functions that require low latency can be placed in the DU, while functions that do not require low latency can be placed in the CU.

[0105] Optionally, the access network equipment includes a DU. As shown in Figure 4, the DU is a logical node carrying the RLC layer, medium access control (MAC) layer, higher physical layer (Higher PHY) layer, and other functions. In some examples, the DU can control at least one RU. The DU connects to the RU through interfaces, which may be fronthaul interfaces. In some examples, the Higher PHY layer includes the PHY layer processing, such as forward error correction (FEC) encoding and decoding, scrambling, modulation, and demodulation.

[0106] Optionally, the access network equipment includes a Runner (RU). As shown in Figure 4, the RU is a logical node that carries lower physical layer (Lower PHY) and radio frequency (RF) processing. In some examples, the RU may be a 3GPP transmission reception point (TRP), a remote radio head (RRH), or other similar entities. In some examples, the Lower PHY includes PHY processing functions such as fast fourier transform (FFT), inverse fast fourier transform (IFFT), digital beamforming, and filtering. The RU communicates with one or more UEs via a radio link (such as an RF chain).

[0107] The DU and RU can be co-located or not. The DU and RU exchange control plane and user plane information via a fronthaul link through the lower-layer split CUS-plane (LLS-CUS-Plane) (or O-RAN CUS-Plane) interface. Here, CUS-Plane represents the control plane (C-Plane), user plane (UPlane), and synchronization plane (S-Plane) (CUS-Plane). LLS-CUS may include a lower-layer split control (LLS-C) interface providing the control plane and a lower-layer split user (LLS-U) interface providing the user plane. Additionally, LLS-CUS may include a lower-layer split synchronization (LLS-S) interface providing the synchronization plane. In some examples, the control plane (or control plane) refers to the real-time control between the DU and RU. The DU and RU exchange management plane information via the lower-layer split management (LLS-M) interface of the fronthaul link. The management plane (M-Plane) refers to the non-real-time management operations between the DU and RU.

[0108] DU and RU can cooperate to implement the functions of the PHY layer. A DU can be connected to one or more RUs. The functions of DU and RU can be configured in various ways depending on the design. For example, a DU can be configured to implement baseband functions, and an RU can be configured to implement mid-RF functions. Another example is that a DU can be configured to implement higher-level functions in the PHY layer, and an RU can be configured to implement lower-level functions in the PHY layer, or to implement both lower-level and RF functions. Higher-level functions in the physical layer can include a portion of the physical layer's functions that are closer to the MAC layer, while lower-level functions in the physical layer can include another portion of the physical layer's functions that are closer to the mid-RF side.

[0109] Figures 1 to 4 above are illustrative examples, and the embodiments of this application are not limited thereto.

[0110] To facilitate a better understanding of the technical solution of this application, some related technologies involved in the technical solution of this application are introduced.

[0111] 1. Multi-input multi-output (MIMO) technology: Utilizing spatial resources, signals can obtain array gain, multiplexing and diversity gain, and interference cancellation gain in space without increasing system bandwidth, thereby multiplying the capacity and spectral efficiency of the communication system.

[0112] 2. Reference signal (RS): Also known as pilot, reference sequence, reference signal, etc. For consistency, it will be described as reference signal below. A reference signal is a physical signal that transmits a sequence to achieve a specific function. Specifically, a reference signal is a physical signal generated by mapping a specific sequence onto corresponding resources according to a preset resource mapping method.

[0113] In a MIMO system, each port has an independent data channel. Based on a known reference signal, the receiver performs channel estimation for each port and reconstructs the transmitted data accordingly. Channel estimation refers to the process of reconstructing the received signal to compensate for channel fading and noise, using the known reference signals from both the transmitter and receiver to track the time and frequency domain variations of the channel.

[0114] In this application, the reference signal, as an example, can be any of the following: channel state information reference signal (CSI-RS), sounding reference signal (SRS), demodulation reference signal (DMRS), phase track reference signal (PT-RS), cell reference signal (CRS), etc. Among them, DMRS can be used for demodulation of the physical downlink shared channel (PDSCH) or physical uplink shared channel (PUSCH). CSI-RS can be used for channel information measurement and to report channel state information (CSI), which includes at least one of the following: precoding matrix indicator (PMI), rank indication (RI), and channel quality indicator (CQI).

[0115] It should be understood that the reference signals listed above are merely examples and should not be construed as limiting this application. This application does not preclude the possibility of defining other reference signals in future agreements to achieve the same or similar functions.

[0116] 3. Channel Information: This refers to information that reflects channel characteristics and channel quality. As an example, channel information includes at least one of the following: CSI, time-varying channel information, or channel frequency offset information, etc. The following explanation primarily uses CSI as an example of channel information; however, it can be understood that any information reflecting channel characteristics and channel quality is applicable to the embodiments of this application.

[0117] 4. Resources: Data or information can be carried by resources.

[0118] In the time domain, resources may include one or more time-domain units (or, may also be called time units). A time-domain unit may be a symbol, an orthogonal frequency division multiplexing (OFDM) symbol, a mini-slot, a slot, a partial slot, a subframe, or a radio frame, etc. A slot may consist of 6, 7, 12, or 14 symbols; a mini-slot may include at least one symbol (e.g., 2, 7, or 14 symbols, or any number of symbols less than or equal to 14); the duration of a subframe in the time domain may be 1 millisecond (ms). It should be understood that the listed time-domain unit sizes are merely for ease of understanding of the scheme in this application and do not constitute a limitation on the scope of protection of this application. It is understood that the above-mentioned time-domain unit sizes can be other values, and this application does not limit them.

[0119] In the frequency domain, resources can include one or more frequency domain units. A frequency domain unit can be a resource block (RB), a subcarrier, a resource block group (RBG), a subband, a precoding resource block group (PRG), a bandwidth part (BWP), a carrier, or a serving cell, etc.

[0120] 5. Multipath Component (MPC): Also known as multipath element, it represents the relevant parameters of each path a signal travels through a channel, such as the multipath component parameters of the transmitting antenna and / or the multipath component parameters of the receiving antenna. Specifically, when a signal is transmitted through a channel, it can travel from the transmitting end to the receiving end via multiple paths, and the MPC can represent the relevant information of these multiple paths. MPC can also be called multipath parameters or multipath information. In the embodiments of this application, for ease of description, MPC is used uniformly.

[0121] As an example, MPC information includes at least one of the following: angle, delay, power, polarization, Doppler, phase (such as initial phase, or initial phase), etc.

[0122] The angle may include at least one of the following: horizontal angle of arrival (AOA / AoA), horizontal angle of departure (AOD / AoD), vertical angle of arrival (ZOA / ZoA), and vertical angle of departure (ZOD / ZoD). AOA and ZOA refer to the horizontal and vertical angles of arrival of the signal via the wireless channel to the receiving antenna, respectively, while AOD and ZOD refer to the horizontal and vertical angles of departure of the signal transmitted via the transmitting antenna, respectively.

[0123] Polarization, or polarization information, can include: polarization mode and / or the number of polarization directions. For example, the polarization mode can be horizontal or vertical. Another example is single polarization, dual polarization, or four polarizations. Yet another example is cross-polarization, X-polarization (Xpol), or quadrifilar helix antenna (QHA). Furthermore, when the polarization mode is cross-polarization, the cross-polarization ratio (XPR) can also be included.

[0124] The method by which the terminal device acquires (or determines) the MPC (such as the first type of MPC described in the embodiments of this application, and the second type of MPC described in the embodiments of this application) is not limited. For example, the terminal device acquires the MPC through sensing; another example is that the terminal device acquires the MPC through a radio frequency map (RF map); yet another example is that the terminal device obtains the MPC based on a reference signal through measurement, and this is not limited. The terminal device can use any of the above methods to determine the MPC; or it can use multiple methods to determine the MPC, such as using one method to determine the first type of MPC and another method to determine the second type of MPC. Here, an RF map, or radio frequency map, refers to a map used to display the coverage area and signal strength distribution of wireless signals, reflecting the parameter values ​​of various locations in the wireless network. Common RF maps include channel gain maps, received signal strength maps, power spectral density maps, and channel MPC maps.

[0125] As described in the background section, existing CSI feedback overhead is excessive. Specifically, on the one hand, with the large-scale deployment of interactive services such as digital twins (DT), virtual reality, extended reality (XR), and drones, some services, such as enhanced mobile broadband (eMBB), will exhibit characteristics of "burst-like high traffic volume + short latency." Furthermore, taking eMBB as an example, the spatial distribution of eMBB services may be uneven; in other words, during certain time periods, most traffic is concentrated in local areas. On the other hand, MIMO enables multi-stream, high-speed data transmission, which primarily relies on accurate channel state information for precoding. Currently, the process of acquiring channel state information is as follows: the transmitting end (e.g., network equipment) sends a reference signal; the receiving end (e.g., terminal equipment) receives the reference signal, performs measurements based on it, and then reports the measurement results in available time slots, i.e., performs channel state information feedback. The channel state information feedback is implemented based on the discrete fourier transform (DFT) codebook. That is, the PMI (Package Information Management) feedback of this channel state information includes the DFT codebook index and the quantization coefficients corresponding to the base of the codebook index. In general, for certain services, such as those with sudden large traffic spikes, short latency, or uneven spatial distribution, the process of acquiring the aforementioned channel state information may introduce additional latency, and the signaling overhead of channel state information feedback is large, which is detrimental to the transmission of such services.

[0126] Therefore, it is possible to design a scheme to acquire channel information based on MPC information, such as calculating precoding weights based on MPC information. However, acquiring channel information based on MPC information requires consideration of the signaling overhead of MPC information. Specifically, on the one hand, with the development of communication, the number of terminal devices supported by communication systems is increasing, which will lead to a surge in the signaling overhead of reporting MPC information. On the other hand, in order to improve the accuracy of channel information, the parameters included in MPC information will continue to increase, which will also lead to a surge in the signaling overhead of reporting MPC information. Thus, the signaling overhead of reporting MPC information will become the bottleneck of this scheme (i.e., the scheme to acquire channel information based on MPC information).

[0127] In view of this, this application proposes a scheme to design a terminal device to transmit MPC information based on at least two physical channels, such as the physical uplink control channel (PUCCH) and the physical uplink shared channel (PUSCH), or the MPC information being transmitted on different PUCCHs. This not only enables the determination of channel information, but also allows for the reporting of a greater number of MPC messages compared to transmitting MPC information through the same physical channel, while reducing the signaling overhead on a single channel.

