Communication method and apparatus

Abstract

A communication method and apparatus, relating to the technical field of communications. In the method, MCSs corresponding to different clusters are defined, and one MCS comprises one or more MCS indexes. Specifically, a terminal reports a cluster in which the terminal is located, such that an access network apparatus can, on the basis of the cluster, indicate to the terminal an MCS corresponding to the cluster. In this way, MCS indication overhead can be reduced, thereby helping reduce communication latency.

Description

Communication methods and devices

[0001] This application claims priority to Chinese Patent Application No. 202510372677.6, filed on March 25, 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] In communication systems, estimating the quality of uplink or downlink channels is crucial for improving data transmission performance. For example, in downlink channel estimation, a terminal can obtain an estimate of the downlink channel by measuring the channel state information reference signal (CSI-RS) from the access network device. This estimate can then be used to feed back channel state information (CSI) to the access network device. The CSI includes information such as the channel quality indicator (CQI), precoding matrix indicator (PMI), layer indicator (LI), and rank indicator (RI). The access network device can assign a modulation and coding scheme (MCS) index to the terminal based on the CQI reported by the terminal. This MCS index indicates the modulation and coding scheme used by the physical downlink shared channel (PDSCH). However, for services with sudden large traffic spikes, short latency, and uneven spatial distribution, the current MCS indication method incurs significant signaling overhead and high communication latency. Summary of the Invention

[0004] This application provides a communication method and apparatus that helps reduce instruction overhead and thus helps reduce communication latency.

[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-side communication device (or, in other words, the method can be executed by the terminal's communication device). This terminal-side communication device can be a terminal, a communication module / processing module for the terminal, or a circuit or chip for the 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 sends first information, which indicates the cluster to which the terminal belongs, wherein a cluster includes at least two terminals. Further, the terminal receives second information, which indicates the MCS (or MCS range, or MCS interval, or coarse MCS information) corresponding to the cluster to which the terminal belongs, wherein the MCS includes at least one MCS index. In other words, the second information is used to indicate at least one MCS index corresponding to the cluster where the terminal is located; or the second information is used to indicate the MCS (or MCS range, or MCS interval, or coarse MCS information) corresponding to the cluster where the terminal is located, wherein the MCS corresponds to at least one MCS index. Optionally, the cluster where the terminal is located may also be referred to as the terminal device group to which the terminal belongs, etc.

[0007] In this embodiment, different clusters correspond to different MCSs, each of which may include one or more MCS indices. Compared to existing solutions where the access network device needs to indicate an MCS index for each terminal, this embodiment, which first determines the cluster where the terminal belongs and then indicates the MCS corresponding to that cluster, reduces the MCS indication overhead. Especially for services such as enhanced mobile broadband (eMBB) with sudden large traffic spikes, low latency, and uneven spatial distribution, existing solutions would require frequent updates to the MCS index for each terminal. This application, by indicating the MCS corresponding to the cluster where the terminal belongs, further reduces indication overhead and thus helps reduce communication latency.

[0008] Optionally, the step of receiving the second information by the terminal may be omitted. That is, the MCS corresponding to the cluster where the terminal resides may not be indicated to the terminal by the access network device, but rather determined by the terminal itself. For example, when the terminal stores the correspondence between identifiers and MCS of different clusters, the terminal can directly determine the MCS corresponding to its cluster based on the identifier of the cluster it resides in, combined with the stored correspondence between identifiers and MCS of different clusters. As another example, the correspondence between identifiers and MCS of different clusters can also be predefined, such as that predefined by the protocol. Therefore, the terminal can determine the MCS corresponding to its cluster based on the identifier of the cluster it resides in, combined with the predefined correspondence between identifiers and MCS of different clusters. Optionally, the correspondence between the identifiers of different clusters and the MCS can also be configured by the access network device for the terminal. For example, after the access network device performs cluster partitioning and designs a cluster-based MCS table, the access network device can carry the MCS table in the broadcast message. Here, the MCS table can be the initial MCS table (e.g., the MCS table corresponding to the initial clustering) or it can be an updated MCS table (e.g., due to the mobility of the terminal, the distribution of the terminal may change after a period of time, so the access network device needs to re-cluster and redesign the MCS table for the updated clustering). Therefore, the terminal can subsequently determine the MCS corresponding to the cluster it belongs to based on the identifier of the cluster it belongs to and the MCS table sent by the network side. This method of sending the MCS table to the terminal avoids the access network device having to indicate the MCS corresponding to the cluster it belongs to for the terminal every time, thus reducing signaling overhead.

[0009] In one possible implementation, the first information includes the identifier of the cluster to which the terminal belongs.

[0010] In one possible implementation, the identifier of the cluster to which the terminal belongs corresponds to the MCS.

[0011] In this implementation method, the MCS corresponding to the cluster where the terminal is located is determined by combining the identifier of the cluster where the terminal is located with the correspondence between the identifier of the cluster where the terminal is located and the MCS. This method is highly operable.

[0012] In one possible implementation, the number of MCS indices contained in the MCS corresponding to the identifiers of different clusters is the same.

[0013] In this implementation, when the number of terminals included in different clusters is the same or similar, the number of MCS indexes contained in the MCS corresponding to the identifier of different clusters can be the same. Alternatively, when the area of ​​the regions corresponding to different clusters is the same or similar, the number of MCS indexes contained in the MCS corresponding to the identifier of different clusters can be the same, which is more suitable for actual needs.

[0014] In one possible implementation, the number of MCS indices contained in the MCS corresponding to the identifiers of different clusters is not the same.

[0015] In this implementation, when the number of terminals included in different clusters differs significantly, the number of MCS indexes contained in the MCS corresponding to the identifier of different clusters is different. Alternatively, when the area of ​​the regions corresponding to different clusters differs significantly, the number of MCS indexes contained in the MCS corresponding to the identifier of different clusters is different. This is more suitable for actual needs.

[0016] In one possible implementation, the cluster identifier is related to channel information, or the cluster identifier is related to cluster adjacency, or the cluster identifier is determined based on Huffman coding.

[0017] This implementation allows for the design of cluster identifiers in various ways, offering high operability.

[0018] In one possible implementation, the method further includes:

[0019] Receive a downlink reference signal, wherein the downlink reference signal is the downlink reference signal corresponding to the cluster to which the terminal is located;

[0020] Send a third message, the third message indicating a channel quality indicator, the channel quality indicator being used to determine the first MCS index;

[0021] Receive fourth information, the fourth information indicating the first MCS index, the first MCS index belonging to the MCS corresponding to the cluster where the terminal is located.

[0022] In this implementation, for downlink scenarios, based on the indicated MCS range, a more precise first MCS index is selected from the MCS range and indicated to the terminal, which can improve the accuracy of the indicated MCS index.

[0023] In one possible implementation, the method further includes:

[0024] Send an uplink reference signal, wherein the uplink reference signal is the uplink reference signal corresponding to the cluster to which the terminal belongs;

[0025] The fifth message is received, which indicates the second MCS index, and the second MCS index belongs to the MCS corresponding to the cluster where the terminal is located.

[0026] In this implementation, for uplink scenarios, based on the indicated MCS range, a more precise first MCS index is selected from the MCS range and indicated to the terminal, which can improve the accuracy of the indicated MCS index.

[0027] In one possible implementation, before sending the first information, the method further includes:

[0028] Obtain clustering information, which is used to indicate multiple feature quantities corresponding to multiple clusters;

[0029] The cluster to which the terminal belongs is determined from the multiple clusters based on the feature value corresponding to the terminal and the multiple feature values ​​corresponding to the multiple clusters.

[0030] In this implementation, the clustering results may change due to the mobility of the terminal. Therefore, the clustering information here may be the initial clustering information or the updated clustering information, which can better meet the actual needs and improve the accuracy of indicating the MCS range corresponding to the cluster where the terminal is located.

[0031] Secondly, this application provides a communication method that can be applied to network-side communication devices, such as network-side access network equipment, or modules (e.g., circuits, chips, or chip systems) used in access network equipment, or logical nodes, logical modules, or software capable of implementing all or part of the functions of the access network equipment. Taking the application of this method to an access network equipment as an example, in this method, the access network equipment receives first information, which indicates the cluster to which the terminal belongs, wherein one cluster includes at least two terminals. Further, the access network equipment sends second information, which indicates the MCS corresponding to the cluster to which the terminal belongs, wherein the MCS includes at least one MCS index. That is, the second information indicates at least one MCS index corresponding to the cluster to which the terminal belongs; or the second information indicates the MCS (or MCS range, or MCS interval, or coarse MCS information) corresponding to the cluster to which the terminal belongs, wherein the MCS corresponds to at least one MCS index. Optionally, the cluster to which the terminal belongs can also be referred to as the terminal equipment group to which the terminal belongs, etc.

[0032] In one possible implementation, the first information includes the identifier of the cluster to which the terminal belongs.

