Communication method and apparatus

Abstract

A communication method and apparatus, which relate to the technical field of communications. In the method, in order to adapt to a compression requirement of a communication system, on the basis of a processing method for a precoding matrix corresponding to each spatial stream among v correlated spatial streams (equivalent to a first processing method), a joint processing method for precoding matrices corresponding to the v spatial streams (equivalent to a second processing method) is newly introduced. Specifically, a precoding matrix corresponding to each of the v spatial streams is first processed by using the first processing method to obtain a first transformation result, and then joint processing is performed on the first transformation result by using the second processing method to obtain a second transformation result. By means of such a multi-level processing method, the correlation within and between spatial streams can be fully utilized, thereby improving the compression performance of channel information.

Description

Communication methods and devices

[0001] This application claims priority to Chinese Patent Application No. 202510195808.8, filed on February 21, 2025, entitled "Communication Method and Apparatus", 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 apparatus. Background Technology

[0003] Configuring very large-scale multiple-input multiple-output (MIMO) arrays is one of the future evolution trends of cellular systems. In MIMO, the base station will be equipped with thousands of antenna elements, while the terminal side will also be equipped with more antenna elements (such as 16 or 32), to support more spatial streams. Currently, the processing of precoding matrices corresponding to multiple spatial streams mainly involves processing the precoding matrix corresponding to each spatial stream, but this approach has poor compression performance. Summary of the Invention

[0004] This application provides a communication method and apparatus that is beneficial for improving the compression performance of channel information.

[0005] The present application is described below from different aspects. It should be understood that the different implementation methods and beneficial effects described below can be referenced from each other.

[0006] Firstly, this application provides a communication method that can be applied to a terminal or a communication module / processing module within a terminal, or to a circuit or chip within a terminal (such as a modem chip, also known as a baseband chip, or a system-on-chip (SoC) chip containing a modem core, or a system-in-package (SIP) chip, etc.). Taking the application of this method to a terminal as an example, in this method, the terminal obtains first indication information, which indicates a transformation matrix corresponding to a second processing method. The second processing method is associated with the joint processing of precoding matrices corresponding to v spatial streams. The transformation matrix is ​​used to transform the first transformation result in the spatial stream dimension to obtain a second transformation result. The first transformation result is obtained by processing the precoding matrix corresponding to each of the v spatial streams based on the first processing method, where v is an integer greater than 1.

[0007] In one possible implementation, during the feedback processing of downlink channel information (e.g., channel state information (CSI)) (i.e., the scenario corresponding to the measurement of downlink reference signal (e.g., channel status information reference signal (CSI-RS)), the terminal sends a second indication information, wherein the second indication information is determined based on the second transformation result, and the second indication information is used to indicate the precoding matrix corresponding to the v spatial streams.

[0008] In one possible implementation, during the uplink channel information transmission / downlink processing flow (i.e., the scenario corresponding to the measurement of uplink reference signals (such as channel sounding reference signals, SRS)), the terminal receives second indication information, wherein the second indication information is determined based on the second transformation result, and the second indication information is used to indicate the precoding matrices corresponding to the v spatial streams.

[0009] In this embodiment, to adapt to the compression requirements of the communication system, a new joint processing method (i.e., a second processing method) is introduced, based on the processing method of the precoding matrix corresponding to each of the v spatial streams (i.e., the first processing method). Specifically, the terminal first uses the first processing method to process the precoding matrix corresponding to each of the v spatial streams to obtain a first transformation result, and then uses the second processing method to jointly process the first transformation result (e.g., using the transformation matrix corresponding to the second processing method indicated by the first indication information to transform the first transformation result) to obtain a second transformation result. Then, based on the second transformation result, a second indication information is determined and sent to the network device. This multi-level processing method can make full use of the correlation within and between spatial streams, thus improving the compression performance of channel information (e.g., downlink channel information or uplink channel information) and reducing feedback signaling overhead.

[0010] Optionally, the processing of the precoding matrix corresponding to each of the v spatial streams can be understood as performing intra-layer compression on the precoding matrix, or compression utilizing the correlation of information within the spatial streams, thus reducing information redundancy. The joint processing of the precoding matrices corresponding to the v spatial streams can be understood as performing inter-layer compression on the precoding matrix, or compression utilizing the correlation of information between the spatial streams, thus also reducing information redundancy. Optionally, joint processing can also be described as merging processing, coherent processing, etc., without limitation.

[0011] In one possible implementation, the first indication information indicates the transformation matrix corresponding to the second processing method, including:

[0012] The first indication information includes the matrix index of the transformation matrix corresponding to the second processing method, wherein one matrix index corresponds to one transformation matrix; or,

[0013] The first indication information includes the transformation matrix corresponding to the second processing method.

[0014] This implementation supports dynamic configuration of the transformation matrix, enabling flexible adaptation to different channel scenarios and improving compression efficiency.

[0015] In one possible implementation, the transformation matrix is ​​a discrete Fourier transform matrix, or the transformation matrix is ​​an orthogonal matrix determined based on historical channel information.

[0016] In this implementation, the transformation matrix can be a discrete Fourier transform matrix, which has low storage overhead and allows for fast encoding and decoding algorithms with low computational complexity. Alternatively, the transformation matrix can be an orthogonal matrix determined based on historical channel information. This results in a transformation matrix that fully adapts to the current channel characteristics, leading to better compression performance after the transformation.

[0017] In one possible implementation, the first indication information is further used to indicate the transformation coefficient filtering method and / or transformation coefficient quantization method corresponding to the second processing method.

[0018] This implementation supports dynamic configuration of the transformation coefficient filtering method and the transformation coefficient quantization method (i.e., quantization parameters), and can flexibly adjust the length of the binary bitstream after Inter-layer compression, thereby adapting to the currently scheduled transmission resources.

[0019] In one possible implementation, the second indication information includes the transformation coefficient screening result and the transformation coefficient quantization information;

[0020] The transformation coefficient filtering result indicates the position information of the first transformation coefficient in the second transformation result;

[0021] The transformation coefficient quantization information indicates the amplitude and phase values ​​corresponding to the first transformation coefficient, or the transformation coefficient quantization information indicates the real and imaginary parts corresponding to the first transformation coefficient;

[0022] The first transformation coefficient is a coefficient in the second transformation result whose corresponding amplitude value is greater than or equal to a first amplitude threshold; or, the first transformation coefficient is a coefficient whose absolute value of the amplitude difference between the corresponding amplitude value and the corresponding maximum amplitude value in the second transformation result is greater than or equal to a second amplitude threshold; or, the first transformation coefficient is the first M coefficients selected after sorting the coefficients in the second transformation result in descending order of amplitude value, where M is an integer greater than 0. Optionally, M can also be greater than 0 and less than N'. TX ×N' RB ×v is an integer.

[0023] In this implementation, the transformation coefficient screening results and transformation coefficient quantization information are determined based on the dynamic configuration of the transformation coefficient screening method and the transformation coefficient quantization method, and the length of the quantization information can be flexibly adjusted.

[0024] In one possible implementation, the transformation coefficient filtering method corresponding to the transformation coefficient filtering result indicates any of the following: the first amplitude threshold, the second amplitude threshold, or M.

[0025] In this implementation, different channel scenarios can be adapted by dynamically configuring the transformation coefficient filtering method.

[0026] In one possible implementation, the transform coefficient quantization method corresponding to the transform coefficient quantization information indicates one or more of the following:

[0027] The transformation coefficients included in the second indication information are quantized using amplitude and phase values;

[0028] The transformation coefficients included in the second indication information are quantized using real and imaginary parts;

[0029] Use uniform quantization or non-uniform quantization;

[0030] Or the number of quantized bits.

[0031] In this implementation, different channel scenarios can be adapted by dynamically configuring the transformation coefficient quantization method.

[0032] In one possible implementation, obtaining the first indication information includes:

[0033] Receive the first instruction information.

[0034] In this implementation, the network device can configure the first instruction information for the terminal, so that the compression processing of the terminal is aligned with the decompression processing of the network device, which is beneficial to improving the compression performance of channel information.

[0035] In one possible implementation, the method further includes:

[0036] Send the first instruction information.

[0037] In this implementation, the terminal can determine the first indication information and instruct the network device through the first indication information, so that the compression processing of the terminal and the decompression processing of the network device are aligned, which is beneficial to improving the compression performance of channel information.

[0038] Secondly, this application provides a communication method that can be applied to network devices, modules within network devices (e.g., modules, circuits, chips, or chip systems), or logical nodes, logical modules, or software capable of implementing all or part of the functions of a network device. Taking the application of this method to a network device as an example, in this method, the network device obtains first indication information, which indicates a transformation matrix corresponding to a second processing method. The second processing method is associated with the joint processing of precoding matrices corresponding to v spatial streams. The transformation matrix is ​​used to transform the first transformation result in the spatial stream dimension to obtain a second transformation result. The first transformation result is obtained by processing the precoding matrix corresponding to each of the v spatial streams based on the first processing method, where v is an integer greater than 1. It should be understood that the method corresponding to this second aspect is a counterpart implementation of the method corresponding to the first aspect.

[0039] In one possible implementation, during the feedback processing of downlink channel information (e.g., CSI) (i.e., the scenario corresponding to downlink reference signal (e.g., CSI-RS) measurement), the network device receives second indication information, wherein the second indication information is determined based on the second transformation result, and the second indication information is used to indicate the precoding matrices corresponding to the v spatial streams.

[0040] In one possible implementation, during the uplink channel information transmission / reception process (i.e., the scenario corresponding to uplink reference signal (e.g., SRS) measurement), the network device transmits second indication information, wherein the second indication information is determined based on the second transformation result, and the second indication information is used to indicate the precoding matrices corresponding to the v spatial streams.

[0041] In one possible implementation, the first indication information indicates the transformation matrix corresponding to the second processing method, including:

[0042] The first indication information includes the matrix index of the transformation matrix corresponding to the second processing method, wherein one matrix index corresponds to one transformation matrix; or,

[0043] The first indication information includes the transformation matrix corresponding to the second processing method.

[0044] In one possible implementation, the transformation matrix is ​​a discrete Fourier transform matrix, or the transformation matrix is ​​an orthogonal matrix determined based on historical channel information.

[0045] In one possible implementation, the first indication information is further used to indicate the transformation coefficient filtering method and / or transformation coefficient quantization method corresponding to the second processing method.

[0046] In one possible implementation, the second indication information includes the transformation coefficient screening result and the transformation coefficient quantization information;

[0047] The transformation coefficient filtering result indicates the position information of the first transformation coefficient in the second transformation result;

[0048] The transformation coefficient quantization information indicates the amplitude and phase values ​​corresponding to the first transformation coefficient, or the transformation coefficient quantization information indicates the real and imaginary parts corresponding to the first transformation coefficient;

[0049] The first transformation coefficient is a coefficient in the second transformation result whose corresponding amplitude value is greater than or equal to a first amplitude threshold; or, the first transformation coefficient is a coefficient whose absolute value of the amplitude difference between the corresponding amplitude value and the corresponding maximum amplitude value in the second transformation result is greater than or equal to a second amplitude threshold; or, the first transformation coefficient is the first M coefficients selected after sorting the coefficients in the second transformation result in descending order of amplitude value, where M is an integer greater than 0. Optionally, M can also be greater than 0 and less than N'. TX ×N' RB ×v is an integer.

[0050] In one possible implementation, the transformation coefficient filtering method corresponding to the transformation coefficient filtering result indicates any of the following: the first amplitude threshold, the second amplitude threshold, or M.

[0051] In one possible implementation, the transform coefficient quantization method corresponding to the transform coefficient quantization information indicates one or more of the following:

[0052] The transformation coefficients included in the second indication information are quantized using amplitude and phase values;

[0053] The transformation coefficients included in the second indication information are quantized using real and imaginary parts;

[0054] Use uniform quantization or non-uniform quantization;

[0055] Or the number of quantized bits.

[0056] In one possible implementation, obtaining the first indication information includes:

[0057] Receive the first instruction information.

[0058] In one possible implementation, the method further includes:

[0059] Send the first instruction information.

