Channel estimation method and apparatus

Abstract

The present application relates to the field of communications, and provides a channel estimation method and apparatus. The method comprises: a communication apparatus determining information about a first channel, the first channel being one or more channels that interfere with a communication signal; and performing correlation comparison on the information about the first channel and channel feature information of a plurality of sub-regions comprised in a channel map, to obtain channel feature information corresponding to a first sub-region. Thus, the channel feature information is obtained by using the channel map, which is helpful to improve the accuracy of channel estimation, thereby facilitating the removal of interference caused by the first channel.

Description

Channel estimation method and apparatus

[0001] This application claims priority to Chinese Patent Application No. 202411999573.X, filed with the China National Intellectual Property Administration on December 31, 2024, entitled “Channel Estimation Method and Apparatus”, the entire contents of which are incorporated herein by reference. Technical Field

[0002] This application relates to the field of communications, and in particular to a channel estimation method and apparatus. Background Technology

[0003] A channel map can be understood as a database that stores channel characteristic information. Currently, channel maps can be used to assist communication.

[0004] For example, during communication between network devices and terminal devices, network devices can estimate the communication channel and match the estimation results with the channel map to obtain more accurate channel characteristic information, thereby improving the accuracy of channel estimation and assisting subsequent communication.

[0005] However, during the communication process between network devices and terminal devices, if there is uplink or downlink interference, the accuracy of channel estimation may still be low. Summary of the Invention

[0006] This application provides a channel estimation method and apparatus, which helps to improve the accuracy of channel estimation.

[0007] Firstly, a channel estimation method is provided. This method can be executed by a network-side communication device, or by other entities, without limitation in this application. The network-side communication device can be a service unit (SU), a map management function (MMF) network element, or a central unit (CU). The network-side communication device can also be a network element, or software, functional modules, communication modules, chips, chip systems, or circuits within a network element (such as modem chips, also known as baseband chips, or SoC chips or SIP chips containing modem cores). For ease of description, a communication device will be used as an example below.

[0008] The method may include: determining information about a first channel, wherein the first channel is one or more channels that interfere with the communication signal; and comparing the information about the first channel with the channel feature information of multiple sub-regions included in the channel map to obtain the channel feature information corresponding to the first sub-region.

[0009] The channel estimation method provided in this application compares the information of the first channel with the channel feature information corresponding to multiple sub-regions in the channel map to obtain the channel feature information corresponding to the first sub-region. In this way, using the channel map to obtain the channel feature information is beneficial to improving the accuracy of channel estimation.

[0010] In one possible implementation, the first channel is used to transmit signals to the first network device, and the channel map includes channel feature information from the first sub-region to the first network device.

[0011] The terminal equipment in the first sub-region is the source of interference. In this way, the channel map includes the channel characteristic information of the interference source, which is beneficial to obtaining accurate channel characteristic information.

[0012] In one possible implementation, the first channel is used for the second network device to send signals to the terminal device, and the signal spectrum includes channel characteristic information from the second network device to the terminal device.

[0013] The second network device is the source of the interference signal. In this way, the channel map includes channel characteristic information of the interference signal source, which is beneficial for obtaining accurate channel characteristic information.

[0014] In one possible implementation, the method further includes: sending first information to a second network device, the first information being used to request a channel map; and receiving second information from the second network device, the second information being used to indicate the channel map. This facilitates obtaining the channel map.

[0015] In one possible implementation, the first information is further used to indicate a first region, which corresponds to multiple sub-regions. Among these sub-regions, one sub-region indicates the location of the terminal device, and the first region corresponds to a channel map. This facilitates the acquisition of the channel map.

[0016] In one possible implementation, the channel feature information corresponding to the first sub-region is obtained by comparing its correlation with the channel feature information of multiple sub-regions included in the channel map. This includes: comparing the correlation of the first channel information with the channel feature information of multiple sub-regions included in the channel map to obtain the index value of the first sub-region; and obtaining the channel feature information corresponding to the first sub-region based on the index value of the first sub-region. This method is beneficial for obtaining the channel feature information corresponding to the first sub-region.

[0017] In one possible implementation, the channel feature information corresponding to the first sub-region includes one or more of the following: information for describing channel characteristics, information for simplifying channel processing and signal processing, or information for signal processing and optimization; wherein, the information for describing channel characteristics includes one or more of channel statistical covariance, angle spectrum, time delay spectrum, or path loss; the information for simplifying channel processing and signal processing includes spatial domain vectors and / or frequency domain vectors; the information for signal processing and optimization includes one or more of multipath information, feature vectors, basis vectors, or first coefficients, wherein the basis vectors and first coefficients are used to determine the feature vectors.

[0018] In one possible implementation, the multipath information includes one or more of the following: time delay, angle, power, Doppler, polarization, or the number of paths.

[0019] In one possible implementation, determining information about the first channel includes receiving information about the first channel.

[0020] In one possible implementation, the method further includes receiving a channel map.

[0021] In one possible implementation, the method further includes receiving one or more of the following: the number of feature vectors, the dimension of the feature vectors, the type of the feature vectors, the dimension of the basis vectors, or the number of basis vectors.

[0022] In one possible implementation, the method further includes: receiving a first identifier; wherein, if the first channel is used to transmit a signal to a first network device, the first identifier includes the identifier of the cell to which the first sub-area belongs; or, if the first channel is used to transmit a signal to a second network device, the first identifier includes the identifier of the second network device. This facilitates obtaining more interference information.

[0023] Secondly, a channel estimation method is provided. This method can be executed by a terminal-side communication device, or by other entities, without limitation in this application. The terminal-side communication device can be a terminal device, or software, functional modules, communication modules, chips, chip systems, or circuits within the terminal device (such as modem chips, also known as baseband chips, or system-on-chip (SoC) chips or system-in-package (SIP) chips containing modem cores), etc. For ease of description, a terminal device will be used as an example below.

[0024] The method may include: receiving channel feature information corresponding to a first sub-region, wherein the channel feature information corresponding to the first sub-region is obtained by comparing the information of a first channel with the channel feature information of multiple sub-regions included in the channel map, and the first channel is one or more channels that cause interference to the communication signal; and estimating the interference of the first channel based on the channel feature information corresponding to the first sub-region. This helps to improve the probability of removing interference caused by the channel.

[0025] In one possible implementation, the method includes: receiving configuration information of a reference signal; and determining information of a first channel based on the configuration information of the reference signal.

[0026] Thirdly, a communication apparatus is provided for executing the method in any of the possible implementations of the above aspects. Specifically, the communication apparatus includes a module for executing the method in any of the possible implementations of the above aspects.

[0027] Fourthly, this application provides another communication device, including a processor coupled to a memory, which can be used to execute instructions in the memory to implement the methods in any of the possible implementations of the foregoing aspects. Optionally, the communication device further includes a memory. Optionally, the communication device further includes a communication interface, to which the processor is coupled.

[0028] In one implementation, the communication device is a terminal device or a network element. When the communication device is a terminal device or a network element, the communication interface can be a transceiver or an input / output interface.

[0029] In another implementation, the communication device is a chip applicable to a terminal device or a network element. When the communication device is a chip applicable to a terminal device or a network element, the aforementioned communication interface can be an input / output interface.

[0030] Fifthly, a processor is provided, comprising: an input circuit, an output circuit, and a processing circuit. The processing circuit is used to receive signals through the input circuit and transmit signals through the output circuit, causing the processor to execute the method in any possible implementation of the above aspects.

[0031] In the specific implementation process, the processor can be a chip, the input circuit can be an input pin, the output circuit can be an output pin, and the processing circuit can be a transistor, gate circuit, flip-flop, and various logic circuits. The input signal received by the input circuit can be received and input by, for example, but not limited to, a receiver, and the signal output by the output circuit can be output to, for example, but not limited to, a transmitter and transmitted by the transmitter. Furthermore, the input circuit and the output circuit can be the same circuit, which is used as the input circuit and the output circuit at different times. This application does not limit the specific implementation of the processor and various circuits.

[0032] Sixthly, a communication device is provided, including a processor. The processor can receive signals via a receiver and transmit signals via a transmitter to execute the methods in any of the possible implementations of the foregoing aspects. The communication device may have one or more processors.

[0033] Optionally, the communication device may further include a memory. The processor can be used to read instructions stored in the memory and can receive signals via a receiver and transmit signals via a transmitter to execute the methods in any of the possible implementations of the above aspects. The memory may consist of one or more units.

[0034] Alternatively, the memory can be integrated with the processor, or the memory can be set up separately from the processor.

[0035] In the specific implementation process, the memory can be a non-transitory memory, such as read-only memory (ROM), which can be integrated with the processor on the same chip or set on different chips. This application does not limit the type of memory or the way the memory and processor are set.

[0036] It should be understood that the relevant data interaction process, such as sending instruction information, can be a process of outputting instruction information from the processor, and receiving capability information can be a process of the processor receiving input capability information. Specifically, the processed output data can be output to the transmitter, and the input data received by the processor can come from the receiver. Here, the transmitter and receiver can be collectively referred to as transceivers.

[0037] The communication device in the sixth aspect above can be a chip. The processor can be implemented in hardware or software. When implemented in hardware, the processor can be a logic circuit, integrated circuit, etc. When implemented in software, the processor can be a general-purpose processor that reads software code stored in memory. The memory can be integrated into the processor or located outside the processor and exist independently.

[0038] In a seventh aspect, a computer program product is provided, comprising: a computer program (also referred to as code or instructions) that, when run, causes a computer to perform a method in any of the possible implementations of the foregoing aspects.

[0039] Eighthly, a computer-readable storage medium is provided that stores a computer program (also referred to as code or instructions) that, when executed on a computer, causes the computer to perform the methods in any of the possible implementations of the foregoing aspects.

[0040] It should be understood that the third to eighth aspects of this application correspond to the technical solutions of the first and second aspects of this application, and the beneficial effects achieved by each aspect and the corresponding feasible implementation are similar, and will not be repeated here. Attached Figure Description

[0041] Figure 1 is a schematic diagram of the interaction between core network equipment and access network equipment;

[0042] Figure 2 is a schematic diagram of an access network device;

[0043] Figure 3 is a schematic diagram of different levels of areas;

[0044] Figure 4 is a schematic diagram of a communication system applicable to an embodiment of this application;

[0045] Figure 5 is a schematic diagram of a communication system with uplink or downlink interference;

[0046] Figure 6 is a schematic flowchart of a channel estimation method provided in an embodiment of this application;

[0047] Figures 7 to 9 are schematic interactive diagrams of the channel estimation method provided in the embodiments of this application;

[0048] Figures 10 and 11 are schematic block diagrams of a communication device provided in an embodiment of this application;

[0049] Figure 12 is a schematic diagram of an O-RAN system provided in an embodiment of this application;

[0050] Figure 13 is a schematic diagram of a RAN device provided in an embodiment of this application. Detailed Implementation

[0051] The technical solutions in the embodiments of this application will now be described with reference to the accompanying drawings.