[0033] In one possible implementation, the identifier of the cluster to which the terminal belongs corresponds to the MCS.

[0034] In one possible implementation, the number of MCS indices contained in the MCS corresponding to the identifiers of different clusters is the same.

[0035] In one possible implementation, the number of MCS indices contained in the MCS corresponding to the identifiers of different clusters is not the same.

[0036] In one possible implementation, the cluster identifier is related to channel information, or the cluster identifier is related to cluster adjacency, or the cluster identifier is determined based on Huffman coding.

[0037] In one possible implementation, the method further includes:

[0038] Send a downlink reference signal, wherein the downlink reference signal is the downlink reference signal corresponding to the cluster to which the terminal belongs;

[0039] Receive third information, the third information indicating a channel quality indicator, the channel quality indicator being used to determine the first MCS index;

[0040] Send a fourth message, the fourth message indicating the first MCS index, the first MCS index belonging to the MCS corresponding to the cluster where the terminal is located.

[0041] In one possible implementation, the method further includes:

[0042] Receive an uplink reference signal, wherein the uplink reference signal is the uplink reference signal corresponding to the cluster to which the terminal belongs;

[0043] Send a fifth message, which indicates a second MCS index, the second MCS index belonging to the MCS corresponding to the cluster where the terminal is located.

[0044] In one possible implementation, prior to receiving the first information, the method further includes:

[0045] Send clustering information, which is used to indicate multiple feature values ​​corresponding to multiple clusters. The multiple feature values ​​corresponding to multiple clusters are used to determine the cluster to which the terminal belongs by combining the feature values ​​corresponding to the terminal.

[0046] 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.

[0047] 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.

[0048] Optionally, the communication device further includes a transceiver for sending and receiving information.

[0049] 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.

[0050] In one possible design, the communication device can be a chip that implements the above method or a device containing a chip.

[0051] 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.

[0052] 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.

[0053] 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.

[0054] The aforementioned communication device may be a terminal, or a communication module for a terminal, or a chip in the terminal that is responsible for communication functions, such as a modem chip (also known as a baseband chip) or a SoC or SIP chip containing a modem module.

[0055] The aforementioned communication device may be an access network device, a module (e.g., a circuit, chip, or chip system) within the access network device, or a logic node, logic module, or software capable of implementing all or part of the functions of the access network device.

[0056] 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.

[0057] 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.

[0058] 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 as described in any one of the first or second aspects, or the method shown in any possible implementation of either aspect.

[0059] Ninthly, this application provides a communication system that may include a terminal and an access network device. The terminal is used to perform the method shown in the first aspect or any possible implementation thereof. The access network device is used to perform the method shown in the second aspect or any possible implementation thereof. Attached Figure Description

[0060] Figure 1 is a schematic diagram of the architecture of the communication system used in the embodiments of this application;

[0061] Figure 2-1 is a schematic diagram of the architecture of the O-RAN system provided in this application;

[0062] 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;

[0063] Figure 3 is a schematic diagram of a clustering result provided in this application;

[0064] Figure 4-1 is a schematic diagram of the geographical area occupied by the terminal provided in this application;

[0065] Figure 4-2 is a schematic diagram of another clustering result provided in this application;

[0066] Figure 5 is a flowchart illustrating a communication method provided in an embodiment of this application;

[0067] Figure 6 is another flowchart illustrating the communication method provided in an embodiment of this application;

[0068] Figure 7 is another flowchart illustrating the communication method provided in an embodiment of this application;

[0069] Figure 8 is a schematic diagram of the structure of a possible communication device provided in an embodiment of this application;

[0070] Figure 9 is a schematic diagram of the structure of a possible communication device provided in an embodiment of this application;

[0071] Figure 10 is a schematic diagram of the structure of a possible communication device provided in an embodiment of this application. Detailed Implementation

[0072] The technical solutions in the embodiments of this application will be clearly and completely described below with reference to the accompanying drawings.

[0073] 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.

[0074] 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.

[0075] 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.

[0076] 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 when it is implemented, nor do they imply any other limitations.

[0077] 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.

[0078] 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.

[0079] To better understand the embodiments of this application, the system architecture involved in the embodiments of this application will be described first below:

[0080] 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.

[0081] 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.

[0082] 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.

[0083] 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.

[0084] 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.

[0085] 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).

[0086] 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.

[0087] 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.

[0088] 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.

[0089] 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, the signaling procedures of F1 are defined. The F1 interface supports the control plane F1-C and the user plane F1-U.

[0090] 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.

[0091] 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.

[0092] 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.

[0093] 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.

[0094] 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.

[0095] 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.

[0096] 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.

[0097] 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.

[0098] 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.

[0099] In the embodiments of this application, the functions of the base station can be executed by a module (such as a chip) 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 a module (such as a chip or modem) for the terminal, or by a device that includes terminal functions.

[0100] 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.

[0101] 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.

[0102] 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.

[0103] 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.

[0104] 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.

[0105] 1. Cluster

[0106] Clustering is the division of multiple channels based on the similarity of specific quantities (or features). Clustering is generally performed offline, but it can also be performed online, without limitation. Specific quantities may include, for example, the location of each terminal within the cell, the initial measurement results of the multipath component (MPC) of each terminal within the cell, and the target channel of each terminal within the cell, including frequency domain channels and channel delay power spectra. The functions relied upon for clustering include, but are not limited to, the following: Kuhl-Becker divergence (KL divergence), Jensen-Shannon divergence (JS divergence), cosine similarity, Euclidean distance (also known as L2 norm), F-norm (Frobenius norm), and the distances corresponding to these terms.

[0107] Alternatively, a cluster can also refer to the region where spatially similar terminals are located; spatially similar terminals can be called a group of terminal devices. Therefore, a cluster can also be called a group of terminal devices. Alternatively, a cluster can also refer to a division based on channel correlation, such that multiple channels with high correlation are grouped into one cluster, and multiple channels with low correlation are grouped into different clusters.

[0108] It should be understood that "cluster" is only one possible name and should not be construed as limiting this application. "Cluster" can also be replaced with "terminal device group," "terminal group," "region," etc., without limitation.

[0109] 2. Cluster Identification

[0110] The cluster identifier (ID) can also be called the cluster number or the cluster index.

[0111] In one possible implementation (i), the cluster identification is related to channel information. Exemplarily, channel information can be based on signal quality characterization, where better signal quality indicates a better channel, and worse signal quality indicates a worse channel. For example, signal quality can include at least one of the following: reference signal receiving power (RSRP), signal-to-interference plus noise ratio (SINR), layer 1 (L1)-RSRP, L1-SINR, synchronization signal (SS)-RSRP, CSI-RSRP, SS-SINR, and CSI-SINR. Alternatively, channel information can also be based on the distance between the cluster and the access network device; generally, the closer the cluster and the access network device, the better the channel; the farther the cluster and the access network device, the worse the channel.

[0112] The cluster identifier is related to channel information, which can be understood as follows: the better the channel, the larger the cluster identifier; the worse the channel, the smaller the cluster identifier. Alternatively, it may also be that the better the channel, the smaller the cluster identifier; and the worse the channel, the larger the cluster identifier. This application will primarily use the example of a better channel resulting in a larger cluster identifier and a worse channel resulting in a smaller cluster identifier for illustrative purposes. In this implementation (one), the cluster identifier can be understood as being numbered sequentially, for example, 0, 1, 2, ..., N, where N is an integer.

[0113] In one possible implementation (ii), the cluster identifier is related to the cluster's adjacency relationship. As defined above, a cluster is obtained by dividing multiple channels according to the similarity of a specific quantity (or characteristic quantity). In other words, the nesting of the clustering results reflects spatial consistency. Therefore, when numbering the cluster identifiers, the nesting of the clustering results can be reflected in the cluster identifier. In this implementation, the cluster identifier can be represented in the form xx, where as the number of clusters increases, the cluster identifier can be represented as xxx, and so on. Optionally, a cluster identifier of the form xx / xxx can also be called a nested indicator number, where the nested indicator number can indicate the adjacency relationship of the clusters. For example, two clusters with identifiers 2.1 and 2.2 are adjacent; two clusters with identifiers 2.1.1 and 2.1.2 are adjacent; and two clusters with identifiers 2.2.1 and 2.2.2 are adjacent.

