Communication method and related apparatus

Abstract

Embodiments of the present application disclose a communication method and a related apparatus. A first resource set configured by a second communication apparatus for a first communication apparatus comprises a plurality of resource subsets. The second communication apparatus sends CSI-RSs on different resource subsets, and correspondingly, the first communication device receives different CSI-RSs on the different resource subsets. The first communication apparatus can perform different measurements on CSI-RSs corresponding to different resource subsets, and correspondingly feed back different information, thereby reducing measurement overhead.

Description

A communication method and related apparatus

[0001] This application claims priority to Chinese Patent Application No. CN202510125110.9, filed on January 26, 2025, entitled "A Communication Method and Related Device", the entire contents of which are incorporated herein by reference. Technical Field

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

[0003] Wireless communication can be a transmission communication between two or more communication devices that does not propagate through conductors or cables. Generally, these two or more communication devices include network devices and terminal devices, or they may include different terminal devices. Different communication devices can communicate using multi-input multi-output (MIMO) technology. During this communication process, the network device can send a channel state information reference signal (CSI-RS). Correspondingly, the terminal device receives the CSI-RS at its CSI-RS port and performs measurements based on it to obtain channel quality information. Subsequently, high-speed data transmission can be achieved based on this channel quality information.

[0004] To enable CSI-RS-based measurements, the network device sends configuration information to the terminal device. This configuration information includes resource configuration information and reporting configuration information. The resource configuration information refers to the information related to configuring measurement resources, specifically using a three-level structure: resource configuration (resourceConfig) - resource set (resourceSet) - resource (resource). In other words, the network device can configure one or more resource configurations for the terminal device. Each resource configuration includes one or more resource sets, and each resource set can include one or more resources. The network device sends CSI-RS on the resources configured in the resource configuration information, and the terminal device determines the quality of the resource corresponding to that CSI-RS by measuring it.

[0005] Currently, network devices can configure multiple resource sets for terminal devices, and can also instruct terminal devices to switch from one resource set to another. However, when a terminal device switches from one resource set to another, it is necessary to measure the CSI-RS corresponding to all resources included in the resource set, resulting in a large measurement overhead. Summary of the Invention

[0006] In a first aspect, embodiments of this application propose a communication method, which is applied to a first communication device.

[0007] The first communication device is applied to the terminal side, such as a terminal or a communication module within a terminal, or a circuit or chip (such as a modem chip, also known as a baseband chip, or a system-on-chip (SoC) chip or system-in-package (SIP) chip containing a modem core) within the terminal responsible for communication functions. For example, the first communication device can be a terminal device, a device or apparatus with a chip, or a device or apparatus with integrated circuits, or a chip, chip system, functional module, control unit, circuit, processor, or integrated circuit that can be applied to the aforementioned device or apparatus; specific details are not limited in this application.

[0008] The method includes: receiving first information, the first information being used to configure a first resource set, the first resource set including at least a first resource subset and a second resource subset, the first resource subset including one or more resources, the second resource subset including one or more resources, each resource being used to carry a channel state information reference signal (CSI-RS); receiving a first CSI-RS on the resources included in the first resource subset according to the first information, the first CSI-RS including one or more CSI-RS resources, the first CSI-RS resources being the CSI-RS resources corresponding to the first resource subset; transmitting second information according to the first CSI-RS, the second information including channel quality information of the channel between a first communication device and a second communication device; receiving a second CSI-RS on the resources included in the second resource subset according to the first information, the second CSI-RS including one or more CSI-RS resources, the second CSI-RS being the CSI-RS corresponding to the second resource subset; and transmitting third information according to the second CSI-RS, the third information including channel information of the channel between the first communication device and the second communication device.

[0009] Using the above method, the first resource set configured by the second communication device to the first communication device includes multiple resource subsets, realizing a four-level resource configuration structure, which includes: resource configuration (resourceConfig) - resource set (resourceSet) - resource subset (resourceSubSet) - resource (resource). The second communication device transmits CSI-RS on different resource subsets, and correspondingly, the first communication device receives different CSI-RS on different resource subsets. The first communication device can perform different measurements for the CSI-RS corresponding to different resource subsets and provide corresponding feedback with different information, thereby reducing measurement overhead. If the first communication device moves from the beam coverage area corresponding to resource A to the beam coverage area corresponding to resource B, the second communication device can achieve accurate measurement feedback by deactivating resource A included in the second resource subset and activating resource B included in the first resource subset, without having to reactivate all resources included in the measurement resource set, thus reducing measurement overhead.

[0010] In conjunction with the first aspect, in one possible implementation of the first aspect, the second information includes one or more of the following: received signal strength indicator (RSSI), reference signal receiving power (RSRP), signal strength indicator (SSI), signal-to-interference ratio (SIR), interference signal strength (ISS), signal-to-noise ratio (SNR), reference signal receiving quality (RSRQ), or signal-to-interference plus noise ratio (SINR); the third information includes one or more of the following: channel quality indicator (CQI), precoding matrix indicator (PMI), and rank indicator (RI).

[0011] Received Signal Strength Indication (RSSI) indicates the power level of the signal received by the receiver. A higher RSSI value indicates a stronger received signal, and generally, better signal quality. Reference Signal Received Power (RSRP) is the linear average of the signal power received on all resource elements (REs) carrying the reference signal within a symbol; it is also an important indicator of signal strength. Signal Strength Indication (SSI), similar to RSSI, is used to indicate signal strength. Signal-to-Noise Ratio (SNR) is the ratio of signal power to noise power, usually expressed in decibels (dB). A higher SNR indicates a stronger signal relative to noise, better signal quality, and higher reliability and accuracy of data transmission. Interference Signal Strength refers to the power of the received interference signal. Higher interference signal strength has a greater impact on the useful signal, leading to decreased signal quality and increased bit error rate. Signal-to-Interference Ratio (SIR) is the ratio of signal power to interference signal power, used to measure the degree of interference to the signal.

[0012] Optionally, the second information may also include: layer 1 (L1)-SINR, L1-RSSI, L1-RSRP, L1-SSI, L1-SIR, L1-ISS, L1-SNR, or L1-RSRQ.

[0013] In the above technical solution, different resource subsets correspond to different feedback information, achieving accurate channel measurement and accurate feedback, and reducing measurement overhead.

[0014] In conjunction with the first aspect, in one possible implementation of the first aspect, the method further includes: measuring the first time-frequency resource based on the first information, and determining the second information, wherein the first information is specifically used to configure the first time-frequency resource, the first time-frequency resource belongs to the second time-frequency resource, the second time-frequency resource is the time-frequency resource corresponding to the first code division sequence, the first code division sequence is used to perform weighted processing on the signal carried by the first CSI-RS port, and the first CSI-RS port is the CSI-RS port corresponding to the resources included in the first resource subset.

[0015] In the above technical solution, the time-frequency resources corresponding to the first resource subset are the second time-frequency resources. The first communication device can determine the channel quality information corresponding to the first resource subset by measuring only the first time-frequency resources in the second time-frequency resources based on the first information, thereby reducing measurement overhead.

[0016] In conjunction with the first aspect, in one possible implementation of the first aspect, the method further includes: receiving fourth information, the fourth information indicating the number of resources included in the second resource subset.

[0017] In the above technical solution, the second communication device can also dynamically adjust the resources included in the second resource subset based on the second information, so as to further reduce measurement overhead.

[0018] In conjunction with the first aspect, in one possible implementation of the first aspect, the method further includes: when the channel quality information included in the second information is greater than the first threshold, the fourth information indicates that the number of resources included in the second resource subset is changed from N2 to N, wherein the first information configures the number of resources included in the second resource subset to be N2, where N is an integer greater than 1 and N2 is an integer greater than or equal to N.

[0019] For example, the channel quality information includes one or more of the following messages: RSRP, RSRQ, or SINR.

[0020] In conjunction with the first aspect, in one possible implementation of the first aspect, the second information is also used to indicate the resources included in the second subset of resources.

[0021] In the above technical solution, after the first communication device measures the CSI-RS of the first resource subset, the resources included in the second resource subset can be determined based on the measurement results. The first communication device dynamically adjusts the resources included in the second resource subset, improving the flexibility of the solution while further reducing measurement overhead.

[0022] In conjunction with the first aspect, in one possible implementation of the first aspect, the second information includes one or more of the following: identification information of the first resource subset, or identification information of the resources included in the first resource subset; the third information includes one or more of the following: identification information of the second resource subset, or identification information of the resources included in the second resource subset.

[0023] In conjunction with the first aspect, in one possible implementation of the first aspect, the second time-frequency resource includes X resource elements RE, the first time-frequency resource is Y REs in the second time-frequency resource, where X is an integer greater than or equal to 2, and Y is an integer less than X and greater than or equal to 1.

[0024] In conjunction with the first aspect, in one possible implementation of the first aspect, the first time-frequency resource carries the CSI-RS corresponding to the CSI-RS port in the first polarization direction, and / or, the first time-frequency resource carries the CSI-RS corresponding to the CSI-RS port in the second polarization direction.

[0025] In conjunction with the first aspect, in one possible implementation of the first aspect, the number X of resource elements REs included in the first time-frequency resource is determined based on the number of ports of the first CSI-RS port and the length of the first code division sequence.

[0026] In conjunction with the first aspect, in one possible implementation of the first aspect, the first time-frequency resource is related to the pattern of the resources included in the first resource subset.

[0027] In conjunction with the first aspect, in one possible implementation of the first aspect, the first time-frequency resource is related to the resource element RE interval between two adjacent first code division sequences in the time-frequency domain.

[0028] In the above technical solution, the first time-frequency resource can be determined by a variety of methods, which improves the flexibility of the solution implementation.

[0029] Secondly, embodiments of this application propose a communication method applied to a second communication device.

[0030] The second communication device may be a network device, a device or apparatus with a chip, a device or apparatus with integrated circuits, or a chip, chip system, module, control unit, circuit, or processor applicable to the aforementioned device or apparatus, or at least one of a central unit (CU) or a distributed unit (DU), the specific of which is not limited in this application.

[0031] The method includes: sending first information, the first information being used to configure a first resource set, the first resource set including at least a first resource subset and a second resource subset, the first resource subset including one or more resources, the second resource subset including one or more resources, each resource being used to carry a channel state information reference signal (CSI-RS); according to the first information, sending a first CSI-RS on the resources included in the first resource subset, the first CSI-RS including one or more CSI-RS resources, the first CSI-RS resource being the CSI-RS resource corresponding to the first resource subset; receiving second information, the second information including channel quality information of the channel between a first communication device and a second communication device; according to the first information, sending a second CSI-RS on the resources included in the second resource subset, the second CSI-RS including one or more CSI-RS resources, the second CSI-RS being the CSI-RS corresponding to the second resource subset; and receiving third information, the third information including channel information of the channel between the first communication device and the second communication device.

[0032] The second aspect provides some possible implementation methods and beneficial effects that can be referred to in the first aspect, and will not be repeated here.

[0033] In conjunction with the second aspect, in one possible implementation of the second aspect, the second information includes one or more of the following: received signal strength indication, reference signal received power, signal strength indication, signal-to-interference ratio (SINR), interference signal strength, signal-to-noise ratio (SNR), reference signal received quality, or SNR; the third information includes one or more of the following: channel quality indication, precoding matrix indication, and rank indication.

[0034] Optionally, the second information may also include: L1-SINR, L1-RSSI, L1-RSRP, L1-SSI, L1-SIR, L1-ISS, L1-SNR, or L1-RSRQ.

[0035] In the above technical solution, different resource subsets correspond to different feedback information, achieving accurate channel measurement and accurate feedback, and reducing measurement overhead.

[0036] In conjunction with the second aspect, in one possible implementation of the second aspect, the method further includes: sending a fourth message indicating the number of resources included in the second resource subset.

[0037] In the above technical solution, the second communication device can also dynamically adjust the resources included in the second resource subset based on the second information, so as to further reduce measurement overhead.

[0038] In conjunction with the second aspect, in one possible implementation of the second aspect, the method further includes: when the channel quality information included in the second information is greater than the first threshold, the fourth information indicates that the number of resources included in the second resource subset is changed from N2 to N, wherein the first information configures the number of resources included in the second resource subset to be N2, where N is an integer greater than 1 and N2 is an integer greater than or equal to N.

[0039] For example, the channel quality information includes one or more of the following messages: RSRP, RSRQ, or SINR.

[0040] In conjunction with the second aspect, in one possible implementation of the second aspect, the second information includes one or more of the following: identification information of the first resource subset, or identification information of the resources included in the first resource subset; the third information includes one or more of the following: identification information of the second resource subset, or identification information of the resources included in the second resource subset.

[0041] In conjunction with the second aspect, in one possible implementation of the second aspect, the second time-frequency resource includes X resource elements RE, the first time-frequency resource is Y REs in the second time-frequency resource, where X is an integer greater than or equal to 2, and Y is an integer less than X and greater than or equal to 1.

[0042] In conjunction with the second aspect, in one possible implementation of the second aspect, the first time-frequency resource carries the CSI-RS corresponding to the CSI-RS port in the first polarization direction, and / or, the first time-frequency resource carries the CSI-RS corresponding to the CSI-RS port in the second polarization direction.

[0043] In conjunction with the second aspect, in one possible implementation of the second aspect, the number X of resource elements REs included in the first time-frequency resource is determined based on the number of ports of the first CSI-RS port and the length of the first code division sequence.

[0044] In conjunction with the second aspect, in one possible implementation of the second aspect, the first time-frequency resource is related to the pattern of the resources included in the first resource subset.

[0045] In conjunction with the second aspect, in one possible implementation of the second aspect, the first time-frequency resource is related to the resource element RE interval between two adjacent first code division sequences in the time-frequency domain.

[0046] Thirdly, embodiments of this application propose a communication system, which includes a first communication device and a second communication device. This communication system performs the methods described in the first and / or second aspects above, which will not be elaborated upon here.

[0047] Fourthly, this application provides a communication device, which is a first communication device. The device includes a transceiver module and a processing module. The components of the communication device can also be used to execute the steps performed in various possible implementations of the first aspect and achieve the corresponding technical effects. For details, please refer to the first aspect, which will not be repeated here.

[0048] For example, a transceiver module is used to receive first information, the first information being used to configure a first resource set, the first resource set including at least a first resource subset and a second resource subset, the first resource subset including one or more resources, the second resource subset including one or more resources, each of the resources being used to carry a channel state information reference signal CSI-RS;

[0049] The transceiver module is further configured to receive a first CSI-RS on the resources included in the first resource subset according to the first information, wherein the first CSI-RS includes one or more CSI-RS resources and the first CSI-RS resource is the CSI-RS resource corresponding to the first resource subset;

[0050] The transceiver module is also configured to send second information according to the first CSI-RS, the second information including channel quality information of the channel between the first communication device and the second communication device;

[0051] The transceiver module is further configured to receive a second CSI-RS on the resources included in the second resource subset according to the first information, wherein the second CSI-RS includes one or more CSI-RS, and the second CSI-RS is the CSI-RS corresponding to the second resource subset;

[0052] The transceiver module is also configured to send third information according to the second CSI-RS, the third information including channel information of the channel between the first communication device and the second communication device.