[0128] The methods provided by the embodiments of this application will be described in detail below with reference to the accompanying drawings. The embodiments provided by this application can be applied to the scenarios shown in the above figures and are not limited thereto. In addition, the terms used below can be referred to the foregoing explanations and will not be repeated hereafter. Furthermore, for ease of description, terminal devices and network devices are used as examples for illustrative purposes. The terminal device can be replaced by a component of the terminal device (e.g., a chip, chip system, circuit, or communication module); the network device can be replaced by a component of the network device (e.g., a chip, chip system, circuit, or communication module), or the network device can also be replaced by a terminal device or a component of the terminal device (e.g., a chip, chip system, circuit, or communication module). Furthermore, the steps described below as being performed by a single execution entity can also be divided into steps performed by multiple execution entities, which can be logically and / or physically separated.

[0129] Referring to Figure 5, as an example, Figure 5 is a schematic diagram of a communication method 500 provided in an embodiment of this application. The method 500 shown in Figure 5 may include the following steps.

[0130] S510, the terminal device transmits a first type of MPC based on the first physical channel; in other words, the terminal device transmits first type of MPC information based on the first physical channel. Correspondingly, the network device receives the first type of MPC based on the first physical channel.

[0131] In S520, the terminal device transmits Type II MPC based on the second physical channel; in other words, the terminal device transmits Type II MPC information based on the second physical channel. Correspondingly, the network device receives Type II MPC based on the second physical channel.

[0132] Optionally, method 500 further includes step S530.

[0133] S530, the network device determines the channel information based on the first type of MPC and the second type of MPC. In other words, the network device determines the channel information based on the information of the first type of MPC and the second type of MPC.

[0134] The network device determines channel information based on the first type of MPC and the second type of MPC. Alternatively, the network device can determine data transmission parameters based on the first type of MPC and the second type of MPC, or the network device can transmit data with the terminal device based on the first type of MPC and the second type of MPC. Specifically, the network device determines a complete MPC based on the first type of MPC on the first physical channel and the second type of MPC on the second physical channel. Based on this complete MPC, it can determine the channel information, i.e., determine the data transmission parameters, and then transmit data with the terminal device based on these data transmission parameters.

[0135] One possible implementation is that the network device determines the channel matrix based on both Type I and Type II MPCs. For example, the network device can use both Type I and Type II MPCs to determine the complete MPC, and then generate the channel matrix based on a model (such as a spatial channel model, SCM). Furthermore, as an example, the network device can also determine the precoding weights based on the channel matrix using a precoding method (such as singular value decomposition, SVD). The precoding method can be predefined or preconfigured, and this is not limited.

[0136] Another possible implementation involves the network device determining the precoding weights based on both Type I and Type II MPCs. For example, the network device can use both types to determine the complete MPC, and then determine the steering vector based on this complete MPC information. The precoding weights can then be determined based on this steering vector. The steering vector, or array steering vector, represents the spatial phase difference caused by the spatial spacing between antenna ports along the same direction of arrival. The steering vector can be used to calculate the array response at different arrival / transmission angles. Each steering vector can represent a specific arrival or departure angle, and each element can represent an array element. Different antenna array arrangements may correspond to different steering vectors.

[0137] The following mainly introduces the solutions of the embodiments of this application from two aspects.

[0138] Aspect 1: Schemes related to the first physical channel and the second physical channel.

[0139] In this embodiment of the application, after the terminal device determines the MPC, it can transmit part of the MPC (i.e., the first type of MPC) on one physical channel and the remaining part of the MPC (i.e., the second type of MPC) on another physical channel. This reduces the signaling overhead caused by transmitting MPC (i.e., the first type of MPC and the second type of MPC) on the same physical channel. The relevant schemes for the first type of MPC and the second type of MPC will be described in detail later in conjunction with aspect 2.

[0140] A physical channel (such as a first physical channel or a second physical channel), also known as an uplink channel or simply a channel, refers to the channel through which a terminal device sends MPCs to a network device. The name does not limit the scope of protection of the embodiments in this application. For distinction, the channel carrying the first type of MPC is referred to as the first physical channel, and the channel carrying the second type of MPC is referred to as the second physical channel.

[0141] Optionally, the physical channel (such as the first physical channel or the second physical channel) can be any of the following: PUCCH, PUSCH, or physical random access channel (PRACH). The following explanation combines two possible scenarios.

[0142] The first possible scenario is that the first physical channel and the second physical channel are of different types.

[0143] For example, the first physical channel is PUCCH, and the second physical channel is PUSCH or PRACH; for another example, the first physical channel is PUSCH, and the second physical channel is PUCCH or PRACH; for yet another example, the first physical channel is PRACH, and the second physical channel is PUCCH or PUSCH.

[0144] For example, the first physical channel is PUCCH, and the second physical channel is PUSCH. Considering that the bit error rate of PUCCH is lower than that of PUSCH, some important MPCs (such as the first type of MPC) can be sent based on PUCCH to improve the accuracy of the first type of MPC, and thus improve the accuracy of the channel information obtained based on the first type of MPC and the second type of MPC.

[0145] The second possible scenario is that the first physical channel and the second physical channel are of the same type.

[0146] For example, both the first physical channel and the second physical channel are PUCCH; for another example, both the first physical channel and the second physical channel are PUSCH; for yet another example, both the first physical channel and the second physical channel are PRACH.

[0147] Optionally, the first physical channel and the second physical channel may correspond to different time-domain resources. Taking a scenario where both the first and second physical channels are PUCCHs, the PUCCH carrying the first type of MPC (referred to as the first PUCCH) and the PUCCH carrying the second type of MPC (referred to as the second PUCCH) may correspond to different time-domain resources. It can be understood that when the types of the first and second physical channels are different, they may correspond to the same or different time-domain resources; this is not limited.

[0148] Here, the time-domain resources corresponding to the first physical channel represent the time-domain resources occupied by the first type of MPC; the time-domain resources corresponding to the second physical channel represent the time-domain resources occupied by the second type of MPC. For example, if the terminal device sends the first type of MPC based on the first physical channel on the first time-domain resources, then the first time-domain resources can be called the time-domain resources corresponding to the first physical channel, or in other words, the first time-domain resources correspond to the first physical channel; if the terminal device sends the second type of MPC based on the second physical channel on the second time-domain resources, then the second time-domain resources can be called the time-domain resources corresponding to the second physical channel, or in other words, the second time-domain resources correspond to the second physical channel.

[0149] As an example, the time-domain resources corresponding to the first physical channel precede those of the second physical channel, such as the uplink subframe corresponding to the first physical channel preceding the uplink subframe corresponding to the second physical channel. Assuming the time-domain resources occupied by the first physical channel precede those occupied by the second physical channel, the terminal device sends some important MPCs (such as Type I MPCs) based on the first physical channel. This allows the network device to receive the Type I MPCs first, and thus, even before receiving the Type II MPCs, the network device can obtain relatively accurate channel information through the Type I MPCs.

[0150] It is understood that the above examples mainly use PUCCH, PUSCH, and PRACH as illustrations, and the embodiments of this application are not limited to these. Any existing uplink channel (such as an existing physical channel capable of carrying uplink signals) or a future uplink channel (such as a future physical channel capable of carrying uplink signals) is applicable to the embodiments of this application.

[0151] It is also understood that the above examples mainly illustrate two types of MPC information transmitted through the first physical channel and the second physical channel, and the embodiments of this application are not limited thereto. For example, the first type of MPC can be transmitted based on multiple of PUCCH, PUSCH, and PRACH, and / or the second type of MPC can be transmitted based on multiple of PUCCH, PUSCH, and PRACH.

[0152] It is also understood that in some of the above embodiments, the examples mainly illustrate the different time-domain resources corresponding to the first physical channel and the second physical channel, and the embodiments of this application are not limited thereto. For example, the first physical channel and the second physical channel may also correspond to the same frequency-domain resources, or the first physical channel and the second physical channel may also correspond to different frequency-domain resources.

[0153] The above section, in conjunction with aspect 1, introduced the relevant schemes for the first and second physical channels. The following section, in conjunction with aspect 2, introduces the relevant schemes for the first type of MPC and the second type of MPC. The schemes described below in aspect 2 can be used in combination with the schemes in aspect 1, or they can be used independently.

[0154] Aspect 2: Relevant solutions for the first and second types of MPC.

[0155] The designations of the first type of MPC and the second type of MPC are merely for differentiation purposes and do not limit the scope of protection of the embodiments of this application. For example, the first type of MPC may also be referred to as any of the following: first MPC, or first type of MPC, or first part of MPC, and the second type of MPC may also be referred to as any of the following: second MPC, or second type of MPC, or second part of MPC.

[0156] Optionally, the first type of MPC and the second type of MPC include at least the following schemes.

[0157] Scheme #A: The first type of MPC includes MPCs with R1 paths, and the second type of MPC includes MPCs with R2 paths. The R1 paths include at least one path that is different from the R2 paths. R1 and R2 are integers greater than or equal to 1.

[0158] Option #B: The first type of MPC includes MPC of type P1, the second type of MPC includes MPC of type P2, and MPC of type P1 includes at least one type of MPC of different type from MPC of type P2. P1 and P2 are integers greater than or equal to 1.

[0159] Scheme #C, the first type of MPC includes MPC with Y1 channels, the second type of MPC includes MPC with Y2 channels, the Y1 channels include at least one channel different from the Y2 channels, and Y1 and Y2 are integers greater than or equal to 1.

[0160] The three schemes mentioned above are described in detail below.

[0161] Scheme #A: The first type of MPC includes MPCs with R1 paths, and the second type of MPC includes MPCs with R2 paths, where each of the R1 paths includes at least one path that is different from the R2 paths.

[0162] One possible implementation is that the first type of MPC and the second type of MPC correspond to different paths. Based on this scheme, the first type of MPC and the second type of MPC can be based on path partitioning. For example, the terminal device can be designed to send MPCs for a portion of the path (i.e., the first type of MPC) based on a first physical channel and MPCs for another portion of the path (i.e., the second type of MPC) based on a second physical channel. In this way, the network device can obtain MPCs for all paths based on the first type of MPC and the second type of MPC.