[0060] Thirdly, this application provides a communication device comprising units, modules, or means for implementing any of the methods in the first to second aspects, or any possible implementations of any of the aspects, wherein the modules, units, or means may be implemented by software, by hardware, or by a combination of software and hardware.

[0061] Fourthly, this application provides a communication device including a processor. The processor is configured to cause the communication device to implement the methods shown in any of the first to second aspects, or any possible implementation thereof.

[0062] Optionally, the communication device further includes a transceiver for sending and receiving information.

[0063] Optionally, the communication device further includes a memory storing a computer program; the processor and transceiver are used to invoke the computer program in the memory, causing the communication device to implement the method shown in any of the first or second aspects, or any possible implementation thereof.

[0064] In one possible design, the communication device can be a chip that implements the above method or a device containing a chip.

[0065] Fifthly, this application provides a communication device comprising one or more processors, which implement, via logic circuits or execution code instructions, any of the methods described in the first or second aspects, or any possible implementation thereof.

[0066] Optionally, the communication device further includes an interface circuit for receiving signals from other communication devices outside the communication device and transmitting them to the processor, or sending signals from the processor to other communication devices outside the communication device.

[0067] Optionally, the communication device may further include a memory for storing part or all of the computer programs or instructions necessary to implement the functions involved in the first aspect above.

[0068] The aforementioned communication device may be a terminal, 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 SoC or SIP chip that contains a modem module.

[0069] The aforementioned communication device may be a network device, a module (e.g., a circuit, chip, or chip system) in a network device, or a logical node, logical module, or software that can realize all or part of the functions of a network device.

[0070] Sixthly, this application provides a computer-readable storage medium storing a computer program or instructions that, when executed by a computer, implement the method shown in any of the first to second aspects, or any possible implementation thereof.

[0071] In a seventh aspect, this application provides a computer program product that, when read and executed by a computer, causes the computer to perform any of the methods in the first aspect to the second aspect, or any possible implementation thereof.

[0072] Eighthly, this application provides a chip system including at least one processor and an interface, the processor being configured to read and execute a computer program or instructions in a memory, wherein when the computer program or instructions are executed, the chip performs the method described in any one of the first to second aspects, or any possible implementation thereof.

[0073] Ninthly, this application provides a communication system that may include a terminal and a network device. The terminal is used to perform the method shown in the first aspect or any possible implementation thereof. The network device is used to perform the method shown in the second aspect or any possible implementation thereof. Attached Figure Description

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

[0075] Figure 2-1 is a schematic diagram of the architecture of the O-RAN system provided in this application;

[0076] Figure 2-2 is a schematic diagram of the network element function division and protocol layer structure of an O-RAN device provided in this application;

[0077] Figure 3 is a schematic diagram of the CSI compression process based on Enhanced Type II;

[0078] Figure 4 is a schematic diagram of the CSI compression process based on dynamic pattern decomposition;

[0079] Figure 5 is a flowchart illustrating a communication method provided in an embodiment of this application;

[0080] Figure 6 is a schematic diagram of compressed matrix information obtained by compressing the original transformation matrix according to an embodiment of this application;

[0081] Figure 7 is a structural schematic diagram of the second instruction information provided in this application;

[0082] Figure 8-1 is a schematic diagram of the encoding and decoding architecture provided in this application;

[0083] Figure 8-2 is a schematic diagram of a compression process provided in this application;

[0084] Figure 8-3 is a schematic diagram of another compression process provided in this application;

[0085] Figure 9 is another flowchart illustrating the communication method provided in an embodiment of this application;

[0086] Figure 10 is a schematic diagram of the structure of a possible communication device provided in an embodiment of this application;

[0087] Figure 11 is a schematic diagram of the structure of a possible communication device provided in an embodiment of this application;

[0088] Figure 12 is a schematic diagram of the structure of a possible communication device provided in an embodiment of this application. Detailed Implementation

[0089] The technical solutions in the embodiments of this application will be clearly and completely described below with reference to the accompanying drawings.

[0090] In the description of this application, terms such as "first" and "second" are used only to distinguish different objects, not to describe a specific order. Furthermore, 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. Additionally, "at least one" refers to one or more, and "multiple" refers to 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.

[0091] The terms “comprising” and “having”, and any variations thereof, are intended to cover non-exclusive inclusion. For example, a process, method, system, product, or apparatus that includes a series of steps or units is not limited to the steps or units listed, but may optionally include steps or units not listed, or may optionally include other steps or units inherent to such process, method, product, or apparatus.

[0092] In this application, the words "exemplary" or "for example" are used to indicate that something is an example, illustration, or illustration. Any embodiment or design described as "exemplary," "for example," or "for example" in this application should not be construed as being more preferred or advantageous than other embodiments or designs. Rather, the use of the words "exemplary," "for example," or "for example" is intended to present the relevant concepts in a specific manner.

[0093] It is understood that in this application, "when," "if," and "if" all refer to the device making a corresponding action under certain objective circumstances, and are not time-limited, nor do they require the device to make a judgment action when it is implemented, nor do they mean that there are other limitations.

[0094] In this application, the use of singular pronouns for elements is intended to indicate "one or more," rather than "one and only one," unless otherwise specified. The terms "system" and "network" in the embodiments of this application are used interchangeably.

[0095] It is understood that in the embodiments of this application, "B corresponding to A" means that there is a correspondence between A and B, and B can be determined based on A. Determining B based on A does not mean that B is determined solely based on A; B can also be determined based on A and / or other information.

[0096] To better understand the embodiments of this application, the system architecture involved in the embodiments of this application will be described first below:

[0097] The technical solutions of the embodiments of this application can be applied to various communication systems, such as: frequency division duplex (FDD) systems, time division duplex (TDD) systems, public land mobile network (PLMN) systems, LTE-Advanced (LTE-A) systems, the 5th generation (5G) systems, new radio (NR) systems, machine-to-machine (M2M) systems, or other future communication systems, or other wireless communication systems that adopt wireless access technologies, etc., all of which can adopt the technical solutions of the embodiments of this application.

[0098] Please refer to Figure 1, which is a schematic diagram of the architecture of the communication system applied in the embodiments of this application. It should be noted that Figure 1 is a possible, non-limiting system schematic diagram. As shown in Figure 1, the communication system 10 includes a radio access network (RAN) 100 and a core network (CN) 200. Optionally, the communication system 10 may also include an Internet 300. RAN 100 includes at least one RAN node (110a and 110b in Figure 1, collectively referred to as 110) and at least one terminal (120a-120j in Figure 1, collectively referred to as 120). RAN 100 may also include other RAN nodes, such as wireless relay devices and / or wireless backhaul devices (not shown in Figure 1). Terminal 120 is wirelessly connected to RAN node 110. RAN node 110 is connected to core network 200 wirelessly or via a wired connection. The core network elements in core network 200 and RAN nodes 110 in RAN 100 can be different physical devices, or they can be the same physical device integrating core network logical functions and radio access network logical functions, or they can be a single physical device integrating some core network element functions and some RAN node 110 functions. Terminals can be interconnected with each other, and RAN nodes 110 can be interconnected with each other via wired or wireless means. Figure 1 is only a schematic diagram. This communication system may also include other network devices, such as wireless relay devices and wireless backhaul devices. Each device may also include different functional units, which are not shown in Figure 1.

[0099] RAN 100 can be a cellular system related to the 3rd Generation Partnership Project (3GPP), such as the 4th generation (4G), 5G, or future-oriented evolution systems. RAN 100 can also be an open RAN (O-RAN or ORAN), a cloud radio access network (CRAN), or a wireless fidelity (WiFi) system. RAN 100 can also be a communication system that integrates two or more of the above systems.

[0100] RAN node 110, sometimes also referred to as a radio access network device, access network apparatus, network equipment, RAN entity, or access node, constitutes part of the communication system and is used to help terminals achieve wireless access. Multiple RAN nodes 110 in communication system 10 can be of the same type or different types. In some scenarios, the roles of RAN node 110 and terminal 120 are relative. For example, network element 120i in Figure 1 can be a helicopter or drone, which can be configured as a mobile base station. For terminals 120j accessing RAN 100 through network element 120i, network element 120i is a base station; but for base station 110a, network element 120i is a terminal. RAN node 110 and terminal 120 are sometimes both referred to as communication devices. For example, network elements 110a and 110b in Figure 1 can be understood as communication devices with base station functions, and network elements 120a-120j can be understood as communication devices with terminal functions.

[0101] In one possible scenario, RAN node 110 can be a base station, an evolved NodeB (eNodeB), an access point (AP), a transmission reception point (TRP), a next-generation NodeB (gNB), a base station in a future mobile communication system, or an access node in a WiFi system. RAN node 110 can be a macro base station (as shown in Figure 1, 110a), a micro base station or indoor station (as shown in Figure 1, 110b), a relay node or donor node, or a radio controller in a CRAN scenario. Optionally, RAN node 110 can also be a server, a wearable device, a vehicle, or an in-vehicle device. For example, the access network device in vehicle-to-everything (V2X) technology can be a roadside unit (RSU). All or part of the functions of RAN node 110 in this application can also be implemented through software functions running on hardware, or through virtualization functions instantiated on a platform (e.g., a cloud platform). In this application, RAN node 110 can also be a logical node, logical module, or software that can implement all or part of the functions of RAN node 110.

[0102] In another possible scenario, multiple RAN nodes 110 collaborate to assist the terminal in achieving wireless access, with each RAN node 110 implementing a portion of the base station's functions. For example, a RAN node 110 can be a centralized unit (CU), a distributed unit (DU), a CU-control plane (CP), a CU-user plane (UP), or a radio unit (RU), etc. CUs and DUs can be set up separately or included in the same network element, such as a baseband unit (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).

[0103] 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 ORAN system, CU can also be called O-CU (open CU), DU can also be called O-DU, CU-CP can also be called O-CU-CP, CU-UP can also be called O-CU-UP, and RU can also be called O-RU. For ease of description, this application uses CU, CU-CP, CU-UP, DU, and RU as examples. Any of the units among CU (or CU-CP, CU-UP), DU, and RU in this application can be implemented through software modules, hardware modules, or a combination of software and hardware modules.

[0104] For example, Figure 2-1 is a schematic diagram of the architecture of the O-RAN system provided in this application. Figure 2-1 is only a schematic diagram, and the O-RAN system may also include other components besides those shown in Figure 2-1. As shown in Figure 2-1, the access network device (e.g., it may be an eNB, gNB, or next-generation access network device) communicates with the core network elements in the CN through a backhaul link and communicates with the terminal through the air interface.

[0105] Specifically, the BBU in the access network device communicates with the core network elements in the CN via a backhaul link, and the RU in the access network device communicates with at least one terminal via an air interface. The BBU communicates with at least one RU via a fronthaul link. The BBU and RU may or may not be co-located. The BBU includes at least one CU and at least one DU, which can communicate via at least one midhaul link.

[0106] Figure 2-2 illustrates a schematic diagram of the network element function division and protocol layer structure of an O-RAN device. In some examples, the CU is a logical node carrying the radio resource control (RRC) layer, service data adaptation protocol (SDAP) layer, packet data convergence protocol (PDCP) layer, and other control functions of the access network device. The CU connects to network nodes such as the core network through interfaces, which can be interfaces such as E2 interfaces. Optionally, the CU may have some core network functions. The CU (e.g., the PDCP layer and higher layers) connects to the DU (e.g., the RLC layer and lower layers) through interfaces, which can be interfaces such as F1 interfaces. In some examples, these interfaces (e.g., the F1 interface) can provide control plane (C-Plane) and user plane (U-Plane) functions (e.g., interface management, system information management, UE context management, RRC message transmission, etc.). F1AP is the application protocol of the F1 interface, and in some examples, it defines the signaling procedures of F1. The F1 interface supports the control plane F1-C and the user plane F1-U.

