Antenna port performance feedback method and apparatus

Abstract

An antenna port performance feedback method and apparatus, which relate to the technical field of wireless communications. The method comprises: a terminal device receiving reference signals from at least two antenna ports of a network device; and the terminal device sending port performance information, which indicates the performance of all or some of the at least two antenna ports, wherein the performance is determined on the basis of the reference signals.

Description

An antenna port performance feedback method and device

[0001] Cross-references to related applications

[0002] This application claims priority to Chinese Patent Application No. 202510081899.2, filed on January 16, 2025, with the State Intellectual Property Office of the People's Republic of China, entitled "An Antenna Port Performance Feedback Method and Apparatus", the entire contents of which are incorporated herein by reference. Technical Field

[0003] This application relates to the field of wireless communication technology, and in particular to an antenna port performance feedback method and apparatus. Background Technology

[0004] With the development of communication systems, especially in applications of massive MIMO and very large MIMO antenna arrays, base stations are typically equipped with a large number of antenna ports, which collectively undertake the tasks of transmitting and receiving wireless signals. To optimize resource allocation and improve network performance, base stations need to understand the performance characteristics of these antenna ports.

[0005] Currently, terminal devices obtain channel state information by measuring downlink reference signals and feed the channel state information back to the base station. However, this channel state information is used to indicate the quality of the channel, and the base station cannot obtain the performance of the antenna port based on this channel state information. Summary of the Invention

[0006] This application provides an antenna port performance feedback method and apparatus to achieve performance feedback at the antenna port level.

[0007] Some embodiments of this application can be applied to terminal-side devices, which may be terminal devices, modules (such as chips) within terminal devices, or software (such as control subsystems) containing terminal device functions. Other embodiments of this application can be applied to network-side devices, which may be network devices, such as base stations or wireless access network devices. The network-side device may be a network device, a module (such as a chip) within a network device, or software (such as control subsystems) containing network device functions.

[0008] In a first aspect, an antenna port performance feedback method is provided, which can be applied to a terminal-side device. The method includes: receiving reference signals from at least two antenna ports of a network device; and transmitting port performance information, the port performance information indicating the performance of all or some of the at least two antenna ports, the performance being determined based on the reference signals.

[0009] In the above implementation, the terminal device can feed back antenna port performance information to the network device, thereby achieving performance feedback at the antenna port level. This allows the network device to obtain the performance of the network device's antenna port, so as to optimize resource allocation and improve network performance.

[0010] In one possible implementation, the port performance information includes: performance information of each antenna port among all or some of the at least two antenna ports; or, the port performance information is an antenna port sequence, the antenna port sequence including the indices of all or some of the antenna ports after sorting by performance.

[0011] In one possible implementation, the performance information of each antenna port includes: the mean square error corresponding to each antenna port, wherein the mean square error is determined based on the channel information of the reconstructed channel and the channel information measured based on the reference signal, wherein the reconstructed channel is generated based on the multipath information corresponding to the location of the terminal.

[0012] In the above implementation, since channel reconstruction is performed based on the multipath information corresponding to the location of the terminal device, and the mean square error is determined based on the channel information of the reconstructed channel and the measured channel information, the error caused by the multipath effect is offset or reduced, making the detected antenna port performance closer to the actual performance of the antenna port, thereby improving the accuracy of antenna port performance detection.

[0013] One possible implementation further includes: receiving first indication information from the network device, the first indication information indicating a first quantity; the transmission port performance information includes: transmitting the port performance information according to the first indication information, the port performance information indicating the performance of the first quantity of antenna ports among the at least two antenna ports.

[0014] By adopting the above implementation method, the feedback overhead of terminal devices can be reduced.

[0015] In one possible implementation, before sending the port performance information according to the first indication information, the method further includes: selecting the first number of antenna ports among the at least two antenna ports based on the performance of the at least two antenna ports.

[0016] One possible implementation further includes: receiving second indication information, the second indication information being used to indicate feedback port performance information; the sending of port performance information includes: in response to the second indication information, sending the port performance information.

[0017] In one possible implementation, the second indication information is carried in radio resource control (RRC) signaling or downlink control information (DCI).

[0018] One possible implementation further includes receiving configuration information, which indicates one or more of the following: a port performance calculation method, a number of feedbacks, and a feedback period.

[0019] In one possible implementation, the configuration information is carried in a system message.

[0020] Optionally, sending port performance information according to the configuration information includes: determining port performance information according to the port performance calculation method, and sending the port performance information.

[0021] Optionally, sending port performance information according to the configuration information includes: sending port performance information according to the number of feedbacks, wherein the number of times the port performance information is sent is the same as the number of feedbacks.

[0022] Optionally, sending port performance information according to the configuration information includes: sending the port performance information according to the feedback period.

[0023] Secondly, an antenna port performance feedback method is provided, which can be applied to network-side devices. The method includes: transmitting a reference signal through at least two antenna ports; and receiving port performance information from a terminal device, wherein the port performance information indicates the performance of all or some of the at least two antenna ports, the performance being determined based on the reference signal.

[0024] One possible implementation further includes: selecting a first number of antenna ports from the at least two antenna ports based on the port performance information.

[0025] In one possible implementation, receiving port performance information from terminal devices includes: receiving port performance information from at least two terminal devices; selecting a first number of antenna ports from the at least two antenna ports based on the port performance information includes: selecting the first number of antenna ports from the at least two antenna ports based on the port performance information from the at least two terminal devices.

[0026] In one possible implementation, the at least two antenna ports are all the antenna ports of the network device.

[0027] In one possible implementation, the port performance information includes: performance information of each antenna port among all or some of the at least two antenna ports; or, the port performance information is an antenna port sequence, the antenna port sequence including the indices of all or some of the antenna ports after sorting by performance.

[0028] In one possible implementation, the performance information of each antenna port includes: the mean square error corresponding to each antenna port, wherein the mean square error is determined based on the channel information of the reconstructed channel and the channel information measured based on the reference signal, wherein the reconstructed channel is generated based on the multipath information corresponding to the location of the terminal.

[0029] One possible implementation further includes: sending first indication information, the first indication information indicating a first quantity; and receiving the port performance information indicating the performance of the first quantity of antenna ports among the at least two antenna ports.

[0030] One possible implementation further includes: sending a second indication message, the second indication message being used to instruct the terminal device to provide feedback port performance information.

[0031] One possible implementation further includes sending configuration information, which indicates one or more of the following: port performance calculation method, number of feedbacks, and feedback period.

[0032] In one possible implementation, the configuration information is carried in a system message.

[0033] Thirdly, a communication system is provided, including a terminal device for performing the method as described in any one of the first aspects, and a network device for performing the method as described in any one of the second aspects.

[0034] Fourthly, a communication apparatus is provided, comprising a unit or module for performing the method described in any one of the first to second aspects.

[0035] Fifthly, a communication apparatus is provided, comprising: one or more processors configured to perform the method of any one of the first to second aspects.

[0036] A sixth aspect provides a readable storage medium storing a program or instructions that, when executed on a device, cause the device to perform the method described in any one of the first to second aspects.

[0037] A seventh aspect provides a chip system including a processor for supporting a computer device in implementing the method of any one of the first to second aspects.

[0038] Eighthly, a computer program product is provided, the computer program product comprising a program; when the computer program is run on a computer, the computer causes the computer to perform the method described in any one of the first to second aspects. Attached Figure Description

[0039] Figure 1 is a schematic diagram of the architecture of the communication system used in the embodiments of this application;

[0040] Figure 2 is a schematic diagram of a system architecture for implementing AI functions in an embodiment of this application;

[0041] Figure 3 is a flowchart illustrating an antenna port performance feedback method in an embodiment of this application;

[0042] Figure 4 is a schematic diagram of a CSI-RS pattern in an embodiment of this application;

[0043] Figure 5 is a flowchart illustrating an embodiment of this application that uses a channel reconstruction method to evaluate antenna port performance;

[0044] Figure 6 is a schematic diagram of a data structure for port performance information in an embodiment of this application;

[0045] Figure 7 is a schematic diagram of the process by which the terminal device feeds back the performance of all antenna ports in an embodiment of this application;

[0046] Figure 8 is a CDF diagram of an antenna port performance in an embodiment of this application;

[0047] Figure 9 is a flowchart illustrating the performance of the antenna port of the terminal device feedback section in an embodiment of this application.

[0048] Figure 10 is a flowchart illustrating another antenna port performance feedback method in an embodiment of this application.