[0052] In the embodiments of this application, the terms "first" and "second" are used to distinguish identical or similar items with essentially the same function and purpose. For example, "first network device" and "second network device" are used only to distinguish different network devices and do not limit their order of execution. Those skilled in the art will understand that the terms "first" and "second" do not limit the quantity or execution order, and that "first" and "second" do not necessarily imply that they are different.

[0053] It should be noted that, in the embodiments of this application, the words "exemplarily" or "for example" are used to indicate examples, illustrations, or explanations. Any embodiment or design scheme described as "exemplarily" or "for example" in this application should not be construed as being more preferred or advantageous than other embodiments or design schemes. Specifically, the use of the words "exemplarily" or "for example" is intended to present the relevant concepts in a specific manner.

[0054] In this application embodiment, "at least one" refers to one or more, and "more than one" refers to two or more. "And / or" describes the relationship between related objects, indicating that three relationships can exist. For example, A and / or B can represent: A alone, A and B simultaneously, or B alone, where A and B can be singular or plural. The character " / " generally indicates that the preceding and following related objects are in an "or" relationship. "At least one of the following" or similar expressions refer to any combination of these items, including any combination of single or plural items. For example, at least one of a, b, or c can represent: a, b, c, ab, a--c, bc, or abc, where a, b, and c can be single or multiple.

[0055] In the embodiments of this application, the terms and English abbreviations, such as information of the first channel, channel map, channel characteristic information, etc., are all exemplary examples given for ease of description and should not constitute any limitation on this application. This application does not preclude the possibility of defining other terms that can achieve the same or similar functions in existing or future protocols.

[0056] The technical solutions of this application embodiment can be applied to various communication systems, such as: Long Term Evolution (LTE) systems, such as LTE Frequency Division Duplex (FDD) systems and LTE Time Division Duplex (TDD) systems, 5th Generation (5G) systems or New Radio (NR) systems, future communication systems, etc.

[0057] The terminal device involved in the embodiments of this application can also be called a terminal, which can be a device with wireless transceiver capabilities. It can be deployed on land, including indoors or outdoors, handheld or vehicle-mounted; it can also be deployed on water (such as ships); and it can also be deployed in the air (such as airplanes, balloons, and satellites). The terminal device can be user equipment (UE), where UE includes handheld devices, vehicle-mounted devices, wearable devices, or computing devices with wireless communication capabilities. For example, a UE can be a mobile phone, tablet computer, or computer with wireless transceiver capabilities. The terminal device can also be a virtual reality (VR) terminal device, an augmented reality (AR) terminal device, a wireless terminal in industrial control, a wireless terminal in autonomous driving, a wireless terminal in telemedicine, a wireless terminal in a smart grid, a wireless terminal in a smart city, a wireless terminal in a smart home, and so on. In the embodiments of this application, the device used to implement the terminal's functions can be the terminal itself; it can also be a device capable of supporting the terminal in implementing these functions, such as a chip system, which can be installed in the terminal. In this application embodiment, the chip system may be composed of chips, or it may include chips and other discrete devices. In the technical solutions provided in this application embodiment, the device used to implement the functions of the terminal is a terminal, and the terminal is a UE (User Equipment) as an example to describe the technical solutions provided in this application embodiment.

[0058] The network devices involved in the embodiments of this application include access network devices, such as base stations (BS). A BS can be a device deployed in a wireless access network that can wirelessly communicate with terminals. Base stations may take various forms, such as macro base stations, micro base stations, relay stations, and access points. For example, the base station involved in the embodiments of this application can be a 5G base station or an evolved Node B (eNB) in LTE. The 5G base station can also be called a transmission reception point (TRP) or a 5G base station (Next-Generation Node B, gNB). In the embodiments of this application, the apparatus for implementing the functions of the network device can be a network device itself; it can also be an apparatus that supports the network device in implementing the functions, such as a chip system, which can be installed in the network device. In the technical solutions provided in the embodiments of this application, the apparatus for implementing the functions of the network device is a network device, and the network device is a base station, as an example, to describe the technical solutions provided in the embodiments of this application.

[0059] The technical solutions provided in this application can be applied to wireless communication between communication devices. Wireless communication between communication devices can include: wireless communication between network devices and terminals, wireless communication between network devices, and wireless communication between terminals. In this application, the term "wireless communication" can also be abbreviated as "communication," and the term "communication" can also be described as "data transmission," "information transmission," or "transmission."

[0060] To facilitate understanding of the embodiments of this application, the terminology involved in the embodiments of this application will be introduced first.

[0061] 1. Channel sounding

[0062] A channel map can be understood as a database storing channel feature information. This stored channel feature information can be divided using methods such as feature clustering, or it can be related to location information. In one example, the coverage area of ​​a physical cell can be divided into two-dimensional grid points, and the channel feature information corresponding to each grid point can be stored in the form of matrices, vectors, or scalars. Each grid point can represent a specific geographical area, which can be called a region.

[0063] It should be understood that channel characteristic information may include, but is not limited to, one or more of the following: channel statistical covariance matrix information, angle spectrum information, delay spectrum information, or path loss information. Furthermore, channel characteristic information may also be referred to as channel characteristics, channel state information, or channel information, etc. This application does not specifically limit this terminology.

[0064] The channel statistical covariance matrix is ​​a matrix used to describe the statistical characteristics of the channel. It reflects the correlation between channel gains. The elements in the channel statistical covariance matrix are typically the covariances of the channel gains, representing the correlation between different antennas or different subcarriers. This matrix is ​​particularly important in multiple-input multiple-output (MIMO) systems because it can help optimize antenna array design and channel estimation.

[0065] An angular spectrum describes the angle of arrival (AOA) or angle of departure (AOD) of a signal. It reflects the direction of signal propagation in space. An angular spectrum is crucial in beamforming and spatial multiplexing techniques because it helps determine the optimal beam direction to maximize the efficiency of signal reception or transmission.

[0066] The time delay spectrum describes the time delay distribution of a signal along different paths. It reflects the time delay characteristics of each path in a multipath propagation environment. The time delay spectrum is crucial for understanding the multipath effects of a channel and designing a suitable equalizer to counteract delay spread.

[0067] Path loss refers to the power attenuation of a signal during propagation due to factors such as distance and obstacles. It is a key parameter in the channel model, directly affecting the signal coverage and communication quality.

[0068] Currently, with the development of communication technology, the contradictions of increased system bandwidth, more terminal antennas, heavier network load, a surge in wireless channel dimensions, and limited pilot measurement resources are becoming increasingly serious, leading to enormous challenges in high-precision wireless channel measurement. Accurate measurement of wireless channels is the cornerstone of mobile communication network research and is crucial for the design, analysis, and optimization of wireless communication networks.

[0069] To address the limited pilot measurement resources in wireless communication systems, channel maps can be used to achieve low-overhead channel measurements. For example, channel maps can provide candidate beam sets at specific locations, reducing beam scanning overhead in actual communication; channel maps can also provide channel covariance matrices at specific locations, using prior channel covariance matrix information to help reduce the pilot overhead of the sounding reference signal (SRS). Thus, channel maps can be used to assist communication.

[0070] 2. Map Management Function (MMF) network element

[0071] Core network elements responsible for building, managing, and maintaining channel maps.

[0072] For example, as shown in Figure 1, the core network side can be equipped with MMF network elements, access and mobility management function (AMF) network elements, and location management function (LMF) network elements.

[0073] Specifically, AMF network elements can communicate with access network devices through the next-generation core control plane interface (NG-C); MMF network elements can communicate with AMF network elements through network location service interfaces (NLs); and LMF network elements can communicate with AMF network elements through NLs. An AMF network element acts as a router for communication between access network devices and MMF or LMF network elements; MMF network elements can be used to construct and update channel maps; and LMF network elements can be used to estimate the location of terminal devices.

[0074] 3. Service Unit (SU) of Access Network Equipment

[0075] Access network equipment can also be called radio access network (RAN) equipment or open-radio access network (O-RAN) equipment. Units (SUs) can be added to access network equipment to facilitate map management.

[0076] For example, Figure 2 shows a schematic diagram of an access network device. As shown in Figure 2, the access network device can communicate with core network elements and also with terminal devices.

[0077] Access network equipment includes Substations (SUs), Central Units (CUs), Distributed Units (DUs), and Radio Units (RUs). SUs can be used to implement the functions of the aforementioned MMF network elements, and are responsible for building, managing, and maintaining the channel map.

[0078] 4. Precoding vector.

[0079] A precoding matrix can include one or more vectors, such as column vectors. A precoding matrix can be used to determine one or more precoding vectors.

[0080] When the number of spatial layers is 1 and the number of polarization directions of the transmit antenna is also 1, the precoding matrix is ​​the precoding vector. When the number of spatial layers is multiple and the number of polarization directions of the transmit antenna is 1, the precoding vector can refer to the component of the precoding matrix in one spatial layer. When the number of spatial layers is 1 and the number of polarization directions of the transmit antenna is multiple, the precoding vector can refer to the component of the precoding matrix in one polarization direction. When the number of spatial layers is multiple and the number of polarization directions of the transmit antenna is also multiple, the precoding vector can refer to the component of the precoding matrix in one spatial layer and one polarization direction.

[0081] It should be understood that precoding vectors can also be determined by vectors in the precoding matrix, such as by performing mathematical transformations on the vectors in the precoding matrix. This application does not limit the mathematical transformation relationship between the precoding matrix and the precoding vectors.

[0082] 5. Field vector

[0083] Spatial domain vectors, frequency domain vectors, spatial-frequency domain vectors, angle domain vectors, time delay domain vectors, time domain vectors, or Doppler domain vectors used by terminal devices in a communication system to obtain channel state information (CSI).

[0084] In the embodiments of this application, the various domain vectors mentioned above may also be referred to as spatial domain matrix, frequency domain matrix, spatial-frequency domain matrix, angle domain matrix, time delay domain matrix, time domain matrix, or Doppler domain matrix, or the various domain vectors mentioned above may also be referred to as spatial basis, frequency domain basis, spatial-frequency domain basis, angle domain basis, time delay domain basis, time domain basis, or Doppler domain basis, and the embodiments of this application do not limit this.

