TWI698142B - Method and apparatus for transmitting signals - Google Patents

Abstract

A signal transmission method and equipment are provided. In the 1-port demodulation reference signal (DMRS, demodulation reference signal) design, two resource elements (RE, resource elements) in the resource element set are used for DMRS, and the remaining REs are used for physical downlink control channel (PDCCH, physical downlink control). channel). Optionally, two REs in the resource element set are used for DMRS, two empty REs are used for power boost, and the remaining REs are used for PDCCH.

Description

Method and equipment for transmitting signal

This application relates to the field of communications, and more specifically, to methods and equipment for transmitting signals.

In the long term evolution (LTE, long term evolution) R8 (Rel-8) version, the cell-specific reference signal (CRS) is used for the demodulation of the physical downlink control channel (PDCCH), and The number of CRS ports is Cell-specific. In the LTE R11 (Rel-11) version, the DMRS (1-port for short) demodulation reference signal (DMRS) with one antenna port is dedicated to the demodulation of the locally enhanced PDCCH (EPDCCH, localized enhanced PDCCH) , With two antenna ports (2-port for short) DMRS is dedicated to distributed EPDCCH demodulation.

In the 5G new radio (NR, new radio) system, DMRS can be used for PDCCH decoding. Therefore, a new NR PDCCH DMRS design is needed to meet the requirements of 5G NR.

In this application, DMRS is used for PDCCH decoding, and some DMRS designs are proposed for 5G NR PDCCH, such as DMRS with one antenna port (abbreviation, 1-port DMRS) design and DMRS with two antenna ports (abbreviation, 2 -Port DMRS) design, etc. In addition, user equipment (UE) specific DMRS port configuration is also proposed.

In an implementation manner, the technology of the present application includes providing a method for transmitting signals. In this method, the 1-port DMRS used for the NR PDCCH can use two REs in a resource element set (RE set, resource element set) for the DMRS, and use the remaining REs for the PDCCH.

In an implementation method, the technology of the present application includes providing a method for transmitting signals. In this method, 1-port DMRS for NR PDCCH can use four REs in one resource element set for DMRS, and use the remaining REs for PDCCH.

In an implementation manner, the technology of the present application includes providing a method for transmitting signals. In this method, two REs in a resource element set are used for DMRS, two null REs in a resource element set are used for power boosting, and the remaining REs in a resource element set are used for PDCCH.

In an implementation manner, the technology of the present application includes providing a method for transmitting signals. In this method, the 2-port DMRS used for the NR PDCCH can use the four REs in the resource element set for the DMRS, and use the remaining REs in the PRB for the PDCCH.

It should be understood that the terms "system" and "network" in this article are often used interchangeably in this article. The term "and/or" in this article is only an association relationship describing the associated objects, which means that there can be three kinds of relationships, for example, A and/or B can mean: A alone exists, A and B exist at the same time, and B exists alone. three situations. In addition, the character "/" in this text generally indicates that the associated objects before and after are in an "or" relationship.

Hereinafter, the embodiments of the present application will be described with reference to the drawings.

Fig. 1 shows a wireless communication system 100 according to an embodiment of the present application. The wireless communication system 100 shown in FIG. 1 can operate in a high frequency band, which includes, but is not limited to, a long term evolution (LTE) system, a fifth-generation (5G) system for future evolution, and a new radio (NR, new radio). System, and machine to machine (M2M, machine to machine) system. The wireless communication system 100 shown in FIG. 1 is only used to exemplarily illustrate the technical solutions of the embodiments of the present application, and does not limit the scope of the embodiments of the present application. Those with ordinary knowledge in the technical field will understand that with the evolution of network architectures and the emergence of new business scenarios, the technical solutions proposed in this article can also be used to solve similar technical problems that arise.

As shown in FIG. 1, the wireless communication system 100 may include one or more network devices 101, one or more terminals 103, and a core network 111.

The network device 101 may be a base station, which may communicate with one or more terminals, and may also communicate with a base station with terminal functions. In the 5G NR system, the base station can be gNB (g-Node B). The terminals 103 may be distributed in the wireless communication system 100. The terminal 103 may be static or mobile. In some embodiments, the terminal 103 may be a mobile device, a mobile station, a mobile unit, an M2M terminal, a wireless unit, a remote unit, a user agent, a mobile client, and so on. The network device 101 can communicate with the terminal 103 under the control of the controller. To simplify the description, the controller is not marked in the drawing. In some embodiments, the controller may be part of the core network 111. In another embodiment, the controller may be integrated into the network device 101. The network devices 101 can communicate through a backhaul interface 107 such as an X2 interface. The network device 101 may be used to transmit control information or user data to the core network 111 through a backhaul interface 109 such as an S1 interface. The terminal 103 may be located in the coverage area of one or more cells 105.