[0049] Figure 11 is a schematic diagram of the structure of a communication device provided in an embodiment of this application;

[0050] Figure 12 is a schematic diagram of another communication device provided in an embodiment of this application. Detailed Implementation

[0051] With the development of communication systems, especially in the application of massive MIMO and very large-scale antenna arrays, base stations are typically equipped with a large number of antenna ports. An antenna port is a logical concept; one antenna port can correspond to a specific set of time-frequency resources (e.g., resource elements, REs) used to transmit specific signals or channels. The base station can allocate one or more antenna ports to terminal devices to achieve transmission with them. An antenna port can be mapped to one or more physical antennas. Physical antennas may have hardware errors, and large errors in the physical antenna hardware can lead to a decrease in the transmission performance of the corresponding antenna port. Therefore, in order to optimize resource allocation and improve network performance, the base station needs to know the transmission performance of the antenna ports so that it can use antenna ports with better transmission performance to communicate with terminal devices.

[0052] Currently, terminal devices can obtain channel state information by measuring downlink reference signals and feed the channel state information back to the base station. However, this channel state information is used to indicate the quality of the channel, and the base station cannot obtain the performance of the antenna port based on this channel state information.

[0053] Therefore, this application provides an antenna port performance feedback method and related apparatus for implementing the method, so as to achieve performance feedback at the antenna port level.

[0054] The embodiments of this application are described below with reference to the accompanying drawings.

[0055] The embodiments of this application can be applied to various communication systems, such as: Global System for Mobile Communications (GSM) system, Code Division Multiple Access (CDMA) system, Wideband Code Division Multiple Access (WCDMA) system, General Packet Radio Service (GPRS), Long Term Evolution (LTE) system, LTE Frequency Division Duplex (FDD) system, LTE Time Division Duplex (TDD) system, Universal Mobile Telecommunication System (UMTS), 5th Generation (5G) system, or New Radio (NR), or applied to future communication systems or other similar communication systems, etc.

[0056] Referring to Figure 1, which is a schematic diagram of the architecture of the communication system 1000 used in the embodiments of this application. As shown in Figure 1, the communication system includes a wireless access network 100 and a core network 200. Optionally, the communication system 1000 may also include the Internet 300. The wireless access network 100 may include at least one wireless access network device (110a and 110b in Figure 1) and at least one terminal device (120a-120j in Figure 1). The terminal device is wirelessly connected to the wireless access network device, and the wireless access network device is wirelessly or wiredly connected to the core network. The core network device and the wireless access network device may be independent physical devices, or the functions of the core network device and the logical functions of the wireless access network device may be integrated on the same physical device, or a single physical device may integrate some of the functions of the core network device and some of the functions of the wireless access network device. Terminal devices and wireless access network devices may be interconnected via wired or wireless means. Figure 1 is just a schematic diagram. The communication system may also include other network devices, such as wireless relay devices and wireless backhaul devices, which are not shown in Figure 1.

[0057] Network devices and terminal devices can be fixed in location or mobile. They can be deployed on land, including indoors or outdoors, handheld or vehicle-mounted; they can also be deployed on water; and they can be deployed on aircraft, balloons, and artificial satellites. The embodiments of this application do not limit the application scenarios of the network devices and terminal devices.

[0058] The roles of network devices and terminal devices can be relative. For example, the helicopter or drone 120i in Figure 1 can be configured as a mobile network device. For terminal devices 120j that access the wireless access network 100 through 120i, drone 120i is a network device; however, for network device 110a, 120i is a terminal device, meaning that 110a and 120i communicate via a wireless air interface protocol. Of course, 110a and 120i can also communicate via a network device-to-network device interface protocol. In this case, relative to 110a, 120i is also a network device. Therefore, both network devices and terminal devices can be collectively referred to as communication devices. 110a and 110b in Figure 1 can be called communication devices with network device functions, and 120a-120j in Figure 1 can be called communication devices with terminal device functions.

[0059] Communication between network devices and terminal devices, between network devices, and between terminal devices can be conducted using licensed spectrum, unlicensed spectrum, or both simultaneously. Communication can be conducted using spectrum below 6 GHz, spectrum above 6 GHz, or both simultaneously. The embodiments of this application do not limit the spectrum resources used for wireless communication.

[0060] In the embodiments of this application, the functions of the network device can be executed by modules (such as chips) within the network device, or by a control subsystem that includes network device functions. This control subsystem, including network device functions, can be a control center in the aforementioned application scenarios such as smart grids, industrial control, intelligent transportation, and smart cities. Similarly, the functions of the terminal device can be executed by modules (such as chips or modems) within the terminal device, or by a device that includes terminal device functions.

[0061] In this embodiment, the network device sends downlink signals or downlink information to the terminal device, with the downlink information carried on the downlink channel; the terminal device sends uplink signals or uplink information to the base station, with the uplink information carried on the uplink channel. In order to communicate with the network device, the terminal device needs to establish a wireless connection with a cell controlled by the network device. The cell with which the terminal device has established a wireless connection is called the serving cell of that terminal device.

[0062] Terminal equipment 120a-120j can be terminal equipment, user equipment (UE), mobile station, mobile terminal, access terminal, UE unit, UE station, mobile station, remote station, remote terminal, mobile device, UE terminal, terminal, wireless communication equipment, multimedia equipment, streaming media equipment, UE agent, or UE device, etc. Access terminals can be cellular phones, cordless phones, session initiation protocol (SIP) phones, wireless local loop (WLL) stations, personal digital assistants (PDAs), handheld devices with wireless communication capabilities, computing devices or other processing devices connected to a wireless modem, vehicles, in-vehicle equipment, wearable devices, drones, helicopters, airplanes, ships, robots, robotic arms, smart home devices, terminal equipment in future 5G networks, or terminal equipment in future evolved public land mobile networks (PLMNs), etc. Terminal devices can be widely used in various scenarios, such as device-to-device (D2D), vehicle-to-everything (V2X) communication, machine-type communication (MTC), Internet of Things (IoT), virtual reality, augmented reality, industrial control, autonomous driving, telemedicine, smart grids, smart furniture, smart offices, smart wearables, smart transportation, and smart cities. The embodiments of this application do not limit the specific technologies or device forms used in the terminal devices.

[0063] Wireless access network (RAN) equipment, also known as access network equipment, RAN, RAN entity, RAN node, or access node, constitutes part of a communication system and is used to help terminal devices achieve wireless access and communicate with them. Multiple RANs in the communication system 1000 can be nodes of the same type or different types.

[0064] RAN nodes can be base stations, evolved NodeBs (eNodeBs), relay stations, access points (APs), transmission reception points (TRPs), next-generation NodeBs (gNBs), base stations in future mobile communication systems, access nodes in wireless fidelity (Wi-Fi) systems, or access network equipment in future evolved PLMN networks. RAN nodes can be macro base stations (as shown in Figure 1, 110a), micro base stations or indoor stations (as shown in Figure 1, 110b), relay nodes or donor nodes, or radio controllers in cloud radio access network (CRAN) scenarios, or open RAN (O-RAN or ORAN). Optionally, RAN nodes can also be servers, wearable devices, vehicles, or in-vehicle equipment. For example, access network equipment in vehicle-to-everything (V2X) technology can be roadside units (RSUs).

[0065] RAN nodes can be applied to cellular systems related to the 3rd generation partnership project (3GPP), such as 4G or 5G mobile communication systems, non-terrestrial network (NTN) systems, or future-oriented evolution systems, as well as communication systems that integrate two or more of the above systems.

[0066] In the NTN system, the RAN node can be in transparent mode or regenerative mode, and its corresponding cell can be an earth fixed cell or an earth moving cell.

[0067] Communication between access network devices and terminal devices follows a specific protocol layer structure. This protocol layer may include a control plane protocol layer and a user plane protocol layer. The control plane protocol layer may include at least one of the following: radio resource control (RRC) layer, packet data convergence protocol (PDCP) layer, radio link control (RLC) layer, media access control (MAC) layer, or physical (PHY) layer, etc. The user plane protocol layer may include at least one of the following: service data adaptation protocol (SDAP) layer, PDCP layer, RLC layer, MAC layer, or PHY layer, etc.

[0068] Access network equipment can be modules or units that perform some of the functions of access network equipment. For example, it can be a central unit (CU) or a distributed unit (DU). Here, the CU performs the functions of the RRC and PDCP layers of the access network equipment, and can also perform the functions of the SDAP layer; the DU performs the functions of the RLC and MAC layers of the access network equipment, and can also perform some or all of the PHY layer functions. For detailed descriptions of the above protocol layers, please refer to the relevant 3GPP technical specifications.