[0163] In the embodiments of this application, the term "path" is mentioned multiple times, and will be explained uniformly here. As an example, "path" can be replaced with any of the following: multipath, main path, sub-path, path cluster (or simply cluster). Multipath: A signal is transmitted from the transmitter to the receiver through multiple paths; these multiple paths can be called multipath. Main Path: The primary path for signal transmission from the transmitter to the receiver; the main path is usually the most direct and strongest path. Sub-Path: A secondary path for signal propagation from the transmitter to the receiver, usually formed by phenomena such as reflection, refraction, diffraction, and / or scattering. Path Cluster: In multipath propagation, a path cluster refers to a set of paths with similar propagation characteristics. A path cluster includes multiple sub-paths (or multiple paths), which typically have similar characteristics in time, frequency, or space, and therefore can be treated as a whole. For ease of description, the term "path" will be used as an example in the following explanations.

[0164] Optionally, R1 paths include the first path, and R2 paths include the second path; in other words, the first type of MPC includes the MPC of the first path, and the second type of MPC includes the MPC of the second path. It is understood that the names "first path" and "second path" here are merely for distinction and do not limit the number of paths to 1. In other words, the first path can contain 1 or more paths, and the second path can contain 1 or more paths; that is, the first path includes at least one path, and the second path includes at least one path.

[0165] As an example, the first and second paths satisfy any of the following: the strength of the first path is greater than the strength of the second path; the strength of the first path is greater than a first threshold; the strength of the second path is less than a second threshold; the delay of the first path is less than the delay of the second path; the delay of the first path is less than a third threshold; or the delay of the second path is greater than a fourth threshold. The first path can also be called a strong path, and the second path can also be called a weak path. It can be understood that strong and weak paths are relative. For example, if the strength of the first path is greater than the strength of the second path, then relative to the second path, the first path can be called a strong path; similarly, relative to the first path, the second path can be called a weak path.

[0166] The first and second thresholds can be the same or different, without limitation; similarly, the third and fourth thresholds can be the same or different, without limitation. Furthermore, the thresholds (such as the first, second, third, and fourth thresholds) can be predefined or configured, without limitation.

[0167] The strength of a path can be characterized by at least one of the following indicators: path power, path amplitude, signal strength transmitted through the path, and path delay. For example, taking power as an indicator, if the path power is greater than a threshold, the path is a strong path; if the path power is less than the threshold, the path is a weak path. Furthermore, if the path delay is less than a threshold, the path can also be considered a strong path; if the path delay is greater than the threshold, the path can also be considered a weak path.

[0168] Based on scheme #A, alternatively, method 500 further includes: the terminal device determining the first path and the second path.

[0169] In one possible implementation, the terminal device determines a first path and a second path based on instructions from the network device. Specifically, the network device sends first indication information to the terminal device, which indicates the first path and / or the second path. For example, the first indication information indicates configuration information for the first path, and the first path can be determined based on this configuration information. As another example, the first indication information indicates configuration information for the second path, and the second path can be determined based on this configuration information.

[0170] Optionally, the first indication information indicates at least one of the following: the number of diameters contained in the first diameter, the number of diameters contained in the second diameter, the condition satisfied by the first diameter, and the condition satisfied by the second diameter. For simplicity, in this embodiment, the number of diameters contained in the first diameter is simply referred to as the number of diameters in the first diameter, and the number of diameters contained in the second diameter is simply referred to as the number of diameters in the second diameter. Several examples are given below.

[0171] Example 1: The first indication information indicates the diameter of the first diameter.

[0172] For example, multiple paths can be sorted according to their parameters (such as intensity or time delay). For instance, if the paths are sorted from intensity in descending order or from time delay in ascending order, and the first indication information indicates that the first path's number is R1, then the first path can be determined as the first R1 paths (i.e., the first to the R1th paths after the above sorting), and the second path is the remaining path. Alternatively, multiple paths can be sorted from intensity in ascending order or from time delay in descending order. If the first indication information indicates that the first path's number is R1, then the first path can be determined as the last R1 paths, and the second path is the remaining path. The intensity of a path can be referred to in the previous description and will not be repeated here.

[0173] For example, the number of the second path and the number of the first path are related. Thus, the terminal device can determine the number of the first path based on the first indication information, and can determine the number of the second path based on the number of the first path and this relationship. For instance, multiple paths can be sorted in descending order of intensity or in ascending order of delay. If the first indication information indicates that the number of the first path is R1, then based on the relationship between the number of the first and second paths, and the fact that the number of the first path is R1, the number of the second path can be determined to be R2. Furthermore, the first path can be determined to be the first R1 paths (i.e., the first path to the R1th path after the above sorting), and the second path can be determined to be the R2 paths following the first R1 paths (i.e., the (R1+1)th path to the (R2+R1)th path after the above sorting). In addition, as in the example above, multiple paths can also be sorted in ascending order of intensity or in descending order of delay, which will not be elaborated here.

[0174] Example 2: The first indication information indicates the diameter of the second diameter.

[0175] For reference, see Example 1 above; it will not be elaborated upon here.

[0176] Example 3: The first indication information indicates the diameter of the first diameter and the diameter of the second diameter.

[0177] In this way, the terminal device can determine the diameter of the first path and the diameter of the second path based on the first indication information.

[0178] For example, multiple paths can be sorted according to their parameters (such as intensity or time delay). For instance, multiple paths can be sorted in descending order of intensity or in ascending order of time delay. If the first indication information indicates that the first path has a path number of R1 and the second path has a path number of R2, then the first path can be determined as the first R1 paths (i.e., the first path to the R1th path after the above sorting), and the second path as the R2th path following the first R1 paths (i.e., the (R1+1)th path to the (R2+R1)th path after the above sorting). Furthermore, as in Example 1, multiple paths can also be sorted in ascending order of intensity or in descending order of time delay, which will not be elaborated upon here.

[0179] Example 4: The first indication information indicates the conditions that the first path satisfies.

[0180] For example, the first indication information indicates that the first path meets the condition that the path's strength is greater than a first threshold, i.e., the first indication information indicates the first threshold. Based on the first indication information, the terminal device knows that if the path's strength is greater than the first threshold, then the path is the first path, meaning that the MPC of that path is transmitted based on the first physical channel; if the path's strength is less than or equal to the first threshold, then the path is the second path, meaning that the MPC of that path is transmitted based on the second physical channel. For instance, normalizing according to the path's maximum power, i.e., the strongest path's power is 0dB, assuming the first threshold is -10dB, if the path's normalized power is greater than -10dB, then the path is the first path, meaning that the MPC of that path is transmitted based on the first physical channel; if the path's normalized power is less than or equal to -10dB, then the path is the second path, meaning that the MPC of that path is transmitted based on the second physical channel.

[0181] For example, the first indication information indicates that the first path meets the condition that the path's delay is less than a third threshold, meaning the first indication information indicates a third threshold. Based on the first indication information, the terminal device knows that if the path's delay is less than the third threshold, then the path is the first path, meaning the MPC of that path is sent based on the first physical channel; if the path's delay is greater than or equal to the third threshold, then the path is the second path, meaning the MPC of that path is sent based on the second physical channel.

[0182] For example, the first indication information indicates that the first path satisfies the following conditions: the strength of the first path is greater than the strength of the second path, or the delay of the first path is less than the delay of the second path. Assuming that the number of paths in the first path is predefined or configured, the terminal device can determine the first path based on the number of paths in the first path and the first indication information.

[0183] Example 5: The first instruction indicates the conditions that the second path satisfies.

[0184] For example, the first indication information indicates that the second path meets the condition that the path's strength is less than a second threshold, meaning the first indication information indicates a second threshold. Based on the first indication information, the terminal device knows that if the path's strength is less than the second threshold, then the path is the second path, meaning the MPC of that path is transmitted via the second physical channel; if the path's strength is greater than or equal to the second threshold, then the path is the first path, meaning the MPC of that path is transmitted via the first physical channel. For instance, normalizing according to the path's maximum power (i.e., the strongest path's power is 0dB), assuming the second threshold is -10dB, if the path's normalized power is greater than or equal to -10dB, then the path is the first path, meaning the MPC of that path is transmitted via the first physical channel; if the path's normalized power is less than -10dB, then the path is the second path, meaning the MPC of that path is transmitted via the second physical channel.

[0185] For example, the first indication information indicates that the second path meets the condition that the path's delay is greater than a fourth threshold, meaning the first indication information indicates a fourth threshold. Based on the first indication information, the terminal device knows that if the path's delay is less than or equal to the fourth threshold, then the path is the first path, meaning the MPC of that path is sent based on the first physical channel; if the path's delay is greater than the fourth threshold, then the path is the second path, meaning the MPC of that path is sent based on the second physical channel.

[0186] For example, the first indication information indicates that the second path meets the following conditions: the intensity of the second path is less than the intensity of the first path, or the delay of the second path is greater than the delay of the first path. Assuming that the number of second paths is predefined or configured, the terminal device can determine the second path based on the number of second paths and the first indication information.

[0187] The above examples are illustrative and are not limited to the embodiments of this application. For example, the first indication information may also indicate the type of the first path and / or the type of the second path. If the first indication information indicates that the first path is the main path, then the terminal device can determine the MPC on the first physical channel as the MPC of the main path based on the first indication information, and the MPC on the second physical channel as the MPC of the path other than the main path (such as a sub-path).

[0188] Furthermore, as an example, if the terminal device receives the first indication information, the terminal device can know from the first indication information that the MPC is sent based on the first physical channel and the MPC is sent based on the second physical channel; in other words, the terminal device can determine the scheme #A adopted by the first type of MPC and the second type of MPC based on the first indication information.

[0189] The second possible implementation is that the terminal device determines the first and second paths itself.

[0190] For example, predefined thresholds (such as a first threshold, a second threshold, a third threshold, and a fourth threshold) are used by the terminal device to determine the first path and the second path, as described in Examples 4 and 5 above.

[0191] For another example, the number of the first diameter or the number of the second diameter is predefined. The terminal device determines the first diameter based on the predefined number of the first diameter or the number of the second diameter. For details, please refer to the previous description.

[0192] Based on scheme #A, the first type of MPC sent by the terminal device based on the first physical channel is an MPC of at least one path in the first path, that is, the terminal device sends an MPC of at least one path in the first path based on the first physical channel; the second type of MPC sent by the terminal device based on the second physical channel is an MPC of at least one path in the second path, that is, the terminal device sends an MPC of at least one path in the second path based on the second physical channel. The following uses MPC on the first physical channel as an example to introduce two possible scenarios.