[0053] Fifthly, this application provides a communication device, which is a second communication device. The communication device includes a transceiver module and a processing module. The constituent modules of the communication device can also be used to execute the steps performed in various possible implementations of the second aspect and achieve the corresponding technical effects. For details, please refer to the second aspect, which will not be repeated here.

[0054] For example, a transceiver module is used to send first information, the first information being used to configure a first resource set, the first resource set including at least a first resource subset and a second resource subset, the first resource subset including one or more resources, the second resource subset including one or more resources, each of the resources being used to carry a channel state information reference signal CSI-RS;

[0055] The transceiver module is further configured to transmit a first CSI-RS on the resources included in the first resource subset according to the first information, wherein the first CSI-RS includes one or more CSI-RS resources and the first CSI-RS resource is the CSI-RS resource corresponding to the first resource subset;

[0056] The transceiver module is also used to receive second information, the second information including channel quality information of the channel between the first communication device and the second communication device;

[0057] The transceiver module is further configured to send a second CSI-RS on the resources included in the second resource subset according to the first information, wherein the second CSI-RS includes one or more CSI-RS, and the second CSI-RS is the CSI-RS corresponding to the second resource subset;

[0058] The transceiver module is also used to receive third information, which includes channel information of the channel between the first communication device and the second communication device.

[0059] Sixthly, this application provides a communication device comprising one or more processors. The one or more processors are capable of executing the computer program or instructions, which, when executed, cause the communication device to implement the methods in any possible design or implementation of the first aspect described above.

[0060] In one possible design, the communication device may further include an interface circuit, wherein the processor is used to communicate with other devices or components through the interface circuit.

[0061] In one possible design, the communication device may further include a memory. The memory is used to store part or all of the computer programs or instructions necessary to implement the functions described in the first aspect above.

[0062] The aforementioned communication device may be a terminal, or a communication module in a terminal, or a chip in a terminal that is responsible for communication functions, such as a modem chip (also known as a baseband chip), or a system-on-a-chip (SoC) containing a modem module, or a chip or a system-in-package (SIP) chip.

[0063] In a seventh aspect, this application provides a communication device including at least one logic circuit and an input / output interface; the logic circuit is configured to perform the method described in any possible implementation of any of the preceding first aspects.

[0064] In an eighth aspect, this application provides a communication device comprising one or more processors. The one or more processors are capable of executing the computer program or instructions, which, when executed, cause the communication device to implement the methods in any possible design or implementation of the second aspect described above.

[0065] In one possible design, the communication device may further include an interface circuit, wherein the processor is used to communicate with other devices or components through the interface circuit.

[0066] In one possible design, the communication device may further include a memory. The memory is used to store part or all of the computer programs or instructions necessary to implement the functions described in the second aspect above.

[0067] In a ninth aspect, this application provides a communication device including at least one logic circuit and an input / output interface; the logic circuit is configured to perform the method described in any possible implementation of any of the preceding second aspects.

[0068] In a tenth aspect, this application provides a communication system that includes the aforementioned network equipment and / or terminal equipment.

[0069] Eleventhly, this application provides a computer-readable storage medium for storing one or more computer-executable instructions, which, when executed by a processor, perform the method as described in any possible implementation of any of the first and / or second aspects above.

[0070] In a twelfth aspect, this application provides a computer program product (or computer program) that, when executed by a processor, performs the method described in any possible implementation of either the first aspect or the second aspect.

[0071] In a thirteenth aspect, this application provides a chip or chip system including at least one processor for supporting a communication device in implementing the method described in any possible implementation of any of the first and / or second aspects described above.

[0072] In one possible design, the chip or chip system may further include a memory for storing program instructions and data necessary for the communication device. The chip system may be composed of chips or may include chips and other discrete devices. Optionally, the chip system may also include interface circuitry that provides program instructions and / or data to the at least one processor.

[0073] The technical effects of any of the design methods in aspects three through thirteen can be found in the technical effects of the different design methods in aspects one through two above, and will not be repeated here. Attached Figure Description

[0074] Figure 1 is a schematic diagram of the architecture of the communication system 100 used in the embodiments of this application;

[0075] Figures 2a to 2c are schematic diagrams of beamforming;

[0076] Figures 2d to 2e are schematic diagrams of the connection architecture between the phase shifter and the antenna channel;

[0077] Figure 3 is a schematic diagram of measuring the downlink channel;

[0078] Figure 4a is a schematic diagram of CSI-RS resource configuration information;

[0079] Figure 4b is a schematic diagram of CSI reporting configuration information;

[0080] Figures 5a to 5h are schematic diagrams of CSI-RS mapping in time and frequency resources;

[0081] Figure 6 is a schematic diagram of the measurement feedback of multi-beam channel state information;

[0082] Figure 7 is a schematic diagram of a communication scenario in an embodiment of this application;

[0083] Figure 8 is a flowchart illustrating one embodiment of the communication method in this application.

[0084] Figure 9a is a schematic diagram of a resource set in an embodiment of this application;

[0085] Figure 9b is another schematic diagram of the resource set in an embodiment of this application;

[0086] Figures 10a to 10e are schematic diagrams of the first and second resource subsets;

[0087] Figure 10f is a schematic diagram of a first time-frequency resource in an embodiment of this application;

[0088] Figures 11a to 11f are schematic diagrams of the first time-frequency resource in the embodiments of this application;

[0089] Figures 11g to 11i are schematic diagrams of the first information in an embodiment of this application;

[0090] Figure 12 is a structural schematic diagram of a communication device according to an embodiment of this application;

[0091] Figure 13 is another structural schematic diagram of the communication device according to an embodiment of this application;

[0092] Figure 14 is another structural schematic diagram of the communication device according to an embodiment of this application. Detailed Implementation

[0093] First, the communication system involved in the embodiments of this application is introduced. This application can be applied to long term evolution (LTE) systems, new radio (NR) systems, or future communication systems. The communication system includes at least one of network equipment or terminal equipment.

[0094] Figure 1 is a schematic diagram of the architecture of the communication system 100 used in the embodiments of this application.

[0095] As shown in Figure 1, the communication system includes a wireless access network and a core network. Optionally, the communication system 100 may also include the Internet. The wireless access network may include at least one network device (also understood as an access network device, as shown in Figure 1, 110a and 110b), and at least one terminal (also understood as the terminal device described above, as shown in Figure 1, 120a-120j). Furthermore, the network device (or wireless network device) may be a macro base station (as shown in Figure 1, 110a), a micro base station or an indoor station (as shown in Figure 1, 110b), a relay node or a donor node, etc. It is understood that all or part of the functions of the network device in this application may also be implemented through software functions running on hardware, or through virtualization functions instantiated on a platform (e.g., a cloud platform). The embodiments of this application do not limit the specific technology or specific device form adopted by the wireless network device.

[0096] For ease of description, the communication system illustrated in Figure 1 is described using the network device as a base station and the terminal device as a terminal. It is understood that when the communication system includes an integrated access and backhaul (IAB) network, the base station can be an IAB node. Optionally, in the embodiments of this application, the base station and the network device can be interchanged.

[0097] In this application, the base station and the terminal can be fixed or mobile. The base station and the terminal can be deployed on land, including indoors or outdoors, handheld or vehicle-mounted, on water, or in the air on aircraft, balloons, and satellites. The embodiments of this application do not limit the application scenarios of the base station and the terminal.

[0098] The roles of base stations and terminals can be relative. For example, the helicopter or drone 120i in Figure 1 can be configured as a mobile base station. For terminals 120j that access the wireless access network 100 through 120i, terminal 120i is a base station. However, for base station 110a, 120i is a terminal, meaning that 110a and 120i communicate via a wireless air interface protocol. Of course, 110a and 120i can also communicate via a base station-to-base station interface protocol. In this case, relative to 110a, 120i is also a base station. Therefore, both base stations and terminals can be collectively referred to as communication devices. 110a and 110b in Figure 1 can be called communication devices with base station functions, and 120a-120j in Figure 1 can be called communication devices with terminal functions.

[0099] Communication between base stations and terminals, between base stations, and between terminals can be conducted using licensed spectrum, unlicensed spectrum, or both simultaneously. Communication can be achieved 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.

[0100] In the embodiments of this application, the functions of the base station can be executed by modules (such as chips) within the base station, or by a control subsystem that includes base station functions. This control subsystem, including base station functions, can be a control center in the aforementioned application scenarios such as smart grids, industrial control, intelligent transportation, and smart cities. Similarly, the functions of the terminal can be executed by modules (such as chips or modems) within the terminal, or by a device that includes terminal functions.

[0101] In this application, the base station sends downlink signals or downlink information to the terminal, with the downlink information carried on the downlink channel; the terminal sends uplink signals or uplink information to the base station, with the uplink information carried on the uplink channel. To communicate with the base station, the terminal needs to establish a radio connection on a cell controlled by the base station. The cell with which the terminal has established a radio connection is called the terminal's serving cell. When the terminal communicates with this serving cell, it is also susceptible to interference from signals from neighboring cells.

[0102] The technical solution of this application can be applied to cellular communication systems related to the 3rd Generation Partnership Project (3GPP). For example, 4th generation (4G) communication systems, 5G communication systems, and communication systems beyond the 5th generation. For example, future communication systems. For example, 4th generation communication systems may include Long Term Evolution (LTE) communication systems. 5th generation communication systems may include New Radio (NR) communication systems. The technical solution of this application can also be applied to Wireless Fidelity (WiFi) systems, communication systems supporting the convergence of multiple wireless technologies, device-to-device (D2D) systems, or vehicle-to-everything (V2X) communication systems.

[0103] The terminal equipment and network equipment involved in this application are described below.

[0104] Terminal equipment, often simply called a terminal, refers to devices or modules that connect to the aforementioned communication systems and possess corresponding communication functions. Terminals typically contain communication modules, circuits, or chips that perform these functions. They are also configured with program instructions for executing these functions. Terminal equipment is also known as user equipment (UE), mobile station (MS), mobile terminal (MT), fixed wireless access (FWA), customer premises equipment (CPE), etc. Terminal equipment includes wireless communication capabilities (providing voice / data connectivity to users). Examples include handheld devices with wireless connectivity, in-vehicle devices, and machine-type communication (MTC) terminals. Currently, terminal devices can include: mobile phones, tablets, laptops, PDAs, mobile internet devices (MIDs), wearable devices, virtual reality (VR) devices, augmented reality (AR) devices, wireless terminals in industrial control, wireless terminals in self-driving (e.g., drones, vehicles), wireless terminals in remote medical surgery, wireless terminals in smart grids, wireless terminals in transportation safety, wireless terminals in smart cities, and wireless terminals in smart homes. For example, wireless terminals in self-driving can be drones, helicopters, or airplanes. For example, wireless terminals in vehicle-to-everything (V2X) can be in-vehicle equipment, vehicle-mounted equipment, in-vehicle modules, vehicles, or ships. Wireless terminals in industrial control can be cameras, robots, or robotic arms. Wireless terminals in smart homes can be televisions, air conditioners, robot vacuums, speakers, or set-top boxes. The terminal device can also be a device or module that is connected to the communication system shown above and has corresponding communication functions. The terminal device usually contains a communication module, circuit or chip that performs the corresponding communication function, and the terminal device is also configured with program instructions for performing the corresponding communication function.

[0105] Terminal equipment can be a device or apparatus with a chip, or a device or apparatus with integrated circuitry, or a chip, chip system, module, or control unit in the aforementioned devices or apparatuses; specific details are not limited in this application. In this application, the term "terminal equipment" can refer to the terminal equipment itself, or to the chip, functional module, or integrated circuit within the terminal equipment that performs the methods provided in this application; specific details are not limited in this application. Network equipment is a device deployed in a wireless access network to provide wireless communication functions for terminal equipment. Network equipment can connect terminal equipment to a radio access network (RAN) node of a wireless network, and can also be called access network equipment, RAN entity, access node, or network node, etc.

[0106] Specifically, network equipment can be network equipment for cellular systems related to the 3rd Generation Partnership Project (3GPP). For example, 4G communication systems, 5G communication systems, or future communication systems. Network equipment can also be network equipment in open RAN (O-RAN or ORAN) or cloud radio access network (CRAN). Alternatively, network equipment can also be network equipment in a communication system resulting from the integration of two or more of the above communication systems.

[0107] Network equipment includes, but is not limited to: evolved Node B (eNB), radio network controller (RNC), Node B (NB), base station controller (BSC), base transceiver station (BTS), home base station (e.g., home evolved Node B, or home Node B, HNB), base band unit (BBU), access point (AP) in wireless fidelity (WIFI) systems, macro base station, micro base station, wireless relay node, donor node, radio controller in CRAN scenarios, wireless backhaul node, transmission point (TP), or transmission and reception point (TRP), etc., and can also be network equipment in 5G mobile communication systems. For example, next-generation base station (gNB) in NR systems, TRP, TP; or one or a group of antenna panels (including multiple antenna panels) of a base station in a 5G mobile communication system; or, network equipment can also be network nodes constituting a gNB or transmission point. Examples include centralized unit (CU), distributed unit (DU), centralized unit control plane (CU-CP), centralized unit user plane (CU-UP), or radio unit (RU). CUs and DUs can be separate entities or included in the same network element, such as a BBU. RUs can be included in radio equipment or radio units, such as remote radio units (RRUs), active antenna units (AAUs), or remote radio heads (RRHs). Alternatively, network equipment can be servers, wearable devices, vehicles, or in-vehicle equipment. For example, network equipment in V2X technology can be roadside units (RSUs). It should be understood that the aforementioned TRP can be a device or module located on the network side of the communication system and possessing corresponding communication functions. The TRP typically contains communication modules, circuits, or chips that perform the corresponding communication functions. The TRP can also be configured with program instructions for the corresponding communication functions.

[0108] In different systems, CU (or CU-CP and CU-UP), DU, or RU may have different names, but those skilled in the art will understand their meaning. For example, in an open radio access network (ORAN) system, CU can also be called an open centralized unit (O-CU) or an open CU, DU can also be called an open distributed unit (O-DU), CU-CP can also be called an open centralized unit control plane (O-CU-CP), CU-UP can also be called an open centralized unit user plane (O-CU-UP), and RU can also be called an open radio unit (O-RU). This application does not limit the specific names. Any of the units CU, CU-CP, CU-UP, DU, and RU in this application can be implemented through software modules, hardware modules, or a combination of software and hardware modules.

[0109] Optionally, for network elements in the ORAN system, each network element can implement the protocol layer functions shown in Table 1 below.

[0110] Table 1

[0111] The architecture of the CU and DU of a network device is described below. A network device includes at least one CU and at least one DU. Optionally, the network device may also include at least one RU.