[0069] There is an interface between the DU and the radio unit (RU). Depending on the functions and / or the splitting method of the DU and RU, the interface between the DU and RU can be a common public radio interface (CPRI) or an enhanced common public radio interface (eCPRI).

[0070] Artificial intelligence (AI) can be introduced into wireless communication systems. AI enables machines to possess human-like intelligence; for example, it allows machines to use computer hardware and software to simulate certain intelligent human behaviors. To achieve AI, machine learning methods can be employed. In machine learning, the machine learns (or trains) a model using training data. This model represents the mapping between input and output. The learned model can be used for reasoning (or prediction), that is, it can be used to predict the output corresponding to a given input. This output can also be called the reasoning result (or prediction result).

[0071] This document explains some basic concepts in the field of AI, which does not limit the scope of protection of the embodiments of this application.

[0072] (1) Machine learning (ML):

[0073] Machine learning is a crucial technological approach to achieving AI. AI endows machines with human-like intelligence, using computer hardware and software to simulate certain intelligent human behaviors, including machine learning and other methods. Machine learning refers to learning models or rules from raw data, such as neural networks, decision trees, and support vector machines. Machine learning can be categorized into supervised learning, unsupervised learning, and reinforcement learning.

[0074] Supervised learning, based on collected sample values ​​and labels, uses machine learning algorithms to learn the mapping relationship between sample values ​​and labels, and expresses this learned mapping relationship using a machine learning model. The process of training the machine learning model is the process of learning this mapping relationship. For example, in signal detection, the noisy received signal is the sample, and the corresponding real constellation point is the label. Machine learning aims to learn the mapping relationship between samples and labels through training, that is, to enable the machine learning model to learn a signal detector. During training, the model parameters are optimized by calculating the error between the model's predicted values ​​and the real labels. Once the mapping relationship is learned, it can be used to predict the sample label of each new sample. The mapping relationship learned in supervised learning can include linear mappings and nonlinear mappings. Based on the type of label, the learning task can be divided into classification tasks and regression tasks.

[0075] Unsupervised learning relies solely on collected sample values, using algorithms to discover inherent patterns within the samples. One type of unsupervised learning algorithm uses the samples themselves as supervisory signals; that is, the model learns the mapping relationship from sample to sample, which is called self-supervised learning. During training, model parameters are optimized by calculating the error between the model's predictions and the samples themselves. Self-supervised learning can be used for signal compression and decompression recovery applications; common algorithms include autoencoders and generative adversarial networks.

[0076] Reinforcement learning, unlike supervised learning, is a type of algorithm that learns problem-solving strategies through interaction with the environment. Unlike supervised and unsupervised learning, reinforcement learning problems do not have explicit "correct" action labels. The algorithm needs to interact with the environment to obtain reward signals from the environment, and then adjust its decision actions to obtain a larger reward signal value. For example, in downlink power control, the reinforcement learning model adjusts the downlink transmission power of each terminal device based on the total system throughput feedback from the wireless network, aiming to achieve a higher system throughput. The goal of reinforcement learning is also to learn the mapping relationship between the environment state and the optimal decision action. However, because the label of the "correct action" cannot be obtained in advance, the network cannot be optimized by calculating the error between the action and the "correct action." Reinforcement learning training is achieved through iterative interaction with the environment.

[0077] Deep neural networks (DNNs) are a specific implementation of machine learning. According to the general approximation theorem, neural networks can theoretically approximate any continuous function, thus enabling them to learn arbitrary mappings. Traditional communication systems rely on extensive expert knowledge to design communication modules, while DNN-based deep learning communication systems can automatically discover hidden pattern structures from large datasets, establish mapping relationships between data, and achieve performance superior to traditional modeling methods.

[0078] Based on their construction method, DNNs can be divided into feedforward neural networks (FNNs), convolutional neural networks (CNNs), and recurrent neural networks (RNNs). FNNs can be neural networks where neurons in adjacent layers are completely connected pairwise, which makes FNNs typically require a large amount of storage space and have high computational complexity.

[0079] CNNs are neural networks specifically designed to process data with a grid-like structure. For example, time-series data (discrete sampling along the time axis) and image data (two-dimensional discrete sampling) can both be considered grid-like data. CNNs do not use all the input information at once for computation; instead, they use a fixed-size window to extract a portion of the information for convolution operations, which significantly reduces the computational cost of model parameters. Furthermore, depending on the type of information extracted by the window (such as people and objects in an image representing different types of information), each window can use different convolution kernels, allowing CNNs to better extract features from the input data.

[0080] Recurrent Neural Networks (RNNs) are a type of distributed neural network (DNN) that utilizes feedback time-series information. Their input includes the current input value and their own output value from the previous time step. RNNs are well-suited for acquiring temporally correlated sequence features, and are particularly applicable to applications such as speech recognition and channel coding / decoding.

[0081] AI models refer to function models that map a certain-dimensional input to a certain-dimensional output, and their parameters can be obtained through machine learning training. For example, f(X) = aX² + b is a quadratic function model, which can be viewed as an AI model. a and b correspond to the model's parameters and can be obtained through machine learning training. Data used for model training, validation, and / or testing in machine learning can form datasets or training datasets. The quantity and / or quality of data in these datasets or training datasets will affect the effectiveness of machine learning. Model training involves selecting an appropriate loss function (which measures the difference between the model's predictions and the true values) and using optimization algorithms to train the model parameters to minimize the loss function value. Model testing involves evaluating the model's performance using test data after training. Model application involves using the trained model to solve practical problems. AI models can be implemented in hardware circuits, software, or a combination of both.

[0082] A neural network, or artificial neural network, is a mathematical model that mimics the behavioral characteristics of animal neural networks to perform distributed parallel information processing. It is a special form of AI model.

[0083] (2) Model training:

[0084] Model training involves selecting an appropriate function (such as a loss function) and using optimization algorithms to train the model parameters so that the difference between the model's predicted values ​​and the ground truth (or target values, labels) tends to be minimized.

[0085] For example, model training methods include, but are not limited to, supervised learning, self-supervised learning, and knowledge distillation.

[0086] (3) Model file and model parameters:

[0087] Model files and / or model parameters can be used to determine the model. Optionally, the model in this application may refer to the model itself, or it may refer to the model files and / or model parameters used to determine the model.

[0088] The model file can be used to indicate the model structure, which may include, but is not limited to, FNN, CNN, or RNN. The model file can have a fixed format, such as a standard predefined format, or a format pre-negotiated by both ends of the interface. Model parameters can refer to parameters in the neural network model, such as, but not limited to, the number of layers in the neural network, the type and weights of neurons in each layer, etc. This application does not limit the method of distributing model parameters.

[0089] Take DNN as an example. The idea behind DNN comes from the neuronal structure of the brain. Each neuron can perform a weighted summation operation on its inputs and then use the result of the weighted summation operation to generate the output through a non-linear function. For example, the input of a neuron is x = [x0, x1, ..., x...]. N-1 The weights corresponding to the inputs are w = [w0, w1, ..., w] N-1 The bias of the weighted summation is b. The nonlinear function f() can take many forms; for example, the nonlinear function f() can be the maximum value function max{0, x}. Then the effect of a neuron's execution is... Where N is a positive integer, and n is a positive integer greater than or equal to 0 and less than or equal to (N-1). The weights of the weighted summation operation of neurons in a neural network and the nonlinear function are called the parameters of the neural network. The parameters of all neurons in a neural network constitute the parameters of the neural network.

[0090] A DNN typically has multiple neural network layers, including an input layer, one or more hidden layers, and an output layer. Generally, the first layer is the input layer, the last layer is the output layer, and the layers in between are hidden layers. Each layer contains multiple neurons. Layers are fully connected; that is, any neuron in the i-th layer is connected to any neuron in the (i+1)-th layer. The input layer processes the received values ​​(i.e., the DNN's input) through neurons and then passes them to the hidden layers. Similarly, the hidden layers pass the computation results to the final output layer, producing the DNN's output. This application does not limit the structure and parameters used in the AI ​​model.

[0091] One of the model structure or model parameters can be predefined, while the other can be sent by the sender (e.g., the network side). Alternatively, both the model structure and model parameters can be sent by the sender (e.g., the network side). This application does not impose any restrictions on this.

[0092] Sending a model can refer to sending a model file and / or model parameters, while receiving a model can refer to receiving a model file and / or model parameters.