[0193] In the first possible scenario, the terminal device transmits the MPC for each path in the first path based on the first physical channel.

[0194] In the second possible scenario, the terminal device transmits the MPC of the first path based on the first physical channel.

[0195] For example, a terminal device transmits the MPC of one path (referred to as path #A for distinction) in the first path based on the first physical channel, as well as the offsets of the MPCs of other paths relative to the MPC of path #A. The network device can determine the MPCs of all paths in the first path based on the MPC of path #A and these offsets. For instance, taking MPC as power, and path #A as the path with the highest power, the terminal device can transmit the power of path #A based on the first physical channel, as well as the offsets of the power of other paths relative to the power of path #A. As another example, taking MPC as latency, and path #A as the path with the lowest latency, the terminal device can transmit the latency of path #A based on the first physical channel, as well as the offsets of the latency of other paths relative to the latency of path #A.

[0196] The MPC of the second path on the second physical channel can refer to the two possible scenarios mentioned above, which will not be elaborated here.

[0197] Furthermore, as an example, method 500 further includes: the terminal device also transmitting indication information of the number of paths of the first path and / or indication information of the number of paths of the second path. For example, the terminal device transmits indication information of the number of paths of the first path and MPC of at least one path in the first path based on a first physical channel; the terminal device transmits indication information of the number of paths of the second path and MPC of at least one path in the second path based on a second physical channel.

[0198] In one possible scenario, the terminal device sends an indication of the number of paths in the first path (for simplicity, this indication will be referred to as indication information #3). In this case, the network device can directly determine the number of paths in the first path based on indication information #3. Further, as an example, the number of paths in the first path and the number of paths in the second path are related; thus, the network device can determine the number of paths in the second path based on this relationship and the determined number of paths in the first path. For this, please refer to the relevant descriptions above, such as the description of Example 1 in Reference Scheme #A.

[0199] In another possible scenario, the terminal device sends an indication of the number of paths in the second path (for simplicity, this indication will be referred to as indication information #4). In this case, the network device can directly determine the number of paths in the second path based on indication information #4. Further, as an example, the number of paths in the first path and the second path may be related; thus, the network device can determine the number of paths in the first path based on this relationship and the determined number of paths in the second path. Refer to the preceding descriptions for further details.

[0200] In another possible scenario, the terminal device sends indication information for the number of the first path (i.e., indication information #3) and indication information for the number of the second path (i.e., indication information #4). In this case, the network device can directly determine the number of the first path based on indication information #3 and directly determine the number of the second path based on indication information #4. Indication information #3 and indication information #4 can be carried in a single signaling message or in different signaling messages; this is not limited.

[0201] Based on scheme #A, as an example, the MPC type of the first type of MPC and the MPC type of the second type of MPC can be the same or partially the same.

[0202] Optionally, the MPC type includes at least one of the following: angle (such as one or more of AOA, AOD, ZOA, ZOD), time delay, power, polarization (such as XPR), Doppler, phase (such as initial phase), etc.

[0203] For example, the first type of MPC includes all types of MPC, such as angle, delay, power, polarization, Doppler, and phase; the second type of MPC also includes all types of MPC, such as angle, delay, power, polarization, Doppler, and phase. The first type of MPC and the second type of MPC correspond to all types of MPC for different paths, so network devices can determine all types of MPC for all paths based on the first type of MPC and the second type of MPC.

[0204] The above examples primarily illustrate MPCs of different paths corresponding to the first and second types of MPCs, but the embodiments in this application are not limited to this. For example, the R1 paths also include a third path, and the R2 paths also include a third path, that is, the MPC of the third path is transmitted based on the first physical channel, and the MPC of the third path is transmitted based on the second physical channel. It can be understood that the third path here is only a name used for differentiation, and is not limited to the number of paths being 1. In other words, the number of paths contained in the third path can be 1 or greater than 1. As an example, the third path is a strong path.

[0205] Option #B: The first type of MPC includes P1 type MPC, the second type of MPC includes P2 type MPC, and P1 type MPC includes at least one type of MPC that is different from P2 type MPC.

[0206] As an example, the MPC type may include at least one of the following information: angle (such as one or more of AOA, AOD, ZOA, ZOD), time delay, power, polarization (such as XPR), Doppler, phase (such as initial phase), etc.

[0207] Based on this scheme, the first type of MPC and the second type of MPC can be classified according to MPC type. For example, the terminal device can be designed to send some types of MPC (i.e., the first type of MPC) based on the first physical channel and send the remaining types of MPC (i.e., the second type of MPC) based on the second physical channel. In this way, the network device can obtain all types of MPC based on the first type of MPC and the second type of MPC.

[0208] As an example, the MPC type priority of the first type of MPC is higher than that of the MPC type of the second type of MPC; in other words, the MPCs contained in the first type of MPC are high-priority MPCs, and the MPCs contained in the second type of MPC are low-priority MPCs. It can be understood that high-priority and low-priority MPCs are relative. For example, since the MPC type priority of the first type of MPC is higher than that of the MPC type of the second type of MPC, the MPCs contained in the first type of MPC can be called high-priority MPCs relative to the second type of MPC; similarly, the MPCs contained in the second type of MPC can be called low-priority MPCs relative to the first type of MPC.

[0209] For example, MPC priorities can be defined in at least one of the following ways: One possible implementation is that high-priority MPCs have a significant impact on the accuracy of channel information acquisition, while low-priority MPCs have a minimal impact. Another possible implementation is that high-priority MPCs have low signaling overhead, while low-priority MPCs have high signaling overhead. For example, assuming MPC types include angle, delay, power, polarization, Doppler, and phase, priorities for these parameters can be designed. Furthermore, as an example, different priorities can be designed for different scenarios; in other words, MPC priorities differ in different scenarios, meaning that high-priority and low-priority MPCs may be different in different scenarios.

[0210] The following sections, in conjunction with Tables 1 and 2, describe the possible forms of MPC priorities.

[0211] Table 1

[0212] Table 2

[0213] In Table 2, taking "Angle > Delay > Power" as an example, "Angle > Delay > Power" means that the priority of angle is higher than the priority of delay, and the priority of delay is higher than the priority of power.

[0214] The indexes in Tables 1 and 2 can be used to identify the corresponding MPC type combinations (or simply MPC combinations). An MPC combination represents a combination of the MPC types of the first type of MPC and the MPC types of the second type of MPC; in other words, different indexes correspond to different MPC priorities.

[0215] The indices in Table 1 can identify high-priority MPCs and low-priority MPCs. Taking Table 1 as an example, index #1 indicates that high-priority MPCs are time delay and power, while low-priority MPCs are angle and phase; index #2 indicates that high-priority MPCs are time delay, power, angle, and phase, while low-priority MPCs are polarization and Doppler.

[0216] The indices in Table 2 identify the order of MPC priorities. Taking Table 2 as an example, index #1 indicates that the MPC priorities are ordered from high to low as: angle > delay > power > polarization > Doppler > phase; index #2 indicates that the MPC priorities are ordered from high to low as: delay > power > polarization > Doppler > phase > angle.

[0217] The indexes in Tables 1 and 2 can be replaced with scenarios. For example, index #1 can be replaced with scenario #1, index #2 with scenario #2, and index #3 with scenario #3.

[0218] It is understood that Tables 1 and 2 are merely examples, and the embodiments of this application are not limited thereto. For example, Table 1 or Table 2 may include a greater number of parameters. Furthermore, the MPC priority sorting in Table 2 from high to low can be replaced with MPC priority sorting from low to high. Also, Table 1 may have a column without an index, meaning that high priority and low priority in Table 1 can be one type of column, such as high priority MPC being time delay and power, and low priority MPC being angle and phase. Again, Table 2 may have a column without an index, meaning that the MPC priority sorting in Table 2 can be one type of column, such as MPC priority sorting from high to low as: angle > time delay > power > polarization > Doppler > phase.

[0219] It is also understood that the high-priority MPC and low-priority MPC in Table 1 are merely examples, and the embodiments of this application are not limited thereto. For example, a high-priority MPC may include at least one of the following: angle (such as one or more of AOA, AOD, ZOA, and ZOD), time delay, power, polarization (such as XPR), Doppler, and phase (such as initial phase), and a low-priority MPC may include at least one of the following: angle (such as one or more of AOA, AOD, ZOA, and ZOD), time delay, power, polarization (such as XPR), Doppler, and phase (such as initial phase), and the high-priority MPC and low-priority MPC are different.

[0220] It is also understandable that the MPC priority order in Table 2 can be other orders, such as angle (such as one or more of AOA, AOD, ZOA, ZOD), time delay, power, polarization (such as XPR), Doppler, phase (such as initial phase), etc., which can be ordered in any order. For example, the MPC priority order from high to low is: AOA > phase > AOD > power.

[0221] It is also understandable that Table 1 and Table 2 can be predefined or configured, and there is no restriction on this.

[0222] Based on scheme #B, alternatively, method 500 further includes: the terminal device determining the MPC type of the first type of MPC and the MPC type of the second type of MPC. For simplicity, in this embodiment, the MPC type of the first type of MPC is simply referred to as the type of the first type of MPC, and the MPC type of the second type of MPC is simply referred to as the type of the second type of MPC.

[0223] In a first possible implementation, the terminal device determines the type of the first type of MPC and the type of the second type of MPC based on the instructions from the network device. Specifically, the network device sends second instruction information to the terminal device, which indicates the type of the first type of MPC and / or the type of the second type of MPC.

[0224] The second instruction information and the first instruction information mentioned above can be carried in one signaling message or in different signaling messages, without limitation.

[0225] Optionally, the second indication information indicates at least one of the following: the type of the first type of MPC, the number of MPC types contained in the first type of MPC, the type of the second type of MPC, the number of MPC types contained in the second type of MPC, and one of the S indices, where S is an integer greater than 1. Several examples are given below.

[0226] Example 1: The second indication information indicates the type of the first type of MPC and the type of the second type of MPC.

[0227] For example, the second indication information indicates that the type of the first type of MPC is angle, time delay, power, and phase, and the second indication information indicates that the type of the second type of MPC is polarization and Doppler.

[0228] Example 2: The second instruction information indicates the type of the first type of MPC.

[0229] For example, the second indication information indicates that the type of the first type of MPC is angle, delay, power, and phase. Based on the first type of MPC being angle, delay, power, and phase, and the MPC type including angle, delay, power, phase, polarization, and Doppler, the terminal device determines that the second type of MPC is the remaining MPC, that is, the second type of MPC is polarization and Doppler.