[0112] The following example uses a network device consisting of a CU and a DU. The CU has some core network functions and can include CU-CP and CU-UP. The CU and DU can be configured according to the protocol layer functions of the wireless network they implement. For example, the CU may be configured to implement the functions of at least one layer of the Packet Data Convergence Protocol (PDCP) layer and above (e.g., at least one of the RRC or SDAP layers). The DU may be configured to implement the functions of at least one layer of the protocol layer below the PDCP layer (e.g., at least one of the RLC, MAC, or physical (PHY) layers). Alternatively, the CU may be configured to implement the functions of at least one layer of the protocol layer above the PDCP layer (e.g., at least one of the RRC or SDAP layers), and the DU may be configured to implement the functions of at least one layer of the protocol layer below the PDCP layer (e.g., at least one of the RLC, MAC, or PHY layers).

[0113] When a CU includes CU-CP and CU-UP, CU-CP is used to implement the control plane functions of the CU, and CU-UP is used to implement the user plane functions of the CU. For example, when a CU is configured to implement the functions of the PDCP layer, RRC layer, and SDAP layer, CU-CP is used to implement the RRC layer functions and the control plane functions of the PDCP layer, and CU-UP is used to implement the SDAP layer functions and the user plane functions of the PDCP layer.

[0114] The CU-CP can interact with network elements in the core network used to implement control plane functions. These network elements can be access and mobility function (AMF) network elements, such as the access and mobility management function (AMF) in a 5G system. The AMF is responsible for mobility management in the mobile network, such as terminal device location updates, terminal device registration with the network, and terminal device handover.

[0115] CU-UP can interact with network elements in the core network used to implement user plane functions. These network elements, such as the user plane function (UPF) in a 5G system, are responsible for forwarding and receiving data in terminal devices.

[0116] Optionally, the ORAN architecture also includes a RAN intelligent controller (RIC) module.

[0117] Secondly, some terms used in the embodiments of this application will be explained to facilitate understanding by those skilled in the art.

[0118] (1) Configuration and Pre-configuration: In this application, both configuration and pre-configuration are used. Configuration refers to the access network device sending configuration information or parameter values ​​of some parameters to the terminal device through messages or signaling, so that the terminal device can determine the communication parameters or resources during transmission based on these values ​​or information. Pre-configuration corresponds to configuration and refers to the alignment of information or parameter values ​​between the terminal and the access network device without using messages or signaling. Instead, it uses parameter information or parameter values ​​that the access network device and the terminal device have negotiated in advance. These parameters can also be parameter information or parameter values ​​used by the access network device or the terminal device as specified by standard protocols, or parameter information or parameter values ​​that are pre-stored in the access network device or the terminal device. This application does not limit this. Furthermore, these values ​​and parameters can be changed or updated.

[0119] (2) The terms "system" and "network" in the embodiments of this application can be used interchangeably. "At least one" means one or more, and "more than one" means two or more. "And / or" describes the relationship between related objects, indicating that there can be three relationships. For example, A and / or B can mean: A exists alone, A and B exist simultaneously, or B exists alone, where A and B can be singular or plural. The character " / " generally indicates that the related objects before and after are in an "or" relationship. "At least one of the following" or similar expressions refer to any combination of these items, including any combination of single items or plural items. For example, "at least one of A, B and C" includes A, B, C, AB, AC, BC or ABC. And, unless otherwise specified, the ordinal numbers such as "first" and "second" mentioned in the embodiments of this application are used to distinguish multiple objects and are not used to limit the order, sequence, priority or importance of multiple objects.

[0120] References to "one embodiment" or "some embodiments" as described in this application mean that one or more embodiments of this application include a specific feature, structure, or characteristic described in connection with that embodiment. Therefore, the phrases "in one embodiment," "in some embodiments," "in other embodiments," "in still other embodiments," etc., appearing in different parts of this specification do not necessarily refer to the same embodiment, but rather mean "one or more, but not all, embodiments," unless otherwise specifically emphasized. The terms "comprising," "including," "having," and variations thereof mean "including but not limited to," unless otherwise specifically emphasized.

[0121] In the description of this application, unless otherwise stated, " / " means "or". For example, A / B can mean A or B. "And / or" in this document is merely a description of 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, and B alone. Furthermore, "at least one" means one or more, and "multiple" means two or more. "At least one of the following" or similar expressions refer to any combination of these items, including any combination of single or multiple items. For example, at least one of a, b, or c can represent: a, b, c, a and b, a and c, b and c, or a and b and c. Where a, b, and c can be single or multiple.

[0122] (3) In the embodiments of this application, "send" and "receive" indicate the direction of signal transmission. For example, "send information to the terminal" can be understood as the destination of the information being the terminal device, which may include sending directly through the air interface or sending indirectly through the air interface by other units or modules. "Receive information from the network device" can be understood as the source of the information being the network device, which may include receiving directly from the network device through the air interface or receiving indirectly from the network device through the air interface by other units or modules. "Send" can also be understood as the "output" of the chip interface, and "receive" can also be understood as the "input" of the chip interface.

[0123] In other words, sending and receiving can occur between devices, such as between network devices and terminal devices, or within a device, such as between components, modules, chips, software modules, or hardware modules within the device via buses, wiring, or interfaces.

[0124] It is understandable that information may undergo processing, such as encoding and modulation, between the source and destination, but the destination can still understand the valid information from the source. Similar statements in this application can be interpreted in a similar way and will not be elaborated further.

[0125] (4) In the embodiments of this application, "instruction" may include direct instruction and indirect instruction, as well as explicit instruction and implicit instruction. The information indicated by a certain piece of information is called the information to be instructed. In the specific implementation process, there are many ways to instruct the information to be instructed, such as, but not limited to, directly instructing the information to be instructed, such as the information to be instructed itself or its index. It can also indirectly instruct the information to be instructed by instructing other information, where there is an association between the other information and the information to be instructed; or it can only instruct a part of the information to be instructed, while the other parts of the information to be instructed are known or pre-agreed upon. For example, the instruction of specific information can be achieved by using a pre-agreed (e.g., protocol predefined) arrangement order of various information, thereby reducing instruction overhead. This application does not limit the specific method of instruction. It is understood that for the sender of the instruction information, the instruction information can be used to instruct the information to be instructed, and for the receiver of the instruction information, the instruction information can be used to determine the information to be instructed.

[0126] The instruction information can be sent as a whole or divided into multiple sub-information messages, and the sending period and / or timing of these sub-information messages can be the same or different. This application does not limit the specific sending method. The sending period and / or timing of these sub-information messages can be predefined, for example, according to a protocol, or configured by the transmitting device by sending configuration information to the receiving device. This configuration information can include, for example, but not limited to, one or a combination of at least two of radio resource control (RRC) signaling, media access control (MAC) layer (or medium access control (MAC) layer) signaling, and physical layer signaling. MAC layer signaling includes, for example, a MAC control element (CE); physical layer signaling includes, for example, downlink control information (DCI).

[0127] (5) Reference signal (RS).

[0128] Reference signals, also known as pilot signals, are essential in communication systems for estimating uplink or downlink channels to transmit and receive data, obtain system synchronization, and receive feedback channel information. Channel estimation refers to the process of reconstructing or recovering the received signal to compensate for signal distortion caused by channel fading and noise. It uses reference signals known to the transmitter and receiver to determine the time and frequency domain variations of the channel. These reference signals, distributed across different resource elements (REs) in the time-frequency two-dimensional space within orthogonal frequency division multiplexing (OFDM) symbols, have known amplitudes and phases.

[0129] At the physical layer, uplink communication can include the transmission of uplink physical channels and uplink signals. Uplink physical channels include the random access channel (PRACH), physical uplink control channel (PUCCH), and physical uplink shared channel (PUSCH), etc. Uplink signals include the channel sounding reference signal (SRS), the physical uplink control channel demodulation reference signal (PUCCH-DMRS), the physical uplink shared channel demodulation reference signal (PUSCH-DMRS), the demodulation reference signal (DMRS), the phase tracking reference signal (PTRS), and the positioning reference signal (SRS or SRS for positioning), etc.

[0130] At the physical layer, downlink communication can include the transmission of downlink physical channels and downlink signals. Downlink physical channels include the physical broadcast channel (PBCH), physical downlink control channel (PDCCH), and physical downlink shared channel (PDSCH), etc. Downlink signals include the primary synchronization signal (PSS) / secondary synchronization signal (SSS), physical downlink control demodulation reference signal (PDCCH-DMRS), physical downlink shared channel demodulation reference signal (PDSCH-DMRS), demodulation reference signal (DMRS), phase tracking reference signal (PTRS), channel states information reference signal (CSI-RS), cell reference signal (CRS), tracking reference signal (TRS), positioning reference signal (positioning RS), and synchronization signal block (SSB), etc.

[0131] (6) Precoding techniques.

[0132] The transmitting end can process the signal to be transmitted using a precoding matrix that matches the channel, given the known channel conditions, thus ensuring the precoded signal is compatible with the channel. Therefore, compared to the receiving end receiving an un-precoded signal and eliminating inter-channel interference, the complexity of receiving a precoded signal and eliminating inter-channel interference is reduced. Consequently, precoding the signal improves the quality of the received signal (e.g., signal-to-interference-plus-noise ratio). Furthermore, precoding technology enables multiple receivers to transmit on the same time-frequency resources, achieving multiple-user multiple-input multiple-output (MU-MIMO).

[0133] Optionally, the sending end can be a network device and the receiving end can be a terminal device; or, the sending end can be a terminal device and the receiving end can be a terminal device.

[0134] One implementation employs Multiple Input Multiple Output (MIMO) technology to increase system capacity and improve throughput. The mathematical expression is y = Hx + n, where y is the received signal, H is the channel information of the MIMO channel, x is the transmitted signal, and n is noise. In communication systems with multiple antennas, signals from multiple transmitting antennas can be superimposed on any one receiving antenna. Therefore, the method of transmitting signals at the transmitting end affects system performance, and recovering the transmitted signal at the receiving end is often complex. In this context, precoding is used to reduce system overhead and maximize the system capacity of MIMO, while also reducing the complexity of eliminating inter-channel interference in the receiver. In this case, the mathematical expression is y = HPx + n, where P is the precoding matrix (or vector). To simplify implementation complexity, P can be selected from a predefined set of matrices (or vectors), called the codebook. This method is also known as a codebook-based transmission method. If the sending end can obtain all the information of H, then P can be obtained by the sending end itself. This method is also known as the non-codebook (NCB) sending method.

[0135] It should be understood that the descriptions of precoding techniques are for illustrative purposes only and are not intended to limit the scope of protection of the embodiments of this application. In specific implementations, the transmitting end may also perform precoding in other ways. For example, when channel information (e.g., but not limited to the channel matrix) is unknown, a pre-set precoding matrix or a weighted processing method may be used for precoding. For the sake of brevity, the specific details will not be elaborated upon here.

[0136] (7) Antenna port.

[0137] An antenna port, often simply called a port, can be understood as a transmitting antenna that is recognized by the receiving end, or a spatially distinguishable transmitting antenna. Each virtual antenna can be pre-configured with one antenna port. Each virtual antenna can be a weighted combination of multiple physical antennas. Each antenna port can correspond to a reference signal; therefore, each antenna port can be called a port for a reference signal, such as a CSI-RS port, a demodulation reference signal (DMRS), or an SRS port.

[0138] In this context, an antenna port is a logical concept, and there is generally no direct correspondence between an antenna port and a physical antenna. An antenna port is typically associated with a reference signal, and its meaning can be understood as a transmit / receive interface on the channel through which the reference signal passes. For low frequencies, an antenna port may correspond to one or more antenna elements that jointly transmit the reference signal; the receiver can treat them as a whole without distinguishing between individual elements. For high-frequency systems, an antenna port may correspond to a beam; similarly, the receiver only needs to treat this beam as an interface and does not need to distinguish between individual elements.

[0139] Furthermore, a port group can refer to a group of multiple antenna ports. One approach is to group multiple digital ports of a network device to form multiple port groups. Another approach (especially in hybrid digital-analog beamforming architectures) is that a port group can be multiple digital ports corresponding to the same analog beam, also simply called a port group or digital-analog port group. Alternatively, a port group can be a group of digital ports corresponding to multiple analog beams, also simply called a port group or digital-analog port group. Or, multiple digital ports of the same analog beam can be divided into multiple subsets, each subset being called a port group or digital-analog port group.

[0140] (8) Beamforming.

[0141] In wireless communication systems (such as the communication system shown in Figure 1), MIMO technology, as a key technology for wireless communication, can be used to meet the demand for high-speed transmission. In MIMO technology, network devices use massive MIMO antennas to counteract path loss caused by increased frequency bands with higher array gain, thereby improving beam coverage. Beamforming implementation schemes include: digital beamforming (DBF), analog beamforming (ABF), or hybrid beamforming (HBF).

[0142] Beamforming will be described below with reference to Figures 2a to 2c, which are schematic diagrams of beamforming.

[0143] Please refer to Figure 2a, which illustrates digital beamforming (DBF). In Figure 2a, each or a group of antenna elements is directly connected to a digital channel. Since each antenna signal is directly converted to the digital domain, subsequent array weighting is performed in the digital domain, hence the name digital beamforming. Digital domain signal processing offers the highest degree of freedom and can support very complex signal processing methods; therefore, DBF architecture offers the best performance for the same array size. On the other hand, due to the high power consumption and cost of digital-to-analog / analog-to-digital converters (ADCs / DACs), DBF is more expensive for the same array size.

[0144] Please refer to Figure 2b, which illustrates analog beamforming (ABF). In Figure 2b, each or a group of antenna elements is connected to an analog phase shifter, and then multiple antenna elements are combined in the analog domain and passed through a digital-to-analog (DAC) to analog-to-digital (ADI) converter. Compared to DBF, the entire ABF array corresponds to only one DAC, thus the ABF architecture features low cost and low power consumption.

[0145] Please refer to Figure 2c, which illustrates Hybrid Beamforming (HBF). The HBF shown in Figure 2c is an intermediate form between ABF and DBF. The example in Figure 2c is a 3-channel HBF architecture, with each channel corresponding to two analog phase shifters. HBF has a certain number of digital ports supporting digital beamforming, and each digital port drives an ABF subarray. Compared to ABF, for the same array size, each digital channel drives a smaller analog subarray, resulting in a wider beam, better reliability, and lower beam scanning overhead.

[0146] (9) Connection architecture between phase shifter and antenna channel.

[0147] Utilizing more spectrum resources is a crucial means of enhancing wireless channel capabilities, and the 6GHz band is a future spectrum resource available for wireless communication. However, higher frequency bands result in greater signal energy loss over the same transmission distance. To overcome this issue, larger-scale antenna arrays are typically used on the network device side to weight the transmitted signal and obtain higher antenna array gain, thereby increasing signal transmission energy. To reduce implementation costs, large-scale antenna arrays on the network device side usually employ an HBF architecture, where a single digital channel drives multiple antenna elements through multiple phase shifters. Downlink signal transmission on the network device side typically uses both analog and digital domain weighting.

[0148] For easier understanding, please refer to Figures 2d to 2e, which are schematic diagrams of the connection architecture between the phase shifter and the antenna channel. The connection architecture between the phase shifter and the antenna channel includes: subarray connection architecture, partially fully connected architecture, or fully connected architecture. Subarray connection refers to a single phase shifter connected to a single antenna channel; partially fully connected architecture refers to achieving full connection between the phase shifter and the antenna channel within a subarray; fully connected architecture refers to achieving full connection between the phase shifter and the antenna channel.