[0107] In some examples, the CU can be split into CU-CP (control unit-control plane) and CU-UP (control unit-user plane). CU-CP is a logical node carrying the RRC layer and PDCP-C (control plane part of PDCP) layer, used to implement the CU's control plane functions. CU-CP can interact with network elements in the core network used to implement control plane functions. These network elements in the core network can be access and mobility function (AMF) network elements, such as the access and mobility management function (AMF) in a 5G system. The AMF network element is responsible for mobility management in the mobile network, such as terminal location updates, terminal registration with the network, and terminal handover. CU-UP is a logical node carrying the SDAP layer and PDCP-U (user plane part of PDCP) layer, used to implement the CU's user plane functions. CU-UP can interact with network elements in the core network used to implement user plane functions. These network elements in the core network, such as the user plane function (UPF) in a 5G system, are responsible for data forwarding and receiving in the terminal. The above CU and DU configurations are merely examples; the functions of the CU and DU can be configured as needed. For instance, the CU or DU can be configured to have more protocol layer functions, or only some protocol layer processing functions. For example, some RLC layer functions and protocol layer functions above the RLC layer can be placed in the CU, while the remaining RLC layer functions and protocol layer functions below the RLC layer can be placed in the DU. Furthermore, the functions of the CU or DU can be divided according to service type or other system requirements, such as by latency. Functions that require low latency can be placed in the DU, while functions that do not require low latency can be placed in the CU.

[0108] In some examples, a DU is a logical node that carries the radio link control (RLC) layer, medium access control (MAC) layer, higher physical layer (Higher PHY) layer, and other functions. In some examples, a DU can control at least one RU. The DU connects to the RU through interfaces, which can be fronthaul interfaces. In some examples, the Higher PHY layer includes the PHY layer processing, such as forward error correction (FEC) encoding and decoding, scrambling, modulation, and demodulation.

[0109] In some examples, the RU is a logical node that carries both lower physical layer (PHY) and radio frequency (RF) processing. In some examples, the RU can be a 3GPP transmission reception point (TRP), a remote radio head (RRH), or other similar entities. In some examples, the Low-PHY includes PHY processing functions such as Fast Fourier Transform (FFT), Inverse Fast Fourier Transform (IFFT), digital beamforming, and filtering. The RU communicates with one or more terminals via a wireless link.

[0110] The DU and RU can be co-located or not. The DU and RU exchange control plane and user plane information via a fronthaul link through the Lower-Layer Split CUS-Plane (LLS-CUS) interface. LLS-CUS may include LLS-C and LLS-U interfaces providing the control plane (C-Plane) and user plane (U-Plane), respectively. In some examples, the control plane (C-Plane) refers to real-time control between the DU and RU. The DU and RU exchange management information via an LLS-M interface on the fronthaul link; the management plane (M-Plane) refers to non-real-time management operations between the DU and RU.

[0111] DU and RU can cooperate to implement the functions of the PHY layer. A DU can be connected to one or more RUs. The functions of DU and RU can be configured in various ways depending on the design. For example, a DU can be configured to implement baseband functions, and an RU can be configured to implement mid-RF functions. Another example is that a DU can be configured to implement higher-level functions in the PHY layer, and an RU can be configured to implement lower-level functions in the PHY layer, or to implement both lower-level and RF functions. Higher-level functions in the physical layer can include a portion of the physical layer's functions that are closer to the MAC layer, while lower-level functions in the physical layer can include another portion of the physical layer's functions that are closer to the mid-RF side.

[0112] A terminal is a device or module that connects to the aforementioned communication system and possesses corresponding communication functions. Terminals can also be referred to as terminal equipment, user equipment (UE), user devices, access terminals, user units, user stations, mobile stations, mobile stations (MS), remote stations, remote terminals, mobile devices, user terminals, terminal units, terminal stations, terminal devices, wireless communication equipment, user agents, or user devices, etc. Terminals typically contain communication modules, circuits, or chips that perform the corresponding communication functions. They can also be configured with program instructions for performing these functions. Terminals can be widely used in various scenarios, such as device-to-device (D2D), vehicle-to-everything (V2X) communication, machine-type communication (MTC), the Internet of Things (IoT), virtual reality, augmented reality, industrial control, autonomous driving, telemedicine, smart grids, smart furniture, smart offices, smart wearables, smart transportation, and smart cities. The terminal can be a mobile phone, tablet computer, computer with wireless transceiver function, wearable device, vehicle, drone, helicopter, airplane, ship, robot, robotic arm, smart home device, transportation vehicle with wireless communication function, communication module, roadside unit (RSU) with terminal function, etc. The embodiments of this application do not limit the device form of the terminal.

[0113] For ease of description, the following description uses a base station as an example of RAN node 110. Base stations and terminals can be fixed or mobile. Base stations and terminals can be deployed on land, including indoors or outdoors, handheld or vehicle-mounted; they can also be deployed on water; and they can be deployed on aircraft, balloons, and satellites. The embodiments of this application do not limit the application scenarios of the base stations and terminals.

[0114] 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.

[0115] 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 conducted using spectrum below 6 GHz, spectrum above 6 GHz, or both simultaneously. The embodiments of this application do not limit the spectrum resources used for wireless communication.

[0116] 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.

[0117] 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.

[0118] In this application, "sending information" can be understood as one device sending information to another device, or it can also be understood as one logical module within a device sending information to another logical module. For example, "base station sending information" can be understood as the base station sending information to another device (such as a terminal), or it can be understood as logical module 1 in the base station sending information to logical module 2 in the base station.

[0119] In this application, "receiving information" can be understood as one device receiving information from another device, or it can also be understood as a logical module within a device receiving information from another logical module. For example, "base station receiving information" can be understood as the base station receiving information from another device (such as a terminal), or it can be understood as logical module 1 in the base station receiving information from logical module 2 in the base station.

[0120] The communication between different devices involved in this application can refer to direct communication between different devices (i.e., without the need for relaying or forwarding by other devices), or communication between different devices through other devices (i.e., requiring relaying or forwarding by other devices), or communication between a functional unit within a device and other devices through another functional unit. In other words, "sending information to… (e.g., a terminal)" or the relevant illustrations in the accompanying drawings can be understood as the destination of the information being the terminal. This can include sending information directly or indirectly to the terminal. "Receiving information from… (e.g., a terminal)" or "receiving information from… (e.g., a terminal)" or "receiving information sent (e.g., by a terminal)" or the relevant illustrations in the accompanying drawings can be understood as the source of the information being the terminal. This can include receiving information directly or indirectly from the terminal. Information may undergo necessary processing between the source and destination, such as format changes, analog-to-digital conversion, amplification, filtering, etc., but the destination can understand the valid information from the source. Similar expressions in this application can be understood in a similar way, and will not be elaborated further here.

[0121] To facilitate understanding of the embodiments of this application, some knowledge / terms used in the solutions of this application are introduced below. It should be noted that these explanations are for the purpose of making the embodiments of this application easier to understand, and should not be regarded as limiting the scope of protection claimed by this application.

[0122] 1. Uplink channel, downlink channel

[0123] The uplink channel is the channel used to transmit signals from the terminal to the network device, and the downlink channel is the channel used to transmit signals from the network device to the terminal.

[0124] 2. Reference signal

[0125] A reference signal can also be called a pilot, pilot signal, reference signal sequence, reference sequence, etc. Reference signals can be used for channel measurement, channel estimation, or beam quality monitoring. According to LTE or NR protocols, uplink reference signals may include, for example, SRS, physical uplink control channel (PUCCH)-demodulation reference signal (DMRS), physical uplink share channel (PUSCH)-demodulation reference signal (PUSCH-DMRS), phase noise tracking reference signal (PTRS), uplink positioning signal, etc.; downlink reference signals may include, for example, synchronization signal block (SSB), physical downlink control channel (PDCCH)-demodulation reference signal (PDCCH-DMRS), physical downlink share channel (PDSCH)-demodulation reference signal (PDSCH-DMRS), PTRS, CSI-RS, cell reference signal (CRS) in LTE, tracking reference signal (TRS) in NR, downlink positioning signal, etc.

[0126] The reference signal in the embodiments of this application is mainly used for channel estimation. For example, it may refer to the CSI-RS used in downlink channel estimation, the SRS used in uplink channel estimation, or other reference signals that can be used for channel estimation, such as DMRS.

[0127] For ease of understanding, the following explanation will primarily use CSI-RS as the downlink reference signal and SRS as the uplink reference signal as an example. It should be noted that the terminal obtains downlink channel information (e.g., channel state information (CSI)) by receiving / measuring CSI-RS from the network device and can send / feed back downlink channel information to the network device; similarly, the network device obtains uplink channel information by receiving / measuring SRS from the terminal and can send / redirect uplink channel information to the terminal. Typically, CSI and / or uplink channel information may include indication information of the channel matrix or precoding matrix.

[0128] It should be understood that the reference signals listed above are merely examples and should not be construed as limiting this application in any way. This application does not preclude the possibility of defining other reference signals in future agreements to achieve the same or similar functions, nor does it preclude the possibility of defining other reference signals in future agreements to achieve different functions.

[0129] 3. Channel matrix and precoding matrix

[0130] The channel matrix represents the channel response between the transmitting and receiving ends (or between the transmitting antenna and the receiving antenna). It can be a three-dimensional matrix (i.e., the matrix has 3 dimensions), with the three dimensions corresponding to the transmitting antenna (TX), the receiving antenna (RX), and the resource block (RB). Optionally, the channel matrix can also be a four-dimensional matrix (i.e., the matrix has 4 dimensions), for example, with the four dimensions corresponding to the transmitting antenna, the receiving antenna, the RB, and time. Understandably, the channel matrix can usually be represented as H, and the channel matrix described below in this application is understood as a three-dimensional channel matrix. Optionally, the aforementioned RB can also be replaced by subband, frequency point, subcarrier, etc., without limitation.

[0131] The precoding matrix can be obtained by performing singular value decomposition (SVD) on the channel matrix H. For example, for a three-dimensional channel matrix H, the three-dimensional precoding matrix can be obtained by performing RB-by-RB SVD on the three-dimensional channel matrix H. More specifically, the operation can be to perform SVD on the two-dimensional matrix corresponding to each RB (the two dimensions correspond to the transmit antenna and the receive antenna, respectively), and the resulting left singular value matrix corresponds to the two-dimensional precoding matrix used for transmitting data (the two dimensions correspond to the transmit antenna and the spatial stream, respectively). By concatenating the two-dimensional precoding matrices of all RBs, a three-dimensional precoding matrix can be obtained (the three dimensions correspond to the transmit antenna, the spatial stream, and the RB, respectively). In the embodiments of this application, the above-mentioned three-dimensional precoding matrix can be represented as W.

[0132] Optionally, the aforementioned spatial flow can be represented by a layer, and the dimension of the spatial flow can be called the number of spatial flows (represented by rank for ease of description). This application mainly uses the number of spatial flows as v (i.e., rank = v) for illustrative purposes, where v is an integer greater than 1. Optionally, the number of spatial flows can also be called the number of spatial data flows or the number of layers, etc., without limitation.

[0133] 4. CSI Compression Scheme Based on Enhanced Type II

[0134] For example, please refer to Figure 3, which is a flowchart illustrating the CSI compression process based on Enhanced Type II. Typically, a terminal receives CSI-RS from a network device (e.g., a BS) and obtains the channel matrix H (specifically, the channel matrix H is the channel matrix corresponding to the downlink channel information, or simply the downlink channel matrix). The three dimensions of this channel matrix H correspond to the transmit antenna, receive antenna, and RB (or subband, frequency point, subcarrier, etc.). The dimension of the transmit antenna is equal to the number of transmit antennas N. TX The dimension of the receiving antenna is N, which is the number of receiving antennas. RX The dimension size of the RB dimension is the number of RBs, N. RB .

[0135] As shown in Figure 3, the terminal can obtain the precoding matrix W by performing RB-by-RB SVD processing on the three-dimensional channel matrix H. The three dimensions of the precoding matrix W correspond to the transmit antenna, the spatial stream, and the RB, respectively.