[0230] Example 3: The second instruction information indicates the type of the second type of MPC.

[0231] Example 3 can be referenced from Example 2, and will not be repeated here.

[0232] Example 4: The second instruction information indicates the number of types of the first type of MPC.

[0233] For example, the second indication information indicates that the number of types of the first type of MPC is P1. Thus, the terminal device can determine the first and second types of MPCs based on the fact that the first type of MPC has a higher priority than the second type of MPC. For instance, assuming the predefined or preconfigured MPC priority is: Angle > Delay > Power > Polarization > Doppler > Phase, and the second indication information indicates P1 is 2, the terminal device can determine that the first type of MPC is Angle and Delay, and the second type of MPC is Power, Polarization, Doppler, and Phase. Alternatively, the second indication information may also indicate an index (such as the index in Table 2), allowing the terminal device to determine the first and second types of MPCs based on the index, P1, and Table 2.

[0234] Example 5: The second instruction information indicates the number of types of the second class of MPCs.

[0235] For example, the second indication information indicates that the number of types of the second type of MPC is P2. Thus, the terminal device can determine the first and second types of MPCs based on the fact that the first type of MPC has a higher priority than the second type of MPC. For instance, assuming the predefined or preconfigured MPC priorities are: angle > delay > power > polarization > Doppler > phase, and the second indication information indicates that P2 is 2, the terminal device can determine that the first type of MPC is angle, delay, power, and polarization, and the second type of MPC is Doppler and phase. Alternatively, the second indication information may also indicate an index (such as the index in Table 2), so that the terminal device can determine the first and second types of MPCs based on the index, P2, and Table 2.

[0236] Example 6: The second instruction information indicates the number of types of the first type of MPC and the number of types of the second type of MPC.

[0237] For example, the second indication information indicates that the number of types of the first type of MPC is P1, and the number of types of the second type of MPC is P2. Thus, the terminal device can determine the first and second types of MPC based on MPC priorities. For instance, assuming the predefined or preconfigured MPC priorities are: angle > delay > power > polarization > Doppler > phase, and the second indication information indicates that P1 is 2 and P2 is 2, then the terminal device can determine that the first type of MPC is angle and delay, and the second type of MPC is power and polarization. Alternatively, the second indication information may further indicate an index (such as the index in Table 2), so that the terminal device can determine the first and second types of MPC based on the index, P1, P2, and Table 2.

[0238] Example 7: The second instruction indicates one of the S indices.

[0239] In this system, different indexes among the S indexes correspond to different combinations of MPC types (or simply MPC combinations). An MPC combination represents a combination of the MPC types of the first type of MPC and the MPC types of the second type of MPC. In other words, different indexes among the S indexes correspond to different combinations of MPC priorities. For example, taking Table 1 as an example, the S indexes could be the first column of Table 1, meaning that different indexes correspond to different high-priority and low-priority MPCs. As another example, taking Table 2 as an example, the S indexes could be the first column of Table 2, meaning that different indexes correspond to different MPC priority orders.

[0240] Taking Table 1 as an example, the second indication information can indicate an index. Thus, the terminal device can determine the first and second types of MPCs based on the fact that the first type of MPC is a high-priority MPC and the second type of MPC is a low-priority MPC, in conjunction with Table 1. For example, assuming the second indication information indicates index #1, the terminal device can determine that the first type of MPC is delay and power, and the second type of MPC is angle and phase.

[0241] The above examples are illustrative and the embodiments of this application are not limited thereto. Any variations of the above examples are applicable to the embodiments of this application.

[0242] Furthermore, as an example, if the terminal device receives the second indication information, the terminal device can know from the second indication information that the first type of MPC is sent based on the first physical channel and the second type of MPC is sent based on the second physical channel; in other words, the terminal device can determine the scheme #B adopted by the first type of MPC and the second type of MPC based on the second indication information.

[0243] The second possible implementation is that the terminal device itself determines the type of the first type of MPC and the type of the second type of MPC.

[0244] For example, the number of first-type MPC types or the number of second-type MPC types are predefined. The terminal device determines the first-type MPC based on the predefined number of first-type MPC types or the number of second-type MPC types, as well as the MPC priority. See the preceding descriptions for details. The MPC priority can be predefined or configured; there is no limitation.

[0245] Based on scheme #B, the first type of MPC sent by the terminal device via the first physical channel is a high-priority MPC, meaning the terminal device sends high-priority MPCs via the first physical channel; the second type of MPC sent by the terminal device via the second physical channel is a low-priority MPC, meaning the terminal device sends low-priority MPCs via the second physical channel. Assuming the total number of paths is N, where N is an integer greater than 1, several possible scenarios are described below.

[0246] In the first possible scenario, the terminal device sends high-priority MPCs for each of the N paths based on the first physical channel, and sends low-priority MPCs for each of the N paths based on the second physical channel.

[0247] In the second possible scenario, the terminal device sends a high-priority MPC for at least one of the N paths based on the first physical channel, and the terminal device sends a low-priority MPC for at least one of the N paths based on the second physical channel.

[0248] For example, a terminal device transmits a high-priority MPC for one of the N paths (referred to as path #B for distinction) based on a first physical channel, along with the offsets of the high-priority MPCs of the other paths relative to the high-priority MPC of path #B. The terminal device also transmits a low-priority MPC for one of the N paths (referred to as path #C for distinction) based on a second physical channel, along with the offsets of the low-priority MPCs of the other paths relative to the low-priority MPC of path #C. A network device can determine the high-priority MPCs of all paths in the N paths based on the high-priority MPC of path #B and its corresponding offset, and can determine the low-priority MPCs of all paths in the N paths based on the low-priority MPCs of path #C and their corresponding offsets. Path #B and path #C may be the same or different, and this is not limited. For example, taking high-priority MPC as power and low-priority MPC as latency, path #B is the path with the maximum power and path #C is the path with the minimum latency. The terminal device can transmit the power of path #B and the offset of the power of other paths relative to the power of path #B based on the first physical channel; and the terminal device can transmit the latency of path #C and the offset of the latency of other paths relative to the latency of path #C based on the second physical channel.

[0249] In the third possible scenario, the terminal device transmits a high-priority MPC from at least one path in the first path via the first physical channel, and a low-priority MPC from at least one path in the second path via the second physical channel. The N paths include both the first and second paths, and the sum of the number of paths in the first and second paths is N. Based on this, schemes #A and #B can be combined, i.e., high-priority MPCs from the strong path (i.e., the first path) are transmitted via the first physical channel, and low-priority MPCs from the weak path (i.e., the second path) are transmitted via the second physical channel.

[0250] Furthermore, in a third possible scenario, as an example, the terminal device also transmits indication information of the number of paths in the first path and / or indication information of the number of paths in the second path. For example, the terminal device transmits indication information of the number of paths in the first path and a high-priority MPC of at least one path in the first path based on the first physical channel; the terminal device transmits indication information of the number of paths in the second path and a low-priority MPC of at least one path in the second path based on the second physical channel. Refer to the relevant description in scheme #A for details, which will not be repeated here.

[0251] The above example mainly illustrates the difference between the first type of MPC and the second type of MPC, but the embodiments of this application are not limited to this. For example, P1 type MPC includes one or more types of MPC, and P2 type MPC also includes the same one or more types of MPC, that is, the same one or more types of MPC are sent based on the first physical channel and the same one or more types of MPC are sent based on the second physical channel.

[0252] Scheme #C, the first type of MPC includes MPC with Y1 channels, the second type of MPC includes MPC with Y2 channels, and the Y1 channels include at least one channel that is different from the Y2 channels.

[0253] Based on this scheme, the first type of MPC and the second type of MPC can be based on channel partitioning. For example, a terminal device can be designed to send MPC for a portion of the channel based on a first physical channel (i.e., the first type of MPC) and send MPC for another portion of the channel based on a second physical channel (i.e., the second type of MPC). In this way, network devices can obtain MPC for all channels based on the first type of MPC and the second type of MPC.

[0254] Optionally, the first type of MPC includes the MPC of the first channel, and the second type of MPC includes the MPC of the second channel.

[0255] As an example, the first channel is the channel between the terminal device and the RIS (i.e., the RIS device), and the second channel is the channel between the RIS and the network device.

[0256] Specifically, if the terminal device and the network device transmit signals through other devices (such as RIS), the channel corresponding to the signal includes the channel between the terminal device and other devices, as well as the channel between the other devices and the network device. Therefore, it is possible to design the terminal device to send the MPC of the channel between the terminal device and other devices based on the first physical channel (i.e., the first type of MPC), and send the MPC of the channel between the other devices and the network device based on the second physical channel (i.e., the second type of MPC). In this way, the network device can obtain the MPC of all channels based on the first type of MPC and the second type of MPC.

[0257] Based on this scheme #C, alternatively, method 500 further includes: the terminal device determining the first channel and the second channel.

[0258] In one possible implementation, the terminal device determines a first channel and a second channel based on an instruction from the network device. Specifically, the network device sends an instruction message (e.g., instruction message #1) to the terminal device, which indicates the first channel and / or the second channel.

[0259] For example, instruction information #1 indicates that MPC is sent based on a first physical channel (such as the channel between the terminal device and the RIS) and based on a second physical channel (such as the channel between the RIS and the network device) for the transmission of a first channel.

[0260] The instruction information #1 and the previously mentioned second and first instruction information can be carried in one signaling message or in different signaling messages, without limitation.

[0261] The second possible implementation involves the terminal device determining the first and second channels itself. For example, an MPC that transmits a first channel (such as the channel between the terminal device and the RIS) based on a first physical channel can be predefined, and an MPC that transmits a second channel (such as the channel between the RIS and the network device) based on a second physical channel can be predefined.

[0262] The above examples mainly illustrate the different channels corresponding to the first type of MPC and the second type of MPC, but the embodiments of this application are not limited to this. For example, the Y1 channel also includes a third channel, and the Y2 channel also includes a third channel, that is, the MPC of the third channel is transmitted based on the first physical channel, and the MPC of the third channel is transmitted based on the second physical channel.

[0263] The above section, in conjunction with aspect 2, details the relevant solutions for the first type of MPC and the second type of MPC.