[0114] For example, taking Figure 3 as an example, different colored / lined blocks represent different clusters. Assuming no clustering is performed, that is, when the number of clusters is 1, the cluster is cluster 1, and the identifier of cluster 1 is 1; when the number of clusters is 2, cluster 1 can be divided into two clusters, cluster 1.1 and cluster 1.2, where the identifier of cluster 1.1 is 1.1 and the identifier of cluster 1.2 is 1.2. When the number of clusters is 3, based on the existing 2 clusters, cluster 1.2 is further divided into two clusters: cluster 1.2.1 and cluster 1.2.2. Cluster 1.2.1 is identified as 1.2.1, and cluster 1.2.2 is identified as 1.2.2. When the number of clusters is 4, based on the existing 3 clusters, cluster 1.1 is further divided into two clusters: cluster 1.1.1 and cluster 1.1.2. Cluster 1.1.1 is identified as 1.1.1, and cluster 1.1.2 is identified as 1.1.2. When the number of clusters is 5, based on the existing 4 clusters, cluster 1.2.1 is further divided into two clusters: cluster 1.2.1.1 and cluster 1.2.1.2. Cluster 1.2.1.1 is identified as 1.2.1.1, and cluster 1.2.1.2 is identified as 1.2.1.2.

[0115] As shown in Figure 3, when there are N known clusters and N-1 clusters need to be created, the two clusters with the highest similarity can be selected for merging. The nesting of the clustering results can be reflected in the cluster identifiers. For example, the ID of each cluster can be represented in the form of xx. When the number of clusters increases, the ID of the cluster can also be represented by xxx. Taking Figure 3 as an example, when the number of clusters is 5, the clustering result is {1.1.1,1.1.2,1.2.1.1,1.2.1.2,1.2.2}. When 4 clusters are needed, the clustering information of 1.2.1.1 and 1.2.1.2 can be merged first from the above clustering results to obtain 1.2.1. That is, when the number of clusters is 4, the clustering result is {1.1.1,1.1.2,1.2.1,1.2.2}. When 3 clusters are needed, the clustering result is {1.1,1.2.1,1.2.2}. When 2 clusters are needed, the clustering result is {1.1,1.2}. When no clusters are needed, the corresponding cluster is 1.

[0116] In one possible implementation (iii), the cluster identifier is determined based on Huffman coding, which is highly efficient. For example, all clusters can be Huffman coded based on user access probabilities. Specifically, when using Huffman coding, the user access probabilities of all clusters can be calculated first. In this application, the user access probability p of the i-th cluster is defined as follows: i The probability that a user is located in the i-th cluster can be represented as: Where, α i S represents the user density of the i-th cluster. iLet represent the area of ​​the i-th cluster (where the area of ​​the i-th cluster can be understood as the sum of the areas of the geographical regions occupied by each terminal included in the i-th cluster; for example, assuming the i-th cluster includes terminals 1 to 9, and the geographical region occupied by terminals 1 to 9 is region 1 in Figure 4-1, then the area of ​​the i-th cluster is the area of ​​region 1), and N is the number of all clusters. If all users are uniformly distributed, then... Then, all clusters are sorted in descending order of user access probability, and the probabilities of the two clusters with the lowest access probabilities are added together to obtain a new cluster. Further, all remaining clusters and the new cluster are re-sorted, and the process of adding the probabilities of the two clusters with the lowest access probabilities to generate a new cluster is repeated until a cluster with a user access probability of 1 is obtained. The numbers shown in Figure 4-2(a) represent the user access probabilities. Finally, the clusters are numbered from top to bottom, with the clusters with higher probabilities numbered 1 and those with lower probabilities numbered 1. The cluster numbering scheme is obtained by assigning the cluster number 0 to the clusters, as shown in Figure 4-2(b). When the number of clusters is 5, the clustering result is {111,110,1010,1011,100}. When the number of clusters is 4, the clustering result is {111,110,101,100}. When the number of clusters is 3, the clustering result is {111,110,10}. When the number of clusters is 2, the clustering result is {11,10}. When no cluster is needed, the corresponding cluster is 1.

[0117] 3. Reference signal

[0118] 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.

[0119] 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.

[0120] 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., CSI) by receiving / measuring CSI-RS from the access network device and can send / feed back downlink channel information to the access network device; the access 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.

[0121] 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.

[0122] 4. Resources

[0123] In communication protocols, reference signals are configured in the form of resources. Access network devices configure various reference signals to terminals in the form of resources. Each resource is a configuration information unit, which typically includes parameters related to a reference signal, such as the time-frequency resource location of the reference signal, the number of ports, the time domain type (periodic / semi-static / aperiodic), etc.

[0124] Resources can be either uplink or downlink signal resources. Uplink signals include, but are not limited to, sounding reference signals (SRS) and demodulation reference signals (DMRS). Downlink signals include, but are not limited to, channel state information reference signals (CSI-RS), cell specific reference signals (CS-RS), user equipment specific reference signals (US-RS), demodulation reference signals (DMRS), and synchronization signal / physical broadcast channel block (SS / PBCH block). The SS / PBCH block can be abbreviated as synchronization signal block (SSB).

[0125] In this application, the terms "reference signal" and "reference signal resource" are interchangeable. Similarly, the terms "reference signal index" and "reference signal resource index" are interchangeable.

[0126] 5. Terminal RRC Status

[0127] In mobile communication systems, the RRC states of a terminal include three types: RRC connected state (RRC_connected, or simply connected state), RRC idle state (RRC_idle, or simply idle state), and RRC inactive state (RRC_inactive, or simply inactive state).

[0128] When an RRC connection exists between a terminal and a base station, the terminal is in connected state. When the terminal is in connected state, the cell it accesses is called its serving cell. When the RRC connection between the terminal and the base station is released, the terminal is in idle state. When the terminal is in idle state, it does not access any cell but selects a cell to camp on; this cell is called the terminal's camping cell. When the signal quality between the terminal and its camping cell deteriorates, the terminal will perform cell reselection, choosing another cell to camp on.

[0129] The inactive state, also known as the deactivated state, refers to the terminal remaining in the connection management (CM)-connected state. It can move within the area configured by the base station without notifying the base station. In the inactive state, the last serving gNB maintains the UE context and associated NG connection with the Serving Access and Mobility Management function (AMF) and User Plane function (UPF). When the terminal is in the inactive state, it does not access any cell; instead, it selects a cell to camp on. This cell can be called the terminal's camping cell. When the signal quality between the terminal and the camping cell deteriorates, the terminal will perform cell reselection, choosing another cell to camp on.

[0130] It should be understood that when a terminal is in a connected state, links have been established between the terminal and the base station and the core network. When data arrives at the network, it can be directly transmitted to the terminal. When a terminal is in an inactive state, it means that the terminal previously established links with the base station and the core network, but the link between the terminal and the base station has been released. Although the link is released, the base station stores the terminal's context, and can quickly restore the link when data needs to be transmitted. When a terminal is in an idle state, there are no links between the terminal and the base station and the core network. When data needs to be transmitted, a link needs to be established between the terminal and the base station and the core network. It should be noted that in this application, "connected state" refers to a state where links have been established between the terminal and the base station and the core network. This connected state of the terminal can use different names in different scenarios and applications. For example, the connected state can also be called the first state, mode A, etc. As long as the state that the terminal has established links with the base station and the core network can be understood as the connected state in this application.

[0131] It should be noted that in current wireless communication systems, access network devices can indicate the MCS index to terminals via downlink control information (DCI). This MCS index determines the modulation scheme and coding rate used by the terminal in data transmission, directly affecting the transmission rate and reliability. However, terminals typically do not directly use the MCS index indicated by the access network device. Instead, they need to adjust the MCS index indicated by the access network device according to the current channel conditions to meet actual needs. For example, when the MCS index indicated by the access network device is too large (e.g., MCS = 27), the terminal needs to send a negative acknowledgement (NACK) to the access network device, and then the access network device indicates a lowered MCS value (e.g., MCS = 26), repeating the above process until the MCS meets the requirements. Especially for enhanced mobile broadband (eMBB) services, due to the characteristics of bursty high traffic, short latency, and uneven spatial distribution, future large-scale antenna ports will require even more frequent MCS index indication, resulting in high signaling overhead and high communication latency.

[0132] Based on this, this application proposes a communication method and apparatus that can reduce signaling overhead and communication latency.

[0133] 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 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.

[0134] It should be noted that, in the embodiments of this application, "feedback / reporting" refers to the terminal side sending to the access network device side, and "sending down" refers to the access network device side sending to the terminal side.

[0135] 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 an access network device and a terminal as examples to illustrate the execution of this interaction, but this application does not limit the execution subject of the interaction. For example, the method executed by the access network device in this application can also be implemented by a module (e.g., a circuit, chip, or chip system) in the access network device, or a logic node, logic module, or software that can implement all or part of the functions of the access network device; the method executed by the terminal in this application can also be implemented by a communication / processing module for the terminal or a circuit or chip (such as a modem chip (also known as a baseband chip), or a SoC chip / SIP chip containing a modem core) in the terminal responsible for communication / processing functions.

[0136] Please refer to Figure 5, which is a flowchart illustrating a communication method provided in an embodiment of this application. As shown in Figure 5, the communication method may include the following steps:

[0137] S501, The terminal sends first information to the access network device. Correspondingly, the access network device receives the first information from the terminal.