[0093] In some embodiments of this application, some network elements (such as terminal devices, access network devices, or core network devices) have AI functions, that is, they can perform data processing (or inference) based on neural network models. Figure 2 illustrates an exemplary system architecture for implementing AI functions.

[0094] Referring to Figure 2, the data acquisition device can collect data to obtain a training set and send the training set to the storage device. The storage device can store the training set. The training device can pre-train or train an AI model based on the training set and configure the configuration file of the trained AI model to the processing device. When the initiating device needs to process a service, it can send a service processing request to the processing device, which may include the data input to the processing device. Based on the request, the processing device uses the AI ​​model to perform inference and can send the inference results to the initiating device or other network elements.

[0095] In one possible implementation, AI-related functions (such as model training functions, model inference functions, etc.) can be deployed in the neural network processing unit (NPU) and / or graphics processing unit (GPU) in the network element device, which is not limited in this application.

[0096] In one possible implementation, the data acquisition device, storage device, training device, processing device, and initiating device can be independent network elements. In another possible implementation, multiple devices among the data acquisition device, storage device, training device, processing device, and initiating device can be co-located in the same network element. For example, the data acquisition device and storage device can be co-located in the same network element, the initiating device and processing device can be co-located in the same network element, and the training device and processing device can be co-located in the same network element; this application does not specifically limit this.

[0097] In some embodiments of this application, the terminal device has AI functionality. For example, the terminal device may include a processing unit whose computing unit can predict multipath information of the terminal device's current location using a first model, based on the terminal device's location. Optionally, the computing unit can also reconstruct the channel between the terminal device and the network device using a second model based on the predicted multipath information. The terminal device can determine the performance of the network device's antenna port based on the channel information of the reconstructed channel and the channel information measured by the terminal device based on the downlink reference signal.

[0098] Based on the system architecture shown in Figure 1 or Figure 2, Figure 3 illustrates a flowchart of an antenna port performance feedback method. In the embodiments of this application, the functions of the network device can also be executed by modules (such as chips) within the network device, or by a control subsystem containing network device functions. This control subsystem containing network device functions can be a control center in the aforementioned application scenarios such as smart grids, industrial control, intelligent transportation, and smart cities. The functions of the terminal device can also be executed by modules (such as chips or modems) within the terminal device, or by a device containing terminal device functions.

[0099] As shown in Figure 3, the process may include the following steps:

[0100] Step 302: The network device transmits a reference signal through at least two antenna ports.

[0101] The number of network devices can be one or more. For example, in a scenario where multiple base stations cooperate to provide services to terminal devices, the network devices include multiple base stations working together.

[0102] The reference signal may be a channel state information-reference signal (CSI-RS) or other downlink reference signals, which are not limited in this application.

[0103] In one possible implementation, the aforementioned at least two antenna ports are all the antenna ports of the network device, meaning that the network device transmits the reference signal through all antenna ports.

[0104] Considering the potentially large number of antenna ports on network devices, one possible implementation is to divide these multiple antenna ports into multiple antenna port groups. Using a time-division multiplexing approach, different antenna port groups are used to transmit reference signals in different time units. For example, assuming a network device has 256 CSI-RS ports, and a physical resource block (PRB) supports a maximum of 32 CSI-RS ports, these 256 CSI-RS ports can be divided into 8 antenna port groups. CSI-RS signals are then transmitted sequentially through these 8 antenna port groups on 8 PRBs that share the same frequency resources and are contiguous in the time domain. For instance, CSI-RS signals are transmitted on PRB 1 using the 32 CSI-RS ports in antenna port group 1, and on PRB 2 (PRB 2 is frequency-domain identical to PRB 1 and time-domain contiguous) using the 32 CSI-RS ports in antenna port group 2, and so on.

[0105] Considering the potentially large number of antenna ports on network devices, another possible implementation is to divide these multiple antenna ports into multiple antenna port groups. Using frequency division multiplexing, different antenna port groups are used to transmit reference signals in different frequency units. For example, assuming a network device has 256 CSI-RS ports, and a PRB supports a maximum of 32 CSI-RS ports, these 256 CSI-RS ports can be divided into 8 antenna port groups. CSI-RS signals are then transmitted sequentially through these 8 antenna port groups on 8 PRBs with the same time-domain resources and consecutive frequency domains. For instance, CSI-RS signals are transmitted on PRB 1 through the 32 CSI-RS ports in antenna port group 1, and on PRB 2 (PRB 2 is the same in the time domain and consecutive in the frequency domain as PRB 1) through the 32 CSI-RS ports in antenna port group 2, and so on.

[0106] It is understandable that reference signals can also be transmitted in groups through corresponding antenna ports on multiple PRBs by combining time division and frequency division.

[0107] It is also understood that the above description is based on the example of a PRB supporting a maximum of 32 antenna ports. In some other embodiments, a PRB may support more antenna ports. Furthermore, the time-frequency resources can be allocated using PRBs or other methods. This application does not impose any limitations.

[0108] Taking a PRB that supports a maximum of 32 CSI-RS ports as an example, Figure 4 shows a schematic diagram of a CSI-RS pattern. The basic unit of a CSI-RS pattern is the Component RE Pattern, defined as Y adjacent REs in the frequency domain and Z adjacent symbols in the time domain within a PRB. As shown in Figure 4, the SCI-RS transmitted by a CSI-RS port is mapped to a slash-filled RE, or in other words, a CSI-RS port is mapped to a single RE.

[0109] It is understood that the mapping relationship between CSI-RS ports and REs can be described not only using the CSI-RS pattern, but also using a table or a formula; this application does not impose any restrictions on this.

[0110] It is understood that Figure 4 is only one possible CSI-RS pattern, and there are many other possibilities for the form of CSI-RS pattern, which are not limited in the embodiments of this application.

[0111] In some other CSI-RS patterns, a CSI-RS port may be mapped to a set of REs, or multiple CSI-RS ports may be mapped to the same RE. If multiple CSI-RS ports are mapped to the same RE, the CSI-RS transmitted by these multiple CSI-RS ports use orthogonal codes to ensure the orthogonality of the CSI-RS transmitted by these multiple CSI-RS ports.

[0112] Taking CSI-RS as an example, in one possible implementation, the CSI-RS pattern can be pre-agreed upon by the network device and the terminal device. The network device sends CSI-RS according to the CSI-RS pattern, and the terminal device receives CSI-RS according to the CSI-RS pattern. In another possible implementation, the network device can flexibly allocate CSI-RS resources and send CSI-RS configuration information to the terminal device, so that the terminal device can receive CSI-RS on the corresponding resources and can identify which CSI-RS port sent the received CSI-RS.

[0113] Step 303: The terminal device determines port performance information based on the received reference signal. The port performance information indicates the performance of all or some of the antenna ports in at least two antenna ports.

[0114] In this step, the terminal device can receive the reference signal at the corresponding RE based on the reference signal configuration information (e.g., CSI-RS pattern) and determine which antenna port the reference signal transmits. Therefore, it can determine the performance of that antenna port based on the measured value of the reference signal. If multiple antenna ports are mapped to one RE, the terminal device can identify the transmitting antenna port of the reference signal based on the orthogonal codes corresponding to each of the multiple antenna ports.

[0115] In one possible implementation, the terminal device can determine the performance of the transmitting antenna port of the reference signal based on the reference signal received power (RSRP), reference signal received quality (RSRQ), signal to interference plus noise ratio (SINR), etc.

[0116] In non-line-of-sight transmission scenarios, the reference signal propagates via multipath propagation. Multipath propagation refers to a signal reaching the receiving antenna after traveling through two or more paths in a wireless propagation environment. Reflection and diffraction of the signal by objects in the environment cause multipath propagation. Signals traveling through different paths have different time delays and phases, and the receiving antenna receives the superposition of these multipath signals. Therefore, determining the performance of the transmitting antenna port based on parameters such as RSRP may lead to significant errors.

[0117] To reduce errors and improve the detection accuracy of the transmit antenna port performance, in one possible implementation of this application, the terminal device can evaluate the antenna port performance based on a channel reconstruction method. Specifically, the terminal device can perform channel reconstruction based on the multipath information corresponding to its location. Based on the channel information of the reconstructed channel and the channel information measured based on the reference signal, the mean-square error (MSE) corresponding to the antenna port is determined. This MSE is then used to evaluate the performance of the transmit antenna port of the reference signal. The MSE reflects the degree of difference between the reconstructed channel and the measured channel value; the smaller the MSE corresponding to the antenna port, the better the performance of the antenna port.