FIG. 2 shows the terminal 200. The terminal 200 may include one or more processors 201 or microprocessors 201, a memory 202, a communication interface 203, a transmitter 205, a receiver 206, a coupler 207, an antenna 208, a user interface 209, an input/output device 210, etc. . Wherein, the aforementioned components may be connected via the bus 204. The terminal 200 can communicate with other communication devices such as network devices through the communication interface 203. The transmitter 205 may be used to transmit the signal output from the processor 201. The input/output device 210 may be used to implement interaction between the terminal 200 and the external environment. The memory 202 is coupled to the processor 201 and used to store various computer-readable instructions or program codes. The terminal processor 201 may be used to read and execute the above-mentioned instructions or program codes stored in the terminal memory 202 to implement the related functions or operations described in the embodiments of the present application.

FIG. 3 shows a network device 300. The network device 300 may be a gNB. The network device 300 may include at least one processor 301, a memory 302, a communication interface 303, a transmitter 305, and a receiver 306. The above-mentioned components can be connected via the bus 304. In addition, as shown in FIG. 3, the network device 300 may further include a coupler 307 and an antenna 308 connected to the coupler 307. The communication interface 303 can be used for the network device 300 to communicate with other communication devices. For example, other communication devices may be other network devices or terminal devices. The transmitter 305 may be used to transmit the signal from the processor 301 to the outside. The processor 301 may be used for wireless signal management, communication link establishment, and cell handover control of users in the control area. The processor 301 is configured to read instructions or program codes stored in the memory 302 to perform related operations provided in the embodiments of the present application and implement related functions.

Fig. 4 shows the design of a PDCCH cell-specific reference signal (CRS) in the LTE system. As shown in FIG. 4, in the LTE system, the PDCCH is transmitted on the first few orthogonal frequency division multiplexing (OFDM) symbols across the entire system bandwidth at the beginning of the subframe. It can be seen from FIG. 4 that, for example, the time length of the PDCCH can be three symbols. One physical resource block (PRB, physical resource block) occupies twelve subcarriers in the frequency domain. Among them, two REs in one resource element set are used for CRS port #0, and two REs are used for CRS port #1. CRS is used to demodulate PDCCH and supports 2-port CRS and 4-port CRS, where "port" refers to "antenna port". In the LTE system, the CRS port is cell-specific. Therefore, the CRS port does not change based on a single user equipment (UE, user equipment). In the LTE R11 version, 1-port DMRS is dedicated to centralized EPDCCH demodulation, and 2-port DMRS is dedicated to distributed EPDCCH demodulation.

In a 5G NR system, DMRS can be used for PDCCH decoding, and can support 1-port DMRS and/or 2-port DMRS. The technical solutions provided by the embodiments of the present application include 1-port DMRS design and 2-port DMRS design for 5G NR, and UE-specific DMRS port configuration, which can meet the requirements in the 5G NR system. The technical solutions of the embodiments of the present application can be used to transmit signals and the like.

Since DMRS is used for PDCCH and can be embedded and transmitted in PRBs carrying PDCCH, the number of DMRS ports can be UE-specific and can be configured semi-statically based on the UE by using higher-layer signals or signals. For example, if the UE is in the center of the cell and therefore does not require transmission diversity to improve its PDCCH performance, the UE can be configured with 1-port DMRS, and the exemplary DMRS design shown in any one of Figures 5 to 8 can be used Demodulate the PDCCH of the UE. For another UE located at the edge of a cell, it may need transmission diversity to improve its PDCCH performance or increase coverage. For this UE, a 2-port DMRS can be configured, and the exemplary DMRS design shown in FIG. 9 can be used.

The "resources" referred to in this article are time-frequency resources, including time-domain resources and frequency-domain resources. The form of the resource can usually be but not limited to resource element (RE, resource element), resource block (RB, resource block), symbol, carrier (subcarrier), transmission time interval (TTI, transmission time interval), and so on. For those with ordinary knowledge in the technical field, the definition of concepts such as resource particles and resource blocks can refer to the LTE standard. However, the implementation of this application is not limited to the LTE standard. The definition of various resource forms involved in the implementation of this application may be changed in future communication standards, but this does not affect the essence of the implementation of this application. In the following description, a physical resource block (PRB, physical resource block) and RE are taken as examples for description. It should be noted that the terms and words used in this document are only exemplary, and are not intended to limit the implementation of the application in any way.