[0136] Next, for the precoding matrix W corresponding to the l-th spatial stream among the v spatial streams... l (These two dimensions correspond to the transmit antenna dimension and RB, respectively, and W) l The dimension size is N TX ×N RB We adopt the spatial orthogonal basis corresponding to the l-th spatial flow (referred to as W for ease of description). s,l This indicates that the W s,l The dimension size is N TX ×N' TX N TX >N' TX N' TX Perform a spatial domain discrete Fourier transform on the spatial domain (where the dimension is reduced to dimensionality in the spatial domain), and the frequency domain orthogonal basis corresponding to the l-th spatial flow (for ease of description, let W be used) is obtained. f,l This indicates that the W f,l The dimension size is N RB ×N' RB N RB >N'RB N' RB By performing a frequency-domain discrete Fourier transform on the dimension-reduced space (i.e., the dimension of the space after dimensionality reduction), and after dimensionality reduction processing, the coefficient matrix corresponding to the l-th spatial flow can be obtained. The dimension size is N' TX ×N' RB , that is Where l = 1, 2, ..., v, the above spatial domain discrete Fourier transform can also be called the spatial domain dimension discrete Fourier transform, and the above frequency domain discrete Fourier transform can also be called the frequency domain dimension discrete Fourier transform. It should be noted that, as shown in Figure 3... W f,l The conjugate transpose of the The dimension size is N' RB ×N RB , W f The conjugate transpose of the The dimension size is N' RB ×N RB ×v.

[0137] Finally, the coefficient matrix corresponding to each of the v spatial flows is... By concatenating the matrices, a complete coefficient matrix can be obtained. in By examining the complete coefficient matrix By quantizing and filtering the transformation coefficients in the model, we can obtain the results for... The results of the transformation coefficient screening and the transformation coefficient quantization information. Finally, the feedback information sent by the terminal to the network device can be based on the above-mentioned... The results of the transformation coefficient screening and the transformation coefficient quantization information, as well as the spatial orthogonal basis W s and frequency domain orthogonal basis W f Confirmation, for example, feedback information may include The results of the transformation coefficient screening and the transformation coefficient quantization information, as well as the spatial orthogonal basis W s and frequency domain orthogonal basis W f W s ={W s,1 W s,2 ,…,W s,v}, W f ={W f,1 W f,2 ,…,W f,v}

[0138] 5. CSI Compression Scheme Based on Dynamic Mode Decomposition (DMD)

[0139] For example, please refer to Figure 4, which is a flowchart illustrating CSI compression processing based on dynamic pattern decomposition. Typically, a terminal receives CSI-RS from a network device (e.g., a BS) and obtains the channel matrix H (specifically, the channel matrix H corresponding to the downlink channel information, or the downlink channel matrix). The three dimensions of this channel matrix H correspond to the transmit antenna, receive antenna, and RB (or subband, frequency point, subcarrier, etc.). The dimension of the transmit antenna is equal to the number of transmit antennas N. TX The dimension of the receiving antenna is N, which is the number of receiving antennas. RX The dimension size of the RB dimension is the number of RBs, N. RB .

[0140] As shown in Figure 4, the terminal can obtain the precoding matrix W by performing RB-by-RB SVD processing on the three-dimensional channel matrix H. The three dimensions of the precoding matrix W correspond to the transmit antenna, the spatial stream, and the RB, respectively.

[0141] Next, for the precoding matrix W corresponding to the l-th spatial stream among the v spatial streams... l (These two dimensions correspond to the transmit antenna dimension and RB, respectively), using the compression matrix Q corresponding to the l-th spatial flow. l Perform spatial compression processing (i.e.) We can obtain the dimensionality-reduced precoding matrix W' corresponding to the l-th spatial stream. l The compression matrix Q l The dimension size is N TX ×N' TX W' l The dimension size is N' TX ×N RB , where N' TX <N TX Where l = 1, 2, ..., v. The precoding matrix W' corresponding to the l-th spatial stream is obtained by dimensionality reduction. l By processing, the reference vector w corresponding to the l-th spatial flow can be determined. 1,l The transformation matrix G corresponding to the l-th spatial flow l That is, W' l ≈w 1,l ×G l .

[0142] Finally, the reference vector w corresponding to each of the v spatial flows is... 1,l By concatenating the matrices, we can obtain the reference matrix w1, where w1 = {w 1,1 ,w 1,2 ,…,w 1,v}, and the transformation matrix G corresponding to each of the v spatial flows. lBy concatenating the matrices, we can obtain the complete transformation matrix G, where G = {G1, G2, ..., G...} v The feedback information sent by the terminal to the network device can be determined based on the reference matrix w1 and the complete transformation matrix G, for example, the transformation matrix G corresponding to the l-th spatial flow in the complete transformation matrix G. l We can first work on the transformation matrix G. l Perform eigenvalue decomposition to obtain eigenvalues ​​Λ l and eigenvectors ψ l Then, the eigenvalues ​​Λ corresponding to the v spatial flows l and eigenvectors ψ l Concatenating the eigenvalues ​​Λ and the eigenma matrix ψ yields the complete eigenvalues ​​Λ and eigenma matrix ψ, where Λ = {Λ1, Λ2, ..., Λ} v}, ψ={ψ1,ψ2,…,ψ v Therefore, the feedback information can include the reference matrix w1, the eigenvalues ​​Λ, and the eigenvectors ψ.

[0143] Generally speaking, the concatenation of vectors results in a two-dimensional matrix, and the concatenation of matrices results in a three-dimensional matrix.

[0144] As an evolution of MIMO technology, Ultra-Large-Scale MIMO (UML) not only serves multiple users simultaneously on the same time-frequency resources but also achieves higher spectral and energy efficiency. In UML configurations, more antenna elements are configured on both the base station and terminal sides to support more spatial streams. Currently, the processing of the precoding matrix W corresponding to multiple spatial streams can be achieved using either Enhanced Type II CSI compression or DMD-based CSI compression. However, both of these schemes only consider the precoding matrix W corresponding to each spatial stream (layer) independently. l The processing (i.e., only Intra-layer compression) results in poor compression performance.

[0145] Based on this, this application proposes a communication method and apparatus that can improve the compression performance of channel information in ultra-large-scale MIMO.

[0146] It should be noted that in the description of this application, "instruction" can include direct and indirect instructions, as well as explicit and implicit instructions. The information indicated by a certain piece of information (such as the first instruction information described below) is called the information to be instructed. In specific implementation, there are many ways to indicate the information to be instructed. For example, the information to be instructed can be directly indicated, where the information to be instructed itself or its index is mentioned. Alternatively, the information to be instructed can be indirectly indicated by indicating other information, where there is a correlation between the other information and the information to be instructed. Another example is that only a part of the information to be instructed can be indicated, while the other parts are known, pre-agreed, or deducible. Furthermore, the instruction of specific information can be achieved by using a pre-agreed (e.g., protocol-defined) arrangement of various pieces of information, thereby reducing the instruction overhead to some extent.

[0147] It should be noted that, in the embodiments of this application, "feedback / reporting" refers to the terminal side sending to the network device side, and "sending down" refers to the network device side sending to the terminal side.

[0148] The communication method and apparatus provided in this application will be further described below with reference to the accompanying drawings. It is understood that this application uses network devices and terminals as examples of the execution subjects in the interactive illustration, but this application does not limit the execution subjects of the interactive illustration. For example, the method executed by the network device in this application can also be implemented by modules (e.g., circuits, chips, or chip systems) in the network device, or by logic nodes, logic modules, or software that can implement all or part of the functions of the network device; the method executed by the terminal in this application can also be implemented by the communication / processing module in the terminal or by circuits or chips (such as modem chips (also known as baseband chips), or SoC chips / SIP chips containing modem cores) in the terminal responsible for communication / processing functions.

[0149] Please refer to Figure 5, which is a flowchart illustrating a communication method provided in an embodiment of this application. The embodiment shown in Figure 5 primarily depicts a scenario where the terminal acts as the sender of downlink channel information (such as CSI), and the network device acts as the receiver of the downlink channel information. As shown in Figure 5, the communication method may include the following steps:

[0150] S501, The terminal obtains the first instruction information.

[0151] The first indication information indicates the transformation matrix corresponding to the second processing method. This transformation matrix is ​​used to transform the first transformation result in the spatial flow dimension to obtain the second transformation result. The second processing method involves the joint processing of precoding matrices corresponding to v spatial flows. The first transformation result is obtained by processing the precoding matrix corresponding to each of the v spatial flows using the first processing method, where v is an integer greater than 1. For example, the first processing method can specifically be 1) spatial domain discrete Fourier transform, frequency domain discrete Fourier transform, and dimensionality reduction processing; or, the first processing method can also be 2) dynamic mode decomposition. For example, the second processing method can specifically be spatial flow dimension transformation processing, or an AI-based encoder, where the AI-based encoder is trained based on training data related to the first processing method. For ease of understanding, the following explanation mainly uses spatial flow dimension transformation processing as an example of the second processing method. Generally, when the first processing method is 1) as described above, the first transformation result can be a coefficient matrix. Alternatively, when the first processing method is 2) above, the first transformation result can be the reference matrix w1 and the transformation matrix G (or it can be the eigenvalues ​​and eigenmatrix after eigenvalue decomposition of the transformation matrix G).

[0152] Optionally, the transformation matrix used for the transformation processing in the spatial flow dimension can be a Discrete Fourier Transform (DFT) matrix, or an orthogonal matrix determined based on historical channel information, wherein the dimension of the DFT matrix or the orthogonal matrix is ​​v×v. Optionally, the DFT matrix used for the transformation processing in the spatial flow dimension can also be called the DFT matrix corresponding to the spatial flow domain DFT. Optionally, the orthogonal matrix determined based on historical channel information can be trained based on channel information (e.g., CSI) collected over a past period (historical time).

[0153] It should be noted that the precoding matrix corresponding to the v spatial streams in the embodiment corresponding to Figure 5 is the precoding matrix W determined by the terminal after performing SVD processing on the downlink channel matrix, and the dimension of the precoding matrix W is N. TX ×N RB ×v. Where W is the precoding matrix corresponding to the l-th spatial stream among the v spatial streams. l The dimension size is N TX ×N RB l = 1, 2, ..., v. Optionally, the above downlink channel matrix can be understood as a three-dimensional channel matrix determined by the terminal through receiving / measuring CSI-RS from the network device. For example, these three dimensions correspond to the transmit antenna (TX), receive antenna (RX), and RB, respectively, where the dimension of the transmit antenna is equal to the number of transmit antennas N. TXThe dimension of the receiving antenna is N, which is the number of receiving antennas. RX The dimension size of the RB dimension is the number of RBs, N. RB Alternatively, the aforementioned RB can also be replaced with subband, frequency point, subcarrier, etc., without restriction.

[0154] The processing of the precoding matrices corresponding to each of the v spatial streams can be understood as performing intra-stream compression / transformation / dimensionality reduction (or Intra-layer compression / transformation / dimensionality reduction) on the precoding matrices, or compression based on the correlation of information within the spatial streams, thus reducing information redundancy. The joint processing (or merging processing) of the precoding matrices corresponding to the v spatial streams can be understood as performing inter-stream compression / transformation / dimensionality reduction (or Inter-layer compression / transformation / dimensionality reduction) on the precoding matrices, or compression based on the correlation of information between the spatial streams, thus also reducing information redundancy. Optionally, joint processing can also be described as merging processing, coherent processing, etc., without limitation.

[0155] In one possible implementation (i), the terminal obtaining the first indication information can be understood as the terminal receiving first indication information from the network device. Typically, the network device can determine the first indication information based on its feedback requirements for downlink channel information (e.g., CSI) and the capability information reported by the terminal. This first indication information can be carried in signaling such as an RRC message, a medium access control control element (MAC CE), or downlink control information (DCI) and sent to the terminal.

[0156] In one possible implementation (ii), the terminal obtaining the first indication information can be understood as the terminal determining the first indication information based on its own capability information, etc. Further, in this implementation (ii), the terminal can also send the first indication information to the network device to facilitate alignment of the transformation matrix used during compression / decompression processing between the terminal and the network device. Optionally, the first indication information sent by the terminal to the network device can be carried in signaling such as an RRC message, a MAC CE, or uplink control information (UCI).