[0085] 6. Spatial domain vector

[0086] A spatial vector can also be called a spatial component vector, beam vector, spatial beam basis vector, or spatial basis vector, etc. Each element in the spatial vector represents the weight of each antenna port. Based on the weights of each antenna port represented by the elements in the spatial vector, the signals from each antenna port are linearly superimposed to form a region with a strong signal in a certain direction in space.

[0087] The length of the spatial vector can be the number of transmit antenna ports Ns in one polarization direction, where Ns ≥ 1 and is an integer. The spatial vector can be, for example, a column vector or a row vector of length Ns. This application does not impose any limitations on this.

[0088] Optionally, the spatial vector is a discrete Fourier transform (DFT) vector. A DFT vector can refer to a vector within the DFT matrix.

[0089] Optionally, the spatial vector is the conjugate transpose of the DFT vector. The conjugate transpose of the DFT vector can refer to the column vectors in the conjugate transpose of the DFT matrix.

[0090] Optionally, the spatial vector is an oversampled DFT vector. An oversampled DFT vector can refer to a vector within the oversampled DFT matrix.

[0091] In the embodiments of this application, the spatial vector is one of the vectors used to construct the precoding matrix.

[0092] 6. Frequency domain vector

[0093] Frequency domain vectors, also known as frequency domain component vectors or frequency domain basis vectors, can be used to represent the variation of a channel in the frequency domain. Each frequency domain vector can represent a variation pattern. Since a signal can travel from the transmitting antenna to the receiving antenna via multiple paths during wireless transmission, multipath delay leads to frequency-selective fading, which is a variation of the channel in the frequency domain. Therefore, different frequency domain vectors can be used to represent the variation of the channel in the frequency domain caused by delays along different transmission paths.

[0094] The length of the frequency domain vector can be denoted as Nf, where Nf is a positive integer. The frequency domain vector can be, for example, a column vector or row vector of length Nf. The length of the frequency domain vector can be determined by the number of frequency domain units to be reported pre-configured in the reporting bandwidth, or by the length of the reporting bandwidth, or by a protocol-defined value. This application does not limit the length of the frequency domain vector. The reporting bandwidth, for example, can refer to the CSI reporting bandwidth (csi-ReportingBand) carried in the pre-configured CSI reporting in higher-layer signaling.

[0095] The frequency domain vectors corresponding to all spatial vectors for each spatial layer can be called the frequency domain vectors corresponding to that spatial layer. The frequency domain vectors corresponding to each spatial layer can be the same or different.

[0096] 8. Two-level localization and matching scheme for the map

[0097] In the two-level localization matching scheme, "two levels" can be understood as two levels of regions. For example, referring to Figure 3, the coverage area of ​​a network device can be divided according to different granularities. For instance, the coverage area can be divided into multiple regions with a larger granularity, such as 50m × 50m, including regions 301, 302, and 303. Alternatively, the coverage area can be divided into multiple sub-regions with a smaller granularity, such as 5m × 5m. Each region can include multiple sub-regions; for example, region 301 includes sub-regions 3011 and 3012.

[0098] Each region and each subregion can be identified by a unique index.

[0099] It should be understood that in the embodiments of this application, "region" and "sub-region" can be understood as two different levels of regions. A region can also be referred to as a first-level region, and a sub-region can also be referred to as a second-level region. This application does not specifically limit the names of regions and sub-regions.

[0100] In the two-level localization matching scheme of the map, the two-level localization matching method is used to realize map-assisted communication.

[0101] For example, firstly, the network device can perform first-level positioning of the terminal device, which is used to obtain the area where the terminal device is located. The granularity of the area is larger than that of the sub-area, so first-level positioning can also be called coarse positioning. For example, the network device can perform coarse positioning of the terminal device through fingerprint positioning or twin environment + ray tracing (RT) to determine the area where the terminal device is located.

[0102] Then, the network device acquires the spectral vectors corresponding to all sub-regions within the region, and matches the measured channel feature information with the spectral vectors corresponding to each sub-region to determine the sub-region where the terminal device is located. The spectral vectors can be, but are not limited to, spatial or frequency domain vectors.

[0103] For example, the terminal device can determine the channel feature vector v based on the pilot signal or reference signal. i and based on v i And the spectral vectors corresponding to all sub-regions in the region where the terminal device is located are used to calculate the correlation between the channel feature information corresponding to the terminal device and the spectral vector corresponding to each sub-region. Wherein, this correlation R... p The following formula can be satisfied:

[0104] Wherein, the channel feature vector v i The i-th column of the channel feature information corresponding to the terminal device is represented by μi, which can be a spatial vector or a frequency vector, etc. i The correlation with the spectral vector corresponding to each sub-region, i∈{1,2,3}.

[0105] μi satisfies the formula: in, For v i The conjugate transpose of G, where G is a matrix calculated based on the spectral vector of each sub-region, and G satisfies the formula: G = U × U H Where U is the matrix formed by the first three eigenvectors in the spectral vector corresponding to each sub-region. H It is the conjugate transpose of U.

[0106] In this way, the terminal device can calculate the correlation between the channel feature information corresponding to the terminal device and the spectral vector corresponding to each sub-region in the region.

[0107] It is understandable that in wireless communication systems, the correlation between channel feature information can represent the dependence or similarity between the characteristics of different channel paths. Therefore, for a sub-region closer to the terminal device, the correlation between its corresponding spectral vector and the channel feature information corresponding to the terminal device is greater. Thus, the sub-region where the terminal device is located can be the sub-region corresponding to the spectral vector with the highest correlation.

[0108] For example, referring to Figure 3, assuming that the terminal device is located in region 301 through the first-level positioning, the terminal device calculates the correlation between the channel feature information corresponding to the terminal device and the spectral vector corresponding to each sub-region in region 301. If the correlation between the channel feature information corresponding to the terminal device and the spectral vector corresponding to sub-region 3011 in region 301 is the greatest, then it can be determined that the terminal device is located in sub-region 3011.

[0109] A channel map can include channel feature information corresponding to multiple regions. Each region can be identified using specific indication information (such as an index or ID). When a terminal device enters a region, it can use the channel feature information corresponding to that region stored in the channel map to assist in communication.

[0110] To facilitate understanding of the embodiments of this application, the communication system applicable to the embodiments of this application will be described in detail first with reference to FIG4 and FIG5.

[0111] Figure 4 is a schematic diagram of a communication system applicable to an embodiment of this application. The communication system may include a core network, at least one access network device, such as the access network device shown in Figure 4, and at least one terminal device, such as terminal 410, terminal 420, terminal 430, terminal 440, terminal 450, and terminal 460 shown in Figure 4.

[0112] The core network side may include at least one core network device, such as AMF, MMF, and LMF network elements. AMF, MMF, and LMF network elements may be integrated into one device or may be separate devices.

[0113] The access network equipment can transmit data with the core network equipment on the core network side. Furthermore, the access network equipment can provide communication coverage for a specific geographical area and can establish wireless link communication with terminal devices located within that coverage area (cell). For example, terminals 410, 420, 430, 440, 450, and 460 can be located within the coverage area of ​​the access network equipment; these six terminals can be fixed or mobile. The access network equipment can communicate with terminals 410, 420, 430, 440, 450, and 460 respectively.

[0114] For example, the six terminal devices 410 to 460 can send uplink data to the access network device, and correspondingly, the access network device receives uplink data from the six terminal devices. The access network device can also send downlink data to the six terminal devices, and correspondingly, the six terminal devices can receive downlink data from the access network device.

[0115] Furthermore, terminals 440, 450, and 460 included in the communication system can also form a communication system. This communication system does not include network equipment; for example, it is a vehicle-to-everything (V2X) system. In this communication system, terminals can communicate with each other, that is, terminals 440, 450, and 460 can communicate with each other, and terminals 440 and 450 can also communicate with each other.

[0116] Figure 4 exemplarily illustrates an access network device, an access network device, and six terminal devices. Optionally, the communication system may also include multiple network devices, and / or more or fewer terminal devices. This application does not limit the scope of the embodiments.

[0117] Each communication device in the aforementioned communication system can be configured with multiple antennas. These multiple antennas may include at least one transmitting antenna for transmitting signals and at least one receiving antenna for receiving signals. Additionally, each communication device also includes a transmitter chain and a receiver chain, which, as will be understood by those skilled in the art, may include multiple components related to signal transmission and reception (e.g., processors, modulators, multiplexers, demodulators, demultiplexers, or antennas). Therefore, access network devices and terminal devices can communicate via multi-antenna technology.

[0118] Optionally, the above-mentioned communication system may also include other network entities such as network controllers and mobility management entities, and the embodiments of this application are not limited thereto.

[0119] It should also be understood that the methods provided in the embodiments of this application can be applied to a variety of communication systems, including 5G new radio (NR) systems. The communication systems are only examples, and this application does not limit the specific architecture of the applicable system, nor does it limit the number and form of various devices contained in each communication system.

[0120] In the aforementioned communication system, channel maps can be used to assist communication between access network equipment and terminal equipment during the communication process.

[0121] For example, terminal device 410 sends an uplink signal to access network device. Access network device can perform channel estimation based on SRS to obtain the channel estimation result. Access network device is equipped with SU, which can match the channel estimation result with the channel map to obtain channel feature information that matches the channel estimation result. The channel feature information that matches the channel estimation result can be used to assist subsequent communication.

[0122] For example, when an access network device sends a downlink signal to a terminal device 410, the access network device can perform channel estimation based on the channel state information-reference signal (CSI-RS) to obtain the channel estimation result. The access network device has a Subsystem (SU) deployed on it, which can match the channel estimation result with the channel map to obtain channel feature information that matches the channel estimation result. This matched channel feature information can be used to assist subsequent communication.

[0123] However, during the communication process between access network equipment and terminal equipment, there may be uplink interference and / or downlink interference, which can reduce the accuracy of channel estimation.

[0124] For example, Figure 5 illustrates a schematic diagram of a communication system experiencing uplink or downlink interference. As shown in Figure 5, the example uses a base station as the access network device. The communication system includes base station 510, base station 520, terminal 530, and terminal 540.

[0125] In one example, as shown in Figure 5a, terminal 530 sends an uplink signal to base station 510, and terminal 540 sends an uplink signal to base station 520. The uplink signals sent by terminal 530 and terminal 540 may occupy some or all of the same time-frequency resources, causing base station 510 to receive the uplink signal sent by terminal 540. This results in interference in the uplink signal received by base station 510, affecting the estimation of the uplink channel, and thus affecting the demodulation of the signal and reducing the communication quality.