[0118] One possible implementation of a terminal device for evaluating antenna port performance based on a channel reconstruction method can be seen in the flowchart shown in Figure 5. As shown in Figure 5, this process may include the following steps:

[0119] Step 501: The terminal device obtains its own location.

[0120] Terminal devices can obtain their own location in various ways. For example, a terminal device can initiate location positioning with the network side to obtain its own location, or a terminal device can obtain its own location through satellite positioning. This application does not limit this.

[0121] Step 502: The terminal device determines the multipath information corresponding to the location based on its own location information.

[0122] In one possible implementation, the terminal device uses its own location information as input data and feeds this input data into a first model to obtain multipath information output by the first model. This first model is a multipath prediction model that can predict the possible multipath characteristics of the terminal device when communicating with a network device at a certain spatial location, such as the number of paths, path strength, path angle, multipath delay spread, and multipath angular spread. Another possible method for predicting multipath is to model the real environment in a virtual physical world, replicating the size, position, and material of objects in the real world as closely as possible. In the virtual physical world, the network device and the terminal device are placed at the locations where multipath prediction is desired, and then ray tracing is used to simulate the multipath between them.

[0123] Step 503: The terminal device performs channel reconstruction based on the multipath information, and determines the loss function value based on the channel information of the reconstructed channel (here called the reconstructed channel matrix) and the channel information measured based on the reference signal (here called the measured channel matrix).

[0124] Taking the transmitting port as the first antenna port as an example, the terminal device performs channel reconstruction based on the multipath information corresponding to the terminal device's location, obtaining the channel information of the reconstructed channel, referred to here as the reconstructed channel matrix. The terminal device obtains the measured channel matrix by measuring the reference signal from the first antenna port. Then, the terminal device calculates the loss function values ​​of the reconstructed channel matrix and the measured channel matrix.

[0125] Optionally, channel reconstruction can be performed based on a channel reconstruction model.

[0126] Step 504: Based on the gradient descent method, find the minimum loss function value of the reconstructed channel matrix and the measurement channel matrix, and calculate the MSE corresponding to the antenna port based on the reconstructed channel matrix and the measurement channel matrix when the loss function value converges.

[0127] During the gradient descent process, the following steps are performed for any iteration of the reference signal transmitted through a certain antenna port:

[0128] (i) Obtain the reconstructed channel matrix and measurement channel matrix output from the previous iteration. If the current iteration is the first iteration, obtain the reconstructed channel matrix and measurement channel matrix from step 503.

[0129] (ii) Calculate the loss function values ​​for reconstructing the channel matrix and measuring the channel matrix.

[0130] (iii) If the loss function value has not yet converged, then calculate the gradient value at the reconstructed channel matrix and the measurement channel matrix based on the loss function value.

[0131] (iv) Update the reconstructed channel matrix and the measurement channel matrix based on the gradient value, and calculate the loss function values ​​of the updated reconstructed channel matrix and the measurement channel matrix.

[0132] (v) If the loss function value has converged, the gradient descent algorithm ends, and the MSE corresponding to the antenna port is calculated and output based on the current reconstructed channel matrix and measurement channel matrix; otherwise, the next iteration begins.

[0133] For the j-th antenna port (hereinafter referred to as antenna port j), its corresponding MSE satisfies the following formula (1):

[0134] Among them, MSE port j This represents the MSE corresponding to antenna port j, where j is the index of the antenna port; n is the number of elements in the channel matrix of antenna port j; H i,j This represents the i-th element in the measurement channel matrix corresponding to antenna port j. This represents the i-th element in the reconstructed channel matrix corresponding to antenna port j.

[0135] For each antenna port, the MSE corresponding to that antenna port can be calculated using the method described above.

[0136] The squared error of the channel can be averaged using the above method. For example, taking a subcarrier count of 288, a receiving antenna port count of 32 (i.e., the terminal device has 32 antenna ports), and a transmitting antenna port count of 1024 (i.e., the network device has 1024 antenna ports) as an example, the dimension of the channel matrix corresponding to the 1024 transmitting antenna ports is (288*32*1024), where the dimension of the channel matrix corresponding to each transmitting antenna port is 288*32, i.e., n = 288*32 in the above formula (1). Based on the above formula (1), the squared error is calculated on these n elements, and then the average is taken to obtain the mean squared error. This allows averaging in dimensions other than the transmitting antenna port dimension.

[0137] It should be understood that Figure 5 is only one possible method for evaluating antenna port performance, and this application does not limit it.

[0138] In the above-mentioned method for evaluating antenna port performance based on channel reconstruction, channel reconstruction is performed based on the multipath information corresponding to the location of the terminal device, and the MSE is determined based on the channel information of the reconstructed channel and the measured channel information. This offsets or reduces the error caused by multipath effect, making the detected antenna port performance closer to the actual performance of the antenna port, thereby improving the accuracy of antenna port performance detection.

[0139] Step 304: The terminal device sends port performance information to the network device.

[0140] In this embodiment of the application, the port performance information sent by the terminal device to the network device can be in the following two forms:

[0141] The first type: performance information of multiple antenna ports.

[0142] Optionally, the port performance information includes an index of multiple antenna ports and performance information for those multiple antenna ports.

[0143] Optionally, the performance information of an antenna port can be the MSE corresponding to that antenna port obtained according to the process shown in Figure 5.

[0144] For example, one data structure for antenna port performance information can be shown in Figure 6(a), where the antenna port index and the corresponding MSE of the antenna port can form a data pair; another data structure for antenna port performance information can be shown in Figure 6(b), where the antenna port indices form a sequence, and the MSEs corresponding to the antenna ports form another sequence, with the elements in the two sequences corresponding one-to-one in the order of arrangement; yet another data structure for antenna port performance information can be shown in Figure 6(c), where multiple MSEs corresponding to antenna ports are arranged in ascending or descending order of their indices, which can reduce feedback overhead. This application does not limit the data structure for port performance information.

[0145] The second form is an antenna port sequence, which includes an index of multiple antenna ports in an ordered order.

[0146] This antenna port sequence includes indices of multiple antenna ports sorted by performance. Optionally, the antenna ports can be sorted from highest to lowest performance.

[0147] In one possible implementation, the terminal device can provide feedback on port performance information for all transmit antenna ports of the reference signal. That is, the port performance information sent by the terminal device indicates the performance of all antenna ports. For example, the antenna port performance information may include the index and MSE of all antenna ports, or it may be the antenna port index sorted by performance from highest to lowest. An example of this implementation can be seen in the flow shown in Figure 7.

[0148] In another possible implementation, the terminal device can send feedback of port performance information for a portion of the reference signal's antenna ports. That is, the port performance information sent by the terminal device indicates the performance of a subset of all antenna ports. For example, the antenna port performance information may include the index and MSE of the subset of antenna ports, or it may be the antenna port index sorted by performance from highest to lowest. An example of this implementation can be seen in the flowchart shown in Figure 9.

[0149] In the process shown in Figure 3 above, the terminal device can feed back antenna port performance information to the network device, thereby realizing performance feedback at the antenna port level. This allows the network device to obtain the performance of the network device's antenna port, so as to optimize resource allocation and improve network performance.

[0150] In one possible implementation, based on the process shown in Figure 3, the following steps may also be included:

[0151] Step 301: The network device sends a second indication message to the terminal device. The second indication message is used to indicate the performance information of the feedback port.

[0152] Accordingly, upon receiving the second indication information, the terminal device sends port performance information to the network device in response. In other words, the network device can use the second indication information to initiate the terminal device's measurement and feedback of the transmitting antenna port.

[0153] In one possible implementation, the second indication information is carried in RRC signaling or downlink control information (DCI), which is not limited in this application.

[0154] In one possible implementation, the network device can instruct the terminal device on a port information calculation method, and the terminal device determines the performance of the antenna port according to this method. Optionally, the port information calculation method can be, for example, the aforementioned evaluation method based on channel reconstruction. In this way, multiple terminal devices can determine the performance of the antenna port according to the same port information calculation method, so that the network device can integrate the antenna port performance feedback from the multiple terminal devices and select the antenna port for subsequent communication.

[0155] In one possible implementation, the network device can indicate the number of feedback attempts to the terminal device, which can then measure and provide feedback on the antenna port performance based on this number. For example, if the network device indicates two feedback attempts, the terminal device can begin measuring the reference signal from the antenna port of the network device after receiving the second indication. After obtaining the performance data for all antenna ports, it can provide feedback on the port performance information, completing one feedback attempt. This process can then be repeated to complete another feedback attempt. This method enables aperiodic antenna port measurement and feedback.