[0157] For example, the feedback requirements for CSI may include CSI accuracy requirements. CSI accuracy can be defined as the similarity between the CSI reconstructed by the receiver and the original CSI (or the true CSI, or the CSI determined based on the reference signal). For example, metrics such as generalized cosine similarity (GCS) and normalized mean square error (NMSE) can be used to measure CSI accuracy. Generally, a higher GCS or a lower NMSE indicates higher CSI accuracy. For example, terminal capability information may include the terminal's processing power (e.g., computing power) and memory.

[0158] In one possible implementation (iii), the content indicated by the first indication information can also be predefined, such as protocol predefined.

[0159] The following section provides a detailed explanation of the specific design of the first instruction information.

[0160] In one possible design (1), the first indication information indicating the transformation matrix corresponding to the second processing method can be understood as follows: the first indication information includes the matrix index of the transformation matrix corresponding to the second processing method, where one matrix index corresponds to one transformation matrix. The correspondence / mapping relationship between the matrix index of the transformation matrix and the transformation matrix can be predefined, such as that predefined by the protocol. For example, as shown in Table 1 below, where K represents the number of transformation matrices contained in the transformation matrix mapping table, and K is an integer greater than 1. For example, the first indication information may include a first field, which carries the matrix index. For example, the length of the first field can be ceil(log2(K)) bits, where ceil() represents rounding up. Alternatively, the length of the first field can also be K bits, where each of the K bits corresponds to one transformation matrix. For example, when the value of one bit corresponding to a transformation matrix is ​​"1", it indicates that the transformation matrix is ​​used / activated / enabled; when the value of one bit corresponding to a transformation matrix is ​​"0", it indicates that the transformation matrix is ​​not used / deactivated / deenabled.

[0161] Table 1

[0162] Another interpretation of the aforementioned first indication information indicating the transformation matrix corresponding to the second processing method is that the first indication information directly includes the transformation matrix corresponding to the second processing method. For example, the transformation matrix included in the first indication information can be the original transformation matrix, or it can be compressed matrix information obtained by compressing the original transformation matrix. Here, the original transformation matrix can be understood as the uncompressed transformation matrix, meaning the terminal can directly obtain the specific content of the transformation matrix based on the original transformation matrix. For compressed matrix information, the terminal cannot directly obtain the specific content of the transformation matrix based on the compressed matrix information; information processing is required to obtain the specific content of the transformation matrix.

[0163] For example, the compressed matrix information includes the position indication information of the first matrix element in the original transformation matrix, as well as the amplitude and phase values ​​corresponding to the first matrix element. Alternatively, the compressed matrix information includes the position indication information of the first matrix element in the original transformation matrix, as well as the real and imaginary parts of the first matrix element. The first matrix element is a coefficient in the matrix obtained by the Discrete Fourier Transform of the original transformation matrix whose corresponding amplitude value is greater than a preset amplitude value; or, the first matrix element is the first N coefficients selected after sorting the coefficients in the matrix obtained by the Discrete Fourier Transform of the original transformation matrix in descending order of amplitude value, where N is an integer greater than 0.

[0164] Please refer to Figure 6, which is a schematic diagram of compressed matrix information obtained by compressing the original transformation matrix according to an embodiment of this application. As shown in Figure 6, taking the original transformation matrix T1 as an example, after transforming T1 through a discrete Fourier transform, matrix T'1 can be obtained. Then, matrix elements with larger amplitude values ​​are selected and sent based on the transformed matrix elements. Assume... The element q in the matrix kj =a kj +ib kj , Among them, the above q kj Let a represent a complex number, where a kj Let b be the real part of the complex number. kj Let be the imaginary part of the complex number, k represent the row index of the element in the matrix, and j represent the column index of the element in the matrix. In this example, k takes the values ​​1 and 2, and j takes the values ​​1, 2, and 3. For |q kj Sort them, for example, |q 11 |≥|q 21 |≥|q 23 |≥|q 12 |≥|q 22 |≥|q 13 |, then the element of the first matrix is ​​q 11 q21 q 23 (Assuming only half the elements need to be sent, i.e., N=3), the compressed matrix information includes: (i) the position indication information of the first matrix element in the original transformation matrix, for example... (In practice, it can be sent line by line, such as 100101) or an index set {1, 4, 6} (counted in line priority); (ii) the amplitude and phase values ​​corresponding to the first matrix element, such as q 11 q 21 q 23 The amplitude and phase values, or q. 11 q 21 q 23 The real and imaginary parts of q. For example, let element q... kj For example, where q kj =a kj +ib kj Then element q kj The corresponding amplitude value is The phase value is arctan(b) kj / a kj Or, element q kj The corresponding real part is a kj The imaginary part is b kj .

[0165] In one possible design (2), the first indication information is further used to indicate the transform coefficient filtering method and / or transform coefficient quantization method corresponding to the second processing method. Exemplarily, the transform coefficient filtering method can indicate any of the following: a first amplitude threshold, a second amplitude threshold, or M, the function of which will be explained later. Exemplarily, the transform coefficient quantization method can indicate one or more of the following: ① the transform coefficients contained in the second indication information are quantized using amplitude and phase values; ② the transform coefficients contained in the second indication information are quantized using real and imaginary parts; ③ uniform or non-uniform quantization is used; ④ the number of quantization bits. Exemplarily, ① and ② can be indicated by 1 bit of the first indication information. For example, when the value of the 1 bit is "1", it indicates that amplitude and phase values ​​are used; when the value of the 1 bit is "0", it indicates that real and imaginary parts are used; or, when the value of the 1 bit is "0", it indicates that amplitude and phase values ​​are used; when the value of the 1 bit is "1", it indicates that real and imaginary parts are used. For example, ① and ② above can also use a 2-bit indication of the first indication information, where one bit corresponds to the amplitude and phase values ​​for quantization, and the other bit corresponds to the real and imaginary parts for quantization. Exemplarily, the above uniform or non-uniform quantization can use a 1-bit indication of the first indication information; for example, when the value of this 1-bit is "1", it indicates uniform quantization; when the value of this 1-bit is "0", it indicates non-uniform quantization, and vice versa. Generally, when using non-uniform quantization, the first indication information can also additionally indicate quantization codeword information. Exemplarily, the number of quantization bits can be one or more. When the number of quantization bits is one, it can be understood that the same number of bits can be used to quantize the real and imaginary parts, or the amplitude and phase values. When the number of quantization bits is multiple, it can be understood that different bit depths can be used to quantize different first transform coefficients.

[0166] Optionally, the parameters indicated by the above-mentioned transformation coefficient filtering method and / or transformation coefficient quantization method can also be predefined, such as those predefined by the protocol, and are not limited thereto. For ease of understanding, the following text mainly uses the transformation coefficient filtering method and transformation coefficient quantization method corresponding to the second processing method indicated by the first indication information as an example for illustrative explanation.

[0167] Understandably, after receiving the first indication information, the terminal can process the second transformation result based on the transformation coefficient filtering method and transformation coefficient quantization method corresponding to the second processing method indicated by the first indication information to obtain the second indication information (i.e., the second indication information is determined based on the second transformation result). For example, the second indication information may include transformation coefficient filtering results and transformation coefficient quantization information. The transformation coefficient filtering results indicate the position information of the first transformation coefficient in the second transformation result. The transformation coefficient quantization information indicates the amplitude and phase values ​​corresponding to the first transformation coefficient, or, alternatively, the real and imaginary parts of the first transformation coefficient. In this embodiment, the first transformation coefficient is a coefficient in the second transformation result whose corresponding amplitude value is greater than or equal to the first amplitude threshold; or, the first transformation coefficient is a coefficient whose absolute value of the amplitude difference between the corresponding amplitude value and the corresponding maximum amplitude value in the second transformation result is greater than or equal to the second amplitude threshold; or, the first transformation coefficient is the first M coefficients selected after sorting the coefficients in the second transformation result in descending order of amplitude value (or it can also be said that the first transformation coefficient is the last M coefficients selected after sorting the coefficients in the second transformation result in ascending order of amplitude value), where M is an integer greater than 0. Optionally, M can also be greater than 0 and less than N'. TX ×N' RB ×v is an integer.

[0168] Optionally, in actual implementation, the specific meaning of the first transformation coefficient as described above is related to the content indicated by the first indication information. For example, assuming the transformation coefficient filtering method indicated by the first indication information is a first amplitude threshold, then the first transformation coefficient is the coefficient in the second transformation result whose corresponding amplitude value is greater than or equal to the first amplitude threshold. As another example, assuming the transformation coefficient filtering method indicated by the first indication information is a second amplitude threshold, then the first transformation coefficient is the coefficient in the second transformation result whose absolute value of the amplitude difference between the corresponding amplitude value and the corresponding maximum amplitude value is greater than or equal to the second amplitude threshold. As yet another example, assuming the transformation coefficient filtering method indicated by the first indication information is M, then the first transformation coefficient is the first M coefficients selected after sorting the coefficients in the second transformation result in descending order of amplitude value, where M is an integer greater than 0, or M is greater than 0 and less than N'. TX ×N' RB The integer is ×v. The specific value depends on the actual scenario and is not limited in this application.

[0169] S502, the terminal sends a second instruction message to the network device. Correspondingly, the network device receives the second instruction message from the terminal.

[0170] The second indication information is used to indicate the precoding matrices corresponding to the v spatial streams. Optionally, the second indication information can also be called feedback information. As described above, the second indication information can be specifically determined based on the second transform result. The second indication information includes transform coefficient filtering results and transform coefficient quantization information. This application mainly uses the transform coefficients included in the second indication information as the first transform coefficients (or transform coefficient filtering results indicating the first transform coefficients) for illustrative purposes. As shown in Figure 7, a bitmap or index set can be used to indicate the position information of the first transform coefficients in the second transform result, or an index set can be used to indicate the position information of the first transform coefficients in the second transform result. For the form of the bitmap or index set, please refer to the understanding of the position indication information of the first matrix elements in the original transform matrix in Figure 6 above, which will not be elaborated here. As shown in Figure 7 again, assuming that each transform coefficient requires J bits for quantization, then the M first transform coefficients require a total of M×J bits for quantization, that is, the length of the transform coefficient quantization information is M×J bits.

[0171] It should be noted that, for the network device, the network device can obtain the first indication information. Further, after the network device receives the second indication information, the network device can use the transformation matrix indicated by the first indication information to perform inverse transformation processing on the second indication information to reconstruct the precoding matrices corresponding to the v spatial streams. For example, please refer to Figure 8-1, which is a schematic diagram of the encoding and decoding architecture provided in this application. As shown in Figure 8-1, for the terminal (or the encoder on the terminal side, or the CSI transmitter), the terminal can first process the precoding matrix corresponding to each of the v spatial streams based on the transformation matrix indicated by the first indication information (as shown in Intra-layer compression in Figure 8-1) to obtain the first transformation result. Then, the first transformation result is transformed in the spatial stream dimension (as shown in Inter-layer compression in Figure 8-1) to obtain the second transformation result. Next, the transformation coefficients of the second transformation result are filtered and quantized based on the transformation coefficient filtering method and transformation coefficient quantization method indicated by the first indication information to obtain the second indication information, and the second indication information is sent to the network device. Accordingly, for the network device (or the decoder on the network device side, or the receiver of CSI), the network device can first perform inverse quantization and coefficient padding on the received second indication information to obtain the reconstructed second transformation result. Then, the reconstructed second transformation result is subjected to inverse transformation processing in the spatial stream dimension (Inter-layer decompression as shown in Figure 8-1) to obtain the reconstructed first transformation result. Next, the reconstructed first transformation result is subjected to Intra-layer decompression to reconstruct the precoding matrices corresponding to v spatial streams. It should be noted that the compression processing on the terminal side and the decompression processing on the network device side are aligned, or in other words, the decompression processing on the network device side is the reverse process of the compression processing on the terminal side. In the embodiment corresponding to Figure 5, the terminal is the compression side / encoding side, and the network device is the decompression side / decoding side.