[0126] In another example, as shown in Figure 5b, base station 510 sends downlink signals to terminal 530, and base station 520 sends downlink signals to terminal 540. The downlink signals sent by base station 510 and base station 520 may occupy some or all of the same time-frequency resources, causing terminal 530 to receive the downlink signal sent by base station 520. This results in interference in the downlink signal received by terminal 530, affecting the estimation of the downlink channel, and thus affecting the demodulation of the signal and reducing the communication quality.

[0127] In the scenario shown in Figure 5a above, the uplink signal sent by terminal 530 can be called a useful signal, and the uplink signal sent by terminal 540 can be called an interference signal. In the scenario shown in Figure 5b above, the downlink signal sent by terminal device 510 can be called a useful signal, and the downlink signal sent by base station 520 can be called an interference signal.

[0128] Currently, when using channel maps for assisted communication, channel estimation is only performed on useful signals, and the channel estimation results are matched with the channel map without considering interference signals, resulting in low channel estimation accuracy.

[0129] Based on this, embodiments of this application provide a channel estimation method that matches the estimated information of the interfering channel with the channel spectrum to obtain channel feature information, which helps to improve the accuracy of channel estimation.

[0130] In the embodiments of this application, the functions of the base station can be executed by modules (such as chips) within the base station, or by a control subsystem that includes base station functions. This control subsystem, including base station functions, can be a control center in the aforementioned application scenarios such as smart grids, industrial control, intelligent transportation, and smart cities. Similarly, the functions of the terminal can be executed by modules (such as chips or modems) within the terminal, or by a device that includes terminal functions. For ease of description, the methods of the embodiments of this application will be described in detail below using network devices and terminal devices as examples of the execution entities.

[0131] It should be understood that the terminal device can be the terminal device itself, or a chip, chip system, or processor that supports the terminal device in implementing the methods provided in the embodiments of this application, or a logic module or software that can implement all or part of the terminal device; the network device can be the network device itself, or a chip, chip system, or processor that supports the network device in implementing the methods provided in the embodiments of this application, or a logic module or software that can implement all or part of the network device, and this application does not specifically limit it in this regard.

[0132] To better understand the embodiments of this application, the methods provided by the embodiments of this application will be described in detail below with reference to Figures 6 to 9. The embodiments shown in this application illustrate the methods provided by the embodiments of this application from the perspective of device interaction. The specific forms and quantities of the devices shown are merely examples and should not constitute any limitation on the implementation of the methods provided by the embodiments of this application.

[0133] For example, Figure 6 shows a schematic flowchart of a channel estimation method provided in an embodiment of this application. This method can be applied to the communication system shown in Figure 5 above, but the embodiments of this application are not limited thereto. This method can be executed by a network device, CU, SU, or MMF, and the embodiments of this application do not limit this. The embodiments of this application use a communication device as an example for illustration.

[0134] As shown in Figure 6, the method may include the following steps:

[0135] S601. The communication device determines information about a first channel, wherein the first channel is one or more channels that interfere with the communication signal.

[0136] Communication signals can be understood as useful signals, which are uplink or downlink signals transmitted between the serving cell and the serving terminal. For example, in the example shown in Figure 5a above, the communication signal can be an uplink signal sent by terminal 530 to base station 510. In the example shown in Figure 5b above, the communication signal can be a downlink signal sent by base station 510 to terminal 530.

[0137] The first channel, also known as the interference channel, is used to transmit interference signals, which are signals that interfere with the communication signals. There can be one or more interference signals, therefore the first channel can be one or more, depending on the number of interference signals.

[0138] For example, in the example shown in Figure 5a above, the uplink signal sent by terminal 540 to base station 510 is an interference signal, and the first channel can be the channel for transmitting the interference signal. In the example shown in Figure 5b above, the downlink signal sent by base station 520 to terminal 530 is an interference signal, and the first channel can be the channel for transmitting the interference signal.

[0139] The information for the first channel is used to represent the estimation result obtained by performing channel estimation on the first channel. For ease of understanding and explanation, channel A is used as an example of the first channel. In some examples, the information for channel A can be obtained by performing channel estimation using a reference signal. It can be understood that the reference signal used to estimate channel A can be a reference signal transmitted through channel A.

[0140] For example, in the example shown in Figure 5a above, the uplink signal sent by terminal 540 to base station 510 is an interference signal, and channel A can be the channel transmitting this interference signal. The reference signal transmitted on channel A can be used for channel estimation on channel A. In some examples, the reference signal transmitted on channel A can be an SRS (Self-Reference Signal).

[0141] In the example shown in Figure 5b above, the downlink signal sent by base station 520 to terminal 530 is an interference signal, and channel A can be the channel transmitting this interference signal. The reference signal transmitted on channel A can be used for channel estimation of channel A. In some examples, the reference signal transmitted on channel A can be CSI-RS.

[0142] The information about the first channel is merely a name example. In other examples, it may also be referred to as the estimation result of the first channel or the channel estimation result of the first channel, etc. This application does not limit this.

[0143] There are several possible ways for a communication device to determine the information of the first channel.

[0144] In one possible implementation, the communication device is a network device. The network device can acquire configuration information related to the reference signal and perform channel estimation on the first channel based on the configuration information related to the reference signal to obtain information about the first channel.

[0145] In another possible implementation, the communication device is a CU. The DU can acquire configuration information related to the reference signal and perform channel estimation on the first channel based on the configuration information to obtain the information of the first channel. The DU can send the information of the first channel to the CU, and correspondingly, the CU can obtain the information of the first channel.

[0146] In another possible implementation, the communication device is SU. DU can acquire configuration information related to the reference signal and perform channel estimation on the first channel based on this information to obtain the information of the first channel. DU can send the information of the first channel to SU through CU, and correspondingly, SU can obtain the information of the first channel. That is, the transmission path of the information of the first channel is DU→CU→SU.

[0147] In another possible implementation, the communication device is an MMF (Multi-channel Filter). In one example, the DU (Digital Unit) can acquire reference signal-related configuration information and perform channel estimation on the first channel based on this information to obtain the first channel information. The DU can send the first channel information to the MMF through the CU (Digital Unit), and correspondingly, the MMF can obtain the first channel information. That is, the transmission path of the first channel information is DU→CU→MMF. In another example, the network device can receive reference signal-related configuration information and perform channel estimation on the first channel based on this information to obtain the first channel information. The network device can send the first channel information to the MMF, and correspondingly, the MMF can obtain the first channel information.

[0148] In this way, the information of the first channel can be determined in different scenarios, which provides greater flexibility.

[0149] The embodiments of this application can be applied to uplink interference scenarios or downlink interference scenarios. In the uplink interference scenario, the interference of the first channel to the communication signal can be understood as the interference of neighboring users to the local base station. The configuration information related to the reference signal transmitted by the first channel can be configured by the neighboring base station to the neighboring users. Therefore, the local base station or the DU of the local base station can request the configuration information of the reference signal from the neighboring base station in order to perform channel estimation for the first channel.

[0150] In downlink interference scenarios, the interference of the first channel on communication signals can be understood as interference from neighboring base stations to local users. The configuration information related to the reference signal transmitted on the first channel can be configured by the neighboring base station for its users. Therefore, the local base station or its DU can request the configuration information of the reference signal from the neighboring base station. After obtaining the configuration information of the reference signal, the local base station can send the configuration information of the reference signal to its users. The local users can perform channel estimation on the first channel based on the configuration information of the reference signal, obtain the information of the first channel, and send the information of the first channel to the local base station or its DU.

[0151] S602. The communication device compares the information of the first channel with the channel feature information of multiple sub-regions included in the channel map to obtain the channel feature information corresponding to the first sub-region.

[0152] The first channel can be called the interference channel, and the channel map can also be called the interference map. It can help the communication device to make more accurate channel estimation for the first channel. The channel map can be preset in the communication device or obtained from other communication devices. This application embodiment does not limit this.

[0153] For example, in uplink interference scenarios, the channel map can be preset in the communication device. In downlink interference scenarios, the communication device can receive the channel map. For example, the communication device is a CU, which can receive channel maps from a SU or MMF.

[0154] In some examples, a sub-region may also be called a small grid, and a region may also be called a large grid; this application does not limit this. The channel map may include channel feature information of multiple sub-regions, and multiple sub-regions may correspond to multiple regions. The relationship between sub-regions and regions may be many-to-one, that is, one region may correspond to multiple sub-regions.

[0155] Correlation can also be referred to as the degree of correlation or similarity, and the embodiments of this application do not limit this.

[0156] The channel feature information corresponding to the first sub-region can be the channel feature information with the highest correlation to the information of the first channel among the channel feature information of multiple sub-regions, or it can be the channel feature information with a correlation greater than a threshold among the channel feature information of multiple sub-regions. This application does not limit this.

[0157] Optionally, the information of the first channel is compared with the channel feature information of multiple sub-regions included in the channel map to obtain the channel feature information corresponding to the first sub-region, including: comparing the information of the first channel with the channel feature information of multiple sub-regions included in the channel map to obtain the index value of the first sub-region; and obtaining the channel feature information corresponding to the first sub-region based on the index value of the first sub-region.

[0158] The correlation comparison between the information of the first channel and the channel feature information of multiple sub-regions included in the channel map can also be referred to as matching the information of the first channel with the channel feature information of multiple sub-regions included in the channel map. This application does not limit this.

[0159] Different sub-regions in the channel map can correspond to different index values. By matching the information of the first channel with the channel feature information of multiple sub-regions included in the channel map, the index value of the first sub-region can be obtained. Based on the correspondence between the sub-region and the channel feature information, the channel feature information corresponding to the first sub-region can be obtained.

[0160] This is beneficial for obtaining the channel feature information corresponding to the first sub-region.

[0161] Optionally, the channel feature information corresponding to the first sub-region includes one or more of the following: information for describing channel characteristics, information for simplifying channel processing and signal processing, or information for signal processing and optimization; wherein, the information for describing channel characteristics includes one or more of channel statistical covariance, angle spectrum, time delay spectrum, or path loss; the information for simplifying channel processing and signal processing includes spatial basis vectors and / or frequency domain vectors; the information for signal processing and optimization includes one or more of multipath information, multipath cluster information, eigenvectors, basis vectors, or first coefficients, wherein the basis vectors and first coefficients are used to determine the eigenvectors.

[0162] Channel statistical covariance, angle spectrum, time delay spectrum, path loss, spatial basis, frequency basis, and spatial-frequency joint basis can be referred to the above descriptions, and will not be repeated here.

[0163] In some examples, multipath information includes one or more of the following: time delay, angle, power, Doppler, polarization, or the number of paths.