[0149] (10) Channel State Information (CSI) report.

[0150] In wireless communication systems, CSI (Channel State Information) reports information describing the channel attributes of a communication link from the receiving end (e.g., a terminal device) to the transmitting end (e.g., a network device). The CSI report may include, but is not limited to, precoding matrix indicator (PMI), rank indicator (RI), channel quality indicator (CQI), channel state information reference signal (CSI-RS), channel state information resource index (CSI-RS Index, CRI), and layer indicator (LI). It should be understood that the specific content of CSI listed above is merely illustrative and should not constitute any limitation on this application. CSI may include one or more of the information listed above, or other information used to characterize CSI beyond what is listed above; this application does not limit this.

[0151] (11) Channel measurement.

[0152] Both HBF and ABF architectures involve the use of analog beams. The direction of the analog beam is determined by the beam weights and needs to be configured before signal transmission and reception. Better signal quality can only be achieved when the analog beams are aligned and accurately aimed at the communication target. When network devices perform beam scanning, they typically transmit reference signals using different analog beam weights. Correspondingly, terminal devices measure these reference signals and report the measurement results back to the network device. The network device then determines which beam has the best quality based on these measurement results.

[0153] Taking the communication process between network devices and terminal devices as an example, the network device performs channel measurement through reference signals to obtain channel state information (CSI) (or channel information). Subsequently, the network device can use the channel information to calculate the precoding information between the network device and the terminal device. MIMO communication can then be achieved between the network device and the terminal device through this precoding information.

[0154] In one implementation example, to send data to the terminal device, the network device can perform precoding on the digital port, while selecting appropriate coding and modulation orders. For example, the role of precoding is to better match the antenna (or beam) with the channel, ensuring better signal quality and less interference when the transmitted data arrives at the terminal. A better modulation order and code rate can maximize channel transmission capacity while ensuring reliable data transmission. The settings for precoding and modulation coding scheme (MCS) need to be determined based on channel quality and channel response. A common method is for the network device to send a downlink reference signal, the terminal device to determine the channel based on the downlink reference signal, and then feed back the corresponding channel state information, including precoding information, the number of transport streams supported by the channel (i.e., RI), and CQI (used to provide feedback on the MCS recommended by the terminal under the current channel quality). This process is called channel state information feedback (CSI feedback). Another approach is to measure and obtain uplink channel information using an uplink reference signal, and then further obtain downlink channel information based on channel reciprocity.

[0155] Figure 3 is a schematic diagram of a downlink channel measurement. As shown in Figure 3, the channel measurement process based on the downlink reference signal includes the following steps.

[0156] S301. The network device sends configuration information to the terminal device, wherein the configuration information includes channel information reporting (or measurement) configuration information.

[0157] Specifically, the channel information reporting configuration information can be sent from the network device to the terminal device via RRC signaling, and can include two parts: resource configuration information and reporting configuration information.

[0158] Resource configuration information refers to information related to measurement resources and can be configured through a three-level structure (resource configuration (resourceConfig) - resource set (resource) - resource (resource)). In other words, a network device can configure one or more resource configurations for a terminal device. Each resource configuration includes one or more resource sets, and each resource set can include one or more resources. Each resource configuration / resource set / resource includes its own index. Optionally, the channel information reporting configuration information may also include other parameters, such as the resource period and the signal type corresponding to the resource.

[0159] In addition, the reporting configuration information refers to the information related to the reporting of measurement results, which is configured in the protocol through the reporting configuration (ReportConfig). Network devices can configure one or more reporting configurations (ReportConfig) for terminal devices. Each reporting configuration includes reporting metrics, reporting time and period, reporting format, and other reporting-related information. Furthermore, the reporting configuration also includes an index of resource configurations, indicating which measurement configuration was used to obtain the reported results.

[0160] Optionally, the channel information reporting configuration information includes codebook configuration information (CodebookConfig), which is used to configure the first type or the second type of codebook.

[0161] In one example, this configuration information is used to configure information related to CSI-RS. The resource configuration information included in this configuration information is shown in Figure 4a, which is a schematic diagram of CSI-RS resource configuration information. The CSI reporting configuration information included in this configuration information is shown in Figure 4b, which is a schematic diagram of CSI reporting configuration information.

[0162] S302. The network device sends a downlink reference signal. For example, the network device sends a downlink signal (usually a downlink reference signal) on the resources configured in the resource configuration information so that the terminal device can measure the downlink signal and determine the quality of each resource (i.e., the quality of the beam corresponding to the resource).

[0163] S303. The terminal equipment measures the downlink reference signal based on the configuration information reported by the channel information. The downlink reference signal mainly includes the synchronization signal / physical broadcast channel block (SSB or SS / PBCH block), CSI-RS, and tracking reference signal (TRS). The PBCH can carry the master information block (MIB), used to configure the cell's main system information.

[0164] S304. The terminal device sends channel information to the network device. For example, this channel information may include a beam measurement report, which includes channel state information (CSI). The channel state information may include one or more of the following: indexes of one or more resources, CQI, reference signal received power (RSRP), PMI, rank indicator (RI), layer indicator (LI), CRI, synchronization signal / physical broadcast channel block resource index (SSBRI), etc.

[0165] Optionally, channel state information can be carried in uplink control information (UCI) and transmitted via the physical uplink control channel (PUCCH) or the physical uplink shared channel (PUSCH).

[0166] In addition, after obtaining channel information in step S304, the network device can determine scheduling information, including one or more of the following: MCS, resource block (RB) resource allocation, transmit beam, and receive beam, thereby improving the degree of beam matching with the channel and thus helping to improve communication rate and efficiency.

[0167] In summary, to improve the reception quality of wireless signals received by terminal devices and the spectral efficiency of the communication system, network devices need to perform precise beamforming on the data stream. To this end, the network device sends a pilot signal CSI-RS to the terminal device for channel estimation. The terminal device receives the CSI-RS and calculates the channel state information. Then, the terminal device calculates the beamforming matrix, also known as the precoding matrix, based on this channel state information. The terminal device can use various algorithms to determine this precoding matrix, such as singular value decomposition (SVD). To feed back the precoding matrix to the network device, the terminal device needs to convert the precoding matrix into a precoding matrix indication (PMI). The network device can then select the corresponding precoding matrix from the codebook based on the PMI.

[0168] A codebook is a predefined, optimized set of beamforming matrices that allows network devices and terminal devices to efficiently exchange information over a communication link. The Type II codebook is a high-precision codebook designed for massive MIMO systems, incorporating finer-grained beamforming options to accommodate more complex channel conditions and higher system performance requirements. In the Type II codebook, spatial weights (or spatial parameters) determine the shape and orientation of the beam. These parameters are selected from multiple candidate spatial bases, each corresponding to a specific spatial orientation. The terminal device sends a Pre-Minute Indicator (PMI) to the network device based on the selected spatial base, enabling the terminal device to instruct the network device to precisely focus the wireless signal onto its location, reducing interference to other terminal devices.

[0169] For the codebook of Release 15, each layer's PMI matrix can be equivalently represented as: W = W1W2, where the dimension of W is P. CSI-RS ×N3, the dimension of W1 is P CSI-RS ×2L, W1 can also be called the wideband precoding matrix, and W2 has a dimension of 2L×N3, which can also be called the precoding matrix for each subband, where P CSI-RS N1 represents the number of CSI-RS ports, N2 represents the number of sub-bands for PMI feedback (or the number of PMIs), and 2L represents the total number of DFT beams (or the total number of CSI-RS ports).

[0170] The PMI matrix can be equivalently represented as: The dimension of W is P CSI-RS ×N3, the dimension of W1 is P CSI-RS ×2L, The dimension is 2L×N3. The corresponding W2 for Release 15 is the precoding matrix for each subband. The dimension is 2L×M. The dimension is M×N3. It is the Mth row of the N3×N3 inverse discrete Fourier transformation (IDFT) matrix, i.e., the N3×N3 DFT matrix W. f The conjugate of column M in the dataset. N3 represents the number of IDFT basis vectors selected, and N3 represents the number of subbands fed back by the PMI. When the final terminal device provides feedback, it only needs to feed back the port or DFT codebook information related to W1. Related IDFT substrate selection information, The non-zero element in.

[0171] In the R15 protocol, after performing beam measurement, the terminal device reports channel state information to the network device. The format of some fields in this channel state information is shown in Table 2. The CRI and SSBRI fields are used to indicate the resource index to be reported. The channel state information can report only CRI or SSBRI, or both. and It refers to the length of the CRI and SSBRI fields. This indicates the number of CSI-RS resources in resource set s. This represents the number of SSB resources in resource set s. This indicates rounding up. RSRP reporting uses a differential reporting criterion: the RSRP of the resource with the best quality is reported using 7-bit quantization of the RSRP field in Table 2. RSRPs of other resources are reported using 4-bit quantization of the other RSRP (differential RSRP) field.

[0172] Table 2

[0173] After obtaining channel state information, the base station can determine scheduling information, including one or more of the following: MCS, RB resource allocation, transmit beam, and receive beam, thereby improving the degree of beam matching with the channel and thus helping to improve communication rate and efficiency.

[0174] (11) CSI-RS.

[0175] CSI-RS distinguishes different CSI-RS ports through orthogonal resources in the time and frequency domains. The signals carried by different ports are weighted using code division sequences to achieve code division multiplexing (CDM). The code division sequences specifically include orthogonal cover codes (OCCs) in the time domain and orthogonal covers in the frequency domain. The specific configuration of the code division sequences is determined by the CDM type. Orthogonal covers can also be called orthogonal overlay codes. For easier understanding, please refer to Figures 5a to 5h, which are schematic diagrams of the time-frequency resource mapping of CSI-RS. Figures 5a to 5h illustrate the location of the REs occupied by CSI-RS in the time-frequency resources. These resources include one physical resource block (PRB) in the frequency domain and one time slot in the time domain. One PRB includes 12 subcarriers, and one time slot includes 14 symbols (i.e., OFDM symbols). Different ports can be distinguished through orthogonal resources in time and frequency. The same padding number shown in Figures 5a to 5h corresponds to a CDM time-frequency resource group, and each CDM time-frequency resource group corresponds to a code division sequence.

[0176] Taking Example (2) in Figure 5h as an example, 32 resources correspond to 32 ports. There are eight groups of resources with different padding numbers, each group containing 4 REs, corresponding to 4 ports respectively. In Example (2) in Figure 5h, each group of 4 resources with the same number corresponds to a code division with a frequency division (FD) of 2 and a time division (TD) of 2, i.e., cdm4-FD2-TD2. Specifically as follows:

[0177] The first set of resources (1): 4 REs corresponding to symbols 5 and 6, subcarrier 0 and subcarrier 1.

[0178] The second set of resources (2): 4 REs corresponding to symbols 5 and 6, subcarrier 2 and subcarrier 3.

[0179] The third set of resources (3): the four REs corresponding to symbols 5 and 6, subcarrier 4 and subcarrier 5.

[0180] The fourth set of resources (4): the four REs corresponding to symbols 5 and 6, subcarrier 6 and subcarrier 7.

[0181] The fifth set of resources (5): 4 REs corresponding to symbols 9 and 10, subcarrier 0 and subcarrier 1.

[0182] The sixth group of resources (6): 4 REs corresponding to symbols 9 and 10, subcarrier 2 and subcarrier 3.

[0183] The seventh set of resources (7): the four REs corresponding to symbols 9 and 10, subcarrier 4 and subcarrier 5.

[0184] The eighth set of resources (8): 4 REs corresponding to symbols 9 and 10, subcarrier 6 and subcarrier 7.

[0185] Between the four ports corresponding to each resource group, code division is performed in two dimensions: time domain and frequency domain. The start position of CSI-RS resources in time, the density in the frequency domain (i.e., how many resource elements REs are in a resource block (RB), or how many resources are in a group), the time domain OCC, and the frequency domain OCC can be specified by the configuration information sent by the network device.

[0186] For example, the code division sequences corresponding to the current code division multiplexing type are shown in Tables 3 to 6.

[0187] Table 3

[0188] Among them, the code division multiplexing type corresponding to the code division sequence shown in Table 3 is "noCDM".

[0189] Table 4

[0190] Among them, the code division multiplexing type corresponding to the code division sequence shown in Table 4 is "fd-CDM2".

[0191] Table 5

[0192] Among them, the code division multiplexing type corresponding to the code division sequence shown in Table 5 is "cdm4-FD2-TD2".

[0193] Table 6

[0194] Among them, the code division multiplexing type corresponding to the code division sequence shown in Table 6 is "cdm8-FD2-TD4".

[0195] The relationship between CSI-RS port p, code block index j, and code sequence index s is as follows:

[0196] Where N is the number of ports corresponding to CSI-RS resources, L is the size of the code packet, and s can be the index in Tables 3 to 6 above. A code packet includes one or more code segment sequences.

[0197] Currently, network devices provide services to different terminal devices using multiple beams. The terminal devices measure the channels of these multiple beams via CSI-RS and then report channel status information (CSI) to the network device. For clarity, please refer to Figure 6, which illustrates the measurement feedback of multi-beam channel status information. The network device transmits beams #0, #1, and #2. When the location of the terminal device (UE) changes from location 1 to location 2 (i.e., the UE moves from the coverage area of ​​beam #2 to the coverage area of ​​beam #0), the terminal device needs to activate and use the resources corresponding to different beams because it has moved to the coverage area of ​​a different beam. For example, the resource corresponding to location 1 is resource 5 in resource set 1, and the resource corresponding to location 2 is resource 9 in resource set 2. When the terminal device moves from location 1 to location 2, the UE needs to activate resource 9 in resource set 2. During this process, the network device performs resource reconfiguration for the terminal device, switching the resource set used by the terminal device from resource set 1 to resource set 2. However, when a terminal device switches from one resource set to another, it needs to measure the CSI-RS corresponding to all resources included in the resource set, which causes a large measurement overhead.

[0198] Based on this, embodiments of this application propose a communication method and related apparatus. The method includes: a terminal device receiving first information, the first information being used to configure a first resource set, the first resource set including at least a first resource subset and a second resource subset, the first resource subset including one or more resources, and the second resource subset including one or more resources, each resource being used to carry a Channel State Information Reference Signal (CSI-RS); the terminal device receiving a first CSI-RS on the resources included in the first resource subset according to the first information, the first CSI-RS including one or more CSI-RS resources, the first CSI-RS resource being the CSI-RS resource corresponding to the first resource subset; the terminal device sending second information according to the first CSI-RS, the second information including channel quality information of the channel between a first communication device and a second communication device; the terminal device receiving a second CSI-RS on the resources included in the second resource subset according to the first information, the second CSI-RS including one or more CSI-RS resources, the second CSI-RS being the CSI-RS corresponding to the second resource subset; and the terminal device sending third information according to the second CSI-RS, the third information including channel information of the channel between the first communication device and the second communication device. Using the above method, the first resource set configured by the network device for the terminal device includes multiple resource subsets. The network device sends CSI-RS on different resource subsets, and the terminal device receives different CSI-RS on different resource subsets accordingly. The terminal device can perform different measurements for the CSI-RS corresponding to different resource subsets and provide different feedback information accordingly, thereby reducing measurement overhead. If the terminal device moves from the beam coverage area corresponding to resource A to the beam coverage area corresponding to resource B, the network device can achieve accurate measurement feedback by deactivating resource A included in the second resource subset and activating resource B included in the first resource subset, without having to reactivate all resources included in the measurement resource set, thus reducing measurement overhead.