[0138] For example, the first information can be carried in uplink control information (UCI). This first information indicates the cluster to which the terminal belongs, where a cluster includes at least two terminals. Optionally, the cluster to which the terminal belongs can also be described as a group of terminal devices, a group of terminals, or a region, etc., which is not limited in this application. For example, the first information may specifically include the identifier of the cluster to which the terminal belongs, where the identifier of one cluster corresponds to one cluster. It should be understood that the cluster identifier involved in the embodiments of this application is related to channel information, or the cluster identifier is related to the adjacency relationship of clusters, or the cluster identifier is determined based on Huffman coding. Further descriptions of cluster identifiers can be found in the preceding glossary section, and will not be repeated here.

[0139] For ease of description, the identifiers of clusters related to channel information will be referred to as single-step indicator identifiers, the identifiers of clusters indicating adjacency relationships will be referred to as nested indicator identifiers, and the identifiers of clusters determined based on Huffman coding will be referred to as Huffman indicator identifiers. Generally speaking, using Huffman coding to number cluster identifiers is more efficient. It should be understood that the naming of the single-step indicator identifier, nested indicator identifier, and Huffman indicator identifier mentioned above are merely examples, and this application does not limit the naming of cluster identifiers.

[0140] Optionally, before step S501, the terminal may also obtain clustering information, which is used to indicate multiple feature quantities corresponding to multiple clusters. Then, the terminal can determine the cluster where the terminal is located from multiple clusters based on the feature quantity corresponding to the terminal and the multiple feature quantities corresponding to multiple clusters.

[0141] In one possible implementation, the terminal obtaining clustering information can be understood as follows: the access network device sends clustering information to the terminal, and correspondingly, the terminal receives the clustering information from the access network device. This clustering information is used to indicate multiple feature quantities corresponding to multiple clusters. One cluster typically corresponds to one feature quantity. Optionally, the feature quantity can also be described as a specific quantity. For an understanding of feature quantities or specific quantities, please refer to the description in the aforementioned glossary; it will not be repeated here. Therefore, the terminal can determine its cluster from multiple clusters based on its own feature quantity and the multiple feature quantities corresponding to the multiple clusters sent by the access network device. For example, the terminal can select and report the most matching cluster based on the feature quantities corresponding to multiple clusters, its own feature quantity, and the similarity on which clustering depends. For example, taking the terminal's location as the feature quantity, the terminal can determine the cluster where it is located by calculating the distance between its location and the center locations of each cluster. As another example, taking MPC as the feature quantity, the terminal can determine the cluster with the highest similarity by calculating the similarity between its MPC and the MPCs of each cluster.

[0142] In another possible implementation, clustering information can also be pre-configured or predefined, such as protocol predefined. Therefore, the terminal can determine the cluster it belongs to from multiple clusters based on the terminal's corresponding feature value and the multiple feature values ​​corresponding to multiple clusters predefined by the protocol.

[0143] Optionally, the aforementioned clustering information can be initial clustering information or updated clustering information. For example, due to the mobility of terminals, the distribution of terminals may change after a period of time. Therefore, the access network device can re-cluster and send the updated clustering information to the terminals. Exemplarily, the access network device can periodically update the clustering information, or the access network device can set a timer to re-cluster and send the updated clustering information to the terminals when the timer expires. This application does not limit this approach.

[0144] S502, the access network device sends second information to the terminal. Correspondingly, the terminal receives the second information from the access network device.

[0145] The second information is used to indicate the MCS (or MCS range, MCS interval, or coarse MCS information) corresponding to the cluster where the terminal is located. This MCS includes at least one MCS index (or MCS identifier). In other words, the second information is used to indicate at least one MCS index corresponding to the cluster where the terminal is located; or the second information is used to indicate the MCS (or MCS range, MCS interval, or coarse MCS information) corresponding to the cluster where the terminal is located, where the MCS corresponds to at least one MCS index. Typically, the MCS index can be used to indicate parameters such as modulation order, target code rate, and spectral efficiency.

[0146] Optionally, for the terminal, after obtaining the MCS corresponding to the cluster where the terminal is located, the terminal can select the final MCS index to use from the predefined rules. For example, the terminal can select the largest MCS index among the MCS corresponding to the cluster where the terminal is located as the final MCS index to use. Optionally, the terminal can also randomly select an MCS index from the MCS corresponding to the cluster where the terminal is located as the final MCS index to use.

[0147] It should be understood that there is a correspondence between the cluster identifier and the MCS. The number of MCS indexes contained in the MCS corresponding to the identifiers of different clusters can be the same, or the number of MCS indexes contained in the MCS corresponding to the identifiers of different clusters can be different. The specific determination depends on the actual situation, and this application does not limit it.

[0148] For example, when the number of terminals included in different clusters is the same or similar (e.g., the difference between the number of terminals included in different clusters is less than a certain value), the number of MCS indexes contained in the MCS corresponding to the identifiers of different clusters can be the same; when the number of terminals included in different clusters differs greatly (e.g., the difference between the number of terminals included in different clusters is greater than or equal to a certain value), the number of MCS indexes contained in the MCS corresponding to the identifiers of different clusters will be different.

[0149] For example, when the area of ​​the region corresponding to different clusters is the same or similar (e.g., the difference between the area of ​​the region corresponding to different clusters is less than a certain value), the number of MCS indexes contained in the MCS corresponding to the identifier of different clusters can be the same; when the area of ​​the region corresponding to different clusters differs greatly (e.g., the difference between the area of ​​the region corresponding to different clusters is greater than or equal to a certain value), the number of MCS indexes contained in the MCS corresponding to the identifier of different clusters is different.

[0150] Optionally, the correspondence between identifiers of different clusters and MCSs can be represented in the form of an MCS table. When the number of MCS indices contained in the MCSs corresponding to identifiers of different clusters is the same, the MCS table can be called a uniform bit MCS table; when the number of MCS indices contained in the MCSs corresponding to identifiers of different clusters is not the same, the MCS table can be called a non-uniform bit MCS table.

[0151] For example, taking the cluster identifier as the single-step indicator, if a uniform bit MCS table is used, then the uniform bit MCS table can be as shown in Table 1 below, where it is assumed that the number of clusters is 5, then:

[0152] When the cluster identifier is 0, it corresponds to MCS index 0-3;

[0153] When the cluster identifier is 1, it corresponds to MCS indices 4-7;

[0154] When the cluster identifier is 2, it corresponds to MCS indexes 8-11;

[0155] When the cluster identifier is 3, it corresponds to MCS indices 12-15;

[0156] When the cluster identifier is 4, it corresponds to MCS indices 16-19.

[0157] Similarly, assuming the number of clusters is 5, if a non-uniform bit MCS table is used, then the non-uniform bit MCS table can be shown in Table 2 below, where:

[0158] When the cluster identifier is 0, it corresponds to MCS index 0-7;

[0159] When the cluster identifier is 1, it corresponds to MCS index 8-9;

[0160] When the cluster identifier is 2, it corresponds to MCS indexes 10-17;

[0161] When the cluster identifier is 3, it corresponds to MCS indices 18-21;

[0162] When the cluster identifier is 4, it corresponds to MCS indices 22-25.

[0163] Optionally, when it is a single-step indicator, the size of the single-step indicator can indirectly indicate the quality of the channel state. Generally speaking, the larger the single-step indicator, the worse the channel state, and therefore the larger the corresponding MCS. The smaller the single-step indicator, the better the channel state, and therefore the smaller the corresponding MCS.

[0164] Table 1 Single-Step Indicator - Uniform Bit MCS Table

[0165] Table 2 Single-Step Indicator - Non-Uniform Bit MCS Table

[0166] For example, taking the cluster identifier as the nesting indicator identifier, assuming the nesting indicator identifier is the identifier of the 5 clusters in Figure 3 when the number of clusters is 5 (that is, the clustering result is {1.1.1,1.1.2,1.2.1.1,1.2.1.2,1.2.2}), if a uniform bit MCS table is used, then the uniform bit MCS table can be as shown in Table 3 below, where:

[0167] When the cluster identifier is 1.1.1, it corresponds to MCS indices 0-3;

[0168] When the cluster identifier is 1.1.2, it corresponds to MCS indexes 4-7;

[0169] When the cluster identifier is 1.2.1.1, it corresponds to MCS indexes 8-11;

[0170] When the cluster identifier is 1.2.1.2, it corresponds to MCS indexes 12-15;

[0171] When the cluster identifier is 1.2.2, it corresponds to MCS indexes 16-19.

[0172] Taking the identification of the 5 clusters in Figure 3 when the number of clusters is 5 as an example, if a non-uniform bit MCS table is used, then the non-uniform bit MCS table can be shown in Table 4 below, where:

[0173] When the cluster identifier is 1.1.1, it corresponds to MCS index 0-7;

[0174] When the cluster identifier is 1.1.2, it corresponds to MCS indexes 8-9;

[0175] When the cluster identifier is 1.2.1.1, it corresponds to MCS indexes 10-17;

[0176] When the cluster identifier is 1.2.1.2, it corresponds to MCS indexes 18-21;

[0177] When the cluster identifier is 1.2.2, it corresponds to MCS indexes 22-25.