[0164] Multipath cluster information refers to the clustering of multipath paths, where paths with similar delays or angles are grouped into the same cluster. Multipath cluster information can include one or more of the following: number of clusters, number of sub-paths within a cluster, cluster center delay, cluster center angle, cluster delay spread, or cluster angle spread.

[0165] The eigenvalue decomposition of the channel covariance matrix may yield eigenvectors, projections of these eigenvectors onto the Discrete Fourier Transform (DFT), or projections onto the Discrete Cosine Transform (DCT). If the eigenvalue decomposition yields projections of eigenvectors onto the DFT or DCT, then the basis vectors and the first coefficient can be obtained.

[0166] Optionally, the feature vector may also include one or more of the following: the number of feature vectors, the dimension of the feature vectors, and the type of the feature vectors.

[0167] Optionally, the basis vectors may also include the dimension of the basis vectors and / or the number of basis vectors.

[0168] SU or MMF can store or compute one or more of the following: the number of eigenvectors, the dimension of eigenvectors, the type of eigenvectors, the dimension of basis vectors, or the number of basis vectors. If the communication device is CU, the CU can obtain this information from SU or MMF.

[0169] For example, the SU or MMF sends a bitmap to the CU, which indicates the dimension of the basis vectors. The CU can determine the dimension of the basis vectors based on the distribution of bit values ​​0 and 1 in the bitmap. Alternatively, the SU or MMF sends index values ​​to the CU, and the CU determines the dimension of the basis vectors based on the correspondence between the index values ​​and dimensions.

[0170] In this way, channel characteristic information can be obtained more accurately based on this information, which is beneficial for subsequent interference cancellation.

[0171] Optionally, in the uplink interference scenario, the first channel can be used to transmit signals to a first network device, and the first sub-region can be the area where the device transmitting signals to the first network device is located. The cell to which the first sub-region belongs can be called the interfering cell. The channel map may also include the identifier of the interfering cell. In the downlink interference scenario, the first channel can be used to transmit signals to a second network device, which is the device generating the interference. The channel map may include the identifier of the second network device. The identifier of the interfering cell and the identifier of the second network device can be referred to as the first identifier.

[0172] If the communication device is a CU, the CU can obtain the first identifier when receiving the channel map. This is beneficial for obtaining more interference information.

[0173] The channel characteristic information corresponding to the first sub-region can be used to remove interference from the first channel.

[0174] In one possible implementation, the communication device is a network device. In an uplink interference scenario, the network device can remove interference from the first channel based on the channel characteristic information corresponding to the first sub-region. In a downlink interference scenario, the network device can send the channel characteristic information corresponding to the first sub-region to the terminal device, and the terminal device can remove interference from the first channel based on the channel characteristic information corresponding to the first sub-region.

[0175] In another possible implementation, the communication device is a CU (Connection Control Unit). In uplink interference scenarios, the CU can send channel characteristic information corresponding to the first sub-region to the DU (Distribution Unit), and the DU can remove interference from the first channel based on this information. In downlink interference scenarios, the CU can send channel characteristic information corresponding to the first sub-region to the terminal device via the DU, and the terminal device can remove interference from the first channel based on this information. In other words, the transmission path of the channel characteristic information corresponding to the first sub-region is CU → DU → terminal device.

[0176] In another possible implementation, the communication device is SU. In the uplink interference scenario, SU can send the channel characteristic information corresponding to the first sub-region to DU through CU, and DU can remove the interference of the first channel based on the channel characteristic information corresponding to the first sub-region. That is to say, the transmission path of the channel characteristic information corresponding to the first sub-region is SU→CU→DU.

[0177] In downlink interference scenarios, the SU can send channel characteristic information corresponding to the first sub-region to the terminal device through the CU and DU. The terminal device can then remove interference from the first channel based on this channel characteristic information. In other words, the transmission path of the channel characteristic information corresponding to the first sub-region is SU→CU→DU→terminal device.

[0178] In another possible implementation, the communication device is an MMF (Multi-Functional Filter). In uplink interference scenarios, the MMF can send channel characteristic information corresponding to the first sub-region to the network device, which can then remove interference from the first channel based on this information. Alternatively, the MMF can send the channel characteristic information corresponding to the first sub-region to the DU (Multi-Functional Filter) via the CU (Combined CU), and the DU can then remove interference from the first channel based on this information. In other words, the transmission path of the channel characteristic information corresponding to the first sub-region is MMF → CU → DU.

[0179] In downlink interference scenarios, the MMF can send channel characteristic information corresponding to the first sub-region to the terminal device via the CU and DU. The terminal device can then remove interference from the first channel based on this channel characteristic information. In other words, the transmission path of the channel characteristic information corresponding to the first sub-region is MMF → CU → DU → terminal device.

[0180] The channel estimation method provided in this application compares the information of the first channel with the channel feature information corresponding to multiple sub-regions in the channel map to obtain the channel feature information corresponding to the first sub-region. In this way, using the channel map to obtain the channel feature information is beneficial to improving the accuracy of channel estimation.

[0181] In the uplink interference scenario described above, the interference of the first channel to the communication signal can be understood as interference from neighboring users to the local base station. In the downlink interference scenario, the interference of the first channel to the communication signal can be understood as interference from neighboring base stations to the local users. The channel map is used to assist in more accurate channel estimation of the first channel. The information in the channel map is prior information or historical information, which is preset. Therefore, the channel map needs to include channel characteristic information from neighboring users to the local base station, and / or channel characteristic information from neighboring base stations to the local users, in order to obtain more accurate channel estimation.

[0182] For example, in an uplink interference scenario, the first channel can be used to transmit signals to the first network device, and the channel map can include channel characteristic information from the first sub-region to the first network device. Here, the first network device can be understood as the local base station, and the first channel is used by neighboring users to transmit uplink signals to the first network device. The first sub-region can be used to indicate the location of neighboring users. The channel map includes channel characteristic information from the first sub-region to the first network device, that is, channel characteristic information from neighboring users to the local base station.

[0183] For example, in the scenario shown in Figure 5a above, the uplink signal sent by terminal 540 to base station 510 is an interference signal, and the channel map can include channel characteristic information from terminal 540 to base station 510.

[0184] In this way, the channel map includes channel characteristic information of the interference source, which is beneficial for obtaining accurate channel characteristic information.

[0185] To better understand the uplink interference scenario, the channel estimation method will be explained in detail below with reference to Figure 7.

[0186] For example, Figure 7 shows a schematic interactive diagram of a channel estimation method provided in an embodiment of this application. As shown in Figure 7, the neighboring cell base station may include DU, and the local cell base station may include DU, CU, and SU. In the example shown in Figure 5a above, the neighboring cell base station may be base station 520, the local cell base station may be base station 510, the neighboring cell user may be terminal 540, and the local cell user may be terminal 530. The neighboring cell base station may also be called a neighboring station, and the local cell base station may also be called a local station; this embodiment of the application does not limit this.

[0187] The method may include the following steps:

[0188] S701. The SU of the local base station can send a coarse position request to the CU of the local base station. The coarse position request is used to request the location information of neighboring users. The neighboring users can also be referred to as neighboring terminals or neighboring UEs, which is not limited in this embodiment.

[0189] In some examples, the coarse location request may include the identifiers of neighboring users to facilitate the acquisition of their location information. These neighboring user identifiers can be represented using a Next Generation Application Protocol (NGAP) interface identifier, such as the RAN-UE-NGAP ID.

[0190] The location information of neighboring users can be a geographic location, a virtual location, or a network topology location, etc., and this application embodiment does not limit this.

[0191] S702. The CU of the local base station can send a coarse location request to the LMF in order to obtain the coarse location information of the neighboring users. The coarse location information can also be called the coarse location result. This application embodiment does not limit this.

[0192] The coarse location request sent by the CU of the local base station to the LMF may include the identifiers of neighboring users to help the LMF determine the location of neighboring users. The coarse location request sent by the CU of the local base station to the LMF may also include the identifier of the CU of the local base station to help the LMF determine the entity executing the location request and to respond to it.

[0193] Based on the coarse location request, S703 and LMF can determine the location information of neighboring users and send the coarse location information to the CU of the local base station. The coarse location information can include the area ID of the neighboring user.

[0194] The rough location can be understood as the first level of positioning in the two-level positioning and matching scheme of the above map, used to obtain the region where the neighboring user is located. The region includes multiple sub-regions. The region ID of the neighboring user is used to represent the region where the neighboring user is located.

[0195] S704. After receiving the area ID from the LMF, the CU of the local base station can send the area ID to the SU of the local base station.

[0196] S705. The DU of the local base station requests the configuration information of the reference signal from the DU of the neighboring base station. The reference signal may be SRS.

[0197] It is understandable that the reference signal is sent by the DU of the neighboring base station to the user in the neighboring cell. Therefore, the DU of the local base station needs to request the configuration information of the reference signal from the DU of the neighboring base station.

[0198] The configuration information of the reference signal, also known as the transmission sequence parameters of the reference signal, is not limited in this embodiment. In some examples, the configuration information of the reference signal may include one or more of the following: time-frequency resources of the reference signal, transmission power of the reference signal, sequence length of the reference signal, sequence ID of the reference signal, and bandwidth of the reference signal.

[0199] In this embodiment, the DU of the local base station can communicate directly with the DU of the neighboring base station. In other examples, if there is no link connection between the DU of the local base station and the DU of the neighboring base station, the transmission path of the communication signal can be: DU of the local base station → CU of the local base station → CU of the neighboring base station → DU of the neighboring base station.

[0200] S706. A DU in a neighboring cell can send configuration information of a reference signal to a DU in the local cell.

[0201] S707. The DU of the local base station can perform channel estimation on the first channel based on the configuration information of the reference signal to obtain the information of the first channel. The first channel is used by neighboring users to send uplink signals to the local base station.

[0202] S708. The DU of the local base station can send information of the first channel to the CU of the local base station.

[0203] S709. The CU of the local base station can send information of the first channel to the SU of the local base station.

[0204] S710, the SU of the base station in this area can obtain the channel map based on the area ID, and can compare the information of the first channel with the channel feature information of multiple sub-regions included in the channel map to obtain the index value of the first sub-region.

[0205] The local base station's SU can store multiple channel maps, each corresponding to a different area ID. The SU can then retrieve the channel map corresponding to the area ID, facilitating subsequent correlation comparisons.

[0206] S711. The SU of the base station in this area can obtain the channel characteristic information corresponding to the first sub-region based on the index value of the first sub-region.

[0207] S712. The SU of the local base station can send the channel characteristic information corresponding to the first sub-region to the CU of the local base station.