[0199] Next, an embodiment of this application will be described using an example communication scenario. Please refer to Figure 7, which is a schematic diagram of a communication scenario according to an embodiment of this application. This communication scenario includes a first communication device and a second communication device. The first communication device may be a terminal device, or it may be a device or apparatus with a chip, or a device or apparatus with integrated circuits, or a chip, chip system, functional module, control unit, circuit, processor, or integrated circuit that can be applied to a terminal device or apparatus; the specifics are not limited in this application. The second communication device may be a network device, or it may be a device or apparatus with a chip, or a device or apparatus with integrated circuits, or a chip, chip system, functional module, control unit, circuit, processor, or integrated circuit that can be applied to a network device or apparatus; the specifics are not limited in this application. The cell managed by the second communication device includes the first cell. The first communication device is located in the first cell and can receive signals from the second communication device.

[0200] Based on the communication scenario illustrated above, the communication method proposed in the embodiments of this application will be described next. It should be noted that the communication method proposed in the embodiments of this application is illustrated using CSI-RS as an example. CSI-RS can also be replaced by a reference signal, and the embodiments of this application do not limit this.

[0201] Please refer to Figure 8, which is a schematic flowchart of one embodiment of the communication method in this application. The communication method proposed in this application includes:

[0202] 801. The first communication device sends a sixth message to the second communication device, the sixth message indicating the capabilities of the first communication device. Accordingly, the second communication device determines the capabilities of the first communication device based on the sixth message.

[0203] Step 801 is an optional step.

[0204] In step 801, the first communication device can report its own capabilities to the second communication device through the sixth information. The capabilities of the first communication device include, but are not limited to: the number of resources supported by the first communication device, the number of resource subsets supported by the first communication device, the number of resources included in the resource subsets supported by the first communication device, the measurement method of the resource subsets supported by the first communication device, or the feedback method of the resource subsets supported by the first communication device.

[0205] For example, the sixth information indicates that the first communication device supports 256 resources, the first communication device supports 4 resource subsets, and the number of resources in the resource subsets supported by the first communication device is at most 64. The sixth information supports the measurement methods for the resource subsets supported by the first communication device, including: measuring channel quality information, and measuring channel information. The sixth information supports the feedback methods for the resource subsets supported by the first communication device, including: feeding back channel quality information, and feeding back channel information.

[0206] 802. The second communication device sends first information to the first communication device. The first information is used to configure a first resource set. The first resource set includes at least a first resource subset and a second resource subset.

[0207] In step 802, the second communication device sends first information to the first communication device. This first information is used to configure the first resource set. In this embodiment, the multiple resources included in the first resource set are divided into multiple resource subsets. For example, the first resource set includes at least a first resource subset and a second resource subset. The measurement methods for different resource subsets included in the first resource set are different, and / or, the feedback methods for different resource subsets are different, and / or, different resource subsets include different resources, to reduce measurement overhead.

[0208] In this embodiment, a resource corresponds to one or more ports. A port corresponds to an antenna, or a port corresponds to a beam. Alternatively, one or more ports can be described as a port group, and correspondingly, a resource can correspond to a port group.

[0209] In one example, a resource corresponds to one or more ports in a single polarization direction. For instance, a resource corresponds to four ports in the first polarization direction.

[0210] In another example, a resource corresponds to multiple ports in a dual-polarization direction. For instance, a resource corresponding to 4 ports in the first polarization direction and 4 ports in the second polarization direction would have 8 ports.

[0211] In another example, the relationship between the number of ports corresponding to a resource and the number of resources corresponding to all ports is shown in Table 7. This example uses 256 ports.

[0212] Table 7

[0213] It should be noted that the number of ports included in this embodiment is not limited. The total number of ports may include 128 ports, 256 ports, 512 ports, or more.

[0214] First, we introduce the measurement and feedback methods for the different resource subsets included in the first resource set.

[0215] In one possible implementation, a first resource subset is used for measuring channel quality information, and the information fed back based on the first resource subset is the channel quality information. This channel quality information includes, but is not limited to, Reference Signal Received Power (RSRP), Reference Signal Received Quality (RSRQ), or Signal-to-Interference-plus-Noise Ratio (SINR). A second resource subset is used for measuring channel information, and the information fed back based on the second resource subset is the channel information. This channel information includes, but is not limited to, Parametric Channel Quality Indicator (CQI), Precoding Matrix Indicator (PMI), or Rank Indicator (RI).

[0216] Optionally, the first resource set includes multiple first resource subsets, and different first resource subsets include different resources. By using multiple different first resource subsets, channel quality information corresponding to different resources can be measured and fed back.

[0217] Optionally, the first resource set includes multiple second resource subsets, and different second resource subsets include different resources. By using multiple different second resource subsets, channel information corresponding to different resources can be measured and fed back.

[0218] It is understandable that the first resource subset can be used to measure the first type of information, and the information fed back based on the first resource subset is the first type of information. The second resource subset can be used to measure the second type of information, and the information fed back based on the second resource subset is the second type of information. The first type of information and the second type of information are different.

[0219] Secondly, the index of the resources included in the first resource set is introduced.

[0220] In one possible implementation, when configuring the first resource set, the first information can specifically configure the resources included in a subset of resources within the first resource set. For example, the identification information of the resources included in the resource subset.

[0221] The first piece of information includes resource identification information, which can be either absolute or relative. Absolute identification information means that each resource has a unique identifier, which can be used to uniquely identify a resource. Relative identification information means that resources in different resource subsets have the same identification information; therefore, in addition to the resource's own identification information, the identification information of the resource subset to which it belongs is also needed to jointly identify a resource.

[0222] In another possible implementation, the first information can specifically configure the number of resources included in the resource subset of the first resource set. The first communication device determines the specific resources included in the resource subset based on the first information.

[0223] For example, the number of resources included in a resource subset. The first communication device determines the specific resources included in the resource subset based on the number of resources included in the resource subset.

[0224] There are several ways to implement the identification information of resources in a resource set, with each increment sequentially. One implementation, as shown in Figure 9a (a schematic diagram of a resource set in an embodiment of this application), involves the identification information of resources in the resource set increasing sequentially along a first dimension, and then sequentially along a second dimension. Another implementation, as shown in Figure 9b (another schematic diagram of a resource set in an embodiment of this application), involves the identification information of resources in the resource set increasing sequentially along a second dimension, and then sequentially along the first dimension. The first dimension can be a vertical dimension (or vertical direction), and the second dimension can be a horizontal dimension (or horizontal direction).

[0225] The identification information of resources in different resource subsets can be the same or different.

[0226] In one example, the first information is used to configure the resources specifically included in the first resource subset and / or the resources specifically included in the second resource subset. In another example, the first information includes identification information of the resources in the first resource subset, and the first information also includes identification information of the resources in the second resource subset.

[0227] In another example, for instance, the resource identifiers in the first resource subset are "1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6", and the resource identifiers in the second resource subset are "7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12". Or, for another example, the resource identifiers in the first resource subset are "1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6", and the resource identifiers in the second resource subset are "1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6". To distinguish resources from different resource subsets, a resource is identified by combining the identifiers of the resource subset and the resource itself. For example, resource 1 in resource subset 2 is identified using the following information: "{2,1}", where "2" indicates that the resource belongs to resource subset 2, and "1" indicates that the resource is the first resource in resource subset 2.

[0228] Next, we will introduce the relationships between the different resource subsets included in the first resource set.

[0229] Specifically, each of the different resource subsets included in the first resource set includes one or more resources. A resource subset may include one or more resources in the first dimension, and it may also include one or more resources in the second dimension.

[0230] In one possible implementation, the resources in the resource subset are contiguous in the first dimension, and the resources in the resource subset are contiguous in the second dimension. The number of resources included in the first dimension of the resource subset is X1, and the number of resources included in the second dimension of the resource subset is X2. For example, as shown in Tables 8 to 16.

[0231] Table 8

[0232] Table 8 shows a resource subset containing 2 resources.

[0233] Table 9

[0234] Table 9 shows a resource subset containing 3 resources.

[0235] Table 10

[0236] Table 10 illustrates a resource subset containing 4 resources.

[0237] Table 11

[0238] Table 11 shows a resource subset containing 5 resources.

[0239] Table 12

[0240] Table 12 shows a resource subset containing 6 resources.

[0241] Table 13

[0242] Table 13 shows a resource subset containing 7 resources.

[0243] Table 14

[0244] Table 14 shows a resource subset containing 8 resources.

[0245] Table 15

[0246] Table 15 shows a resource subset containing 9 resources.

[0247] Table 16

[0248] Table 16 illustrates a resource subset containing 10 resources. When a resource subset includes more resources, the number of resources in the first dimension and the number of resources in the second dimension are similar to the examples in Tables 8 to 16 above, and will not be repeated here.

[0249] In another possible implementation, the resources included in a resource subset can also be non-contiguous in the first and / or second dimensions. Non-contiguous resources in the first dimension mean that the resources included in the subset are spaced apart in that dimension. Similarly, non-contiguous resources in the second dimension mean that the resources included in the subset are spaced apart in that dimension.

[0250] Furthermore, the aforementioned discontinuity can be either regular or irregular. Regular discontinuity refers to a situation where there are regular intervals between resources in the resource subset across the first and / or second dimensions; for example, multiple resources in the resource subset across the first dimension are not adjacent, and the intervals between these multiple resources are the same. Irregular discontinuity refers to a situation where there are irregular intervals between resources in the resource subset across the first and / or second dimensions; for example, multiple resources in the resource subset across the first dimension are not adjacent, and the intervals between these multiple resources are different.

[0251] First, taking the resource set shown in Figure 10a as an example, we will introduce the "discontinuous rule". The first dimension corresponds to the vertical dimension (or vertical direction), and the second dimension corresponds to the horizontal dimension (or horizontal direction).

[0252] In one example, the resource subset includes three resources (resource 1, resource 3, and resource 5), with 3 resources in the first dimension and 1 resource in the second dimension. These three resources are located in columns 1, 3, and 5 of the first dimension, respectively. The interval of this resource subset in the first dimension is 1.

[0253] In another example, the resource subset includes two resources (resource 4 and resource 20), with 2 resources in the first dimension and 1 resource in the second dimension. The interval of this resource subset in the second dimension is 1.

[0254] Secondly, taking the resource set shown in Figure 10a as an example, we will introduce the "discontinuous rule". The first dimension corresponds to the vertical dimension (or vertical direction), and the second dimension corresponds to the horizontal dimension (or horizontal direction).

[0255] In one example, the resource subset includes four resources (resource 1, resource 3, resource 6, and resource 7), with four resources in the first dimension and one resource in the second dimension. These three resources are located in columns 1, 3, 6, and 7 of the first dimension, respectively. The spacing of this resource subset in the first dimension is irregular.

[0256] In another example, the resource subset includes three resources (resource 1, resource 17, and resource 25), with 3 resources in the first dimension and 1 resource in the second dimension. The intervals of this resource subset in the second dimension are irregular.

[0257] Furthermore, the resources included in any two resource subsets of the first resource set can be partially the same (or partially intersecting) or completely different (or disjoint).

[0258] Furthermore, the resources in the resource subset included in the first resource set can also be dynamically changing.

[0259] Taking a first resource set comprising a first resource subset and a second resource subset as an example. The resources included in the first resource subset and the resources included in the second resource subset may be partially the same (or partially overlapping) or completely different (or non-overlapping).

[0260] The resources included in the first resource subset have multiple possible distributions in both the second and first dimensions. Similarly, the resources included in the second resource subset have multiple possible distributions in both the second and first dimensions. Examples are described below:

[0261] In one example, taking a first resource subset that includes 16 resources as an example, the number of resources included in the first resource subset in the second dimension and the first dimension is shown in Table 17.

[0262] Table 17

[0263] In one example, taking a second resource subset that includes 32 resources as an example, the number of resources included in the second resource subset in the second dimension and the first dimension is shown in Table 18.

[0264] Table 18

[0265] In another example, the resources included in the first resource subset are partially the same as those included in the second resource subset. For example, the first resource subset includes resources 1, 2, and 3; the second resource subset includes resources 1, 4, and 5. In yet another example, the resources included in the first resource subset are completely different from those included in the second resource subset. For example, the first resource subset includes resources 1, 2, and 3; the second resource subset includes resources 4, 5, and 6.

[0266] In another example, the first and second resource subsets are adjacent in the first dimension. For example, as shown in Figure 10a, which is a schematic diagram of the first and second resource subsets. The first resource subset has 1 resource in the second dimension and 4 resources in the first dimension, including resource 1, resource 9, resource 17, and resource 25; the second resource subset has 1 resource in the second dimension and 4 resources in the first dimension, including resource 2, resource 10, resource 18, and resource 26.

[0267] In another example, the first resource subset and the second resource subset are adjacent in the second dimension. For example, as shown in Figure 10b, which is another schematic diagram of the first and second resource subsets. The first resource subset has 2 resources in the second dimension and 1 resource in the first dimension, and the first resource subset includes resource 1 and resource 2; the second resource subset has 2 resources in the second dimension and 1 resource in the first dimension, and the second resource subset includes resource 3 and resource 4.

[0268] In another example, as shown in Figure 10c, which is another schematic diagram of the first and second resource subsets, the first resource subset has 2 resources in the second dimension and 2 resources in the first dimension, and includes resource 1, resource 2, resource 9, and resource 10; the second resource subset has 2 resources in the second dimension and 2 resources in the first dimension, and includes resource 17, resource 18, resource 25, and resource 26.

[0269] In another example, the resources included in the first resource subset are partially the same as those included in the second resource subset. For example, as shown in Figure 10d, which is another schematic diagram of the first and second resource subsets. The first resource subset has 2 resources in the second dimension and 4 resources in the first dimension, and includes resources 1, 2, 9, 10, 17, 18, 25, and 26; the second resource subset has 2 resources in the second dimension and 4 resources in the first dimension, and includes resources 2, 3, 10, 11, 18, 19, 26, and 27.

[0270] In another example, the first resource subset and the second resource subset are not adjacent. For example, as shown in Figure 10e, which is another schematic diagram of the first and second resource subsets. The first resource subset has 2 resources in the second dimension and 4 resources in the first dimension. The first resource subset includes resources 1, 2, 9, 10, 17, 18, 25, and 26. The first resource subset has 4 resources in the second dimension and 4 resources in the first dimension. The second resource subset includes resources 4 to 7, 12 to 15, 20 to 23, and 28 to 31.

[0271] It should be noted that the resource sets illustrated in Figures 10a to 10e above may include resource 1 to resource 32; or resource 0 to resource 31. This application embodiment does not limit this.