[0172] To make the first and second processing methods described in the embodiments of this application clearer, Figure 8-2 shows a schematic diagram of a compression processing flow provided in this application. Wherein:

[0173] For the terminal, by receiving CSI-RS from the network device (e.g., BS), it can obtain the channel matrix H (specifically, the channel matrix H corresponding to the downlink channel information, or the downlink channel matrix). The three dimensions of this channel matrix H correspond to the transmit antenna, receive antenna, and RB (or subband, frequency point, subcarrier, etc.). The dimension of the transmit antenna is equal to the number of transmit antennas N. TX The dimension of the receiving antenna is N, which is the number of receiving antennas. RX The dimension size of the RB dimension is the number of RBs, N. RB Specifically:

[0174] As shown in Figure 8-2, the processing flow for Intra-layer compression is as follows: The terminal performs RB-by-RB SVD processing on the three-dimensional channel matrix H to obtain the precoding matrix. The three dimensions of this precoding matrix correspond to the transmit antenna, spatial stream, and RB, respectively. Next, for the precoding matrix W corresponding to the l-th spatial stream among the v spatial streams... l (These two dimensions correspond to the transmit antenna dimension and RB, respectively), and the spatial orthogonal basis corresponding to the l-th spatial flow is adopted (for ease of description, W is used). s,l The spatial domain discrete Fourier transform of the l-th spatial flow is performed, and the frequency domain orthogonal basis corresponding to the l-th spatial flow (represented by W) is obtained. f,l After performing a frequency domain discrete Fourier transform and dimensionality reduction, the coefficient matrix corresponding to the l-th spatial flow can be obtained. That is to say Where l = 1, 2, ..., v, the above spatial domain discrete Fourier transform can also be called the spatial dimension discrete Fourier transform, where the dimension of the spatial orthogonal basis is N. TX ×N' TX N TX >N' TX N' TX Given the dimension reduction in the spatial domain, the frequency-domain discrete Fourier transform described above can also be called the frequency-domain dimension discrete Fourier transform, where the dimension of the frequency-domain orthogonal basis is N. RB ×N' RB N RB >N' RB N' RB This represents the dimension after dimensionality reduction in the frequency domain. Finally, the coefficient matrix corresponding to each of the v spatial flows is... By concatenating the matrices, a complete coefficient matrix can be obtained.

[0175] As shown in Figure 8-2, the processing flow during inter-layer compression is as follows: the transformation matrix indicated by the first indication information is used to transform the complete coefficient matrix. By performing a transformation along the spatial flow dimension (or performing a discrete Fourier transform along the spatial flow dimension), we can obtain the transformed coefficient matrix. The transformation matrix used in the spatial flow dimension transformation is of size v×v. The transformed coefficient matrix... Quantification and coefficient filtering can yield results targeting... The transformation coefficient filtering results and transformation coefficient quantization information, such as the first transformation coefficient and its quantization information. Finally, the second indication information sent by the terminal to the network device can be based on the above-mentioned... The results of the transformation coefficient screening and the transformation coefficient quantization information, as well as the spatial orthogonal basis W s and frequency domain orthogonal basis W f It is determined that, for example, the second indication information includes the first transform coefficients and their quantization information, as well as the spatial orthogonal basis W. s and frequency domain orthogonal basis W f W s ={W s,1 W s,2 ,…,W s,v}, W f ={W f,1 W f,2 ,…,W f,v It should be noted that, as shown in Figure 8-2... W f,l The conjugate transpose of the The dimension size is N' RB ×N RB , W f The conjugate transpose of the The dimension size is N' RB ×N RB ×v.

[0176] Figure 8-3 shows a schematic diagram of another compression process provided in this application. Wherein:

[0177] For the terminal, by receiving CSI-RS from the network device (e.g., BS), it can obtain the channel matrix H (specifically, the channel matrix H corresponding to the downlink channel information, or the downlink channel matrix). The three dimensions of this channel matrix H correspond to the transmit antenna, receive antenna, and RB (or subband, frequency point, subcarrier, etc.). The dimension of the transmit antenna is equal to the number of transmit antennas N. TX The dimension of the receiving antenna is N, which is the number of receiving antennas. RX The dimension size of the RB dimension is the number of RBs, N. RB Specifically:

[0178] As shown in Figure 8-3, the processing flow for Intra-layer compression is as follows: The terminal performs RB-by-RB SVD processing on the three-dimensional channel matrix H to obtain the precoding matrix. The three dimensions of this precoding matrix correspond to the transmit antenna, spatial stream, and RB, respectively. Next, for the precoding matrix W corresponding to the l-th spatial stream among the v spatial streams... l (These two dimensions correspond to the transmit antenna dimension and RB, respectively), using the compression matrix Q corresponding to the l-th spatial flow. l Perform spatial compression processing (i.e.) From this, we can obtain the dimensionality-reduced precoding matrix W' corresponding to the l-th spatial flow. l The compression matrix Q l The dimension size is N TX ×N' TX W' l The dimension size is N' TX ×N RB , where N' TX <N TX Where l = 1, 2, ..., v. The precoding matrix W' corresponding to the l-th spatial stream is obtained by dimensionality reduction. l By processing, the reference vector w corresponding to the l-th spatial flow can be determined. 1,l The transformation matrix G corresponding to the l-th spatial flow l That is, W' l ≈w 1,l ×G l Finally, the reference vector w corresponding to each of the v spatial flows is... 1,l By concatenating the matrices, we can obtain the reference matrix w1, where w1 = {w 1,1 ,w 1,2 ,…,w 1,v}. The transformation matrix G corresponding to each of the v spatial flows. l By concatenating the matrices, we can obtain the complete transformation matrix G, where G = {G1, G2, ..., G...} v}

[0179] As shown in Figure 8-3, the processing flow for inter-layer compression is as follows: The reference matrix w1 is transformed in the spatial flow dimension using the transformation matrix indicated by the first indication information (referred to as the first transformation matrix for ease of distinction), resulting in the transformed reference matrix w′1. The dimension of the discrete Fourier transform matrix used in the spatial flow dimension transformation is v×v. The complete transformation matrix G is then transformed in the spatial flow dimension using the transformation matrix indicated by the first indication information (referred to as the second transformation matrix for ease of distinction), resulting in the transformed transformation matrix G′. The dimension of the transformation matrix used in the spatial flow dimension transformation is also v×v. Quantization and coefficient filtering are performed on the transformed reference vector w′1 to obtain the transformation coefficient filtering results and transformation coefficient quantization information for w′1. Similarly, quantization and coefficient filtering are performed on the transformed transformation matrix G′ to obtain the transformation coefficient filtering results and transformation coefficient quantization information for w′1. Ultimately, the second indication information sent by the terminal to the network device can be determined based on the aforementioned transformation coefficient selection results and transformation coefficient quantization information for w′1, and the aforementioned transformation coefficient selection results and transformation coefficient quantization information for G′. Optionally, the first transformation matrix and the second transformation matrix may be the same or different. For example, when the transformation matrix is ​​w′1, the first transformation matrix and the second transformation matrix are usually the same. Or, for example, when the transformation matrix is ​​an orthogonal matrix determined based on historical channel information, the first transformation matrix and the second transformation matrix are usually different, wherein the first transformation matrix is ​​trained based on the reference matrix w′ obtained from historical channel information, and the second transformation matrix is ​​trained based on the transformation matrix G′ obtained from historical channel information.

[0180] Accordingly, for the network device (or the decoder on the network device side, or the receiver of CSI), the network device can first perform inverse quantization and coefficient padding on the received second indication information to obtain the reconstructed second transformation result. Then, the reconstructed second transformation result is subjected to inverse transformation processing in the spatial stream dimension (Inter-layer decompression as shown in Figure 8-1) to obtain the reconstructed first transformation result. Next, the reconstructed first transformation result is subjected to Intra-layer decompression to reconstruct the precoding matrices corresponding to v spatial streams. It should be noted that the compression processing on the terminal side and the decompression processing on the network device side are aligned, or in other words, the decompression processing on the network device side is the reverse process of the compression processing on the terminal side, which will not be elaborated here.

[0181] In this embodiment, to adapt to the compression requirements of the communication system, a new joint processing method (i.e., a second processing method) is introduced for the feedback processing flow of downlink channel information, based on the processing method of the precoding matrix corresponding to each of the v spatial streams (i.e., the first processing method). Specifically, the terminal first uses the first processing method to process the precoding matrix corresponding to each of the v spatial streams to obtain a first transformation result, and then uses the second processing method to jointly process the first transformation result (e.g., using the transformation matrix corresponding to the second processing method indicated by the first indication information to transform the first transformation result) to obtain a second transformation result. Then, based on the second transformation result, a second indication information is determined and sent to the network device. This multi-level processing method can make full use of the correlation within and between spatial streams, thus improving the compression performance of channel information (e.g., channel state information (CSI)) and reducing feedback signaling overhead.

[0182] The embodiment shown in Figure 5 above mainly introduces the feedback processing flow for downlink channel information (e.g., CSI) (i.e., the scenario corresponding to downlink reference signal (e.g., CSI-RS) measurement). The following will describe the uplink channel information transmission / downlink processing flow (i.e., the scenario corresponding to uplink reference signal (e.g., SRS) measurement) in conjunction with Figure 9.

[0183] Please refer to Figure 9, which is another flowchart illustrating the communication method provided in this application embodiment. The embodiment shown in Figure 9 mainly describes the scenario where the network device acts as the sender of uplink channel information, and the terminal acts as the receiver of uplink channel information. As shown in Figure 9, the communication method may include the following steps:

[0184] S901, The network device obtains the first instruction information.

[0185] For an understanding of step S901, please refer to the description of step S501 in the corresponding embodiment of Figure 5 above, which will not be repeated here. The difference is that the execution subject of S501 is the terminal, while the execution subject of step S901 is the network device.

[0186] It should be noted that the precoding matrix corresponding to the v spatial streams in the embodiment corresponding to Figure 9 is the precoding matrix W determined by the network device after performing SVD processing on the uplink channel matrix. The dimension of the precoding matrix W is N. TX ×N RB ×v. Where W is the precoding matrix corresponding to the l-th spatial stream among the v spatial streams. l The dimension size is N TX ×N RBl = 1, 2, ..., v. Optionally, the above uplink channel matrix can be understood as a three-dimensional channel matrix determined by the network device through receiving / measuring SRS from the terminal. For example, these three dimensions correspond to the transmit antenna (TX), receive antenna (RX), and RB, respectively, where the dimension of the transmit antenna is equal to the number of transmit antennas N. TX The dimension of the receiving antenna is N, which is the number of receiving antennas. RX The dimension size of the RB dimension is the number of RBs, N. RB Alternatively, the aforementioned RB can also be replaced with subband, frequency point, subcarrier, etc., without restriction.

[0187] In one possible implementation (i), the network device acquiring the first indication information can be understood as the network device receiving the first indication information from the terminal. Typically, the terminal can determine the first indication information based on its uplink channel information transmission requirements and its own capability information. This first indication information can be carried in signaling messages such as RRC messages, MAC CE, or UCI.

[0188] In one possible implementation (ii), the network device obtaining the first indication information can be understood as: the network device determines the first indication information based on its request to transmit current channel information (e.g., uplink channel information) and the capability information reported by the terminal. Further, in this implementation (ii), the network device can also send the first indication information to the terminal. Optionally, the first indication information sent by the network device to the terminal can be carried in signaling such as an RRC message, MAC CE, or DCI.

[0189] In one possible implementation (iii), the content indicated by the first indication information can also be predefined, such as protocol predefined.

[0190] S902, the network device sends a second instruction to the terminal. Correspondingly, the terminal receives the second instruction from the network device.

[0191] For an understanding of step S902, please refer to the description of step S502 in the embodiment corresponding to Figure 5 above. The difference is that the network device is the uplink channel information sending end (or the network device is the compression side / encoding side), and the terminal is the uplink channel information receiving end (or the terminal is the decompression side / decoding side). That is, for the network device, the network device can obtain the first indication information and perform transformation processing on the first transformation result in the spatial stream dimension based on the transformation matrix corresponding to the second processing method indicated by the first indication information to obtain the second transformation result, and then send the second indication information determined based on the second transformation result to the terminal. Correspondingly, for the terminal, the terminal can obtain the first indication information. Further, after the terminal receives the second indication information, the terminal can use the transformation matrix corresponding to the second processing method indicated by the first indication information to process the second indication information to obtain the reconstructed first transformation result, and then process the reconstructed first transformation result based on the first processing method to reconstruct the precoding matrices corresponding to v spatial streams.