[0208] Optionally, the SU of the local base station may also send to the CU of the local base station one or more of the following: the identifier of the channel map, the number of feature vectors, the dimension of the feature vectors, the type of feature vectors, the dimension of the basis vectors, the number of basis vectors, or the first identifier.

[0209] Optionally, the SU of the local base station can also send one or more of the following to the CU of the local base station: channel map identifier, multipath information, multipath cluster information, channel statistical covariance, angle spectrum, time delay spectrum, or path loss.

[0210] Optionally, the SU of the local base station may also send one or more of the channel map identifier, spatial vector, or frequency vector to the CU of the local base station.

[0211] Optionally, the SU of the local base station can also send one or more of the following to the CU of the local base station: channel map identifier, multipath information, multipath cluster information, feature vector, basis vector, or first coefficient.

[0212] S713. The CU of the local base station can send the channel characteristic information corresponding to the first sub-region to the DU of the local base station, so that the DU of the local base station can reduce the impact of interference signals based on the channel characteristic information corresponding to the first sub-region.

[0213] Optionally, the CU of the local base station can also send one or more of the following to the DU of the local base station: the identifier of the channel map, the number of feature vectors, the dimension of the feature vectors, the type of feature vectors, the dimension of the basis vectors, the number of basis vectors, and the first identifier.

[0214] Optionally, the CU of the local base station may also send one or more of the following to the DU of the local base station: channel map identifier, multipath information, multipath cluster information, channel statistical covariance, angle spectrum, time delay spectrum, or path loss.

[0215] Optionally, the CU of the local base station may also send one or more of the channel map identifier, spatial vector, or frequency vector to the DU of the local base station.

[0216] Optionally, the CU of the local base station may also send one or more of the following to the DU of the local base station: channel map identifier, multipath information, multipath cluster information, feature vector, basis vector, or first coefficient.

[0217] It is understandable that users in this area can send uplink signals to the base station in this area, and users in neighboring areas can also send uplink signals to the base station in this area. The signals sent by users in neighboring areas interfere with the signals sent by users in this area. The uplink signals sent by users in this area to the base station in this area can be called useful signals. The uplink signals sent by users in neighboring areas to the base station in this area can be called interference signals.

[0218] The channel transmitting interference signals can be called the first channel, and the channel transmitting useful signals can be called the second channel. The DU (Distribution Unit) of the local base station can also perform channel estimation on the second channel based on the configuration information of the reference signals related to the second channel, obtain the estimation result, and send the estimation result to the SU (Sub-Base Station) of the local base station. The SU of the local base station can compare the correlation between the estimation result and the channel feature information of multiple sub-regions included in the useful map to obtain the index value of the second sub-region, and can obtain the channel feature information corresponding to the second sub-region based on the index value of the second sub-region. The SU of the local base station can send the channel feature information corresponding to the first sub-region to the CU (Combined Unit) of the local base station. The CU of the local base station can send the channel feature information corresponding to the second sub-region to the DU of the local base station.

[0219] The channel estimation method provided in this application embodiment allows the SU of the local base station to compare the information of the first channel with the channel feature information corresponding to multiple sub-regions in the channel map to obtain the channel feature information corresponding to the first sub-region. In this way, using the channel map to obtain the channel feature information is beneficial to improving the accuracy of channel estimation and thus improving spectral efficiency.

[0220] For example, in a downlink interference scenario, the first channel is used by the second network device to transmit signals to the terminal device, and the channel map includes channel characteristic information from the second network device to the terminal device. Here, the second network device can be understood as a neighboring base station, and the terminal device can be understood as a local user. The first channel is used by the neighboring base station to transmit downlink signals to the local user. The channel map includes channel characteristic information from the second network device to the terminal device, that is, channel characteristic information from the neighboring base station to the local user.

[0221] For example, in the example shown in Figure 5b above, the downlink signal sent by base station 520 to terminal 530 is an interference signal, and the channel map may include channel characteristic information from base station 520 to terminal 530.

[0222] In this way, the channel map includes channel characteristic information of the interference signal source, which is beneficial for obtaining accurate channel characteristic information.

[0223] The aforementioned channel map includes channel characteristic information from the second network device to the terminal device. Generally, this channel characteristic information is stored in the second network device; therefore, the communication device can obtain the channel map from the second network device.

[0224] For example, the method shown in Figure 6 above may further include: the communication device sending first information to the second network device, the first information being used to request a channel map; the second network device may send second information to the communication device, the second information being used to indicate the channel map. The communication device may be a SU, CU, or MMF. This facilitates obtaining the channel map.

[0225] Optionally, when the communication device requests a channel map from the second network device, the first information can also be used to indicate a first region. The first region corresponds to multiple sub-regions, and one of the multiple sub-regions indicates the location of the terminal device. The first region and the channel map have a corresponding relationship.

[0226] The second network device can serve multiple terminal devices. When a communication device requests channel characteristic information from the second network device to at least one of the multiple terminal devices, it needs to carry information about that at least one terminal device. In this embodiment, the region where the at least one terminal device is located, i.e., a first region, can be carried so that the second network device can determine the requested channel map based on the first region. This is beneficial for obtaining the channel map.

[0227] In downlink interference scenarios, the communication device can send channel characteristic information corresponding to the first sub-region to the terminal device. The terminal device can then estimate interference on the first channel based on this channel characteristic information. This helps improve the probability of removing interference generated by the channel. Furthermore, the terminal device can determine the information of the first channel based on the configuration information of the reference signal.

[0228] To better understand the downlink interference scenario, the channel estimation method will be explained in detail below with reference to Figure 8.

[0229] For example, Figure 8 shows a schematic interactive diagram of a channel estimation method provided in an embodiment of this application. As shown in Figure 8, neighboring base stations may include DU and SU, and local base stations may include DU, CU, and SU. In the example shown in b of Figure 5 above, the neighboring base station may be base station 520, the local base station may be base station 510, the neighboring user may be terminal 540, and the local user may be terminal 530.

[0230] This method may include the above-described steps S701 to S706. After the DU of the local base station receives the configuration information of the reference signal, it may execute step S801 to send the configuration information of the reference signal to the user in the local area. The user in the local area may also be referred to as a terminal device, but this embodiment does not limit this terminology.

[0231] Understandably, by executing S701–S704, the SU (Supply Unit) of the local base station can obtain the area ID of the users in the area. By executing S705 and S706, the DU (Dedicated Unit) of the local base station can obtain the configuration information of the reference signal. The DU of the local base station sends the configuration information of the reference signal to the users in the area so that the users can perform downlink channel estimation based on the configuration information of the reference signal. The reference signal can be CSI-RS.

[0232] The configuration information of the reference signal can also be referred to as the transmission sequence parameters of the reference signal, which is not limited in this embodiment. In some examples, the configuration information of the reference signal may include one or more of the time-frequency resources, transmission period, and transmission power of the reference signal.

[0233] S802. Users in this area can perform channel estimation on the first channel based on the configuration information of the reference signal to obtain the information of the first channel.

[0234] S803, Users in this area can send information about the first channel to the DU of the base station in this area.

[0235] The local base station can execute S708 and S709 to enable the local base station's SU to obtain information about the first channel. The local base station's SU can execute S804 to request the channel map from the local base station's CU.

[0236] S805. The CU of the local base station sends the first information to the SU of the neighboring base station. The first information is used to request the channel map. The first information may also carry the area ID.

[0237] There is a correspondence between the region ID and the channel map. The SU of the neighboring base station can determine the requested channel map based on the region ID and the correspondence between the region ID and the channel map.

[0238] S806. The SU of the neighboring base station can send the second information to the CU of the local base station based on the first information. The second information is used to indicate the channel map.

[0239] S807. The CU of the local base station can send the channel map to the SU of the local base station.

[0240] The SU of the local base station can obtain the channel characteristic information of the first sub-region based on the channel map and the information of the first channel, and send the channel characteristic information of the first sub-region to the DU of the local base station through the CU of the local base station, that is, execute the above S710 to S713.

[0241] Optionally, the SU of the local base station can also send one or more of the following to the DU of the local base station through the CU of the local base station: the identifier of the channel map, the number of feature vectors, the dimension of the feature vectors, the type of feature vectors, the dimension of the basis vectors, the number of basis vectors, and the first identifier.

[0242] Optionally, the SU of the local base station can also send one or more of the following to the DU of the local base station through the CU of the local base station: channel map identifier, multipath information, multipath cluster information, channel statistical covariance, angle spectrum, time delay spectrum, or path loss.

[0243] Optionally, the SU of the local base station can also send one or more of the channel map identifier, spatial vector, or frequency vector to the DU of the local base station through the CU of the local base station.

[0244] Optionally, the SU of the local base station can also send one or more of the following to the DU of the local base station through the CU of the local base station: channel map identifier, multipath information, multipath cluster information, feature vector, basis vector, or first coefficient.

[0245] S808. The DU of the local base station can send the channel characteristic information of the first sub-region to the users in the local area through the RU of the local base station, so that the users in the local area can reduce the impact of interference signals based on the channel characteristic information corresponding to the first sub-region. The RU of the local base station is not shown in Figure 8.

[0246] It is understandable that a local base station can send downlink signals to users in its local area, and neighboring base stations also send downlink signals to users in the local area. Therefore, the signals sent by neighboring base stations can interfere with the downlink signals sent by the local base station. The downlink signals sent by the local base station to users in its local area can be called useful signals. The downlink signals sent by neighboring base stations to users in the local area can be called interference signals.

[0247] The channel transmitting interference signals can be called the first channel, and the channel transmitting useful signals can be called the second channel. The local base station's DU can also send configuration information of reference signals related to the second channel to users in the area. Users in the area can perform channel estimation on the second channel, obtain the estimation result, and send the estimation result back to the local base station's DU. The local base station's DU can send the estimation result to the local base station's SU through the local base station's CU.

[0248] The local base station's Substation (SU) can compare the estimation results with the channel feature information of multiple sub-regions included in the useful map to obtain the index value of the second sub-region. Based on the index value of the second sub-region, it can obtain the corresponding channel feature information of the second sub-region. The local base station's SU can send the channel feature information corresponding to the first sub-region to the local base station's DU through the local base station's CU. The local base station's DU can send the channel feature information corresponding to the first sub-region to users in the local area.

[0249] The channel estimation method provided in this application embodiment allows the SU of the local base station to compare the information of the first channel with the channel feature information corresponding to multiple sub-regions in the channel map to obtain the channel feature information corresponding to the first sub-region. In this way, using the channel map to obtain the channel feature information is beneficial to improving the accuracy of channel estimation and thus improving spectral efficiency.