[0272] Optionally, the first resource set, which includes a subset of resources, can change dynamically.

[0273] In one example, the number of resources included in a resource subset may remain the same, but the specific resources included in the subset may change. For instance, at the first moment, the resource subset includes three resources: resource 1, resource 2, and resource 3. At the second moment, the resource subset includes three resources: resource 2, resource 4, and resource 6. The second moment is later than the first moment.

[0274] In another example, the resources in a resource subset can be increased. For instance, at the first moment, the resource subset includes three resources: resource 1, resource 2, and resource 3. At the second moment, the resource subset includes four resources: resource 1, resource 2, resource 3, and resource 4. The second moment is later than the first moment.

[0275] In another example, the resources in a resource subset can be reduced. For instance, at the first time step, the resource subset includes three resources: resource 1, resource 2, and resource 3. At the second time step, the resource subset includes two resources: resource 1 and resource 2. The second time step is later than the first time step.

[0276] The following explanation uses the example of the first resource set including the first resource subset and the second resource subset.

[0277] In one example, the resources of the first resource subset remain unchanged, while the resources of the second resource subset are reduced.

[0278] In another example, the resources of the first resource subset remain unchanged, while the resources of the second resource subset are increased.

[0279] In another example, the resources in the first resource subset remain unchanged, while the number of resources in the second resource subset remains unchanged, but the resources included in the second resource subset change.

[0280] In another example, the resources of the first resource subset are reduced, and the resources of the second resource subset are reduced.

[0281] In another example, the resources of the first resource subset are reduced, while the resources of the second resource subset are increased.

[0282] In another example, the resources in the first resource subset are reduced, while the number of resources in the second resource subset remains unchanged, but the resources included in the second resource subset change.

[0283] In another example, the resources of the first resource subset are increased, and the resources of the second resource subset are decreased.

[0284] In another example, the resources of the first resource subset are increased, and the resources of the second resource subset are increased.

[0285] In another example, the resources in the first resource subset increase, while the number of resources in the second resource subset remains unchanged, but the resources included in the second resource subset change.

[0286] In another example, the number of resources in the first resource subset remains unchanged, but the resources included in the first resource subset change, and the resources in the second resource subset decrease.

[0287] In another example, the number of resources in the first resource subset remains unchanged, but the resources included in the first resource subset change, while the resources in the second resource subset increase.

[0288] In another example, the number of resources in the first resource subset remains unchanged, but the resources included in the first resource subset change; the number of resources in the second resource subset remains unchanged, but the resources included in the second resource subset change.

[0289] In a further example, for instance, at a first moment, the first resource subset includes resource 1, resource 2, and resource 3; at a second moment, the first resource subset includes resource 3, resource 4, and resource 5, and the second moment is later than the first moment. For instance, at a first moment, the second resource subset includes resource 6, resource 7, and resource 8; at a second moment, the second resource subset includes resource 9, resource 10, and resource 11.

[0290] The following describes the dynamic change rules for the first and / or second resource subsets.

[0291] In one possible implementation, at a first moment, the second communication device sends first information to the first communication device. The first information configures a first resource set including a first resource subset #1 and a second resource subset #1. At a second moment, the second communication device receives second information #1 and third information #1 from the first communication device. The second information #1 is information measured based on the first resource subset #1, and the third information #1 is information measured based on the second resource subset #1. The second communication device determines, based on the second information #1 and the third information #1, that the resources included in the first resource subset #1 and / or the resources included in the second resource subset #1 need to be adjusted. At a third moment, the second communication device sends fourth information to the first communication device, indicating the number of resources included in the second resource subset. Accordingly, the first communication device determines the resources included in the second resource subset based on the fourth information. For ease of distinction, the second resource subset determined based on the fourth information is called the second resource subset #2, and the resources included in the second resource subset #2 are different from the resources included in the second resource subset #1. The third moment is later than the second moment, and the second moment is later than the first moment.

[0292] In one example, when the channel quality information included in the second information is greater than a first threshold, the fourth information indicates that the number of resources included in the second resource subset is changed from N2 to N. Here, the first information configures the number of resources included in the second resource subset to be N2, where N is an integer greater than 1 and N2 is an integer greater than or equal to N. This channel quality information may be, for example, RSRP, RSRQ, or SINR.

[0293] For example, the first information is carried on RRC, and the fourth information is carried on MAC-CE or DCI. The aforementioned RRC, MAC-CE, or DCI can be transmitted via PDSCH and / or PDCCH.

[0294] Optionally, to further reduce measurement overhead, the first information may also configure a first time-frequency resource, which belongs to a second time-frequency resource. The second time-frequency resource is the time-frequency resource corresponding to a first code division sequence. The first code division sequence is used to weight the signal carried by the first CSI-RS port. The first CSI-RS port is the CSI-RS port corresponding to the resources included in the first resource subset. In other words, the time-frequency resource mapped by the first resource subset is the second time-frequency resource. The first information instructs the first communication device to measure a portion of the second time-frequency resource, i.e., the first time-frequency resource, in order to reduce the measurement overhead of the first communication device. The second time-frequency resource includes X resource elements (REs), and the first time-frequency resource is Y REs in the second time-frequency resource, where X is an integer greater than or equal to 2, and Y is an integer less than X and greater than or equal to 1. The first time-frequency resource carries the CSI-RS corresponding to the CSI-RS port in the first polarization direction, and / or, the first time-frequency resource carries the CSI-RS corresponding to the CSI-RS port in the second polarization direction.

[0295] In this embodiment, the CSI-RS port can also be replaced with an antenna port. For example, the first CSI-RS port can be replaced with a first antenna port.

[0296] In one possible implementation, the number X of resource elements (REs) included in the first time-frequency resource is determined based on the number of ports of the first CSI-RS port and the length of the first code division sequence. For example, P CSI-RS / Z = X, where "P CSI-RS "Z" represents the number of ports in the first CSI-RS port, "Z" represents the length of the first code division sequence, and " / " refers to division.

[0297] In another possible implementation, the first time-frequency resource is associated with the pattern of the resources included in the first resource subset. For example, if the pattern of the resources included in the first resource subset indicates that the resource corresponds to a code division with a frequency division of 2 and a time division of 2, i.e., cdm4-FD2-TD2, then the first time-frequency resource includes one RE.

[0298] In another possible implementation, the first time-frequency resource is related to the RE interval between two adjacent first code division sequences in the time-frequency domain. For example, the RE interval between two adjacent first code division sequences in the time-frequency domain is 2. The time-frequency index of the first RE included in the first time-frequency resource is (k0, l0), where k0 is the frequency domain index of the first RE, k0 indicates the subcarrier in which the first RE is located, l0 is the time domain index of the first RE, l0 indicates the OFDM symbol in which the first RE is located. Based on the aforementioned RE interval of 2, the time-frequency index of the second RE included in the first time-frequency resource is determined to be (k0+2, l0), where k0+2 is the frequency domain index of the second RE, k0+2 indicates the subcarrier in which the second RE is located, l0 is the time domain index of the second RE, l0 indicates the OFDM symbol in which the second RE is located.

[0299] In one example, the first time-frequency resource includes one RE. In other words, the first information instructs the first communication device, when measuring the CSI-RS (or CSI-RS resource) corresponding to the first resource subset, to measure only one RE among the multiple REs corresponding to a code division sequence of the CSI-RS (or CSI-RS resource).

[0300] In another example, the first time-frequency resource includes two REs. In other words, the first information instructs the first communication device, when measuring the CSI-RS (or CSI-RS resource) corresponding to the first resource subset, to measure only one RE among multiple REs corresponding to a code division sequence in the first polarization direction, and only one RE among multiple REs corresponding to a code division sequence in the second polarization direction, for a total of two REs measured.

[0301] In one possible implementation, the first information specifically includes the frequency domain index and the time domain index corresponding to the first time-frequency resource. For example, when the first time-frequency resource includes a first RE, the first information includes (k0, l0), where k0 is the frequency domain index of the first RE, k0 indicates the subcarrier where the first RE is located, and l0 is the time domain index of the first RE, l0 indicates the OFDM symbol where the first RE is located. As another example, when the first time-frequency resource includes two REs, the first information includes (k0, l0) and (k0+k′, l0+l′), where the first RE corresponding to (k0, l0) is the RE measured by the first communication device in the first polarization direction, and the second RE corresponding to (k0+k′, l0+l′) is the RE measured by the first communication device in the second polarization direction, k′ indicates the offset of the second RE relative to the first RE in the frequency domain, and l′ indicates the offset of the second RE relative to the first RE in the time domain.

[0302] It is understood that the first time-frequency resource may include multiple REs, and the first information includes the index information of RE1 among the multiple REs. The first information also includes the frequency domain offset and time domain offset of the other REs among the multiple REs relative to RE1.

[0303] In another possible implementation, the first information specifically includes the frequency domain index and time domain index of the first RE corresponding to the first polarization direction in the first time-frequency resource. The first information also includes the distance between the second RE and the first RE. Based on this distance and the index of the first RE, the second RE can be determined. For example, as shown in Figure 10f, which is a schematic diagram of the first time-frequency resource in an embodiment of this application, the first information includes the index (5,0) of the first RE and the distance 2, wherein the index (5,0) indicates that the time domain resource occupied by the first RE is symbol 5 and the frequency domain resource occupied by the first RE is subcarrier 0, and the distance 2 indicates that there are 2 REs between the second RE and the first RE, the time domain resource occupied by the second RE is symbol 5, and the frequency domain resource occupied by the second RE is subcarrier 2.

[0304] In another possible implementation, the first information specifically includes the frequency domain index and time domain index of the first RE corresponding to the first polarization direction in the first time-frequency resource. The first information also includes the distance between the time-frequency resource corresponding to a code division sequence containing the first RE and the time-frequency resource corresponding to a code division sequence containing the second RE. Based on this distance, the specific frequency domain location and time domain location of the second RE can be determined.

[0305] Optionally, the frequency domain index and time domain index of the first RE can also be predefined by the protocol.

[0306] For ease of understanding, the first time-frequency resource is described below with reference to the accompanying drawings. Please refer to Figures 11a to 11f, which are schematic diagrams of the first time-frequency resource in the embodiments of this application.

[0307] The first time-frequency resource shown in Figure 11a includes a first RE. The time-domain resource occupied by the first RE is symbol 5, and the frequency-domain resource occupied by the first RE is subcarrier 0. The four resources belonging to the first RE (the four resources corresponding to "1") correspond to a code division multiplexing with a frequency division of 2 and a time division of 2, namely cdm4-FD2-TD2. These four resources correspond to the first polarization direction, that is, the first RE corresponds to the first polarization direction.

[0308] The first time-frequency resource shown in Figure 11b includes a first RE, which occupies symbol 5 in the time domain and subcarrier 3 in the frequency domain. The four resources belonging to the first RE (the four resources corresponding to "1") correspond to a code division multiplexing with a frequency division of 2 and a time division of 2, namely cdm4-FD2-TD2. These four resources correspond to the second polarization direction, that is, the first RE corresponds to the second polarization direction.

[0309] The first time-frequency resource shown in Figure 11c includes a first RE and a second RE. The first RE occupies the time-domain resource of symbol 5 and the frequency-domain resource of subcarrier 0. The second RE occupies the time-domain resource of symbol 5 and the frequency-domain resource of subcarrier 2. The numbering pattern of the time-frequency resources (i.e., REs) in Figure 11c is as follows: within the same polarization direction, the RE numbers increase sequentially in the frequency domain direction, and then sequentially in the time domain direction. For example, the RE number of subcarrier 0 of symbol 5 is 1, the RE number of subcarrier 1 of symbol 5 is 2, the RE number of subcarrier 0 of symbol 6 is 3, and the RE number of subcarrier 1 of symbol 6 is 4; the RE number of subcarrier 2 of symbol 5 is 5, the RE number of subcarrier 3 of symbol 5 is 6, the RE number of subcarrier 2 of symbol 6 is 7, and the RE number of subcarrier 3 of symbol 6 is 8. The first RE corresponds to the first polarization direction, and the second RE corresponds to the second polarization direction. The distance between the first RE and the second RE can be the difference between the RE index of the first RE and the RE index of the second RE. The distance between the first RE and the second RE is 5-1=4. The distance between the first RE and the second RE can also be the difference between the RE index of the first RE and the RE index of the second RE plus 1. The distance between the first RE and the second RE is 5-1+1=5.

[0310] The first time-frequency resource shown in Figure 11d includes a first RE and a second RE. The first RE occupies the time domain resource of symbol 5 and the frequency domain resource of subcarrier 0; the second RE occupies the time domain resource of symbol 5 and the frequency domain resource of subcarrier 3. The first RE corresponds to the first polarization direction, and the second RE corresponds to the second polarization direction. The numbering pattern of the time-frequency resources (i.e., REs) in Figure 11d is as follows: within the time-frequency resources of the same polarization direction, the RE number increases sequentially in the frequency domain direction, and then the RE number increases sequentially in the time domain direction. For example, the RE number of subcarrier 0 of symbol 5 is 1, the RE number of subcarrier 1 of symbol 5 is 2, the RE number of subcarrier 0 of symbol 6 is 3, and the RE number of subcarrier 1 of symbol 6 is 4; the RE number of subcarrier 2 of symbol 5 is 5, the RE number of subcarrier 3 of symbol 5 is 6, the RE number of subcarrier 2 of symbol 6 is 7, and the RE number of subcarrier 3 of symbol 6 is 8. The first RE corresponds to the first polarization direction, and the second RE corresponds to the second polarization direction. The distance between the first RE and the second RE can be the difference between the RE index of the first RE and the RE index of the second RE, and the distance between the first RE and the second RE is 6-1=5. The distance between the first RE and the second RE can also be the difference between the RE index of the first RE and the RE index of the second RE plus 1, and the distance between the first RE and the second RE is 6-1+1=6.

[0311] The first time-frequency resource shown in Figure 11e includes a first RE and a second RE. The first RE occupies the time domain resource of symbol 5 and the frequency domain resource of subcarrier 0. The second RE occupies the time domain resource of symbol 6 and the frequency domain resource of subcarrier 3. The first RE corresponds to the first polarization direction, and the second RE corresponds to the second polarization direction. The numbering pattern of the time-frequency resources (i.e., REs) in Figure 11e is as follows: within the time-frequency resources of the same polarization direction, the RE number increases sequentially in the frequency domain direction, and then the RE number increases sequentially in the time domain direction. For example, the RE number of subcarrier 0 of symbol 5 is 1, the RE number of subcarrier 1 of symbol 5 is 2, the RE number of subcarrier 0 of symbol 6 is 3, and the RE number of subcarrier 1 of symbol 6 is 4; the RE number of subcarrier 2 of symbol 5 is 5, the RE number of subcarrier 3 of symbol 5 is 6, the RE number of subcarrier 2 of symbol 6 is 7, and the RE number of subcarrier 3 of symbol 6 is 8. The first RE corresponds to the first polarization direction, and the second RE corresponds to the second polarization direction. The distance between the first RE and the second RE can be the difference between the RE index of the first RE and the RE index of the second RE, and the distance between the first RE and the second RE is 8-1=7. The distance between the first RE and the second RE can also be the difference between the RE index of the first RE and the RE index of the second RE plus 1, and the distance between the first RE and the second RE is 8-1+1=8.