[0156] In one possible implementation, the network device can indicate a feedback period to the terminal device, which can then measure and provide feedback on the antenna port performance based on this feedback period. Typically, the hardware error of the network device's physical antenna does not change significantly over a long period, but over time, changes in the hardware error may affect the antenna port performance. Therefore, in some embodiments of this application, a feedback period can be configured. The network device transmits a reference signal according to this feedback period, and the terminal device measures and provides feedback on the antenna port according to this feedback period. This allows the network device to re-evaluate the antenna port performance according to the period, thereby determining the antenna port with better performance for communication.

[0157] In one possible implementation, one or more of the aforementioned port performance calculation method, feedback count, and feedback period can be indicated to the terminal device through configuration information. For example, the process shown in Figure 3 may also include the following steps: Step 300: The network device sends configuration information indicating one or more of the port performance calculation method, feedback count, and feedback period.

[0158] Optionally, the configuration information can be carried in a system message.

[0159] Based on the process shown in Figure 3, Figure 7 illustrates an example of the process shown in Figure 3, using the performance feedback of all antenna ports by the terminal device as an example. As shown in Figure 7, the process may include the following steps:

[0160] Step 701: The network device transmits a reference signal through all antenna ports.

[0161] For details on how to implement this step, please refer to step 302 in the process shown in Figure 3.

[0162] Step 702: The terminal device determines the performance of each antenna port based on the received reference signal, and generates port performance information based on the performance of each antenna port. This port performance information indicates the performance of all antenna ports.

[0163] For details on how to implement this step, please refer to step 303 in the process shown in Figure 3.

[0164] Step 703: The terminal device sends port performance information to the network device.

[0165] For details on how to implement this step, please refer to step 304 in the process shown in Figure 3.

[0166] Step 704: Based on the port performance information, the network device selects a first number of antenna ports with good performance from all antenna ports of the network device. This first number of antenna ports is used for subsequent communication.

[0167] To ensure energy efficiency and achieve energy savings, network devices do not operate with all antenna ports active continuously. After receiving port performance information from terminal devices, the network device selects a first number of antenna ports from all antenna ports based on the number of flows in the system and activates these ports for communication. Taking the cumulative distribution function (CDF) of antenna port performance shown in Figure 8 as an example, the network device has 1024 antenna ports, and the distribution of their respective MSEs is shown in Figure 8. When the number of flows in the system is small, the network device can select the top-200 antenna ports from the 1024 antenna ports in ascending order of MSE; when the number of flows in the system is large, the network device can select the top-600 antenna ports from the 1024 antenna ports in ascending order of MSE.

[0168] In one possible implementation, if the port performance information sent by the terminal device is in the first form described above, such as including an antenna port index and corresponding performance information, the network device can sort these antenna ports according to their performance from high to low based on the performance information, and select a first number of antenna ports from these ports in descending order of performance. Here, the first number is the target number of antenna ports, that is, the number of antenna ports that the network device plans to operate on.

[0169] In another possible implementation, if the port performance information sent by the terminal device is in the second form described above, such as a sequence of antenna ports ordered from high to low performance, the network device can select the first number of antenna ports in the sequence. Here, the first number refers to the target number of antenna ports.

[0170] The network device selects the highest-performing antenna ports from all available antenna ports. These ports can be assigned to terminal devices within the network device's signal coverage area for subsequent communication, thereby improving communication performance. Taking a network device selecting N antenna ports as an example, for a single terminal device, the antenna ports assigned to that device are typically a subset of the N ports. The network device can transmit a reference signal through the assigned antenna port, and the terminal device can receive the reference signal on the corresponding relay (RE) at that port and perform channel measurements based on the reference signal.

[0171] Based on the process shown in Figure 3, Figure 9 illustrates an example of the process shown in Figure 3, using the example of a terminal device feeding back the performance of a portion of the antenna ports. As shown in Figure 8, this process may include the following steps:

[0172] Step 900: The network device sends a first indication message, which indicates a first quantity N. The first quantity N is the target number of antenna ports, that is, the network device plans to operate on N antenna ports.

[0173] In one possible implementation, the first instruction information may be carried in an RRC message or a system message, which is not limited in this application.

[0174] Step 901: The network device transmits a reference signal through all antenna ports.

[0175] For details on how to implement this step, please refer to step 302 in the process shown in Figure 3.

[0176] Step 902: The terminal device determines the performance of each antenna port based on the received reference signal, and generates port performance information based on the performance of the N antenna ports with good performance. This port performance information indicates the performance of the N antenna ports.

[0177] In this step, the terminal device can determine the performance of each antenna port according to the method in step 303 of Figure 3, for example, determine the MSE corresponding to each antenna port.

[0178] After determining the performance of each antenna port, the terminal device can select a first number of antenna ports based on their performance, and generate and send port performance information according to the first indication information. For example, the terminal device can sort all antenna ports from high to low performance, select the top N antenna ports, and then generate port performance information to indicate the performance of those N antenna ports.

[0179] Optionally, the port performance information can be in the first form described above, for example, including the index of the N antenna ports and the performance information (e.g., MSE) of each of the N antenna ports.

[0180] Optionally, the port performance information can also be in the second form mentioned above, for example, including an index of N antenna ports, and the N antenna ports are sorted in descending order of performance.

[0181] Step 903: The terminal device sends port performance information to the network device.

[0182] Step 904: The network device determines the N antenna ports to be used for subsequent communication based on the port performance information.

[0183] Network devices select antenna ports that offer the highest performance among all available antenna ports. These ports can be assigned to terminal devices within the network device's signal coverage area for subsequent communication, thereby improving communication performance. For example, if a network device selects N antenna ports, the antenna ports assigned to a single terminal device are typically a subset of the N ports; alternatively, different terminal devices can share these antenna ports. The network device can transmit reference signals through the antenna ports assigned to the terminal devices, and the terminal devices can receive these reference signals on the corresponding relays (REs) of those assigned antenna ports and perform channel measurements based on them.

[0184] In the process shown in Figure 9 above, since the terminal device only needs to report the performance of the first number of antenna ports, and does not need to report the performance of all antenna ports, the feedback overhead can be reduced.

[0185] To improve the accuracy of antenna port performance evaluation, in some embodiments of this application, the network device can integrate port performance information fed back by multiple terminal devices to evaluate the performance of the antenna port. An example of this implementation can be found in Figure 10.

[0186] Based on the system architecture shown in Figure 1 or Figure 2 above, Figure 10 illustrates a flowchart of another antenna port performance feedback method. In the embodiments of this application, the functions of the network device can also be executed by modules (such as chips) within the network device, or by a control subsystem containing network device functions. This control subsystem containing network device functions can be a control center in the aforementioned application scenarios such as smart grids, industrial control, intelligent transportation, and smart cities. The functions of the terminal device can also be executed by modules (such as chips or modems) within the terminal device, or by a device containing terminal device functions.

[0187] As shown in Figure 10, the process may include the following steps:

[0188] Step 1001: The network device transmits a reference signal through at least two antenna ports (e.g., all antenna ports of the network device).

[0189] For details on how to implement this step, please refer to step 302 in the process shown in Figure 3.

[0190] Steps 1002a and 1002b: The first terminal device and the second terminal device determine the port performance information based on the received reference signal.

[0191] For details on how to implement this step, please refer to step 303 in the process shown in Figure 3.

[0192] Steps 1003a and 1003b: The first terminal device and the second terminal device send port performance information to the network device.

[0193] It should be understood that the process shown in Figure 10 is described using the feedback port information of the first terminal device and the second terminal device as an example. This application does not limit the number of terminal devices that provide feedback port performance information.

[0194] Step 1004: The network device determines the antenna port to be used for subsequent communication from the at least two antenna ports based on the port performance information sent by at least two terminal devices.

[0195] In one possible implementation, a single terminal device may send port performance information to the network device multiple times. Accordingly, the network device can integrate the port performance information sent multiple times by multiple terminal devices to determine the antenna port to be used for subsequent communication.

[0196] For example, if the port performance information sent by the terminal device is in the first form described above, the network device can calculate the average MSE of the same antenna port based on all the received port performance information, sort all antenna ports in ascending order of MSE based on the average MSE of each antenna port, and then select the first number of antenna ports that are ranked first.