[0264] Optionally, method 500 further includes: the network device sending third indication information, and correspondingly, the terminal device receiving the third indication information. The third indication information may indicate the resource information occupied by the first type of MPC (or the reported resource location information) and the resource information occupied by the second type of MPC (or the reported resource location information).

[0265] The third instruction information, along with the previously mentioned second and first instruction information, can be carried in a single signaling message or in different signaling messages, without limitation.

[0266] One possible implementation is that the third indication information indicates at least one of the following: the time-domain resources occupied by the first type of MPC, the time-domain resources occupied by the second type of MPC, the physical channel corresponding to the first type of MPC (i.e., the first physical channel), and the physical channel corresponding to the second type of MPC (i.e., the second physical channel).

[0267] Optionally, method 500 further includes: the network device sending indication information (such as indication information #2), and the terminal device receiving the indication information #2 accordingly. The indication information #2 indicates whether the first type of MPC and the second type of MPC adopt the aforementioned scheme #A, scheme #B, or scheme #C. For example, if the indication information #2 indicates that the first type of MPC and the second type of MPC adopt the aforementioned scheme #A, then further, the network device may send first indication information to the terminal device to indicate the first path and the second path. As another example, if the indication information #2 indicates that the first type of MPC and the second type of MPC adopt the aforementioned scheme #B, then further, the network device may send second indication information to the terminal device to indicate the type of the first type of MPC and the type of the second type of MPC. As yet another example, if the indication information #2 indicates that the first type of MPC and the second type of MPC adopt both scheme #A and scheme #B, then further, the network device may send first and second indication information to the terminal device to indicate the first path and the second path, as well as the type of the first type of MPC and the type of the second type of MPC.

[0268] Optionally, method 500 further includes: the terminal device sending capability information to the network device.

[0269] One possible scenario is that capability information can indicate whether the terminal device supports reporting MPC through different physical channels.

[0270] For example, a terminal device sends capability information to a network device, which indicates that the terminal device supports reporting MPCs through different physical channels; based on this capability information, the network device configures the terminal device with relevant information for the first type of MPC and relevant information for the second type of MPC.

[0271] As an example, capability information can be implemented using at least one bit. For instance, capability information can be implemented using 1 bit. For example, if this 1 bit has a first value, it indicates that the terminal device supports reporting MPC through different physical channels; if this 1 bit has a second value, it indicates that the terminal device does not support reporting MPC through different physical channels. The first and second values ​​are different; for example, the first value is "0" and the second value is "1"; or, the first value is "1" and the second value is "0".

[0272] Another possible scenario is that the capability information can indicate the MPC configuration supported by the terminal device.

[0273] Here, MPC configuration refers to configurations related to MPC. MPC configuration includes configurations for the first type of MPC and / or the second type of MPC. Specifically, the terminal device can send capability information to the network device. This capability information can be used by the network device to determine the MPC configurations for the first type of MPC and / or the second type of MPC. For example, the network device can determine the configuration information for the first type of MPC (or information related to the first type of MPC, i.e., relevant information for the first type of MPC) and / or the configuration information for the second type of MPC (or information related to the second type of MPC, i.e., relevant information for the second type of MPC) based on the terminal device's capability information.

[0274] For example, capability information can indicate whether a terminal device supports path-based classification of Type I MPC and Type II MPC (i.e., scheme #A). If the capability information indicates that the terminal device supports path-based classification of Type I MPC and Type II MPC, then, as an example, the network device can configure at least one of the following for the terminal device: the number of first paths, the number of second paths, the conditions satisfied by the first path, and the conditions satisfied by the second path. Refer to the relevant description of the first indication information above for details.

[0275] For another example, capability information can indicate whether the terminal device supports classifying MPCs into Type 1 and Type 2 based on MPC type (i.e., Scheme #B). If the capability information indicates that the terminal device supports classifying MPCs into Type 1 and Type 2 based on MPC type, then, as an example, the network device can configure at least one of the following for the terminal device: the type of Type 1 MPC, the number of MPC types contained in Type 1 MPC, the type of Type 2 MPC, the number of MPC types contained in Type 2 MPC, and one of the S indices. Refer to the relevant description of the second indication information above for further details.

[0276] For another example, capability information can indicate whether a terminal device supports channel-based partitioning of MPC Type 1 and MPC Type 2 (i.e., scheme #C). If the capability information indicates that the terminal device supports channel-based partitioning of MPC Type 1 and MPC Type 2, then, as an example, the network device can configure at least one of the following for the terminal device: a first channel and a second channel. Refer to the relevant description in the preceding indication information #1 for further details.

[0277] As an example, capability information can be implemented using at least one bit. For instance, capability information can be implemented using two bits. For example, if the two bits have a first value, it indicates that the terminal device supports scheme #A; if the two bits have a second value, it indicates that the terminal device supports scheme #B; and if the two bits have a third value, it indicates that the terminal device supports scheme #C. The first, second, and third values ​​can be different; for example, the first value might be "00", the second value "01", and the third value "10".

[0278] The various solutions of the embodiments of this application have been described above. It is understood that, unless otherwise specified or there is a logical conflict, the terminology and / or descriptions of the various solutions are consistent and can be referenced mutually. For ease of understanding, the specific process applicable to the embodiments of this application is described below. It is understood that the process described below is only illustrative, and the embodiments of this application are not limited thereto. Content not described in detail below can be referred to the description in the preceding methods, and will not be repeated hereafter.

[0279] Referring to Figure 6, as an example, Figure 6 is a schematic diagram of a communication method 600 provided in an embodiment of this application. The method 600 shown in Figure 6 may include the following steps.

[0280] Method 600 includes steps S620 and S630, and optionally, method 600 also includes steps S610 and / or S640. These steps are described below.

[0281] S610, the network device sends configuration information to the terminal device, which indicates the configuration information of the first type of MPC and the configuration information of the second type of MPC.

[0282] As an example, this configuration information includes at least one of the preceding indication information #1, indication information #2, first indication information, second indication information, and third indication information. For the schemes of each indication information, please refer to the relevant descriptions in Method 500 above; they will not be repeated here.

[0283] Optionally, the first type of MPC and the second type of MPC include at least the following schemes: the first type of MPC includes MPC with R1 paths, and the second type of MPC includes MPC with R2 paths, where the R1 paths include at least one path different from the R2 paths; the first type of MPC includes P1 type MPC, and the second type of MPC includes P2 type MPC, where the P1 type MPC includes at least one type of MPC different from the P2 type MPC; the first type of MPC includes Y1 channels, and the second type of MPC includes Y2 channels, where the Y1 channels include at least one channel different from the Y2 channels. Refer to the relevant descriptions in Schemes #A to #C above for further details; they will not be repeated here.

[0284] It is understandable that the terminal device can also determine the configuration information of the first type of MPC and the second type of MPC itself. For example, taking the first type of MPC as including R1 paths and the second type of MPC as including R2 paths as an example, R1 and / or R2 can be predefined. Therefore, the terminal device can determine which paths the first type of MPC includes and which paths the second type of MPC includes. For details, please refer to the relevant description in method 500.

[0285] S620, the terminal device transmits the first type of MPC based on the first physical channel.

[0286] S630, the terminal device transmits the second type of MPC based on the second physical channel.

[0287] In one possible scenario, the first type of MPC and the second type of MPC correspond to different paths, such as the first type of MPC corresponding to the first path and the second type of MPC corresponding to the second path. In this case, the terminal device can send the MPC of the first path (i.e., the first type of MPC) based on the first physical channel, and the terminal device can send the MPC of the second path (i.e., the second type of MPC) based on the second physical channel.

[0288] Another possible scenario is that the first type of MPC and the second type of MPC correspond to different MPC types, such as the first type of MPC being a high-priority MPC and the second type of MPC being a low-priority MPC. In this case, the terminal device can send the high-priority MPC (i.e., the first type of MPC) based on the first physical channel, and the terminal device can send the low-priority MPC (i.e., the second type of MPC) based on the second physical channel.

[0289] Another possible scenario is that the first type of MPC and the second type of MPC correspond to different channels, such as the first type of MPC being the MPC for the first channel and the second type of MPC being the MPC for the second channel. In this case, the terminal device can send the MPC for the first channel (i.e., the first type of MPC) based on the first physical channel, and the terminal device can send the MPC for the second channel (i.e., the second type of MPC) based on the second physical channel.

[0290] S640, network devices determine channel information based on Type I MPC and Type II MPC.

[0291] As an example, after receiving the first type of MPC and the second type of MPC, the network device can perform corresponding processing. One possible implementation is that the network device can determine the channel information (or data transmission parameters) based on the first type of MPC and the second type of MPC; or, another possible implementation is that the network device can transmit data with the terminal device based on the first type of MPC and the second type of MPC. For details regarding S640, please refer to the relevant description in S530 of method 500, which will not be repeated here.

[0292] It is understood that in the above method embodiments, the methods and operations implemented by the device can also be implemented by components of the device (such as chips or circuits), without limitation.

[0293] It is also understood that the above examples mainly use terminal devices and network devices as illustrations, and are not intended to be limiting. For example, the above method can also be used in scenarios where terminal devices communicate with each other; that is, "terminal device" can be replaced with "first terminal device" and "network device" can be replaced with "second terminal device".

[0294] The methods provided by the embodiments of this application have been described in detail above with reference to Figures 5 and 6. The apparatus provided by the embodiments of this application will be described in detail below with reference to Figures 7 to 9. It should be understood that the descriptions of the apparatus embodiments correspond to the descriptions of the method embodiments; therefore, any content not described in detail can be referred to the method embodiments above, and for the sake of brevity, will not be repeated here.

[0295] Referring to Figure 7, which is a schematic diagram of a communication device 700 provided in an embodiment of this application, the communication device 700 includes a transceiver unit 710. The transceiver unit 710 can be used to implement corresponding communication functions. The transceiver unit 710 can also be referred to as a communication interface or a communication unit. Optionally, the device 700 further includes a processing unit 720. The processing unit 720 can be used to perform processing, such as measurement based on a reference signal, or determining MPC information.

[0296] Optionally, the device 700 further includes a storage unit, which can be used to store instructions and / or data, and the processing unit 720 can read the instructions and / or data in the storage unit to enable the device to implement the aforementioned method embodiments.