[0192] In this embodiment, to adapt to the compression requirements of the communication system, a new joint processing method (i.e., a second processing method) is introduced, based on the processing method of the precoding matrix corresponding to each of the v spatial streams (i.e., the first processing method). Specifically, the network device first processes the precoding matrix corresponding to each of the v spatial streams using the first processing method to obtain a first transformation result, and then performs joint processing on the first transformation result using the second processing method (e.g., transforming the first transformation result using the transformation matrix corresponding to the second processing method indicated by the first indication information) to obtain a second transformation result. Then, based on the second transformation result, a second indication information is determined and sent to the terminal. This multi-level processing method can fully utilize the correlation within and between spatial streams, thus improving the compression performance of the uplink channel information and reducing transmission signaling overhead.

[0193] Optionally, the embodiments shown in Figures 5 and 9 above can also be applied to O-RAN scenarios. It should be understood that in O-RAN scenarios, the network devices involved in Figure 5 can be replaced by CU (e.g., CU-CP or CU-UP) or DU or RU, etc.

[0194] The communication device provided in this application will now be described in detail with reference to Figures 10 to 12.

[0195] It is understood that, in order to achieve the functions in the above embodiments, the communication device includes hardware structures and / or software modules corresponding to each function. Those skilled in the art should readily recognize that, based on the units and method steps described in conjunction with the embodiments disclosed in this application, this application can be implemented in hardware or a combination of hardware and computer software. Whether a function is executed by hardware or by computer software driving hardware depends on the specific application scenario and design constraints of the technical solution.

[0196] Figures 10 to 12 are schematic diagrams illustrating possible communication devices provided in embodiments of this application. These communication devices can be used to implement the functions of terminals or network devices (e.g., base stations) in the above method embodiments, and thus also achieve the beneficial effects of the above method embodiments. In the embodiments of this application, the communication device can be one of the terminals 120a-120j shown in Figure 1, or it can be RAN nodes 110a or 110b shown in Figure 1. Optionally, it can also be a module (such as a chip) applied to a terminal or network device.

[0197] As shown in Figure 10, the communication device 1000 includes a processing unit 1010 and a transceiver unit 1020. The transceiver unit 1020 and the processing unit 1010 can be software, hardware, or a combination of both. Optionally, the communication device 1000 may further include a storage unit 1430 for storing device program code and / or data, not shown in Figure 10.

[0198] The transceiver unit 1020 can implement sending and / or receiving functions. Optionally, the transceiver unit 1020 can also be called a communication unit or an acquisition unit, etc. The transceiver unit 1020 may further include a receiving unit and / or a sending unit, wherein the receiving unit is used to implement the receiving function, and the sending unit is used to implement the sending function. Optionally, the transceiver unit 1020 can be used to receive information sent by other devices, and can also be used to send information to other devices.

[0199] The communication device 1000 is used to implement the functions of the terminal in the method embodiments shown in Figures 5 and 9. For example, the terminal can be the terminal itself or a communication module in the terminal, or a circuit or chip in the terminal responsible for communication functions. Alternatively, the communication device 1000 can be used to implement the functions of the network device in the method embodiments shown in Figures 5 and 9. For example, the network device can be the network device itself, or a module (e.g., a circuit, a chip, or a chip system) in the network device, or a logical node, logical module, or software that can implement all or part of the functions of the network device.

[0200] When the communication device 1000 is used to implement the functions of the terminal in the method embodiment shown in FIG5:

[0201] Processing unit 1010 is used to acquire first indication information, the first indication information indicating the transformation matrix corresponding to the second processing method, the second processing method being associated with the joint processing of precoding matrices corresponding to v spatial streams; the transformation matrix is ​​used to transform the first transformation result in the spatial stream dimension to obtain the second transformation result, the first transformation result being obtained by processing the precoding matrix corresponding to each of the v spatial streams based on the first processing method, where v is an integer greater than 1.

[0202] In one possible implementation, in the feedback processing flow of downlink channel information (e.g., CSI) (i.e., the scenario corresponding to the measurement of downlink reference signal (e.g., CSI-RS), the transceiver unit 1020 is used to transmit second indication information, wherein the second indication information is determined based on the second transformation result, and the second indication information is used to indicate the precoding matrix corresponding to the v spatial streams.

[0203] In one possible implementation, in the uplink channel information transmission / downlink processing flow (i.e., the scenario corresponding to uplink reference signal (such as SRS) measurement), the transceiver unit 1020 is used to receive second indication information, wherein the second indication information is determined based on the second transformation result, and the second indication information is used to indicate the precoding matrix corresponding to the v spatial streams.

[0204] In one possible implementation, the first indication information indicates the transformation matrix corresponding to the second processing method, including:

[0205] The first indication information includes the matrix index of the transformation matrix corresponding to the second processing method, wherein one matrix index corresponds to one transformation matrix; or,

[0206] The first indication information includes the transformation matrix corresponding to the second processing method.

[0207] In one possible implementation, the transformation matrix is ​​a discrete Fourier transform matrix, or the transformation matrix is ​​an orthogonal matrix determined based on historical channel information.

[0208] In one possible implementation, the first indication information is further used to indicate the transformation coefficient filtering method and / or transformation coefficient quantization method corresponding to the second processing method.

[0209] In one possible implementation, the second indication information includes the transformation coefficient screening result and the transformation coefficient quantization information;

[0210] The transformation coefficient filtering result indicates the position information of the first transformation coefficient in the second transformation result;

[0211] The transformation coefficient quantization information indicates the amplitude and phase values ​​corresponding to the first transformation coefficient, or the transformation coefficient quantization information indicates the real and imaginary parts corresponding to the first transformation coefficient;

[0212] The first transformation coefficient is a coefficient in the second transformation result whose corresponding amplitude value is greater than or equal to the first amplitude threshold; or, the first transformation coefficient is a coefficient whose absolute value of the amplitude difference between the corresponding amplitude value in the second transformation result and the corresponding maximum amplitude value in the second transformation result is greater than or equal to the second amplitude threshold; or, the first transformation coefficient is the first M coefficients selected after sorting the coefficients in the second transformation result in descending order of amplitude value, where M is an integer greater than 0.

[0213] In one possible implementation, the transformation coefficient filtering method corresponding to the transformation coefficient filtering result indicates any of the following: the first amplitude threshold, the second amplitude threshold, or M.

[0214] In one possible implementation, the transform coefficient quantization method corresponding to the transform coefficient quantization information indicates one or more of the following:

[0215] The transformation coefficients included in the second indication information are quantized using amplitude and phase values;

[0216] The transformation coefficients included in the second indication information are quantized using real and imaginary parts;

[0217] Use uniform quantization or non-uniform quantization;

[0218] Or the number of quantized bits.

[0219] In one possible implementation, when acquiring the first indication information, the processing unit 1010 is specifically used for:

[0220] The first instruction information is received through the transceiver unit 1020.

[0221] In one possible implementation, the transceiver unit 1020 is further configured to:

[0222] Send the first instruction information.

[0223] In one possible design, when the communication device 1000 is a terminal or a communication module within a terminal, the functionality of the processing unit 1010 can be implemented by one or more processors. Specifically, the processor may include a modem chip, or a system-on-a-chip (SoC) or SIP chip containing a modem core. The functionality of the transceiver unit 1020 can be implemented by transceiver circuitry.

[0224] In one possible design, when the communication device 1000 is a circuit or chip in a terminal responsible for communication functions, such as a modem chip or a system-on-a-chip (SoC) or SIP chip containing a modem core, the function of the processing unit 1010 can be implemented by a circuit system in the aforementioned chip that includes one or more processors or processor cores. The function of the transceiver unit 1020 can be implemented by the interface circuitry or data transceiver circuitry on the aforementioned chip.

[0225] When the communication device 1000 is used to implement the function of the network device in the method embodiment shown in FIG5:

[0226] Processing unit 1010 is used to acquire first indication information, the first indication information indicating the transformation matrix corresponding to the second processing method, the second processing method being associated with the joint processing of precoding matrices corresponding to v spatial streams; the transformation matrix is ​​used to transform the first transformation result in the spatial stream dimension to obtain the second transformation result, the first transformation result being obtained by processing the precoding matrix corresponding to each of the v spatial streams based on the first processing method, where v is an integer greater than 1.

[0227] In one possible implementation, in the feedback processing flow of downlink channel information (e.g., CSI) (i.e., the scenario corresponding to the measurement of downlink reference signal (e.g., CSI-RS), the transceiver unit 1020 is used to receive second indication information, wherein the second indication information is determined based on the second transformation result, and the second indication information is used to indicate the precoding matrix corresponding to the v spatial streams.

[0228] In one possible implementation, in the uplink channel information transmission / downlink processing flow (i.e., the scenario corresponding to uplink reference signal (such as SRS) measurement), the transceiver unit 1020 is used to transmit second indication information, wherein the second indication information is determined based on the second transformation result, and the second indication information is used to indicate the precoding matrix corresponding to the v spatial streams.

[0229] In one possible implementation, the first indication information indicates the transformation matrix corresponding to the second processing method, including:

[0230] The first indication information includes the matrix index of the transformation matrix corresponding to the second processing method, wherein one matrix index corresponds to one transformation matrix; or,

[0231] The first indication information includes the transformation matrix corresponding to the second processing method.

[0232] In one possible implementation, the transformation matrix is ​​a discrete Fourier transform matrix, or the transformation matrix is ​​an orthogonal matrix determined based on historical channel information.

[0233] In one possible implementation, the first indication information is further used to indicate the transformation coefficient filtering method and / or transformation coefficient quantization method corresponding to the second processing method.

[0234] In one possible implementation, the second indication information includes the transformation coefficient screening result and the transformation coefficient quantization information;

[0235] The transformation coefficient filtering result indicates the position information of the first transformation coefficient in the second transformation result;

[0236] The transformation coefficient quantization information indicates the amplitude and phase values ​​corresponding to the first transformation coefficient, or the transformation coefficient quantization information indicates the real and imaginary parts corresponding to the first transformation coefficient;

[0237] The first transformation coefficient is a coefficient in the second transformation result whose corresponding amplitude value is greater than or equal to the first amplitude threshold; or, the first transformation coefficient is a coefficient whose absolute value of the amplitude difference between the corresponding amplitude value in the second transformation result and the corresponding maximum amplitude value in the second transformation result is greater than or equal to the second amplitude threshold; or, the first transformation coefficient is the first M coefficients selected after sorting the coefficients in the second transformation result in descending order of amplitude value, where M is an integer greater than 0.

[0238] In one possible implementation, the transformation coefficient filtering method corresponding to the transformation coefficient filtering result indicates any of the following: the first amplitude threshold, the second amplitude threshold, or M.

[0239] In one possible implementation, the transform coefficient quantization method corresponding to the transform coefficient quantization information indicates one or more of the following:

[0240] The transformation coefficients included in the second indication information are quantized using amplitude and phase values;

[0241] The transformation coefficients included in the second indication information are quantized using real and imaginary parts;

[0242] Use uniform quantization or non-uniform quantization;

[0243] Or the number of quantized bits.

[0244] In one possible implementation, when acquiring the first indication information, the processing unit 1010 is specifically used for:

[0245] The first instruction information is received through the transceiver unit 1020.

[0246] In one possible implementation, the transceiver unit 1020 is further configured to:

[0247] Send the first instruction information.

[0248] For a more detailed description of the above-mentioned processing unit 1010 and transceiver unit 1020, please refer to the relevant descriptions in the method embodiments shown in Figures 5 and 9.

[0249] It is understood that the division of units in the above-described device is merely a logical functional division. Each function can correspond to a functional unit, or two or more functions can be integrated into one functional unit. In actual implementation, all or some units can be integrated into a single physical entity, or they can be distributed across different physical entities. Furthermore, the aforementioned functional units can be implemented in hardware, software, or a combination of both. Whether a function is executed in hardware or software depends on the specific application and design constraints of the technical solution. Those skilled in the art can use different methods to implement the described functions for each specific application, but such implementation should not be considered beyond the scope of this application.