[0197] For example, if the port performance information sent by the terminal device is in the second form described above, the network device can set a score for each ranking, with the score corresponding to the higher ranking being higher than that of the lower ranking. Then, based on all the received port performance information, for each antenna port, the score corresponding to the antenna port is calculated according to its ranking and the number of times that ranking appears. The antenna ports are then sorted in descending order of score, and the first number of antenna ports in the ranking is selected. For example, if the total number of antenna ports is M, and the scores corresponding to the rankings from the first to the Mth are M, M-1, ..., 2, 1 respectively; if antenna port i (1≤i≤M) appears in the first ranking m1 times, in the second ranking m2 times, and in the third ranking m3 times, and m1+m2+m3=M, then the score of antenna port i is M*m1+(M-1)*m2+(M-2)*m3.

[0198] Based on the process shown in Figure 10, in one possible implementation, the network device can send configuration information, and the terminal device can generate and send port performance information based on this configuration information. For specific implementation details, please refer to the relevant content in the process shown in Figure 3.

[0199] Based on the process shown in Figure 10, in one possible implementation, the network device can send first instruction information, and the terminal device can generate and send port performance information based on the first instruction information. For specific implementation details, please refer to the relevant content in the process shown in Figure 9.

[0200] Based on the process shown in Figure 10, in one possible implementation, the network device can send a second indication message, and the terminal device can generate and send port performance information according to the first quantity indicated by the second indication message. For specific implementation details, please refer to the relevant content in the process shown in Figure 3.

[0201] The process shown in Figure 10 above can improve the accuracy of antenna port performance evaluation because the network device can integrate port performance information sent by multiple terminal devices to obtain the antenna port performance (or obtain the antenna port performance ranking).

[0202] It is understood that, in order to achieve the functions in the above embodiments, the network device and terminal device include hardware structures and / or software modules corresponding to perform each function. Those skilled in the art should readily recognize that, based on the units and method steps of the various examples described in conjunction with the embodiments disclosed in this application, this application can be implemented in hardware or a combination of hardware and computer software. Whether a function is executed in hardware or by computer software driving hardware depends on the specific application scenario and design constraints of the technical solution.

[0203] Figures 11 and 12 are schematic diagrams of possible communication devices provided in embodiments of this application. These communication devices can be used to implement the functions of terminal devices or network 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 one of the terminal devices 120a-120j shown in Figure 1, or it can be a base station 110a or 110b shown in Figure 1, or it can be a module (such as a chip) applied to a terminal device or base station.

[0204] As shown in Figure 11, the communication device 1100 includes a processing unit 1110 and a transceiver unit 1120. The communication device 1100 is used to implement the functions of the terminal device or network device in the method embodiment shown in Figure 3 above.

[0205] When the communication device 1100 is used to implement the functions of the terminal device in the method embodiment shown in FIG3: the transceiver unit 1120 is used to receive reference signals from at least two antenna ports of the network device; the processing unit 1110 is used to send port performance information through the transceiver unit 1120, the port performance information indicating the performance of all or part of the at least two antenna ports, the performance being determined based on the reference signals.

[0206] In one possible implementation, the port performance information includes: performance information of each antenna port among all or some of the at least two antenna ports; or, the port performance information is an antenna port sequence, the antenna port sequence including the indices of all or some of the antenna ports after sorting by performance.

[0207] In one possible implementation, the performance information of each antenna port includes: the mean square error corresponding to each antenna port, wherein the mean square error is determined based on the channel information of the reconstructed channel and the channel information measured based on the reference signal, wherein the reconstructed channel is generated based on the multipath information corresponding to the location of the terminal.

[0208] In one possible implementation, the transceiver unit 1120 is further configured to: receive first indication information from the network device, the first indication information indicating a first quantity; and the processing unit 1110 is specifically configured to: transmit the port performance information through the transceiver unit 1120 according to the first indication information, the port performance information indicating the performance of the first quantity of antenna ports among the at least two antenna ports.

[0209] In one possible implementation, the processing unit 1110 is further configured to: select the first number of antenna ports among the at least two antenna ports based on the performance of the at least two antenna ports before sending the port performance information according to the first indication information.

[0210] In one possible implementation, the transceiver unit 1120 is further configured to: receive second indication information, the second indication information being used to indicate feedback port performance information; the processing unit 1110 is specifically configured to: in response to the second indication information, send the port performance information through the transceiver unit 1120.

[0211] In one possible implementation, the transceiver unit 1120 is further configured to: receive configuration information, the configuration information indicating one or more of the following: port performance calculation method, number of feedbacks, and feedback period.

[0212] In one possible implementation, the configuration information is carried in a system message.

[0213] When the communication device 1100 is used to implement the functions of the network device in the method embodiment shown in FIG3: the transceiver unit 1120 is used to transmit a reference signal through at least two antenna ports; and to receive port performance information from a terminal device, the port performance information indicating the performance of all or part of the at least two antenna ports, the performance being determined based on the reference signal.

[0214] In one possible implementation, the processing unit 1110 is further configured to: select a first number of antenna ports from the at least two antenna ports based on the port performance information.

[0215] In one possible implementation, the transceiver unit 1120 is specifically used to: receive port performance information from at least two terminal devices; and the processing unit 1110 is specifically used to: select the first number of antenna ports from the at least two antenna ports based on the port performance information of the at least two terminal devices.

[0216] In one possible implementation, the at least two antenna ports are all the antenna ports of the network device.

[0217] In one possible implementation, the port performance information includes: performance information of each antenna port among all or some of the at least two antenna ports; or, the port performance information is an antenna port sequence, the antenna port sequence including the indices of all or some of the antenna ports after sorting by performance.

[0218] In one possible implementation, the performance information of each antenna port includes: the mean square error corresponding to each antenna port, wherein the mean square error is determined based on the channel information of the reconstructed channel and the channel information measured based on the reference signal, wherein the reconstructed channel is generated based on the multipath information corresponding to the location of the terminal.

[0219] In one possible implementation, the processing unit 1110 is further configured to: send first indication information through the transceiver unit 1120, the first indication information indicating a first quantity; and the port performance information received by the transceiver unit 1120 indicating the performance of the first quantity of antenna ports among the at least two antenna ports.

[0220] In one possible implementation, the processing unit 1110 is further configured to: send second indication information through the transceiver unit 1120, the second indication information being used to indicate the terminal device feedback port performance information.

[0221] In one possible implementation, the processing unit 1110 is further configured to: send configuration information through the transceiver unit 1120, the configuration information indicating one or more of the port performance calculation method, feedback count, and feedback period.

[0222] In one possible implementation, the configuration information is carried in a system message.

[0223] A more detailed description of the processing unit 1110 and the transceiver unit 1120 can be obtained directly from the relevant description in the method embodiment shown in Figure 3, and will not be repeated here.

[0224] As shown in Figure 12, the communication device 1200 includes a processor 1210 and an interface circuit 1220. The processor 1210 and the interface circuit 1220 are coupled to each other. It is understood that the interface circuit 1220 can be a transceiver or an input / output interface. Optionally, the communication device 1200 may also include a memory 1230 for storing instructions executed by the processor 1210, or storing input data required by the processor 1210 to execute instructions, or storing data generated after the processor 1210 executes instructions.

[0225] When the communication device 1200 is used to implement the method shown in FIG3, the processor 1210 is used to implement the function of the processing unit 1110, and the interface circuit 1220 is used to implement the function of the transceiver unit 1120.

[0226] When the aforementioned communication device is a chip applied to a terminal device, the terminal chip implements the functions of the terminal device in the above method embodiments. The terminal chip receives information from other modules (such as an RF module or antenna) in the terminal device, the information being sent to the terminal device by the network device; or, the terminal chip sends information to other modules (such as an RF module or antenna) in the terminal device, the information being sent to the network device by the terminal device.

[0227] When the aforementioned communication device is a module applied to a network device, the network device module implements the functions of the network device in the above method embodiments. The network device module receives information from other modules (such as radio frequency modules or antennas) within the network device; this information is sent from the terminal device to the network device. Alternatively, the network device module sends information to other modules (such as radio frequency modules or antennas) within the network device; this information is sent from the network device to the terminal device. The network device module here can be the baseband chip of the network device, or a DU (Digital Unit) or other modules. The DU here can be a DU under an Open Radio Access Network (O-RAN) architecture.