[0297] In a first possible design, the device 700 can be the terminal device in the aforementioned embodiments (as shown in Figure 5 or Figure 6). This device 700 can implement the steps or processes corresponding to those executed by the terminal device in the above method embodiments. Specifically, the transceiver unit 710 can be used to perform transceiver-related operations (such as sending and / or receiving data or messages) of the terminal device in the above method embodiments; the processing unit 720 can be used to perform processing-related operations of the terminal device in the above method embodiments, or operations other than transceiver (such as operations other than sending and / or receiving data or messages).

[0298] In one possible implementation, the transceiver unit 710 is configured to transmit a first type of multipath component (MPC) based on a first physical channel; the transceiver unit 710 is also configured to transmit a second type of MPC based on a second physical channel, wherein the first type of MPC and the second type of MPC are used to jointly determine channel information. Optionally, the processing unit 720 is configured to determine the first type of MPC and the second type of MPC.

[0299] Optionally, the first type of MPC includes MPC with a first path, and the second type of MPC includes MPC with a second path. The first path and the second path satisfy at least one of the following: the strength of the first path is greater than the strength of the second path; the strength of the first path is greater than a first threshold; the strength of the second path is less than a second threshold; the delay of the first path is less than the delay of the second path; the delay of the first path is less than a third threshold; and the delay of the second path is greater than a fourth threshold.

[0300] Optionally, the transceiver unit 710 is also configured to receive first indication information, which indicates a first path and / or a second path.

[0301] Optionally, the transceiver unit 710 is configured to transmit a first type of MPC based on a first physical channel, including: the transceiver unit 710 is configured to transmit MPC of at least one path in a first path based on the first physical channel; and / or, the transceiver unit 710 is configured to transmit a second type of MPC based on a second physical channel, including: the transceiver unit 710 is configured to transmit MPC of at least one path in a second path based on the second physical channel.

[0302] Optionally, the transceiver unit 710 is further configured to transmit indication information of the number of first paths based on the first physical channel; and / or, transmit indication information of the number of second paths based on the second physical channel.

[0303] Optionally, the MPC type of the first type of MPC has higher priority than the MPC type of the second type of MPC.

[0304] Optionally, the transceiver unit 710 is also configured to receive second indication information, which indicates the MPC type of the first type of MPC and / or the MPC type of the second type of MPC.

[0305] Optionally, the transceiver unit 710 is further configured to receive third indication information, which indicates at least one of the following: the physical channel corresponding to the first type of MPC is the first physical channel, and the physical channel corresponding to the second type of MPC is the second physical channel.

[0306] In a second possible design, the device 700 can be a network device as described in the preceding embodiments (as shown in Figure 5 or Figure 6). This device 700 can implement the steps or processes performed by the network device corresponding to those described in the above method embodiments. Specifically, the transceiver unit 710 can be used to perform transceiver-related operations (such as sending and / or receiving data or messages) of the network device described in the above method embodiments; the processing unit 720 can be used to perform processing-related operations of the network device described in the above method embodiments, or operations other than transceiver (such as operations other than sending and / or receiving data or messages).

[0307] In one possible implementation, the transceiver unit 710 is configured to receive a first type of multipath component (MPC) based on a first physical channel; the transceiver unit 710 is also configured to receive a second type of MPC based on a second physical channel, wherein the first type of MPC and the second type of MPC are used to jointly determine channel information. Optionally, the processing unit 720 is configured to determine the first type of MPC and the second type of MPC.

[0308] Optionally, the first type of MPC includes MPC with a first path, and the second type of MPC includes MPC with a second path. The first path and the second path satisfy at least one of the following: the strength of the first path is greater than the strength of the second path; the strength of the first path is greater than a first threshold; the strength of the second path is less than a second threshold; the delay of the first path is less than the delay of the second path; the delay of the first path is less than a third threshold; and the delay of the second path is greater than a fourth threshold.

[0309] Optionally, the transceiver unit 710 is also configured to transmit first indication information, which indicates a first path and / or a second path.

[0310] Optionally, the transceiver unit 710 is configured to receive a first type of MPC based on a first physical channel, including: the transceiver unit 710 is configured to receive MPC of at least one path in a first path based on the first physical channel; and / or, the transceiver unit 710 is configured to receive a second type of MPC based on a second physical channel, including: the transceiver unit 710 is configured to receive MPC of at least one path in a second path based on the second physical channel.

[0311] Optionally, the transceiver unit 710 is further configured to receive indication information of the number of first paths based on the first physical channel; and / or, to receive indication information of the number of second paths based on the second physical channel.

[0312] Optionally, the MPC type of the first type of MPC has higher priority than the MPC type of the second type of MPC.

[0313] Optionally, the transceiver unit 710 is also configured to send second indication information, the second indication information indicating the MPC type of the first type of MPC and / or the MPC type of the second type of MPC.

[0314] Optionally, the transceiver unit 710 is further configured to send third indication information, which indicates at least one of the following: the physical channel corresponding to the first type of MPC is the first physical channel, and the physical channel corresponding to the second type of MPC is the second physical channel.

[0315] It should be understood that the specific process of each unit performing the above-mentioned corresponding steps has been described in detail in the above method embodiments, and will not be repeated here for the sake of brevity.

[0316] It should also be understood that the device 700 here is embodied in the form of a functional unit. The term "unit" here can refer to an application-specific integrated circuit (ASIC), electronic circuitry, a processor (e.g., a shared processor, a proprietary processor, or a group processor, etc.) and memory for executing one or more software or firmware programs, combined logic circuitry, and / or other suitable components supporting the described functions. In an alternative example, those skilled in the art will understand that the device 700 can specifically be the communication device in the above embodiments, and can be used to execute the various processes and / or steps corresponding to the communication device in the above method embodiments; to avoid repetition, these will not be described again here.

[0317] The apparatus 700 of each of the above-described schemes has the function of implementing the corresponding steps performed by the communication device (such as a terminal device or a network device) in the above-described methods. The function can be implemented in hardware or by hardware executing corresponding software. The hardware or software includes one or more modules corresponding to the above functions; for example, the transceiver unit can be replaced by a transceiver (e.g., the transmitting unit in the transceiver unit can be replaced by a transmitter, and the receiving unit in the transceiver unit can be replaced by a receiver), and other units, such as processing units, can be replaced by processors, each executing the transceiver operations and related processing operations in the respective method embodiments.

[0318] In addition, the transceiver unit 710 described above can also be a transceiver circuit (for example, it may include a receiving circuit and a transmitting circuit), and the processing unit can be a processing circuit.

[0319] It should be noted that the device in Figure 7 can be the communication device (such as a terminal device or a network device) in the aforementioned embodiments, or it can be a chip or a chip system, such as a system on a chip (SoC). The transceiver unit can be an input / output circuit or a communication interface; the processing unit is a processor, microprocessor, or integrated circuit integrated on the chip. No limitations are imposed here.

[0320] Referring to Figure 8, as an example, Figure 8 is a schematic diagram of another communication device 800 provided in an embodiment of this application. The device 800 includes a processor 810, which is coupled to a memory 820. The memory 820 is used to store computer programs or instructions and / or data. The processor 810 is used to execute the computer programs or instructions stored in the memory 820, or to read the data stored in the memory 820, to perform the methods in the above method embodiments.

[0321] Optionally, there may be one or more processors 810.

[0322] Optionally, the memory 820 may be one or more.

[0323] Alternatively, the memory 820 can be integrated with the processor 810, or it can be set separately.

[0324] Optionally, as shown in FIG8, the device 800 further includes a transceiver 830 for receiving and / or transmitting signals. For example, the processor 810 is used to control the transceiver 830 to receive and / or transmit signals.

[0325] As an example, processor 810 may have the functions of processing unit 720 shown in FIG. 7, memory 820 may have the functions of storage unit, and transceiver 830 may have the functions of transceiver unit 710 shown in FIG. 7.

[0326] As one approach, the device 800 is used to implement the operations performed by a communication device (such as a terminal device or a network device) in the various method embodiments described above.

[0327] For example, processor 810 is used to execute computer programs or instructions stored in memory 820 to implement the relevant operations of the communication device in the various method embodiments above.

[0328] It should be understood that the processor mentioned in the embodiments of this application can be a central processing unit (CPU), or other general-purpose processors, digital signal processors (DSPs), ASICs, field-programmable gate arrays (FPGAs), or other programmable logic devices, discrete gate or transistor logic devices, discrete hardware components, etc. A general-purpose processor can be a microprocessor or any conventional processor.

[0329] It should also be understood that the memory mentioned in the embodiments of this application can be volatile memory and / or non-volatile memory. Non-volatile memory can be read-only memory (ROM), programmable read-only memory (PROM), erasable programmable read-only memory (EPROM), electrically erasable programmable read-only memory (EEPROM), or flash memory. Volatile memory can be random access memory (RAM). For example, RAM can be used as an external cache. By way of example and not limitation, RAM includes the following forms: static random access memory (SRAM), dynamic random access memory (DRAM), synchronous dynamic random access memory (SDRAM), double data rate synchronous dynamic random access memory (DDR SDRAM), enhanced synchronous dynamic random access memory (ESDRAM), synchronous linked dynamic random access memory (SLDRAM), and direct rambus RAM (DR RAM).

[0330] It should be noted that when the processor is a general-purpose processor, DSP, ASIC, FPGA, or other programmable logic device, discrete gate or transistor logic device, or discrete hardware component, the memory (storage module) can be integrated into the processor.

[0331] It should also be noted that the memory described herein is intended to include, but is not limited to, these and any other suitable types of memory.

[0332] Referring to Figure 9, as an example, Figure 9 is a schematic diagram of a chip system 900 provided in an embodiment of this application. The chip system 900 (or may also be referred to as a processing system) includes logic circuitry 910 and an input / output interface 920.

[0333] The logic circuit 910 can be a processing circuit in the chip system 900. The logic circuit 910 can be coupled to a memory unit, calling instructions from the memory unit, enabling the chip system 900 to implement the methods and functions of the embodiments of this application. The input / output interface 920 can be an input / output circuit in the chip system 900, outputting processed information from the chip system 900, or inputting data or signaling information to be processed into the chip system 900 for processing.

[0334] As one approach, the chip system 900 is used to implement the operations performed by the communication device (such as a terminal device or a network device) in the various method embodiments described above.

[0335] For example, logic circuit 910 is used to implement processing-related operations performed by a communication device (such as a terminal device or a network device) in the above method embodiments; input / output interface 920 is used to implement sending and / or receiving-related operations performed by a communication device (such as a terminal device or a network device) in the above method embodiments.