[0178] Table 3 Nested Indicator - Uniform Bit MCS Table

[0179] Table 4 Nested Indicator - Non-uniform Bit MCS Table

[0180] For example, taking the Huffman indicator as the cluster identifier, assuming the nested indicator is the identifier of the 5 clusters in Figure 4-2(b) when the number of clusters is 5 (that is, the clustering result is {111,110,1010,1011,100}), if a uniform bit MCS table is used, then the uniform bit MCS table can be as shown in Table 5 below, where:

[0181] When the cluster identifier is 111, it corresponds to MCS index 0-3;

[0182] When the cluster identifier is 110, it corresponds to MCS indexes 4-7;

[0183] When the cluster identifier is 1010, it corresponds to MCS index 8-11;

[0184] When the cluster identifier is 1011, it corresponds to MCS indexes 12-15;

[0185] When the cluster identifier is 100, it corresponds to MCS indexes 16-19.

[0186] Similarly, taking the identification of the 5 clusters with 5 clusters in Figure 4-2(b) as an example, if a non-uniform bit MCS table is used, then the non-uniform bit MCS table can be shown in Table 6 below, where:

[0187] When the cluster identifier is 111, it corresponds to MCS index 0-7;

[0188] When the cluster identifier is 110, it corresponds to MCS index 8-9;

[0189] When the cluster identifier is 1010, it corresponds to MCS indexes 10-17;

[0190] When the cluster identifier is 1011, it corresponds to MCS indexes 18-21;

[0191] When the cluster identifier is 100, it corresponds to MCS indices 22-25.

[0192] Table 5 Huffman Indicator - Uniform Bit MCS Table

[0193] Table 6 Huffman Indicator - Non-Uniform Bit MCS Table

[0194] It should be noted that the examples in Tables 1 to 6 above all illustrate cases where the MSC indices corresponding to identifiers of different clusters do not overlap. In actual implementations, the MSC indices corresponding to identifiers of different clusters may overlap. For example, as shown in Table 7 below:

[0195] When the cluster identifier is 1.1.1, it corresponds to MCS indices 0-3;

[0196] When the cluster identifier is 1.1.2, it corresponds to MCS indexes 4-7;

[0197] When the cluster identifier is 1.2.1.1, it corresponds to MCS indexes 8-11;

[0198] When the cluster identifier is 1.2.1.2, it corresponds to MCS indexes 10-13;

[0199] When the cluster identifier is 1.2.2, it corresponds to MCS indexes 16-19.

[0200] Among them, the MCS indices 8-11 corresponding to the cluster identifier 1.2.1.1 overlap with the MCS indices 10-13 corresponding to the cluster identifier 1.2.1.2. The overlapping part is MCS indices 10 and 11.

[0201] Table 7 Nested Indicator - Uniform Bit MCS Table

[0202] Optionally, as described above, due to the mobility of terminals, the cluster division is not fixed. Therefore, cluster updates are necessary to ensure that the cluster division is adapted to the distribution of terminals within the current cell. In other words, the cluster information may be updated, and thus, the correspondence between the identifiers of different clusters and their corresponding MCSs also needs to be updated. For example, taking Figure 3 as an example, assuming the initial cluster information contains 5 clusters, and the correspondence between the identifiers of these 5 clusters and their corresponding MCSs is as shown in Table 3 above, if the updated cluster information contains 4 clusters, and the identifiers of these 4 clusters are {1.1.1, 1.1.2, 1.2.1, 1.2.2}, then the correspondence between the updated cluster identifiers and their corresponding MCSs can be shown in Table 8 below, where:

[0203] When the cluster identifier is 1.1.1, it corresponds to MCS indices 0-3;

[0204] When the cluster identifier is 1.1.2, it corresponds to MCS indexes 4-7;

[0205] When the cluster identifier is 1.2.1, it corresponds to MCS indexes 8-15;

[0206] When the cluster identifier is 1.2.2, it corresponds to MCS indexes 16-19.

[0207] Table 8 Nested Indicator - Uniform Bit MCS Table

[0208] It should be noted that the 1 bit in the "1+2" ​​bits in Table 8 above can be understood as indicating 1.2.1.1 or 1.2.1.2 in Table 3. For example, when the value of this 1 bit is 1, it indicates 1.2.1.1; when the value of this 1 bit is 0, it indicates 1.2.1.2. Similarly, when the value of this 1 bit is 1, it indicates 1.2.1.2; and when the value of this 1 bit is 0, it indicates 1.2.1.1.

[0209] The 2 bits in “1+2” indicate that the 2-bit indication method in 1.2.1.1 or 1.2.1.2 in Table 3 is followed.

[0210] For example, assuming that the 2-bit value corresponding to 1.2.1.1 in Table 3 is 00, it indicates MCS index 8; the 2-bit value corresponding to 1.2.1.1 is 01, it indicates MCS index 9; the 2-bit value corresponding to 1.2.1.1 is 10, it indicates MCS index 10; and the 2-bit value corresponding to 1.2.1.1 is 11, it indicates MCS index 11.

[0211] Furthermore, assume that when the 2-bit value corresponding to 1.2.1.2 in Table 3 is 00, it indicates MCS index 12; when the 2-bit value corresponding to 1.2.1.2 is 01, it indicates MCS index 13; when the 2-bit value corresponding to 1.2.1.2 is 10, it indicates MCS index 14; and when the 2-bit value corresponding to 1.2.1.2 is 11, it indicates MCS index 15.

[0212] Furthermore, assuming that when one bit in the "1+2" ​​bits is 1, it indicates 1.2.1.1, and when that bit is 0, it indicates 1.2.1.2. Then, the so-called use of the 2-bit indication method in 1.2.1.1 or 1.2.1.2 in Table 3 can be understood as follows:

[0213] When one bit in the "1+2" ​​bits is 1, the correspondence between the two bits in the "1+2" ​​bits and the MCS index is as follows: when the two bits are 00, it indicates MCS index 8; when the two bits are 01, it indicates MCS index 9; when the two bits are 10, it indicates MCS index 10; and when the two bits are 11, it indicates MCS index 11.

[0214] When one bit in the "1+2" ​​bits is 0, the correspondence between the two bits in the "1+2" ​​bits and the MCS index is as follows: when the two bits are 00, it indicates MCS index 12; when the two bits are 01, it indicates MCS index 13; when the two bits are 10, it indicates MCS index 14; and when the two bits are 11, it indicates MCS index 15.

[0215] Optionally, when the MSC indices corresponding to the identifiers of different clusters overlap (as shown in Table 7), or when the number of MCS indices / MCS identifiers contained in the MCS corresponding to the identifiers of different clusters is different (as in the case of a non-uniform bit MCS table), the above "1+2" ​​bit indication method may no longer be applicable, and therefore the MCS table needs to be re-encoded.

[0216] For example, taking Figure 3 as an example, assuming the initial clustering information has 5 clusters, and the correspondence between the identifiers of these 5 clusters and the MCS is as shown in Table 7 above, if the updated clustering information has 4 clusters, and the identifiers of these 4 clusters are {1.1.1, 1.1.2, 1.2.1, 1.2.2}, then the correspondence between the updated cluster identifiers and the MCS can be shown in Table 9 below, where:

[0217] When the cluster identifier is 1.1.1, it corresponds to MCS indices 0-3;

[0218] When the cluster identifier is 1.1.2, it corresponds to MCS indexes 4-7;

[0219] When the cluster identifier is 1.2.1, it corresponds to MCS indexes 8-13;

[0220] When the cluster identifier is 1.2.2, it corresponds to MCS indexes 16-19.

[0221] Table 9 Nested Indicator - Non-uniform Bit MCS Table

[0222] For example, taking Figure 3 as an example, assuming the initial clustering information has 5 clusters, and the correspondence between the identifiers of these 5 clusters and the MCS is as shown in Table 4 above, if the updated clustering information has 4 clusters, and the identifiers of these 4 clusters are {1.1.1, 1.1.2, 1.2.1, 1.2.2}, then the correspondence between the updated cluster identifiers and the MCS can be shown in Table 10 below, where:

[0223] When the cluster identifier is 1.1.1, it corresponds to MCS index 0-7;

[0224] When the cluster identifier is 1.1.2, it corresponds to MCS indexes 8-9;

[0225] When the cluster identifier is 1.2.1, it corresponds to MCS indexes 10-21;

[0226] When the cluster identifier is 1.2.2, it corresponds to MCS indexes 22-25.