[0250] In one example, the functional unit in any of the above devices may be one or more integrated circuits configured to implement the above methods, such as: one or more application-specific integrated circuits (ASICs), or one or more central processing units (CPUs), one or more microcontroller units (MCUs), one or more digital signal processors (DSPs), or one or more field-programmable gate arrays (FPGAs), or a combination of at least two of these integrated circuit forms.

[0251] In one example, storage unit 1430 may include random access memory, flash memory, read-only memory, programmable read-only memory or electrically erasable programmable memory and / or registers, etc.

[0252] As shown in Figure 11, the communication device 1100 includes a processor 1110, and optionally an interface circuit 1120. The processor 1110 and the interface circuit 1120 are coupled to each other. It is understood that the interface circuit 1120 can be a transceiver or an input / output interface. Optionally, the communication device 1100 may also include a memory 1130 for storing computer programs or instructions executed by the processor 1110, or storing input data required by the processor 1110 to execute instructions, or storing data generated by the processor 1110 after executing computer programs or instructions.

[0253] When the communication device 1100 is used to implement the methods shown in FIG5 and FIG9, the processor 1110 is used to implement the functions of the processing unit 1010, and the interface circuit 1120 is used to implement the functions of the transceiver unit 1020.

[0254] When the aforementioned communication device is a chip applied to a terminal, the terminal chip implements the functions of the terminal in the above method embodiments. The terminal chip receives information sent to the terminal by the network device through other modules (such as an RF module or antenna) in the terminal; or, the terminal chip sends information to other modules (such as an RF module or antenna) in the terminal, which is information sent by the terminal to the network device.

[0255] When the aforementioned communication device is a module applied to a network device, the network device module implements the functions of the network device in the above method embodiments. The network device module receives information from other modules (such as radio frequency modules or antennas) within the network device; this information is sent by the terminal to the network device. Alternatively, the network device module sends information to other modules (such as radio frequency modules or antennas) within the network device; this information is sent by the network device to the terminal. Here, the network device module can be the baseband chip of the network device, or a CU, DU, or other module, or a device under an open radio access network (O-RAN) architecture, such as an open CU, open DU, etc.

[0256] As shown in Figure 12, the communication device 1200 includes a processor 1210, a memory 1220, and a transceiver 1230. The processor 1210 is mainly used for processing communication protocols and communication data; controlling terminal / network devices; executing software programs; and processing data from software programs. The memory 1220 can store computer program code, software programs, and data. The transceiver 1230 includes a transmitter 1231, a receiver 1232, radio frequency circuitry (not shown in Figure 12), and an antenna 1233.

[0257] The processor 1210 can also be called a processing unit, processing board, processing module, or processing device. The transceiver 1230 can also be called a transceiver unit, transceiver, or transceiver device.

[0258] Optionally, the device in transceiver 1230 used to implement the receiving function can be considered a receiving module, and the device in transceiver 1230 used to implement the transmitting function can be considered a transmitting module. That is, transceiver 1230 includes a receiver and / or a transmitter. A transceiver may also be called a transceiver unit, transceiver module, or transceiver circuit, etc. A receiver may also be called a receiver unit, receiving module, or receiving circuit, etc. A transmitter may also be called a transmitter, transmitting module, or transmitting circuit, etc.

[0259] Processor 1210 is used to execute terminal-side processing operations in the embodiments shown in Figures 5 and 9. Transceiver 1230 is used to execute terminal-side transmission and reception operations in the embodiments shown in Figures 5 and 9. Alternatively, processor 1210 is used to execute network-side processing operations in the embodiments shown in Figures 5 and 9. Transceiver 1230 is used to execute network-side transmission and reception operations in the embodiments shown in Figures 5 and 9.

[0260] When the communication device 1200 is a chip, the chip includes a processor and a transceiver. The transceiver can be an input / output circuit or a communication interface. The processor can be a processing module integrated on the chip, a microprocessor, or an integrated circuit. In the above method embodiments, the terminal's sending operation can be understood as the chip's output, and the terminal's receiving operation can be understood as the chip's input. Similarly, in the above method embodiments, the network device's sending operation can be understood as the chip's output, and the network device's receiving operation can be understood as the chip's input.

[0261] This application also provides a computer-readable storage medium storing a computer program or instructions for implementing the methods executed by a terminal or network device in the above method embodiments.

[0262] For example, when the computer program is executed by a computer, it enables the computer to implement the method executed by the terminal or network device in the above method embodiments.

[0263] This application also provides a computer program product containing a program or instructions, which, when executed by a computer, causes the computer to implement the method executed by a terminal or network device in the above method embodiments.

[0264] This application also provides a communication system, which includes the terminal and the network device described in the above embodiments. The terminal is used to perform some or all of the operations performed by the terminal in the above method embodiments, and the network device is used to perform some or all of the operations performed by the network device in the above method embodiments.

[0265] This application also provides a chip device, including a processor, for calling a computer program or computer instructions stored in the memory, so that the processor executes the method provided in the embodiments shown in Figures 5 and 9 above.

[0266] In one possible implementation, the input of the chip device corresponds to the receiving operation in the embodiments shown in Figures 5 and 9, and the output of the chip device corresponds to the transmitting operation in the embodiments shown in Figures 5 and 9.

[0267] Optionally, the processor is coupled to the memory via an interface.

[0268] Optionally, the chip device may also include a memory in which computer programs or computer instructions are stored.

[0269] It is understood that the processor in the embodiments of this application can be a central processing unit (CPU), or other general-purpose processors, digital signal processors (DSPs), application-specific integrated circuits (ASICs), field-programmable gate arrays (FPGAs), or other programmable logic devices, transistor logic devices, hardware components, or any combination thereof. A general-purpose processor can be a microprocessor or any conventional processor.

[0270] The method steps in the embodiments of this application can be implemented in hardware or in software instructions executable by a processor. The software instructions can consist of corresponding software modules, which can be stored in random access memory, flash memory, read-only memory, programmable read-only memory, erasable programmable read-only memory, electrically erasable programmable read-only memory, registers, hard disks, portable hard disks, CD-ROMs, or any other form of storage medium known in the art. An exemplary storage medium is coupled to a processor, enabling the processor to read information from and write information to the storage medium. The storage medium can also be a component of the processor. The processor and storage medium can reside in an ASIC. Alternatively, the ASIC can reside in a network device or terminal. The processor and storage medium can also exist as discrete components in a network device or terminal.

[0271] In the above embodiments, implementation can be achieved entirely or partially through software, hardware, firmware, or any combination thereof. When implemented using software, it can be implemented entirely or partially in the form of a computer program product. The computer program product includes one or more computer programs or instructions. When the computer program or instructions are loaded and executed on a computer, the processes or functions described in the embodiments of this application are performed entirely or partially. The computer can be a general-purpose computer, a special-purpose computer, a computer network, a network device, a user equipment, or other programmable device. The computer program or instructions can be stored in a computer-readable storage medium or transferred from one computer-readable storage medium to another. For example, the computer program or instructions can be transferred from one website, computer, server, or data center to another website, computer, server, or data center via wired or wireless means. The computer-readable storage medium can be any available medium that a computer can access or a data storage device such as a server or data center that integrates one or more available media. The available medium can be a magnetic medium, such as a floppy disk, hard disk, or magnetic tape; it can also be an optical medium, such as a digital video optical disc; or it can be a semiconductor medium, such as a solid-state drive. The computer-readable storage medium may be a volatile or non-volatile storage medium, or may include both types of storage media.

[0272] In the various embodiments of this application, unless otherwise specified or in case of logical conflict, the terminology and / or descriptions of different embodiments are consistent and can be referenced by each other. The technical features of different embodiments can be combined to form new embodiments according to their inherent logical relationship.

[0273] It is understood that the various numerical designations used in the embodiments of this application are merely for descriptive convenience and are not intended to limit the scope of the embodiments of this application. The order of the process numbers described above does not imply the order of execution; the execution order of each process should be determined by its function and internal logic.

Claims

1. A communication method, characterized in that, include: Obtain first indication information, which indicates the transformation matrix corresponding to the second processing method. The second processing method is associated with the joint processing of precoding matrices corresponding to v spatial streams. The transformation matrix is ​​used to transform the first transformation result in the spatial stream dimension to obtain the second transformation result. The first transformation result is obtained by processing the precoding matrix corresponding to each of the v spatial streams based on the first processing method. v is an integer greater than 1.

2. The method according to claim 1, characterized in that, The method further includes: Send a second instruction message; or, Receive the second instruction information; The second indication information is determined based on the second transformation result, and the second indication information is used to indicate the precoding matrix corresponding to the v spatial streams.

3. The method according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that, The first indication information indicates the transformation matrix corresponding to the second processing method, including: The first indication information includes the matrix index of the transformation matrix corresponding to the second processing method, wherein one matrix index corresponds to one transformation matrix; or, The first indication information includes the transformation matrix corresponding to the second processing method.

4. The method according to any one of claims 1-3, characterized in that, The transformation matrix is ​​a discrete Fourier transform matrix, or the transformation matrix is ​​an orthogonal matrix determined based on historical channel information.

5. The method according to any one of claims 1-4, characterized in that, The first indication information is also used to indicate the transformation coefficient filtering method and / or transformation coefficient quantization method corresponding to the second processing method.

6. The method according to any one of claims 1-5, characterized in that, The second indication information includes the transformation coefficient screening results and the transformation coefficient quantization information; The transformation coefficient filtering result indicates the position information of the first transformation coefficient in the second transformation result; The transformation coefficient quantization information indicates the amplitude and phase values ​​corresponding to the first transformation coefficient, or the transformation coefficient quantization information indicates the real and imaginary parts corresponding to the first transformation coefficient; The first transformation coefficient is a coefficient in the second transformation result whose corresponding amplitude value is greater than or equal to the first amplitude threshold; or, the first transformation coefficient is a coefficient whose absolute value of the amplitude difference between the corresponding amplitude value in the second transformation result and the corresponding maximum amplitude value in the second transformation result is greater than or equal to the second amplitude threshold; or, the first transformation coefficient is the first M coefficients selected after sorting the coefficients in the second transformation result in descending order of amplitude value, where M is an integer greater than 0.

7. The method according to claim 6, characterized in that, The transformation coefficient filtering method corresponding to the transformation coefficient filtering result indicates any of the following: the first amplitude threshold, the second amplitude threshold, or M.

8. The method according to claim 6 or 7, characterized in that, The transformation coefficient quantization method corresponding to the transformation coefficient quantization information indicates one or more of the following: The transformation coefficients included in the second indication information are quantized using amplitude and phase values; The transformation coefficients included in the second indication information are quantized using real and imaginary parts; Use uniform quantization or non-uniform quantization; Or the number of quantized bits.

9. The method according to any one of claims 1-8, characterized in that, The acquisition of the first indication information includes: Receive the first instruction information.

10. The method according to any one of claims 1-8, characterized in that, The method further includes: Send the first instruction information.

11. A communication device, characterized in that, Includes units or modules for implementing the method as described in any one of claims 1-10.

12. A communication device, characterized in that, Includes a processor for executing computer programs or instructions to cause the communication device to implement the method as described in any one of claims 1-10.

13. A communication device, characterized in that, Includes a processor for executing computer programs or instructions in memory, causing the communication device to implement the method as described in any one of claims 1-10.

14. A communication device, characterized in that, The device includes a processor and an interface circuit, wherein the interface circuit is used to receive signals from other communication devices besides the communication device and transmit them to the processor or to send signals from the processor to other communication devices besides the communication device, and the processor is used to execute computer programs or instructions to cause the communication device to implement the method as described in any one of claims 1-10.

15. A communication device, characterized in that, It includes a processor and a memory, the processor being used to invoke a computer program stored in the memory, causing the communication device to implement the method as described in any one of claims 1-10.

16. A computer-readable storage medium, characterized in that, The storage medium stores a computer program or instructions, which, when executed by a communication device, implement the method as described in any one of claims 1-10.

17. A computer program product, characterized in that, Includes computer program code, which, when run on a computer, implements the method of any one of claims 1-10.

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