[0312] The first time-frequency resource shown in Figure 11f includes a first RE and a second RE. The first RE occupies the time domain resource of symbol 5 and the frequency domain resource of subcarrier 0. The second RE occupies the time domain resource of symbol 6 and the frequency domain resource of subcarrier 2. The first RE corresponds to the first polarization direction, and the second RE corresponds to the second polarization direction. The numbering pattern of the time-frequency resources (i.e., REs) in Figure 11f is as follows: within the time-frequency resources of the same polarization direction, the RE number increases sequentially in the frequency domain direction, and then the RE number increases sequentially in the time domain direction. For example, the RE number of subcarrier 0 of symbol 5 is 1, the RE number of subcarrier 1 of symbol 5 is 2, the RE number of subcarrier 0 of symbol 6 is 3, and the RE number of subcarrier 1 of symbol 6 is 4; the RE number of subcarrier 2 of symbol 5 is 5, the RE number of subcarrier 3 of symbol 5 is 6, the RE number of subcarrier 2 of symbol 6 is 7, and the RE number of subcarrier 3 of symbol 6 is 8. The first RE corresponds to the first polarization direction, and the second RE corresponds to the second polarization direction. The distance between the first RE and the second RE can be the difference between the RE index of the first RE and the RE index of the second RE, so the distance between the first RE and the second RE is 7-1=6. The distance between the first RE and the second RE can also be the difference between the RE index of the first RE and the RE index of the second RE plus 1, so the distance between the first RE and the second RE is 7-1+1=7.

[0313] It is understood that the arrangement of RE numbers for time and frequency resources described above is only an example, and the embodiments of this application do not limit the arrangement of RE numbers for time and frequency resources.

[0314] It should be understood that the polarization direction in this article refers to the direction of the electric field vector of the electromagnetic wave radiated by the antenna in space. In order to improve the performance of multiple-input multiple-output (MIMO), the two communicating parties measure the ports corresponding to the two polarization directions when performing signal measurement. For the sake of convenience, in the following description, the ports with different polarization directions will be referred to as the port corresponding to the first polarization direction and the port corresponding to the second polarization direction, respectively.

[0315] In this embodiment of the application, one antenna port corresponds to one transceiver channel (TRX), and one or more antenna ports correspond to one resource.

[0316] The following describes an example of the first information with reference to the accompanying drawings. Taking the first resource set as a CSI-RS resource set as an example, the resource subset included in the first resource set is a CSI-RS resource subset, and the resources included in the resource subset are CSI-RS resources. Please refer to Figures 11g to 11i, which are schematic diagrams of the first information in an embodiment of this application. The first information includes: a non-zero power CSI-RS resource subset addition and modification list (nzp-CSI-RS-ResourceSubSetToAddModList) and a non-zero power CSI-RS resource subset release list (nzp-CSI-RS-ResourceSubSetToReleaseList), etc. The information related to the CSI-RS resource set included in the first information further includes information related to the CSI-RS resource subset, such as the non-zero power CSI-RS resource subset (NZP-CSI-RS-ResourceSubSet). The non-zero power CSI-RS resource subset (NZP-CSI-RS-ResourceSubSet) further includes information about the resources included in the CSI-RS resource subset, such as non-zero power CSI-RS resources (nzp-CSI-RS-Resources).

[0317] 803. The second communication device transmits a first CSI-RS on the resources included in the first resource subset according to the first information. Correspondingly, the first communication device receives the first CSI-RS on the resources included in the first resource subset. The second communication device transmits a second CSI-RS on the resources included in the second resource subset according to the first information. Correspondingly, the first communication device receives the second CSI-RS on the resources included in the second resource subset.

[0318] In step 803, the second communication device determines a first resource subset based on the first information. Then, the second communication device transmits a CSI-RS on the resources included in the first resource subset; this CSI-RS is referred to as the first CSI-RS. Correspondingly, the first communication device determines the first resource subset based on the first information. Then, the first communication device receives the first CSI-RS on the resources included in the first resource subset. The first CSI-RS includes one or more CSI-RS.

[0319] Optionally, the second communication device transmitting the first CSI-RS on the resources included in the first resource subset based on the first information can be replaced by: the second communication device transmitting the first CSI-RS resources on the resources included in the first resource subset based on the first information.

[0320] The second communication device determines a second subset of resources based on the first information. Then, the second communication device transmits a CSI-RS on the resources included in the second subset of resources; this CSI-RS is referred to as the second CSI-RS. Correspondingly, the second communication device determines the second subset of resources based on the first information. Then, the second communication device receives the second CSI-RS on the resources included in the second subset of resources. The second CSI-RS includes one or more CSI-RS.

[0321] Optionally, the second communication device transmitting the second CSI-RS on the resources included in the second resource subset based on the first information can be replaced by: the second communication device transmitting the second CSI-RS resources on the resources included in the second resource subset based on the first information.

[0322] 804. The first communication device transmits second and third information according to the first CSI-RS. Correspondingly, the second communication device receives the second and third information.

[0323] In step 804, the first communication device performs channel measurement based on the first CSI-RS to determine the corresponding channel quality information. Then, the first communication device sends second information, which includes the channel quality information corresponding to the first CSI-RS.

[0324] In addition to the channel quality information corresponding to the first CSI-RS, the second information also includes one or more of the following: identification information of the first resource subset, or identification information of the resources included in the first resource subset. In one example, the identification information of the resource is CRI.

[0325] If the identification information of the resources included in each resource subset is a relative value, then the second information includes the identification information of the first resource subset and the identification information of the resource. A resource is uniquely identified by the identification information of the first resource subset and the identification information of the resource.

[0326] If the identification information of the resources included in each resource subset is an absolute value, then the second information, including the identification information of the resource, can uniquely identify a resource.

[0327] Optionally, the first communication device can determine the resources included in the second resource subset based on the measurement results of the first CSI-RS. For example, if the channel measurement results corresponding to the first CSI-RS resources indicate that the RSRP of resources 1 and 2 included in the first resource subset is greater than a first threshold, then it is necessary to measure the channel information of the aforementioned resources 1 and 2. Therefore, the second information indicates that the second resource subset includes resources 1 and 2. The second communication device transmits the second CSI-RS on the second resource subset (resources 1 and 2) based on the second information.

[0328] The second and third information include different types of channel quality information. Accordingly, the second communication device receives the third information. The first communication device performs channel measurements based on the second CSI-RS to determine the corresponding channel information. Then, the first communication device sends the third information, which includes the channel information corresponding to the second CSI-RS.

[0329] In addition to the channel quality information corresponding to the second CSI-RS, the second information also includes one or more of the following: identification information of the second resource subset, or identification information of the resources included in the second resource subset. In one example, the identification information of the resource is CRI.

[0330] If the identification information of the resources included in each resource subset is relative identification information, then the second information includes the identification information of the second resource subset and the identification information of the resource. A resource is uniquely identified by the identification information of the second resource subset and the identification information of the resource.

[0331] If the identification information of the resources included in each resource subset is absolute identification information, then the second information, including the identification information of the resource, can uniquely identify a resource.

[0332] The second communication device can activate and / or deactivate resources included in the second resource subset based on the second and / or third information fed back by the first communication device. In other words, the second communication device adjusts the resources included in the second resource subset based on the second and / or third information. The second communication device sends fourth information to the first communication device based on the second and / or third information, the fourth information indicating the resources included in the second resource subset. The first communication device adjusts the resources included in the second resource subset based on the fourth information.

[0333] An example scenario is as follows: First information includes information about a first resource subset and information about a second resource subset. For ease of description, the second resource subset configured by the first information is referred to as second resource subset #1. A first communication device performs channel measurements on the CSI-RS corresponding to the first resource subset based on the first information to determine second information. The first communication device performs channel measurements on the CSI-RS corresponding to the second resource subset based on the first information to determine third information #1. The first communication device feeds back the second information and third information #1 to a second communication device. Then, the second communication device determines the resources included in the updated second resource subset based on the second information; this updated second resource subset is referred to as second resource subset #2. The second communication device sends fourth information to the first communication device, indicating the resources included in second resource subset #2. The first communication device determines second resource subset #2 based on the fourth information and performs channel measurements on the CSI-RS corresponding to second resource subset #2 to determine third information #2. Finally, the first communication device reports third information #2 to the second communication device. Compared to the second resource subset #1, the second resource subset #2 adds activated resources and / or deactivated resources. Activated resources refer to resources that are not included in the second resource subset #1, and deactivated resources refer to resources that are removed from the second resource subset #1.

[0334] Optionally, the second communication device can activate and / or deactivate the resources included in the first resource subset based on the second and / or third information fed back by the first communication device. In other words, the second communication device adjusts the resources included in the first resource subset based on the second and / or third information. The second communication device sends fifth information to the first communication device based on the second and / or third information, the fifth information indicating the resources included in the first resource subset. The first communication device adjusts the resources included in the first resource subset based on the fifth information.

[0335] An example scenario is as follows: First information includes information about a first resource subset and information about a second resource subset. For ease of description, the first resource subset configured with the first information is referred to as first resource subset #1. A first communication device performs channel measurements on the CSI-RS corresponding to first resource subset #1 based on the first information to determine second information #1. The first communication device performs channel measurements on the CSI-RS corresponding to first resource subset #1 based on the first information to determine second information #1. The first communication device feeds back second information #1 and third information to a second communication device. Then, the second communication device determines the resources included in the updated first resource subset based on second information #1 and / or third information; this updated first resource subset is referred to as first resource subset #2. The second communication device sends fifth information to the first communication device, indicating the resources included in first resource subset #2. The first communication device determines first resource subset #2 based on the fifth information and performs channel measurements on the CSI-RS corresponding to first resource subset #2 to determine second information #2. Finally, the first communication device reports second information #2 to the second communication device. Compared to the first resource subset #1, the first resource subset #2 adds activated resources and / or deactivated resources. Activated resources refer to resources not included in the first resource subset #1 that are included in the first resource subset #2, and deactivated resources refer to resources included in the first resource subset #1 that are removed from the first resource subset #2.

[0336] Optionally, the aforementioned fourth and / or fifth information can also be determined by the first communication device. Specifically, the first communication device performs channel measurements based on the first and second resource subsets configured according to the first information to determine the second and third information. Then, based on the second and third information, the first communication device determines the resources included in the first resource subset and / or the resources included in the second resource subset to adjust. Based on the adjusted first and / or second resource subsets, the first communication device feeds back the fourth and / or fifth information to the second communication device.

[0337] Optionally, the first communication device determines to activate and / or deactivate resources included in the first resource subset based on a channel quality threshold. For example, the threshold may be a first threshold value. The first communication device also determines to activate and / or deactivate resources included in the second resource subset based on the channel quality threshold. This channel quality threshold may be pre-configured in the first communication device or determined by the first communication device itself, or it may be predefined by the protocol, or it may be configured by the second communication device to the first communication device. This embodiment does not impose any limitations on this.

[0338] For example, the second and / or third information is carried in uplink control information (UCI). The UCI can be transmitted via PUSCH and / or PUCCH.

[0339] It is understood that in actual use of the above tables, it can be one or more rows shown in the table, all of the rows shown in the table, or more rows than shown in the table. The above table is just an example. The new table content obtained by reasonable modification, supplementation, or deletion of the contents of Tables 7-18 above all fall within the protection scope of the embodiments of this application.

[0340] Using the above method, the first resource set configured by the second communication device to the first communication device includes multiple resource subsets. The second communication device transmits CSI-RS on different resource subsets, and correspondingly, the first communication device receives different CSI-RS on different resource subsets. The first communication device can perform different measurements for the CSI-RS corresponding to different resource subsets and provide corresponding feedback of different information, thereby reducing measurement overhead. If the first communication device moves from the beam coverage area corresponding to resource A to the beam coverage area corresponding to resource B, the second communication device can achieve accurate measurement feedback by deactivating resource A included in the second resource subset and activating resource B included in the first resource subset, without having to reactivate all resources included in the measurement resource set, thus reducing measurement overhead.

[0341] Next, the communication device involved in the embodiments of this application will be described. This communication device can be used in at least one of the first communication device or the second communication device in the foregoing embodiments.

[0342] Figure 12 is a schematic diagram of a communication device according to an embodiment of this application. Referring to Figure 12, the communication device 1200 includes a transceiver module 1201 and a processing module 1202.

[0343] The communication device 1200 includes a first communication device or components (e.g., a chip or chip system), modules, or units within the first communication device. Alternatively, the communication device 1200 includes a second communication device or components (e.g., a chip or chip system), modules, or units within the second communication device.

[0344] The communication device 1200 can be used to perform all or part of the steps performed by the first communication device in the embodiments shown in FIG8 to FIG11i. For details, please refer to the relevant descriptions in the embodiments shown in FIG8 to FIG11i.

[0345] The communication device 1200 can be used to perform all or part of the steps performed by the second communication device in the embodiments shown in FIG8 to FIG11i. For details, please refer to the relevant descriptions in the embodiments shown in FIG8 to FIG11i.

[0346] The processing module 1202 is used for data processing. The transceiver module 1201 is used to implement the corresponding communication functions.

[0347] Optionally, the transceiver module 1201 may include a sending module and a receiving module. The sending module is used to perform the sending operation in the above method embodiments. The receiving module is used to perform the receiving operation in the above method embodiments.

[0348] Optionally, the communication device 1200 may include a transmitting module but not a receiving module. Alternatively, the communication device 1200 may include a receiving module but not a transmitting module. Specifically, it depends on whether the above-described scheme performed by the communication device 1200 includes both transmitting and receiving actions.

[0349] Optionally, the communication device 1200 may further include a storage module, which can be used to store at least one of the instructions or data. The processing module 1202 can read at least one of the instructions or data in the storage module so that the communication device 1200 can implement the aforementioned method embodiment.

[0350] The communication device 1200 can be used to perform the actions performed by the first communication device in the embodiments shown in Figures 8 to 11i. The processing module 1202 is used to perform processing-related operations on the first communication device side in the embodiments shown in Figures 8 to 11i. The transceiver module 1201 is used to perform receiving or transmitting-related operations on the first communication device side in the embodiments shown in Figures 8 to 11i.

[0351] The communication device 1200 can be used to perform the actions performed by the second communication device side in the embodiments shown in Figures 8 to 11i. The processing module 1202 is used to perform processing-related operations on the second communication device side in the embodiments shown in Figures 8 to 11i. The transceiver module 1201 is used to perform receiving or transmitting-related operations on the second communication device side in the embodiments shown in Figures 8 to 11i.

[0352] For example, the communication device 1200 is used to execute the following scheme.