[0250] In the example shown in Figure 8 above, there is no interconnection interface between the SU of the local base station and the SU of the neighboring base station; signal transmission is required through the CU of the local base station. In other examples, the SU of the local base station may have an interconnection interface with the SU of the neighboring base station, allowing direct communication.

[0251] For example, Figure 9 shows a schematic interactive diagram of a channel estimation method provided in an embodiment of this application. As shown in Figure 9, the method includes the steps S701 to S709 and S801 to S804 described above, which are described in detail above and will not be repeated here.

[0252] S901, the SU of the local base station can send the first information to the SU of the neighboring base station.

[0253] S902, the SU of the neighboring base station can send the second information to the SU of the local base station based on the first information.

[0254] The SU of this base station can have an interconnection interface with the SU of the neighboring base station, and can communicate directly.

[0255] The method may also include steps S710 to S713 and S808, which can be referred to the above description and will not be elaborated here.

[0256] The channel estimation method provided in this application allows the local base station (SU) to communicate directly with neighboring base stations, which helps save signaling overhead.

[0257] In the examples shown in Figures 6 to 9 above, there is a correspondence between the channel map and the region ID, and the channel map can be obtained based on the region ID. In other examples, the channel map may not have a correspondence with the region ID. The SU can store multiple channel maps. After obtaining the information of the first channel, the SU can sequentially compare its correlation with the channel feature information of multiple sub-regions included in the channel map to obtain the channel feature information corresponding to the first sub-region. Alternatively, the SU can request all the channel maps included in other devices. After obtaining the information of the first channel, the SU can sequentially compare its correlation with the channel feature information of multiple sub-regions included in the channel map to obtain the channel feature information corresponding to the first sub-region.

[0258] For example, in an uplink interference scenario, multiple channel maps can be deployed in the SU. After obtaining the information of the first channel, the SU can sequentially compare its correlation with the channel feature information of multiple sub-regions included in the channel map to obtain the index value of the first sub-region, and based on the index value of the first sub-region, obtain the channel feature information corresponding to the first sub-region.

[0259] For example, in a downlink interference scenario, the SU can request all the channel maps included by the SUs of neighboring base stations. After obtaining the information of the first channel, the SU can sequentially compare the correlation with the channel feature information of multiple sub-regions included in the channel map to obtain the index value of the first sub-region, and obtain the channel feature information corresponding to the first sub-region based on the index value of the first sub-region.

[0260] It is understood that the various numerical designations used in the embodiments of this application are merely for descriptive convenience and are not intended to limit the scope of the embodiments of this application. The order of the process numbers described above does not imply the order of execution; the execution order of each process should be determined by its function and internal logic.

[0261] In the various embodiments of this application, unless otherwise specified or in case of logical conflict, the terminology and / or descriptions of different embodiments are consistent and can be referenced by each other. The technical features of different embodiments can be combined to form new embodiments according to their inherent logical relationship.

[0262] It is understood that, in order to achieve the functions in the above embodiments, the communication device or terminal equipment includes hardware structures and / or software modules corresponding to perform each function. Those skilled in the art should readily recognize that, based on the units and method steps of the various examples described in conjunction with the embodiments disclosed in this application, this application can be implemented in hardware or a combination of hardware and computer software. Whether a function is executed by hardware or by computer software driving hardware depends on the specific application scenario and design constraints of the technical solution.

[0263] Figures 10 and 11 are schematic diagrams of possible communication devices provided in embodiments of this application. These communication devices can be used to implement the functions of the communication devices or terminal devices in the above method embodiments, and thus can also achieve the beneficial effects of the above method embodiments. In the embodiments of this application, the communication device can be a core network or access network device as shown in Figure 1, or any one of terminals 410 to 460 as shown in Figure 1, or a module (such as a chip) applied to a core network, access network device, or terminal.

[0264] As shown in Figure 10, the communication device 1000 includes a processing unit 1010 and a transceiver unit 1020. The communication device 1000 is used to implement the functions of the communication device or terminal equipment in the method embodiment shown in Figure 3 above.

[0265] In one possible implementation, the device 1000 is used to perform the steps corresponding to the communication device in the above method.

[0266] The processing unit 1010 is used to determine the information of a first channel, which is one or more channels that interfere with the communication signal; to compare the information of the first channel with the channel feature information of multiple sub-regions included in the channel map to obtain the channel feature information corresponding to the first sub-region; and the transceiver unit 1020 is used to transmit the channel feature information corresponding to the first sub-region.

[0267] Optionally, the first channel is used to transmit signals to the first network device, and the channel map includes channel characteristic information from the first sub-region to the first network device.

[0268] Optionally, the first channel is used for the second network device to send signals to the terminal device, and the signal spectrum includes channel characteristic information from the second network device to the terminal device.

[0269] Optionally, the transceiver unit 1020 is further configured to: send first information to the second network device, the first information being used to request a channel map; and receive second information from the second network device, the second information being used to indicate a channel map.

[0270] Optionally, the first information is also used to indicate a first region, which corresponds to multiple sub-regions. Among the multiple sub-regions, one sub-region indicates the location of the terminal device, and the first region corresponds to the channel map.

[0271] Optionally, the processing unit 1010 is further configured to: compare the information of the first channel with the channel feature information of multiple sub-regions included in the channel map to obtain the index value of the first sub-region; and obtain the channel feature information corresponding to the first sub-region based on the index value of the first sub-region.

[0272] Optionally, the channel feature information corresponding to the first sub-region includes one or more of the following: information for describing channel characteristics, information for simplifying channel processing and signal processing, or information for signal processing and optimization; wherein, the information for describing channel characteristics includes one or more of channel statistical covariance, angle spectrum, time delay spectrum, or path loss; the information for simplifying channel processing and signal processing includes spatial domain vectors and / or frequency domain vectors; the information for signal processing and optimization includes one or more of multipath information, feature vectors, basis vectors, or first coefficients, wherein the basis vectors and first coefficients are used to determine the feature vectors.

[0273] Optionally, multipath information includes one or more of the following: time delay, angle, power, Doppler, polarization, or, number of paths.

[0274] Optionally, the transceiver unit 1020 is also used to receive information from the first channel.

[0275] Optionally, the transceiver unit 1020 is also used to receive channel maps.

[0276] Optionally, the transceiver unit 1020 is also used to receive one or more of the following: the number of feature vectors, the dimension of feature vectors, the type of feature vectors, the dimension of basis vectors, or the number of basis vectors.

[0277] Optionally, the transceiver unit 1020 is further configured to: receive a first identifier; wherein, if the first channel is used to transmit a signal to the first network device, the first identifier includes the identifier of the cell to which the first sub-area belongs; or, if the first channel is used to transmit a signal to the second network device, the first identifier includes the identifier of the second network device.

[0278] In another possible implementation, the device 1000 is used to implement the steps corresponding to the terminal device in the above method.

[0279] The transceiver unit 1020 is used to receive channel feature information corresponding to the first sub-region. The channel feature information corresponding to the first sub-region is obtained by comparing the information of the first channel with the channel feature information of multiple sub-regions included in the channel map. The first channel is one or more channels that cause interference to the communication signal. The processing unit 1010 is used to perform interference estimation on the first channel based on the channel feature information corresponding to the first sub-region.

[0280] Optionally, the transceiver unit 1020 is further configured to: receive configuration information of the reference signal; the processing unit 1010 is further configured to: determine the information of the first channel based on the configuration information of the reference signal.

[0281] It should be understood that the communication device 1000 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, integrated logic circuitry, and / or other suitable components supporting the described functions. In an alternative example, those skilled in the art will understand that the communication device 1000 can specifically be a terminal device or a network device as described in the above embodiments. The communication device 1000 can be used to execute the various processes and / or steps corresponding to the communication device or terminal device in the above method embodiments; to avoid repetition, these will not be described again here.

[0282] The aforementioned communication device 1000 has the function of implementing the corresponding steps performed by the communication device or terminal device in the above method; the above functions can be implemented by hardware or by hardware executing corresponding software. The hardware or software includes one or more modules corresponding to the above functions. In an embodiment of this application, the communication device 1000 in FIG10 can also be a chip, such as a System-on-a-Chip (SoC).

[0283] As shown in Figure 11, the transmission device 1100 may include a processor 1110, a transceiver 1120, and a memory 1130. The processor 1110, transceiver 1120, and memory 1130 communicate with each other through an internal connection path. The memory 1130 is used to store instructions, and the processor 1110 is used to execute the instructions stored in the memory 1130 to control the transceiver 1120 to send and / or receive signals.

[0284] It should be understood that the communication device 1100 may specifically be the terminal device in the above embodiments, and may be used to execute the various steps and / or processes corresponding to the terminal device in the above method embodiments. Optionally, the memory 1130 may include read-only memory and random access memory, and provide instructions and data to the processor. A portion of the memory may also include non-volatile random access memory. For example, the memory may also store device type information. The processor 1110 may be used to execute instructions stored in the memory, and when the processor 1110 executes instructions stored in the memory, the processor 1110 is used to execute the various steps and / or processes of the above method embodiments. The transceiver 1120 may include a transmitter, a receiver, and an antenna. The transmitter may be used to implement the various steps and / or processes corresponding to the transceiver for performing the transmission action. For example, the transmitter may be used to send information to another device via the antenna. The receiver may be used to implement the various steps and / or processes corresponding to the transceiver for performing the reception action. For example, the receiver may be used to receive information from another device via the antenna.

[0285] It should be understood that, in the embodiments of this application, the processor may be a central processing unit (CPU), or it may be other general-purpose processors, digital signal processors (DSPs), application-specific integrated circuits (ASICs), field-programmable gate arrays (FPGAs), or other programmable logic devices, discrete gate or transistor logic devices, discrete hardware components, etc. The general-purpose processor may be a microprocessor or any conventional processor.

[0286] In implementation, each step of the above method can be completed by integrated logic circuits in the processor's hardware or by instructions in software. The steps of the method disclosed in the embodiments of this application can be directly manifested as execution by a hardware processor, or as a combination of hardware and software modules within the processor. The software modules can reside in random access memory, flash memory, read-only memory, programmable read-only memory, electrically erasable programmable memory, registers, or other mature storage media in the art. This storage medium is located in memory, and the processor executes the instructions in the memory, combining them with its hardware to complete the steps of the above method. To avoid repetition, detailed descriptions are omitted here.

[0287] Furthermore, the method provided in the embodiments of this application can also be applied to O-RAN systems or access network devices. O-RAN systems can communicate with core network (CN) devices via backhaul links or with terminal devices via air interfaces.

[0288] For example, Figure 12 shows a schematic diagram of an O-RAN system. As shown in Figure 12, the O-RAN system includes a BBU and a RU, which can communicate via a fronthaul link. The BBU may include at least one CU and at least one DU, which can communicate via a midhaul link.