[0227] Table 10 Nested Indicator - Non-uniform Bit MCS Table

[0228] It should be noted that step S502 in this embodiment is an optional step. That is, the MCS corresponding to the cluster where the terminal is located may not be indicated to the terminal by the access network device, but may be determined by the terminal itself. For example, when the terminal stores the correspondence between the identifiers of different clusters and their corresponding MCS, the terminal can directly determine the MCS corresponding to the cluster where the terminal is located based on the identifier of the cluster where the terminal is located and the stored correspondence between the identifiers of different clusters and their corresponding MCS. As another example, the correspondence between the identifiers of different clusters and their corresponding MCS can also be predefined, such as that predefined by the protocol. Therefore, the terminal can determine the MCS corresponding to the cluster where the terminal is located based on the identifier of the cluster where the terminal is located and the predefined correspondence between the identifiers of different clusters and their corresponding MCS. Optionally, the correspondence between the identifiers of different clusters and the MCS can also be configured by the access network device for the terminal. For example, after the access network device performs cluster partitioning and designs a cluster-based MCS table, it can carry the MCS table in the broadcast message. Therefore, the terminal can subsequently determine the MCS corresponding to its cluster based on the identifier of the cluster it belongs to and the MCS table sent by the network side. This method of sending the MCS table to the terminal avoids the access network device having to indicate the MCS corresponding to the terminal's cluster to the terminal every time, thus reducing signaling overhead. Optionally, the aforementioned MCS table can be an initial MCS table (e.g., the MCS table corresponding to the initial clustering) or an updated MCS table (e.g., due to terminal mobility, the distribution of terminals may change after a period of time, so the access network device needs to re-cluster and redesign the MCS table for the updated clustering).

[0229] Optionally, steps S501 to S502 can be performed when the terminal is in a connected state, or when the terminal is in an inactive state, and there is no limitation on this.

[0230] In this embodiment, MCSs corresponding to different clusters are defined. Each MCS may include one or more MCS indices. Compared to existing solutions where the access network device needs to indicate an MCS index for each terminal, this embodiment, which first determines the cluster where the terminal is located and then indicates the MCS corresponding to that cluster to the terminal, can reduce the MCS indication overhead. Especially for services with uneven spatial distribution, such as eMBB services (i.e., services where most traffic is concentrated in a local area within a specific time period), if existing solutions are used, the MCS index for each terminal needs to be updated frequently. However, this application, by indicating the MCS corresponding to the cluster where the terminal is located, helps to reduce indication overhead and thus helps to reduce communication latency.

[0231] Please refer to Figure 6, which is another flowchart illustrating the communication method provided in an embodiment of this application. As shown in Figure 6, the communication method may include the following steps:

[0232] S601. The terminal sends first information to the access network device. Correspondingly, the access network device receives the first information from the terminal.

[0233] S602. The access network device sends second information to the terminal. Correspondingly, the terminal receives the second information from the access network device.

[0234] For an understanding of steps S601 and S602, please refer to the description of steps S501 and S502 in Figure 5 above, which will not be repeated here.

[0235] S603. The access network device sends a downlink reference signal to the terminal. Correspondingly, the terminal receives the downlink reference signal from the access network device.

[0236] The downlink reference signal is the downlink reference signal corresponding to the cluster where the terminal is located. Optionally, step S603 can also be described as the access network device transmitting a downlink reference signal on the downlink reference signal resources corresponding to the cluster where the terminal is located, and correspondingly, the terminal receiving the downlink reference signal from the access network device on the downlink reference signal resources corresponding to the cluster where the terminal is located. In this embodiment, different clusters usually correspond to different downlink reference signals / downlink reference signal resources, or in other words, all terminals in the same cluster correspond to the same downlink reference signal / downlink reference signal resources. It should be noted that since the terminals included in the same cluster are highly correlated, or the channels between different terminals in the same cluster and the access network device are similar, different terminals in the same cluster can communicate with the access network device based on the same channel information to assist communication. Therefore, the access network device can send the same downlink reference signal to all terminals in the same cluster, instead of sending a downlink reference signal for each terminal separately, which can reduce the air interface overhead caused by the downlink reference signal.

[0237] For example, the aforementioned downlink reference signal may be, for instance, a CSI-RS.

[0238] S604. The terminal sends third information to the access network device. Accordingly, the access network device receives the third information from the terminal.

[0239] Typically, a terminal obtains channel state information by measuring downlink reference signals. This information may include channel quality indicator (CQI), precoding matrix indicator (PMI), layer indicator (LI), and rank indicator (RI). Therefore, the terminal can feed back third information to the access network device. This third information can indicate information such as the CQI. The CQI is used to determine the first MCS index, which belongs to the MCS corresponding to the cluster where the terminal resides.

[0240] S605. The access network device sends fourth information to the terminal. Accordingly, the terminal receives the fourth information from the access network device.

[0241] The fourth information indicates the first MCS index, which belongs to the MCS corresponding to the cluster where the terminal is located. In other words, for the access network device, the access network device can select an MCS index as the first MCS index from the MCS corresponding to the cluster where the terminal is located, as determined in the aforementioned step S502, based on the CQI fed back by the terminal, and send the fourth information indicating the first MCS index to the terminal.

[0242] Optionally, steps S601 to S605 can all be executed while the terminal is in a connected state. That is, when the terminal is in a connected state, the access network device can first select the corresponding MCS indication based on the cluster where the terminal is located and then select a specific MCS index from the MCS corresponding to the cluster where the terminal is located and indicate it to the terminal. This implementation method of first performing coarse-grained indication and then fine-grained indication is beneficial to reducing the MCS indication overhead compared to the implementation method where the access network device and the terminal need to interact multiple times to determine the accurate MCS index. Especially for services with uneven spatial distribution, such as eMBB services, which require frequent updates of the MCS, this embodiment is more conducive to reducing the frequent interactions between the terminal and the access network device.

[0243] Optionally, steps S601 to S602 can be executed when the terminal is in an inactive state, while steps S603 to S605 are executed when the terminal is in a connected state. That is, when the terminal is in an inactive state, the access network device can first select the MCS indicator corresponding to the cluster to which the terminal belongs and send it to the terminal. This allows the terminal to select an MCS index from the MCS corresponding to its cluster for data transmission when it has data transmission needs in the inactive state, for example, by selecting the MCS index to be used from the MCS corresponding to the cluster to which the terminal belongs according to predefined rules. Further, when the terminal enters the connected state, the access network device can send the downlink reference signal corresponding to the cluster to the terminal and select a specific MCS index from the MCS corresponding to the cluster to indicate to the terminal based on the CQI fed back by the terminal. This allows the terminal to use a more accurate MCS index for data transmission when it has data transmission needs in the connected state. Compared to the current implementation method where access network devices only determine the accurate MCS index through multiple interactions with the terminal when the terminal is in the connected state, this embodiment's implementation method, which first provides coarse-grained indication in the terminal's inactive state and then provides fine-grained indication in the terminal's connected state, can not only meet the data transmission requirements when the terminal is inactive, but also provide more accurate MCS index indication when the terminal is connected. Especially for services with uneven spatial distribution, such as eMBB services, which require frequent updates to the MCS index, this embodiment also helps to reduce the frequent interactions between the terminal and the access network device.

[0244] Please refer to Figure 7, which is another flowchart illustrating the communication method provided in this application embodiment. As shown in Figure 7, the communication method may include the following steps:

[0245] S701. The terminal sends first information to the access network device. Correspondingly, the access network device receives the first information from the terminal.

[0246] S702. The access network device sends second information to the terminal. Accordingly, the terminal receives the second information from the access network device.

[0247] For an understanding of steps S701 and S702, please refer to the description of steps S501 and S502 in Figure 5 above, which will not be repeated here.

[0248] S703. The terminal sends an uplink reference signal to the access network device. Correspondingly, the access network device receives the uplink reference signal from the terminal.

[0249] The uplink reference signal is the uplink reference signal corresponding to the cluster where the terminal belongs. Optionally, step S703 can also be described as the terminal sending an uplink reference signal on the uplink reference signal resources corresponding to the cluster where the access network device belongs, and correspondingly, the access network device receiving the uplink reference signal from the terminal on the uplink reference signal resources corresponding to the cluster where the access network device belongs. In this embodiment, different clusters typically correspond to different uplink reference signals / uplink reference signal resources, or in other words, all terminals in the same cluster correspond to the same uplink reference signal / uplink reference signal resources.

[0250] For example, the aforementioned uplink reference signal may be, for example, SRS, etc., without limitation.

[0251] S704. The access network device sends the fifth information to the terminal. Accordingly, the terminal receives the fifth information from the access network device.

[0252] The fifth information indicates the second MCS index, which belongs to the MCS corresponding to the cluster where the terminal is located. In other words, the access network device can determine the uplink channel estimation result by measuring the uplink reference signal. Then, the access network device can select an MCS index from the MCS corresponding to the cluster where the terminal is located, as determined in step S702, as the second MCS index based on the uplink channel estimation result, and send the fifth information indicating the second MCS index to the terminal.