[0353] In one example, when the communication device 1200 is applied to a first communication device, the communication device 1200 includes:

[0354] The transceiver module 1201 is used to receive first information, the first information being used to configure a first resource set, the first resource set including at least a first resource subset and a second resource subset, the first resource subset including one or more resources, the second resource subset including one or more resources, each of the resources being used to carry a channel state information reference signal CSI-RS;

[0355] The transceiver module 1201 is further configured to receive a first CSI-RS on the resources included in the first resource subset according to the first information, wherein the first CSI-RS includes one or more CSI-RS resources and the first CSI-RS resource is the CSI-RS resource corresponding to the first resource subset.

[0356] The transceiver module 1201 is also configured to send second information according to the first CSI-RS, the second information including channel quality information of the channel between the first communication device and the second communication device;

[0357] The transceiver module 1201 is further configured to receive a second CSI-RS on the resources included in the second resource subset according to the first information, wherein the second CSI-RS includes one or more CSI-RS and the second CSI-RS is the CSI-RS corresponding to the second resource subset;

[0358] The transceiver module 1201 is also configured to send third information according to the second CSI-RS, wherein the second information and the third information include channel information of different types of channel quality information between the first communication device and the second communication device.

[0359] The possible implementation methods and descriptions of the first, second, and third information can be found in the corresponding contents of the embodiments shown in Figures 8 to 11i, and will not be repeated here.

[0360] In another example, communication device 1200 is applied to a second communication device, the communication device 1200 comprising:

[0361] The transceiver module 1201 is used to send first information, the first information being used to configure a first resource set, the first resource set including at least a first resource subset and a second resource subset, the first resource subset including one or more resources, the second resource subset including one or more resources, each of the resources being used to carry a channel state information reference signal CSI-RS;

[0362] The transceiver module 1201 is further configured to transmit a first CSI-RS on the resources included in the first resource subset according to the first information, wherein the first CSI-RS includes one or more CSI-RS resources and the first CSI-RS resource is the CSI-RS resource corresponding to the first resource subset;

[0363] The transceiver module 1201 is also used to receive second information, the second information including channel quality information of the channel between the first communication device and the second communication device;

[0364] The transceiver module 1201 is further configured to send a second CSI-RS on the resources included in the second resource subset according to the first information, wherein the second CSI-RS includes one or more CSI-RS and the second CSI-RS is the CSI-RS corresponding to the second resource subset;

[0365] The transceiver module 1201 is also used to receive third information, which includes channel information of the channel between the first communication device and the second communication device.

[0366] For other implementation methods, please refer to the relevant descriptions in the embodiments shown in Figures 8 to 11i above, which will not be repeated here.

[0367] It should be understood that the specific procedures for each module to perform the above-mentioned corresponding processes have been described in detail in the above method embodiments, and will not be repeated here for the sake of brevity.

[0368] The processing module 1202 in the above embodiments can be implemented by at least one processor or processor-related circuitry. The transceiver module 1201 can be implemented by a transceiver or transceiver-related circuitry. The transceiver module 1201 can also be referred to as a communication module or communication interface. The storage module can be implemented by at least one memory.

[0369] In one example, the transceiver module 1201 is used to perform the aforementioned steps 801 to 804.

[0370] This application also provides another communication device, and FIG13 is another structural schematic diagram of the communication device according to an embodiment of this application. Referring to FIG13, the communication device 1300 includes a processor 1301.

[0371] Optionally, the communication device 1300 may also include a memory 1302.

[0372] Optionally, the communication device 1300 may also include a transceiver 1303.

[0373] In one possible implementation, the processor 1301, memory 1302, and transceiver 1303 are connected via a bus, and the memory 1302 stores computer instructions.

[0374] In one possible implementation, when the communication device 1300 includes a second communication device, or a CU or DU included in the second communication device, or a component (e.g., a chip or chip system), module, or unit within the second communication device, the communication device 1300 can be used to perform the steps performed by the second communication device in the above method embodiments, as can be referred to the relevant descriptions in the above method embodiments.

[0375] Optionally, the processing module 1202 in the embodiment shown in FIG12 may be the processor 1301, and the transceiver module 1201 in the embodiment shown in FIG12 may be the transceiver 1303. Alternatively, the processing module 1202 in the embodiment shown in FIG12 may be the processor 1301, and the transceiver module 1201 in the embodiment shown in FIG12 may be the transceiver 1303.

[0376] The aforementioned memory 1302 can be built into the communication device 1300 or externally placed in the communication device 1300. This application embodiment does not limit this.

[0377] This application also provides a communication device. Figure 14 is another structural schematic diagram of the communication device according to an embodiment of this application. Referring to Figure 14, the communication device 1400 can be the first communication device in the above method embodiments, or it can be a component (e.g., a chip or chip system), module, or unit of the first communication device in the above method embodiments. The communication device 1400 can be used to perform the steps performed by the first communication device in the above method embodiments, and can be referred to the relevant descriptions in the above method embodiments.

[0378] Processors are mainly used to process data or signals, control communication devices, execute corresponding software programs, and process the data of software programs.

[0379] The memory is mainly used to store software programs and data. The radio frequency (RF) circuit is mainly used for the conversion between baseband signals and RF signals, as well as the processing of RF signals.

[0380] Antennas are primarily used for transmitting and receiving radio frequency signals in the form of electromagnetic waves.

[0381] Optionally, the communication device 1400 may also include input / output devices, such as a touch screen, a display screen, a keyboard, etc., primarily used to receive user input data and output data to the user.

[0382] When data needs to be transmitted, the processor performs baseband processing on the data to be transmitted and outputs the baseband signal to the radio frequency (RF) circuit. The RF circuit then processes the baseband signal and transmits it outward as electromagnetic waves through the antenna. When data is sent to the communication device, the RF circuit receives the RF signal through the antenna, converts it into a baseband signal, and outputs the baseband signal to the processor. The processor then converts the baseband signal back into data and processes it.

[0383] For ease of explanation, only one memory and processor are shown in Figure 14. In actual communication device products, there may be one or more processors and one or more memories. Memory may also be called storage medium or storage device, etc. Memory may be set up independently of the processor or integrated with the processor; this application embodiment does not limit this.

[0384] In this embodiment, the antenna and radio frequency circuit with transceiver functions can be regarded as the transceiver unit of the communication device, and the processor with processing functions can be regarded as the processing unit of the communication device. As shown in FIG14, the communication device 1400 includes a transceiver unit 1410 and a processing unit 1420. The transceiver unit can also be called a transceiver, transceiver machine, transceiver device, etc. The processing unit can also be called a processor, processing board, processing module, processing device, etc.

[0385] Optionally, the devices in transceiver unit 1410 used for receiving functions can be considered as receiving units, and the devices in transceiver unit 1410 used for transmitting functions can be considered as transmitting units. That is, transceiver unit 1410 includes both receiving and transmitting units. A transceiver unit can also be called a transceiver, transceiver circuit, etc. A receiving unit can also be called a receiver, receiver, or receiving circuit, etc. A transmitting unit can also be called a transmitter, transmitter, or transmitting circuit, etc.

[0386] It should be understood that the transceiver unit 1410 is used to perform the transmission and reception operations of at least one of the devices in the first communication device in the above method embodiment, and the processing unit 1420 is used to perform other operations on at least one of the devices in the first communication device in the above method embodiment besides the transmission and reception operations.

[0387] When the communication device is a chip or chip system, the chip or chip system includes a transceiver unit and a processing unit. The transceiver unit can be an input / output circuit or a communication interface; the processing unit is a processor, microprocessor, integrated circuit, or logic circuit integrated on the chip or chip system. In the above method embodiments, the sending operation corresponds to the output of the input / output circuit, and the receiving operation corresponds to the input of the input / output circuit.

[0388] This application also provides another communication system, which includes a second communication device and a first communication device. The second communication device is used to perform all or part of the steps performed by the second communication device in the embodiments shown in FIG8 to FIG11i, and the first communication device is used to perform all or part of the steps performed by the first communication device in the embodiments shown in FIG8 to FIG11i.

[0389] This application also provides a computer program product including computer instructions, which, when run on a computer, causes the computer to perform the methods of the embodiments shown in Figures 8 to 11i above.

[0390] This application also provides a computer-readable storage medium including computer instructions that, when executed on a computer, cause the computer to perform the methods shown in the embodiments of FIG8 to FIG11i above.

[0391] This application also provides a chip device, including a processor, for calling a computer program or computer instructions stored in a memory, so that the processor executes the method of the embodiments shown in Figures 8 to 11i above.

[0392] Optionally, the processor is coupled to the memory via an interface.

[0393] Optionally, the chip device may also include a memory in which computer programs or computer instructions are stored.

[0394] The processor mentioned above can be a general-purpose central processing unit, a microprocessor, an application-specific integrated circuit (ASIC), or one or more integrated circuits used to control the execution of a program for controlling the methods of the embodiments shown in Figures 8 to 11i. The memory mentioned above can be read-only memory (ROM) or other types of static storage devices capable of storing static information and instructions, such as random access memory (RAM).

[0395] In the several embodiments provided in this application, it should be understood that the disclosed systems, apparatuses, and methods can be implemented in other ways. For example, the apparatus embodiments described above are merely illustrative; for instance, the division of units is only a logical functional division, and in actual implementation, there may be other division methods. For example, multiple units or components may be combined or integrated into another system, or some features may be ignored or not executed. Furthermore, the coupling or direct coupling or communication connection shown or discussed may be an indirect coupling or communication connection between apparatuses or units through some interfaces, and may be electrical, mechanical, or other forms.

[0396] The units described as separate components may or may not be physically separate. The components shown as units may or may not be physical units; that is, they may be located in one place or distributed across multiple network units. Some or all of the units can be selected to achieve the purpose of this embodiment according to actual needs.

[0397] Furthermore, the functional units in the various embodiments of this application can be integrated into one processing unit, or each unit can exist physically separately, or two or more units can be integrated into one unit. The integrated unit can be implemented in hardware or as a software functional unit.

[0398] If the integrated unit is implemented as a software functional unit and sold or used as an independent product, it can be stored in a computer-readable storage medium. Based on this understanding, the part of the technical solution that makes an essential contribution, or all or part of the technical solution, can be embodied in the form of a software product. This computer software product is stored in a storage medium and includes several instructions to cause a computer device (which may be a personal computer, a server, or a second communication device, etc.) to execute all or part of the steps of the methods described in the various embodiments of this application.

[0399] The above-described embodiments are only used to illustrate the technical solutions of this application, and are not intended to limit it. Although this application has been described in detail with reference to the foregoing embodiments, those skilled in the art should understand that modifications can still be made to the technical solutions described in the foregoing embodiments, or equivalent substitutions can be made to some of the technical features. Such modifications or substitutions do not cause the essence of the corresponding technical solutions to deviate from the scope of the technical solutions of the embodiments of this application.

Claims

1. A communication method characterized by comprising: The method is applied to a first communication device, and the method includes: Receive first information, the first information is used to configure a first resource set, the first resource set includes at least a first resource subset and a second resource subset, the first resource subset includes one or more resources, the second resource subset includes one or more resources, and each of the resources is used to carry a channel state information reference signal CSI-RS; Based on the first information, a first CSI-RS is received on the resources included in the first resource subset, wherein the first CSI-RS includes one or more CSI-RS resources, and the first CSI-RS resource is the CSI-RS resource corresponding to the first resource subset; According to the first CSI-RS, send the second information, which includes channel quality information of the channel between the first communication device and the second communication device; Based on the first information, a second CSI-RS is received on the resources included in the second resource subset, the second CSI-RS including one or more CSI-RS, and the second CSI-RS is the CSI-RS corresponding to the second resource subset; According to the second CSI-RS, a third message is sent, which includes channel information of the channel between the first communication device and the second communication device.

2. A communication method characterized by comprising: The method is applied to a second communication device, and the method includes: Send first information, the first information being used to configure a first resource set, the first resource set including at least a first resource subset and a second resource subset, the first resource subset including one or more resources, the second resource subset including one or more resources, each of the resources being used to carry a Channel State Information Reference Signal (CSI-RS); Based on the first information, a first CSI-RS is sent on the resources included in the first resource subset. The first CSI-RS includes one or more CSI-RS resources, and the first CSI-RS resource is the CSI-RS resource corresponding to the first resource subset. Receive second information, the second information including channel quality information of the channel between the first communication device and the second communication device; Based on the first information, a second CSI-RS is sent on the resources included in the second resource subset. The second CSI-RS includes one or more CSI-RS, and the second CSI-RS is the CSI-RS corresponding to the second resource subset. Receive third information, the third information including channel information of the channel between the first communication device and the second communication device.

3. The method according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that, The second information includes one or more of the following: Reference Signal Received Power (RSRP), Reference Signal Received Quality (RSRQ), Signal-to-Interference-plus-Noise Ratio (SINR), identification information of the first resource subset, or identification information of the resources included in the first resource subset; The third information includes one or more of the following: Channel Quality Indicator (CQI), Precoding Matrix Indicator (PMI), Rank Indicator (RI), identification information of the second resource subset, or identification information of the resources included in the second resource subset.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein, The method further includes: Based on the first information, the first time-frequency resource is measured, and the second information is determined, wherein... The first information is specifically used to configure the first time-frequency resource. The first time-frequency resource belongs to the second time-frequency resource, and the second time-frequency resource is the time-frequency resource corresponding to the first code division sequence. The first code division sequence is used to weight the signal carried by the first CSI-RS port. The first CSI-RS port is the CSI-RS port corresponding to the resources included in the first resource subset.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein, The method further includes: Receive fourth information, which indicates the number of resources included in the second resource subset.

6. The method of claim 2, wherein, The method further includes: Send a fourth message indicating the number of resources included in the second resource subset.

7. The method according to claim 5 or 6, characterized in that, The method further includes: When the channel quality information included in the second information is greater than the first threshold, the fourth information indicates that the number of resources included in the second resource subset is changed from N2 to N, wherein the first information configures the number of resources included in the second resource subset to be N2, where N is an integer greater than 1 and N2 is an integer greater than or equal to N.

8. The method according to any one of claims 1-7, characterized in that, The second information is also used to indicate the resources included in the second subset of resources.

9. The method according to any one of claims 4-8, characterized in that, The second time-frequency resource includes X resource elements (REs). The first time-frequency resource is Y REs in the second time-frequency resource, where X is an integer greater than or equal to 2, and Y is an integer less than X and greater than or equal to 1.

10. A communications device, characterized by Used to perform the method as described in any one of claims 1, 3 to 5, 7 to 9, or used to perform the method as described in any one of claims 2, 3, 6 to 9.

11. A communications device, characterized by The method includes a processor that, through logic circuitry or by executing code instructions, is used to implement the method as described in any one of claims 1, 3 to 5, 7 to 9, or to implement the method as described in any one of claims 2, 3, 6 to 9.

12. A computer-readable storage medium, characterized in that, The computer-readable storage medium stores a computer program or instructions that, when executed, cause the method as described in any one of claims 1, 3 to 5, 7 to 9 to be implemented, or cause the method as described in any one of claims 2, 3, 6 to 9 to be implemented.

13. A computer program product, characterised in that, Includes instructions that, when executed, cause the method as described in any one of claims 1, 3 to 5, 7 to 9 to be implemented, or cause the method as described in any one of claims 2, 3, 6 to 9 to be implemented.

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