[0336] This application also provides a computer-readable storage medium storing a computer program or instructions for implementing the methods executed by a communication device (such as a terminal device or a network device) in the above-described method embodiments. For example, when the computer program or instructions are run on the communication device, the communication device (such as a terminal device or a network device) performs the above-described methods (such as method 500 or method 600).

[0337] This application also provides a computer program product comprising instructions that, when executed by a computer, implement the methods described above as performed by a communication device (such as a terminal device or a network device). For example, when the computer program or instructions are run on the communication device, the communication device (such as a terminal device or a network device) performs the methods described above (such as method 500 or method 600).

[0338] This application also provides a communication system that includes the terminal device and network device described in the preceding embodiments. For example, the system includes the terminal device and network device shown in the embodiment of FIG. 5. As another example, the system includes the terminal device and network device shown in the embodiment of FIG. 6.

[0339] The explanations and beneficial effects of the relevant contents in any of the devices provided above can be found in the corresponding method embodiments provided above, and will not be repeated here.

[0340] In the several embodiments provided in this application, it should be understood that the disclosed apparatus and methods can be implemented in other ways. For example, the apparatus embodiments described above are merely illustrative; for instance, the division of units is only a logical functional division, and in actual implementation, there may be other division methods. For example, multiple units or components may be combined or integrated into another system, or some features may be ignored or not executed. Furthermore, the mutual coupling or direct coupling or communication connection shown or discussed may be through some interfaces, and the indirect coupling or communication connection of apparatus or units may be electrical, mechanical, or other forms.

[0341] 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 instructions. When the computer program instructions are loaded and executed on a computer, all or part of the processes or functions described in the embodiments of this application are generated. The computer can be a general-purpose computer, a special-purpose computer, a computer network, or other programmable device. For example, the computer can be a personal computer, a server, or a network device, etc. The computer instructions can be stored in a computer-readable storage medium or transmitted from one computer-readable storage medium to another. For example, the computer instructions can be transmitted from one website, computer, server, or data center to another website, computer, server, or data center via wired (e.g., coaxial cable, fiber optic, digital subscriber line (DSL)) or wireless (e.g., infrared, wireless, microwave, etc.) 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 media can be magnetic media (e.g., floppy disks, hard disks, magnetic tapes), optical media (e.g., DVDs), or semiconductor media (e.g., solid-state disks, SSDs). For example, the aforementioned available media include, but are not limited to, USB flash drives, portable hard drives, read-only memory (ROM), random access memory (RAM), magnetic disks, or optical disks, and other media capable of storing program code.

[0342] The above description is merely a specific embodiment of this application, but the scope of protection of this application is not limited thereto. Any variations or substitutions that can be easily conceived by those skilled in the art within the technical scope disclosed in this application should be included within the scope of protection of this application. Therefore, the scope of protection of this application should be determined by the scope of the claims.

Claims

1. A communication method characterized by comprising: The method comprises: transmitting a first type of multipath component (MPC) based on a first physical channel; transmitting a second type of MPC based on a second physical channel, the first type of MPC and the second type of MPC being used to jointly determine channel information.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein: the first physical channel is any one of the following: a physical uplink control channel, a physical uplink shared channel, and a physical random access channel; and / or the second physical channel is any one of the following: a physical uplink control channel, a physical uplink shared channel, and a physical random access channel.

3. The method according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that, the first physical channel and the second physical channel are physical channels of the same type, and the first physical channel and the second physical channel correspond to different time domain resources.

4. The method of any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein: the first type of MPC comprises R1 types of MPC, the second type of MPC comprises R2 types of MPC, the R1 types of MPC comprise at least one type of MPC that is different from the R2 types of MPC, and R1 and R2 are integers greater than 1 or equal to 1; the first type of MPC comprises P1 types of MPC, the second type of MPC comprises P2 types of MPC, the P1 types of MPC comprise at least one type of MPC that is different from the P2 types of MPC, and P1 and P2 are integers greater than 1 or equal to 1.

5. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 4, characterized in that, the first type of MPC comprises a first type of MPC, the second type of MPC comprises a second type of MPC, and the first type of MPC and the second type of MPC satisfy at least one of the following: an intensity of the first type of MPC is greater than an intensity of the second type of MPC; the intensity of the first type of MPC is greater than a first threshold value; the intensity of the second type of MPC is less than a second threshold value; a time delay of the first type of MPC is less than a time delay of the second type of MPC; the time delay of the first type of MPC is less than a third threshold value; the time delay of the second type of MPC is greater than a fourth threshold value.

6. The method of claim 4, wherein, The method further comprises: receiving first indication information, the first indication information indicating the first type of MPC and / or the second type of MPC.

7. The method of claim 6, wherein, The first indication information indicates at least one of the following: a number of types of MPC, a number of types of MPC, a condition satisfied by the first type of MPC, and a condition satisfied by the second type of MPC.

8. The method of any one of claims 5 to 7, wherein: the transmitting the first type of MPC based on the first physical channel comprises transmitting MPC of at least one type of MPC in the first type of MPC based on the first physical channel; and / or the transmitting the second type of MPC based on the second physical channel comprises transmitting MPC of at least one type of MPC in the second type of MPC based on the second physical channel.

9. The method according to any one of claims 5 to 8, characterized in that, The method further comprises: transmitting indication information of the number of types of MPC based on the first physical channel; and / or transmitting indication information of the number of types of MPC based on the second physical channel.

10. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 9, characterized in that, The priority of the MPC type of the first type of MPC is higher than the priority of the MPC type of the second type of MPC.

11. The method of claim 10, wherein, The method further comprises: receiving second indication information, the second indication information indicating the MPC type of the first type of MPC and / or the MPC type of the second type of MPC.

12. The method of claim 11, wherein: The second indication information indicates at least one of: an MPC type of the first type of MPC, a number of MPC types of the first type of MPC, an MPC type of the second type of MPC, a number of MPC types of the second type of MPC, one of S indexes; Different indexes in the S indexes correspond to different MPC type combinations, the MPC type combination represents a combination of the MPC type of the first type of MPC and the MPC type of the second type of MPC, and S is an integer greater than 1.

13. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 12, characterized in that, The method further includes: receiving third indication information, the third indication information indicating at least one of: the first type of MPC corresponding to the first physical channel, the second type of MPC corresponding to the second physical channel.

14. A communication method, comprising: The method includes: receiving a first type of multipath component (MPC) based on a first physical channel; receiving a second type of MPC based on a second physical channel, the first type of MPC and the second type of MPC being used to jointly determine channel information.

15. The method of claim 14, wherein: The first physical channel is any one of: a physical uplink control channel, a physical uplink shared channel, and a physical random access channel; and / or The second physical channel is any one of: a physical uplink control channel, a physical uplink shared channel, and a physical random access channel.

16. The method according to claim 14 or 15, characterized in that The first physical channel and the second physical channel are physical channels of the same type, and the first physical channel and the second physical channel correspond to different time domain resources.

17. The method of any one of claims 14-16, wherein: The first type of MPC includes R1 MPCs, the second type of MPC includes R2 MPCs, the R1 MPCs include at least one MPC different from the R2 MPCs, and R1 and R2 are integers greater than 1 or equal to 1; The first type of MPC includes P1 MPCs, the second type of MPC includes P2 MPCs, the P1 MPCs include at least one type of MPC different from the P2 MPCs, and P1 and P2 are integers greater than 1 or equal to 1.

18. The method according to any one of claims 14 to 17, characterized in that, The first type of MPC includes a first type of MPC, and the second type of MPC includes a second type of MPC, the first type of MPC and the second type of MPC satisfying at least one of: The intensity of the first type of MPC is greater than the intensity of the second type of MPC; The intensity of the first type of MPC is greater than a first threshold value; The intensity of the second type of MPC is less than a second threshold value; The time delay of the first type of MPC is less than the time delay of the second type of MPC; The time delay of the first type of MPC is less than a third threshold value; The time delay of the second type of MPC is greater than a fourth threshold value.

19. The method of claim 18, wherein, The method further includes: sending first indication information, the first indication information indicating the first type of MPC and / or the second type of MPC.

20. The method of claim 19, wherein, The first indication information indicates at least one of: a number of paths included in the first type of MPC, a number of paths included in the second type of MPC, a condition satisfied by the first type of MPC, and a condition satisfied by the second type of MPC.

21. The method of any one of claims 18-20, wherein: The receiving the first-type MPC based on the first physical channel comprises receiving MPCs of at least one path in the first paths based on the first physical channel; and / or, The receiving the second-type MPC based on the second physical channel comprises receiving MPCs of at least one path in the second paths based on the second physical channel.

22. The method of any one of claims 18-21, wherein, The method further comprises: receiving indication information of the number of the first paths based on the first physical channel; and / or, receiving indication information of the number of the second paths based on the second physical channel.

23. The method of any one of claims 14 to 22, wherein, The priority of the MPC type of the first-type MPC is higher than the priority of the MPC type of the second-type MPC.

24. The method of claim 23, wherein, The method further comprises: sending second indication information, the second indication information indicating the MPC type of the first-type MPC and / or the MPC type of the second-type MPC.

25. The method of claim 24, wherein the second indication information indicates at least one of the following: the MPC type of the first-type MPC, the number of the MPC type of the first-type MPC, the MPC type of the second-type MPC, the number of the MPC type of the second-type MPC, one of S indexes; different indexes in the S indexes correspond to different MPC type combinations, the MPC type combination representing a combination of the MPC type of the first-type MPC and the MPC type of the second-type MPC, and S is an integer greater than 1.

26. The method of any one of claims 14 to 25, wherein, The method further comprises: sending third indication information, the third indication information indicating at least one of the following: the physical channel corresponding to the first-type MPC is the first physical channel, and the physical channel corresponding to the second-type MPC is the second physical channel.

27. A communications device, characterized by The apparatus comprises a module or unit for performing the method of any of claims 1-26.

28. A communications device, characterized by The apparatus comprises a processor configured to execute computer programs or instructions in a memory to cause the apparatus to perform the method of any of claims 1-26.

29. A computer-readable storage medium, characterized in that, The computer readable storage medium has stored thereon computer programs or instructions which, when executed on a communication apparatus, cause the communication apparatus to perform the method of any of claims 1-26.

30. A computer program product, characterised in that, The computer program product comprises computer programs or instructions for performing the method of any of claims 1-26. The computer program product comprises computer programs or instruction for performing the method of any of claims 1-26.

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