[0253] Optionally, steps S701 to S704 can all be executed while the terminal is in a connected state. That is, when the terminal is in a connected state, the access network device can first select the corresponding MCS indication based on the cluster where the terminal is located and give it to the terminal. Furthermore, it can select a specific MCS index from the MCS corresponding to the cluster where the terminal is located by measuring the uplink reference signal sent by the terminal and give it to the terminal. This implementation method of first performing coarse-grained indication and then fine-grained indication is beneficial to reducing the MCS indication overhead compared to the implementation method where the access network device and the terminal need to interact multiple times to determine the accurate MCS index. Especially for services with uneven spatial distribution, such as eMBB services, which require frequent updates of the MCS, this embodiment is more conducive to reducing the frequent interaction between the terminal and the access network device.

[0254] Optionally, steps S701 to S702 can be executed when the terminal is in an inactive state, while steps S703 to S704 are executed when the terminal is in a connected state. That is, when the terminal is in an inactive state, the access network device can first select the MCS index corresponding to the cluster to which the terminal belongs and send it to the terminal. This allows the terminal to select an MCS index from the MCS corresponding to its cluster for data transmission when it has data transmission needs in the inactive state, for example, by selecting the MCS index to use from the MCS corresponding to the cluster according to predefined rules. Furthermore, when the terminal enters the connected state, the access network device can select a specific MCS index from the MCS corresponding to the cluster to indicate to the terminal by measuring the uplink reference signal sent by the terminal. This allows the terminal to use a more accurate MCS index for data transmission when it has data transmission needs in the connected state. Compared to the current access network device's implementation method, which requires multiple interactions with the terminal to determine the accurate MCS index when the terminal is in a connected state, this embodiment's implementation method, which first provides coarse-grained indication in the terminal's inactive state and then fine-grained indication in the terminal's connected state, can meet the data transmission requirements when the terminal is inactive and provide more accurate MCS index indication when the terminal is connected. Especially for services with uneven spatial distribution, such as eMBB services, which require frequent updates to the MCS index, this embodiment helps reduce frequent interactions between the terminal and the access network device.

[0255] Optionally, any of the embodiments shown in Figures 5 to 7 above can also be applied to the O-RAN scenario. It should be understood that in the O-RAN scenario, the access network device involved in Figure 5 can be replaced by CU (e.g., CU-CP or CU-UP) or DU or RU, etc.

[0256] The communication device provided in this application will now be described in detail with reference to Figures 8 to 10.

[0257] 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.

[0258] Figures 8 to 10 are schematic diagrams illustrating the possible communication devices provided in the embodiments of this application. These communication devices can be used to implement the functions of the terminal or access network device (e.g., base station) in the above method embodiments, and thus can also achieve the beneficial effects of the above method embodiments. In the embodiments of this application, the communication device can be one of the terminals 120a-120j shown in Figure 1, or it can be RAN node 110a or 110b shown in Figure 1. Optionally, it can also be a module (e.g., a chip) applied to the terminal or access network device.

[0259] As shown in Figure 8, the communication device 800 includes a processing unit 810 and a transceiver unit 820. The transceiver unit 820 and the processing unit 810 can be software, hardware, or a combination of both. Optionally, the communication device 800 may further include a storage unit for storing device program code and / or data, not shown in Figure 8.

[0260] The transceiver unit 820 can implement sending and / or receiving functions. Optionally, the transceiver unit 820 can also be called a communication unit or an acquisition unit, etc. The transceiver unit 820 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 820 can be used to receive information sent by other devices, and can also be used to send information to other devices.

[0261] The communication device 800 is used to implement the functions of the terminal in any of the method embodiments shown in Figures 5 to 7. For example, it can be the terminal itself or a communication module for the terminal, or a circuit or chip in the terminal responsible for communication functions. Alternatively, the communication device 800 can be used to implement the functions of the access network device in any of the method embodiments shown in Figures 5 to 7. For example, it can be the access network device itself, or a module (e.g., circuit, chip, or chip system) in the access network device, or a logic node, logic module, or software that can implement all or part of the functions of the access network device.

[0262] When the communication device 800 is used to implement the functions of the terminal in the method embodiment shown in FIG5:

[0263] Transceiver unit 820 is used to send first information, the first information being used to indicate the cluster where the terminal is located, wherein the cluster includes at least two terminals;

[0264] The transceiver unit 820 is used to receive second information, which indicates the modulation and coding scheme (MCS) corresponding to the cluster where the terminal is located, and the MCS includes at least one MCS index.

[0265] In one possible implementation, the first information includes the identifier of the cluster to which the terminal belongs.

[0266] In one possible implementation, the identifier of the cluster to which the terminal belongs corresponds to the MCS.

[0267] In one possible implementation, the number of MCS indices contained in the MCS corresponding to the identifiers of different clusters is the same.

[0268] In one possible implementation, the number of MCS indices contained in the MCS corresponding to the identifiers of different clusters is not the same.

[0269] In one possible implementation, the cluster identifier is related to channel information, or the cluster identifier is related to cluster adjacency, or the cluster identifier is determined based on Huffman coding.

[0270] In one possible implementation, the transceiver unit 820 is further configured to:

[0271] Receive a downlink reference signal, wherein the downlink reference signal is the downlink reference signal corresponding to the cluster to which the terminal is located;

[0272] Send a third message, the third message indicating a channel quality indicator, the channel quality indicator being used to determine the first MCS index;

[0273] Receive fourth information, the fourth information indicating the first MCS index, the first MCS index belonging to the MCS corresponding to the cluster where the terminal is located.

[0274] In one possible implementation, the transceiver unit 820 is further configured to:

[0275] Send an uplink reference signal, wherein the uplink reference signal is the uplink reference signal corresponding to the cluster to which the terminal belongs;

[0276] The fifth message is received, which indicates the second MCS index, and the second MCS index belongs to the MCS corresponding to the cluster where the terminal is located.

[0277] In one possible implementation, before sending the first information, the transceiver unit 820 or the processing unit 810 is configured to acquire clustering information, which is used to indicate multiple feature quantities corresponding to multiple clusters; the processing unit 810 is further configured to determine the cluster in which the terminal belongs from the multiple clusters based on the feature quantity corresponding to the terminal and the multiple feature quantities corresponding to the multiple clusters.

[0278] In one possible design, when the communication device 800 is a terminal or a communication module for a terminal, the functionality of the processing unit 810 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 820 can be implemented by transceiver circuitry.

[0279] In one possible design, when the communication device 800 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 810 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 820 can be implemented by the interface circuitry or data transceiver circuitry on the aforementioned chip.

[0280] When the communication device 800 is used to implement the function of the access network device in the method embodiment shown in FIG5:

[0281] Transceiver unit 820 is used to receive first information, the first information being used to indicate the cluster where the terminal is located, wherein a cluster includes at least two terminals;

[0282] The transceiver unit 820 is used to send second information, which is used to indicate the modulation and coding scheme (MCS) corresponding to the cluster where the terminal is located, and the MCS includes at least one MCS index.

[0283] In one possible implementation, the first information includes the identifier of the cluster to which the terminal belongs.

[0284] In one possible implementation, the identifier of the cluster to which the terminal belongs corresponds to the MCS.

[0285] In one possible implementation, the number of MCS indices contained in the MCS corresponding to the identifiers of different clusters is the same.

[0286] In one possible implementation, the number of MCS indices contained in the MCS corresponding to the identifiers of different clusters is not the same.

[0287] In one possible implementation, the cluster identifier is related to channel information, or the cluster identifier is related to cluster adjacency, or the cluster identifier is determined based on Huffman coding.

[0288] In one possible implementation, the transceiver unit 820 is further configured to:

[0289] Send a downlink reference signal, wherein the downlink reference signal is the downlink reference signal corresponding to the cluster to which the terminal belongs;

[0290] Receive third information, the third information indicating a channel quality indicator, the channel quality indicator being used to determine the first MCS index;

[0291] Send a fourth message, the fourth message indicating the first MCS index, the first MCS index belonging to the MCS corresponding to the cluster where the terminal is located.

[0292] In one possible implementation, the transceiver unit 820 is further configured to:

[0293] Receive an uplink reference signal, wherein the uplink reference signal is the uplink reference signal corresponding to the cluster to which the terminal belongs;

[0294] Send a fifth message, which indicates a second MCS index, the second MCS index belonging to the MCS corresponding to the cluster where the terminal is located.

[0295] In one possible implementation, before receiving the first information, the transceiver unit 820 is further configured to:

[0296] Send clustering information, which is used to indicate multiple feature values ​​corresponding to multiple clusters. The multiple feature values ​​corresponding to multiple clusters are used to determine the cluster to which the terminal belongs by combining the feature values ​​corresponding to the terminal.