[0228] The processor in the embodiments of this application can be a central processing unit (CPU), or other general-purpose processors, digital signal processors (DSPs), application-specific integrated circuits (ASICs), field-programmable gate arrays (FPGAs), graphics processing units (GPUs), neural network processing units (NPUs), artificial intelligence processors, or other programmable logic devices, transistor logic devices, hardware components, or any combination thereof. A general-purpose processor can be a microprocessor or any conventional processor. The memory mentioned above can be read-only memory (ROM) or other types of static storage devices capable of storing static information and instructions, random access memory (RAM), etc. Some or all steps of the communication method in the embodiments of this application can be implemented by a GPU or NPU, or by a GPU or NPU in conjunction with other processors.

[0229] This application provides another example of a communication device, which includes at least one processor and at least one memory coupled together. The at least one processor and the at least one memory are used to store instructions. When the instructions are executed by the at least one processor, the communication device performs the methods described in the above embodiments. Taking a communication device including a processor and a memory as an example, as shown in FIG12, communication device 1200 includes a processor 1210 and a memory 1230. The processor 1210 and the memory 1230 are coupled together. The memory 1230 stores instructions. When the instructions stored in the memory 1230 are executed by the processor 1210, the communication device 1200 performs the methods performed by the terminal device or network device described in the above embodiments.

[0230] The method steps in the embodiments of this application can be implemented in hardware or in software instructions executable by a processor. The software instructions can consist of corresponding software modules, which can be stored in random access memory, flash memory, read-only memory, programmable read-only memory, erasable programmable read-only memory, electrically erasable programmable read-only memory, registers, hard disks, portable hard disks, CD-ROMs, or any other form of storage medium known in the art. An exemplary storage medium is coupled to a processor, enabling the processor to read information from and write information to the storage medium. The storage medium can also be a component of the processor. The processor and storage medium can reside in an ASIC. Alternatively, the ASIC can reside in a network device or a terminal device. The processor and storage medium can also exist as discrete components in a network device or a terminal device.

[0231] In the above embodiments, implementation can be achieved entirely or partially through software, hardware, firmware, or any combination thereof. When implemented using software, it can be implemented entirely or partially in the form of a computer program product. The computer program product includes one or more computer programs or instructions. When the computer program or instructions are loaded and executed on a computer, the processes or functions described in the embodiments of this application are performed entirely or partially. The computer can be a general-purpose computer, a special-purpose computer, a computer network, a network device, a user equipment, or other programmable device. The computer program or instructions can be stored in a computer-readable storage medium or transferred from one computer-readable storage medium to another. For example, the computer program or instructions can be transferred from one website, computer, server, or data center to another website, computer, server, or data center via wired or wireless means. The computer-readable storage medium can be any available medium that a computer can access or a data storage device such as a server or data center that integrates one or more available media. The available medium can be a magnetic medium, such as a floppy disk, hard disk, or magnetic tape; it can also be an optical medium, such as a digital video optical disc; or it can be a semiconductor medium, such as a solid-state drive. The computer-readable storage medium may be a volatile or non-volatile storage medium, or may include both types of storage media.

[0232] In the various embodiments of this application, unless otherwise specified or in case of logical conflict, the terminology and / or descriptions between different embodiments are consistent and can be referenced by each other. Technical features in different embodiments can be combined to form new embodiments based on their inherent logical relationships.

[0233] In this application, "at least one" means one or more, and "more than one" means two or more. "And / or" describes the relationship between related objects, indicating that three relationships can exist. For example, A and / or B can represent: A alone, A and B simultaneously, or B alone, where A and B can be singular or plural. In the textual description of this application, the character " / " generally indicates an "or" relationship between the preceding and following related objects; in the formulas of this application, the character " / " indicates a "division" relationship between the preceding and following related objects. "Including at least one of A, B, and C" can mean: including A; including B; including C; including A and B; including A and C; including B and C; including A, B, and C.

[0234] It is understood that the various numerical designations used in the embodiments of this application are merely for descriptive convenience and are not intended to limit the scope of the embodiments of this application. The order of the process numbers described above does not imply the order of execution; the execution order of each process should be determined by its function and internal logic.

Claims

1. A method for antenna port performance feedback, characterized in that, The method includes: Receive reference signals from at least two antenna ports of the network device; Transmit port performance information, which indicates the performance of all or some of the at least two antenna ports, the performance being determined based on the reference signal.

2. The method as described in claim 1, characterized in that, The port performance information includes: the performance information of each antenna port in all or some of the at least two antenna ports; or... The port performance information is an antenna port sequence, which includes the indices of all or part of the antenna ports after sorting by performance of the at least two antenna ports.

3. The method as described in claim 2, characterized in that, The performance information for each antenna port includes: The mean square error corresponding to each antenna port is determined based on the channel information of the reconstructed channel and the channel information measured based on the reference signal, wherein the reconstructed channel is generated based on the multipath information corresponding to the location of the terminal.

4. The method according to any one of claims 1-3, characterized in that, Also includes: Receive a first indication information from the network device, the first indication information indicating a first quantity; The transmission port performance information includes: The port performance information is sent according to the first indication information, and the port performance information indicates the performance of the first number of antenna ports among the at least two antenna ports.

5. The method as described in claim 4, characterized in that, Before sending the port performance information according to the first indication information, the method further includes: Based on the performance of the at least two antenna ports, select the first number of antenna ports from the at least two antenna ports.

6. The method according to any one of claims 1-5, characterized in that, Also includes: Receive a second indication message, which is used to indicate feedback port performance information; The transmission port performance information includes: In response to the second indication information, the port performance information is sent.

7. The method according to any one of claims 1-6, characterized in that, Also includes: Receive configuration information, which indicates one or more of the following: port performance calculation method, number of feedbacks, and feedback period.

8. The method as described in claim 7, characterized in that, The configuration information is carried out in system messages.

9. A method for antenna port performance feedback, characterized in that, The method includes: The reference signal is transmitted through at least two antenna ports; Receive port performance information from the terminal device, the port performance information indicating the performance of all or some of the at least two antenna ports, the performance being determined based on the reference signal.

10. The method as described in claim 9, characterized in that, Also includes: Based on the port performance information, a first number of antenna ports are selected from the at least two antenna ports.

11. The method as described in claim 10, characterized in that, The receipt of port performance information from the terminal device includes: Receive port performance information from at least two terminal devices; The step of selecting a first number of antenna ports from the at least two antenna ports based on the port performance information includes: Based on the port performance information of the at least two terminal devices, the first number of antenna ports are selected from the at least two antenna ports.

12. The method according to any one of claims 9-11, characterized in that, The at least two antenna ports refer to all antenna ports of the network device.

13. The method according to any one of claims 9-12, characterized in that, The port performance information includes: the performance information of each antenna port in all or some of the at least two antenna ports; or... The port performance information is an antenna port sequence, which includes the indices of all or part of the antenna ports after sorting by performance of the at least two antenna ports.

14. The method as described in claim 13, characterized in that, The performance information for each antenna port includes: The mean square error corresponding to each antenna port is determined based on the channel information of the reconstructed channel and the channel information measured based on the reference signal, wherein the reconstructed channel is generated based on the multipath information corresponding to the location of the terminal.

15. The method according to any one of claims 9-14, characterized in that, Also includes: Send a first indication message, the first indication message indicating a first quantity; The received port performance information indicates the performance of the first number of antenna ports among the at least two antenna ports.

16. The method according to any one of claims 9-15, characterized in that, Also includes: Send a second indication message, which is used to instruct the terminal device to provide feedback port performance information.

17. The method according to any one of claims 9-16, characterized in that, Also includes: Send configuration information, which indicates one or more of the following: port performance calculation method, number of feedbacks, and feedback period.

18. The method as described in claim 17, characterized in that, The configuration information is carried out in system messages.

19. A communication device, characterized in that, It includes units or modules for performing the method as described in any one of claims 1-8, or includes units or modules for performing the method as described in any one of claims 9-18.

20. A communication device, characterized in that, include: One or more processors are configured to perform the method as described in any one of claims 1-8, or to perform the method as described in any one of claims 9-18.

21. A readable storage medium, characterized in that, The readable storage medium stores a program or instructions that, when executed on the device, cause the device to perform the method as claimed in any one of claims 1-8, or the method as claimed in any one of claims 9-18.

22. A chip system, characterized in that, Includes a processor for supporting a computer device in implementing the method as described in any one of claims 1-8, or in implementing the method as described in any one of claims 9-18.

23. A computer program product, characterized in that, The computer program product includes a program; when the computer program is run on a computer, it causes the computer to perform the method as described in any one of claims 1-8, or to perform the method as described in any one of claims 9-18.

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