[0289] In an O-RAN system, the BBU can communicate with the CN device via the backhaul link. The RU in an O-RAN system can communicate with at least one terminal device via the air interface. The BBU can communicate with at least one RU via the fronthaul link; the BBU and RU may or may not be co-located.

[0290] This application also provides a RAN device. This RAN device can execute the various processes and / or steps corresponding to the communication device in the above method embodiments; to avoid repetition, they will not be described again here.

[0291] For example, FIG13 is a schematic diagram of a RAN device according to an embodiment of the present application. As shown in FIG13, the RAN device includes CU, DU and RU.

[0292] The CU (Core Unit) includes platforms that perform upper-layer (L2) and L3 functions. For example, the CU carries traffic between the CU and DU (Dedicated Utility Unit) through the midhaul interface; the CU carries traffic between the CU and core network equipment through the backhaul interface. L2, also known as Layer 2, can include the MAC layer, radio link control (RLC) layer, and packet data convergence protocol (PDCP) layer. L3, also known as Layer 3, can include the RRC (Remote Control Control) layer and the non-access stratum (NAS) layer.

[0293] The DU performs L1 and some L2 functions, while the RU performs L1 computation and radio frequency (RF) digital functions. The fronthaul interface carries traffic between the RU and DU. L1, also known as Layer 1, can represent the physical (PHY) layer.

[0294] Optionally, when the DU is an integrated DU, the integrated DU includes the aforementioned DU and RU functions.

[0295] The CU / DU hardware includes a chassis platform, motherboard, peripherals, and cooling system. The motherboard contains processing units, memory, internal I / O interfaces, and external connection ports. Its hardware accelerator is designed with interfaces, and hardware functional components include: storage for software, hardware, and system debugging interfaces, and a single-board management controller.

[0296] DU systems are typically implemented using multi-core processors and one or more hardware accelerators. Parts of the DU protocol stack can be implemented in software running on the multi-core processor, while computationally intensive L1 and L2 functions can be offloaded to a field-programmable gate array (FPGA) / graphics processing unit (GPU)-based hardware accelerator; alternatively, all L1 functions can be offloaded to an FPGA / GPU-based hardware accelerator, while other protocol stack components are implemented in software running on the processor; or the entire protocol stack can be implemented in software running on the processor. The hardware accelerator supports interconnection with the processor. Similarly, the accelerator has a multi-channel peripheral component interconnect express (PCIe) interface pointing to the CPU and external connections via gigabit Ethernet (GbE) connectivity.

[0297] The RU comprises three parts: the O-RAN processing unit (OPU), which receives eCPRI frames from the O-RAN fronthaul and performs fronthaul interface operations, the lowest level L1 (coding, scrambling, modulation, layer mapping, precoding), synchronization, beamforming, and resource unit mapping. The OPU can be implemented as a CPU, FPGA, or application-specific integrated circuit (ASIC). The O-RU's digital processing unit (DPU) performs synchronization, digital down-conversion (DDC) in the UL, digital up-conversion (DUC) in the DL, crest factor reduction (CFR), and digital pre-distortion (DPD). It improves power amplifier efficiency by reducing the peak-to-average power ratio (PAPR) / adjacent channel leakage ratio (ACLR) of the RF front-end; the DPU can be implemented as an FPGA or ASIC. The O-RU's RF processing unit includes a transceiver module, up / down converters, power amplifiers (PA), low-noise amplifiers (LNA), and transmit (Tx) / receive (Rx) filters. All conversions between the analog and digital domains, such as digital-to-analog converters (DACs) and analog-to-digital converters (ADCs), RF sampling, frequency conversion using RF during up-conversion and down-conversion, and mixing with the intermediate frequency (IF) and local oscillator (LO), are performed within the transceiver module. Note that the physical and logical partitions within the RF processing unit do not require specific boundaries.

[0298] This application also provides a processor. This processor can execute the various processes and / or steps corresponding to the communication device or terminal device in the above method embodiments; to avoid repetition, they will not be described again here.

[0299] This application also provides a computer-readable storage medium for storing a computer program for implementing the methods shown in the above-described method embodiments.

[0300] This application also provides a computer program product, which includes a computer program (also referred to as code or instructions) that, when run on a computer, allows the computer to perform the methods shown in the above-described method embodiments.

[0301] Those skilled in the art will recognize that the modules and algorithm steps of the various examples described in conjunction with the embodiments disclosed herein can be implemented in electronic hardware, or a combination of computer software and electronic hardware. Whether these functions are implemented in hardware or software depends on the specific application and design constraints of the technical solution. Those skilled in the art can use different methods to implement the described functions for each specific application, but such implementation should not be considered beyond the scope of this application.

[0302] Those skilled in the art will understand that, for the sake of convenience and brevity, the specific working processes of the systems, devices, and modules described above can be referred to the corresponding processes in the foregoing method embodiments, and will not be repeated here.

[0303] In the several embodiments provided in this application, it should be understood that the disclosed systems, apparatuses, and methods can be implemented in other ways. For example, the apparatus embodiments described above are merely illustrative; for instance, the division of modules is only a logical functional division, and in actual implementation, there may be other division methods. For example, multiple modules or components may be combined or integrated into another system, or some features may be ignored or not executed. Furthermore, the coupling or direct coupling or communication connection shown or discussed may be through some interfaces; the indirect coupling or communication connection between apparatuses or modules may be electrical, mechanical, or other forms.

[0304] The modules described as separate components may or may not be physically separate. The components shown as modules may or may not be physical modules; that is, they may be located in one place or distributed across multiple network modules. Some or all of the modules can be selected to achieve the purpose of this embodiment according to actual needs.

[0305] In addition, the functional modules in the various embodiments of this application can be integrated into one processing module, or each module can exist physically separately, or two or more modules can be integrated into one module.

[0306] If the aforementioned functions are implemented as software functional modules and sold or used as independent products, they can be stored in a computer-readable storage medium. Based on this understanding, the technical solution of this application, in essence, or the part that contributes to the prior art, or a portion of the technical solution, can be embodied in the form of a software product. This computer software product is stored in a storage medium and includes several instructions to cause a computer device (which may be a personal computer, server, or network device, etc.) to execute all or part of the steps of the methods described in the various embodiments of this application. The aforementioned storage medium includes various media capable of storing program code, such as USB flash drives, portable hard drives, read-only memory (ROM), random access memory (RAM), magnetic disks, or optical disks.

[0307] The above description is merely a specific embodiment of this application, but the protection scope of the embodiments 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 the embodiments of this application should be included within the protection scope of the embodiments of this application. Therefore, the protection scope of the embodiments of this application should be determined by the protection scope of the claims.

Claims

1. A channel estimation method, characterized in that, include: Determine information about a first channel, which is one or more channels that interfere with the communication signal; The information of the first channel is compared with the channel feature information of multiple sub-regions included in the channel map to obtain the channel feature information corresponding to the first sub-region.

2. The method according to claim 1, characterized in that, The first channel is used to send signals to the first network device, and the channel map includes channel feature information from the first sub-region to the first network device.

3. The method according to claim 1, characterized in that, The first channel is used by the second network device to send signals to the terminal device, and the signal spectrum includes channel feature information from the second network device to the terminal device.

4. The method according to claim 3, characterized in that, The method further includes: Send first information to the second network device, the first information being used to request the channel map; Receive second information from the second network device, the second information being used to indicate the channel map.

5. The method according to claim 4, characterized in that, The first information is also used to indicate a first region, which corresponds to multiple sub-regions. Among the multiple sub-regions, one sub-region indicates the location of the terminal device. The first region has a corresponding relationship with the channel map.

6. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 5, characterized in that, The step of comparing the information of the first channel with the channel feature information of multiple sub-regions included in the channel map to obtain the channel feature information corresponding to the first sub-region includes: The information of the first channel is compared with the channel feature information of multiple sub-regions included in the channel map to obtain the index value of the first sub-region. Based on the index value of the first sub-region, the channel feature information corresponding to the first sub-region is obtained.

7. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 6, characterized in that, The channel feature information corresponding to the first sub-region includes one or more of the following: Information used to describe channel characteristics, information used to simplify channel processing and signal processing, or information used for signal processing and optimization; The information used to describe channel characteristics includes one or more of the following: channel statistical covariance, angle spectrum, time delay spectrum, or path loss; the information used to simplify channel processing and signal processing includes spatial vectors and / or frequency vectors; the information used for signal processing and optimization includes one or more of the following: multipath information, multipath cluster information, feature vectors, basis vectors, or first coefficients, wherein the basis vectors and the first coefficients are used to determine the feature vectors.

8. The method according to claim 7, characterized in that, The multipath information includes one or more of the following: The number of time delay, angle, power, Doppler, polarization, or, radius.

9. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 8, characterized in that, The information for determining the first channel includes: Receive information from the first channel.

10. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 8, characterized in that, The method further includes: Receive the channel map.

11. The method according to claim 10, characterized in that, The method further includes: The system receives one or more of the following: the number of feature vectors, the dimension of the feature vectors, the type of the feature vectors, the dimension of the basis vectors, or the number of basis vectors.

12. The method according to claim 10 or 11, characterized in that, The method further includes: Receive the first identifier; Wherein, if the first channel is used to send a signal to the first network device, the first identifier includes the identifier of the cell to which the first sub-area belongs; or, if the first channel is used to send a signal to the second network device, the first identifier includes the identifier of the second network device.

13. A channel estimation method, characterized in that, include: The channel feature information corresponding to the first sub-region is received. The channel feature information corresponding to the first sub-region is obtained by comparing the information of the first channel with the channel feature information of multiple sub-regions included in the channel map. The first channel is one or more channels that interfere with the communication signal. Interference estimation is performed on the first channel based on the channel feature information corresponding to the first sub-region.

14. The method according to claim 13, characterized in that, include: Configuration information for receiving reference signals; Based on the configuration information of the reference signal, the information of the first channel is determined.

15. A communication device, characterized in that, include: A processor coupled to a memory for storing a computer program, wherein when the processor invokes the computer program, the communication device performs the method of any one of claims 1 to 14.

16. A chip, characterized in that, include: A processor for reading instructions stored in memory, which, when executed, cause the chip to perform the method of any one of claims 1 to 14.

17. A computer-readable storage medium, characterized in that, The computer-readable storage medium stores a computer program that, when run on a computer, causes the method of any one of claims 1 to 14 to be performed.

18. A computer program product, characterized in that, The computer program product includes instructions that, when executed, cause the method of any one of claims 1 to 14 to be performed.

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