[0297] For a more detailed description of the processing unit 810 and the transceiver unit 820 described above, please refer to the relevant descriptions in any of the method embodiments shown in Figures 5 to 7.

[0298] 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.

[0299] 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.

[0300] In one example, the storage unit may include random access memory, flash memory, read-only memory, programmable read-only memory, or electrically erasable programmable memory and / or registers, etc.

[0301] As shown in Figure 9, the communication device 900 includes a processor 910, and optionally an interface circuit 920. The processor 910 and the interface circuit 920 are coupled to each other. It is understood that the interface circuit 920 can be a transceiver or an input / output interface. Optionally, the communication device 900 may also include a memory 930 for storing computer programs or instructions executed by the processor 910, or storing input data required by the processor 910 to execute instructions, or storing data generated by the processor 910 after executing computer programs or instructions.

[0302] When the communication device 900 is used to implement any of the methods shown in Figures 5 to 7, the processor 910 is used to implement the functions of the processing unit 810, and the interface circuit 920 is used to implement the functions of the transceiver unit 820.

[0303] 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 access 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 access network device.

[0304] When the aforementioned communication device is a module applied to an access network device, the access network device module implements the functions of the access network device in the above method embodiments. The access network device module receives information from other modules (such as radio frequency modules or antennas) in the access network device, which is information sent by the terminal to the access network device; or, the access network device module sends information to other modules (such as radio frequency modules or antennas) in the access network device, which is information sent by the access network device to the terminal. Here, the access network device module can be the baseband chip of the access 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.

[0305] As shown in Figure 10, the communication device includes a processor 1010, a memory 1020, and a transceiver 1030. The processor 1010 is mainly used for processing communication protocols and communication data; controlling terminal / access network devices; executing software programs; and processing data from software programs. The memory 1020 can store computer program code, software programs, and data. The transceiver 1030 includes a transmitter 1031, a receiver 1032, radio frequency circuitry (not shown in Figure 10), and an antenna 1033.

[0306] The processor 1010 can also be called a processing unit, processing board, processing module, or processing device. The transceiver 1030 can also be called a transceiver unit, transceiver, or transceiver device.

[0307] Optionally, the device in transceiver 1030 used to implement the receiving function can be considered a receiving module, and the device in transceiver 1030 used to implement the transmitting function can be considered a transmitting module. That is, transceiver 1030 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.

[0308] Processor 1010 is used to execute terminal-side processing operations in any of the embodiments shown in Figures 5 to 7. Transceiver 1030 is used to execute terminal-side transmission and reception operations in any of the embodiments shown in Figures 5 to 7. Alternatively, processor 1010 is used to execute network-side processing operations in any of the embodiments shown in Figures 5 to 7. Transceiver 1030 is used to execute network-side transmission and reception operations in any of the embodiments shown in Figures 5 to 7.

[0309] When the communication device 1000 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 transmitting 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 access network device's transmitting operation can be understood as the chip's output, and the access network device's receiving operation can be understood as the chip's input.

[0310] This application also provides a computer-readable storage medium storing a computer program or instructions for implementing the methods executed by a terminal or access network device in the above-described method embodiments.

[0311] For example, when the computer program is executed by a computer, it enables the computer to implement the method performed by the terminal or access network device in the above method embodiments.

[0312] 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 the terminal or access network device in the above method embodiments.

[0313] This application also provides a communication system, which includes the terminal and the access 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 access network device is used to perform some or all of the operations performed by the access network device in the above method embodiments.

[0314] 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 any of the embodiments shown in Figures 5 to 7 above.

[0315] In one possible implementation, the input of the chip device corresponds to the receiving operation in any of the embodiments shown in Figures 5 to 7, and the output of the chip device corresponds to the transmitting operation in any of the embodiments shown in Figures 5 to 7.

[0316] Optionally, the processor is coupled to the memory via an interface.

[0317] Optionally, the chip device may also include a memory in which computer programs or computer instructions are stored.

[0318] 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.

[0319] 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 an access network device or terminal. The processor and storage medium can also exist as discrete components in the access network device or terminal.

[0320] 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.

[0321] 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.

[0322] 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 by comprising: include: Send a first message, the first message being used to indicate the cluster where the terminal is located, wherein the cluster includes at least two terminals; The second information is received, which indicates the modulation and coding scheme (MCS) corresponding to the cluster where the terminal is located, and the MCS includes at least one MCS index.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein, The first information includes the identifier of the cluster to which the terminal belongs.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein, The identifier of the cluster to which the terminal belongs has a corresponding relationship with the MCS.

4. The method of claim 3, wherein, The number of MCS indexes contained in the MCS corresponding to the identifiers of different clusters is the same.

5. The method of claim 3, wherein, The number of MCS indexes contained in the MCS corresponding to the identifiers of different clusters is different.

6. The method according to any one of claims 2-5, characterized in that, The cluster identifier is related to channel information, or the cluster identifier is related to the cluster's adjacency relationship, or the cluster identifier is determined based on Huffman coding.

7. The method according to any one of claims 1-6, characterized in that, The method further includes: Receive a downlink reference signal, wherein the downlink reference signal is the downlink reference signal corresponding to the cluster to which the terminal is located; Send a third message, the third message indicating a channel quality indicator, the channel quality indicator being used to determine the first MCS index; Receive fourth information, the fourth information indicating the first MCS index, the first MCS index belonging to the MCS corresponding to the cluster where the terminal is located.

8. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 6, characterized in that, The method further includes: Send an uplink reference signal, wherein the uplink reference signal is the uplink reference signal corresponding to the cluster to which the terminal belongs; The fifth message is received, which indicates the second MCS index, and the second MCS index belongs to the MCS corresponding to the cluster where the terminal is located.

9. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 8, characterized in that, Before sending the first information, the method further includes: Obtain clustering information, which is used to indicate multiple feature quantities corresponding to multiple clusters; The cluster to which the terminal belongs is determined from the multiple clusters based on the feature value corresponding to the terminal and the multiple feature values ​​corresponding to the multiple clusters.

10. A communication method characterized by comprising: include: Receive first information, the first information being used to indicate the cluster where the terminal is located, wherein a cluster includes at least two terminals; Send a second message, which indicates the modulation and coding scheme (MCS) corresponding to the cluster to which the terminal is located, and the MCS includes at least one MCS index.

11. The method of claim 10, wherein, The first information includes the identifier of the cluster to which the terminal belongs.

12. The method of claim 11, wherein, The identifier of the cluster to which the terminal belongs has a corresponding relationship with the MCS.

13. The method of claim 12, wherein, The number of MCS indexes contained in the MCS corresponding to the identifiers of different clusters is the same.

14. The method of claim 12, wherein, The number of MCS indexes contained in the MCS corresponding to the identifiers of different clusters is different.

15. The method according to any one of claims 11-14, characterized in that, The cluster identifier is related to channel information, or the cluster identifier is related to the cluster's adjacency relationship, or the cluster identifier is determined based on Huffman coding.

16. The method according to any one of claims 10-15, characterized in that, The method further includes: Send a downlink reference signal, wherein the downlink reference signal is the downlink reference signal corresponding to the cluster to which the terminal belongs; Receive third information, the third information indicating a channel quality indicator, the channel quality indicator being used to determine the first MCS index; Send a fourth message, the fourth message indicating the first MCS index, the first MCS index belonging to the MCS corresponding to the cluster where the terminal is located.

17. The method according to any one of claims 10-15, characterized in that, The method further includes: Receive an uplink reference signal, wherein the uplink reference signal is the uplink reference signal corresponding to the cluster to which the terminal belongs; Send a fifth message, which indicates a second MCS index, the second MCS index belonging to the MCS corresponding to the cluster where the terminal is located.

18. The method according to any one of claims 10-17, characterized in that, Before receiving the first information, the method further includes: Send clustering information, which is used to indicate multiple feature values ​​corresponding to multiple clusters. The multiple feature values ​​corresponding to multiple clusters are used to determine the cluster to which the terminal belongs by combining the feature values ​​corresponding to the terminal.

19. A communications device, characterized by It includes units or modules for implementing the method as described in any one of claims 1-9, or includes units or modules for implementing the method as described in any one of claims 10-18.

20. 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 1-9, or to implement the method as described in any one of claims 10-18.

21. A communication device, characterized in that, Includes a processor for executing a computer program or instructions in a memory, causing the communication device to implement the method as described in any one of claims 1-9, or to implement the method as described in any one of claims 10-18.

22. A communication device, characterized in that, The device includes a processor and an interface circuit. 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. 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 1-9, or to implement the method as described in any one of claims 10-18.

23. A communication device, characterized in that, It includes a processor and a memory, the processor being configured to invoke a computer program stored in the memory, causing the communication device to implement the method as described in any one of claims 1-9, or to implement the method as described in any one of claims 10-18.

24. 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 1-9, or the method as described in any one of claims 10-18.

25. 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 1-9, or implements the method of any one of claims 10-18.

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