PRB: PRB is a time-frequency resource that occupies twelve subcarriers in the frequency domain and fourteen OFDM symbols in the time domain.

RE: RE is a time-frequency resource that occupies one subcarrier in the frequency domain and one symbol in the time domain. One PRB is composed of twelve REs.

In one embodiment, the number of DMRS ports (DMRS ports for short) used for the NR PDCCH may be configured semi-statically based on each UE, for example, configured through higher layer signals. For example, the DMRS port configuration for the NR PDCCH can be combined with the DMRS port configuration for the PDSCH, or it can be done separately. Specifically, the DMRS port configuration for the downlink (DL, downlink) PDCCH may be combined with the DMRS configuration for data (the data may be transmitted on a physical downlink shared channel (PDSCH, physical downlink shared channel)). For example, although the DMRS port index used for PDCCH and PDSCH may vary with the pattern and density of DMRS, both PDCCH and PDSCH can be configured with 1-port DMRS. Another alternative is that the number of DMRS ports used for the PDCCH can be configured as one port, and the number of DMRS ports used for the PDSCH can be configured as two to eight ports, which is not limited in the embodiments of the present application.

The 1-port DMRS design and the 2-port DMRS design for PDCCH will be described below.

Used for 5G NR systematic 1- port DMRS design

In Fig. 5 to Fig. 8, DMRS port #0 is taken as an example for description.

Embodiment 1

Figure 5 shows a 1-port DMRS design for PDCCH. In the example shown, two REs in a resource element set can be used for DMRS (the dark-colored blocks in FIG. 5, hereinafter referred to as "REs for DMRS"), and the remaining ten REs are used For PDCCH (the light-colored block in Figure 5, hereinafter, referred to as "RE for PDCCH"). Accordingly, in the method for transmitting signals, two REs in the resource element set are used to transmit DMRS, and the remaining ten REs in the PRB are used to transmit PDCCH. "Resource element set" refers to the resource elements in the physical resource block (PRB) of the OFDM symbol.

The positions of two REs used for DMRS, in other words, the number of REs used for PDCCH between two REs used for DMRS, can be flexibly configured. In the example shown in FIG. 5, between two REs used for DMRS, there are an even number (ie, six) REs used for PDCCH; and in the example shown in FIG. 6, between two REs Among REs used for DMRS, there are an odd number (ie, three) of REs used for PDCCH. Any other similar configuration can be adopted, and the implementation of the present application is not limited thereto. As an implementation manner, the location of REs used for DMRS may consider DMRS density, channel estimation gap, and so on. Considering the channel response, the REs used for DMRS in the resource element set (in other words, physical resource blocks) can be evenly and discretely distributed on the PRB to obtain more accurate channel estimation results in the PRB.

Compared with the LTE CRS design shown in FIG. 4, the 1-port DMRS design for PDCCH shown in FIG. 5 or FIG. 6 can provide a frequency gap/density similar to that of LTE, and therefore, can provide a similar frequency gap/density to LTE. Channel estimation performance.

Embodiment 2

Figure 7 shows another 1-port DMRS design for PDCCH. In this design, based on the DMRS design of FIG. 5, in the resource element concentration, two empty REs are created (ie, used) for power enhancement. Null REs refer to REs that are not used for DMRS or PDCCH. As shown in Figure 7, empty REs (blank blocks in Figure 7) can be adjacent to REs used for DMRS (dark blocks in Figure 7), for example, empty REs can be located on the left or right of REs used for DMRS . In this case, eight REs (light blocks in FIG. 7) are left for PDCCH. Correspondingly, in the method for transmitting signals, two REs in the resource element set are configured for transmission of DMRS, two empty REs are configured for power boosting, and the remaining eight REs in the resource element set are configured for PDCCH transmission.

Embodiment 3

Figure 8 shows another 1-port DMRS design for PDCCH, where four REs in the resource element set can be used for DMRS, and the remaining REs can be used for PDCCH. As shown in FIG. 8, the four dark-colored REs in the PRB can all be used to carry the 1-port DMRS, so the same power improvement effect as shown in FIG. 7 can be achieved. The four REs used for DMRS can be divided into two pairs, and each pair of REs includes two adjacent REs to achieve multiplexing and obtain diversity gain. On the top reference signal sent on each pair of adjacent REs, orthogonal cover codes can be added, which can reduce the interference of DMRS from other cells (assuming they use the same RE pair).

Compared with the design shown in Fig. 5 or Fig. 6, although the change shown in Fig. 7 or Fig. 8 reduces the number of REs used for PDCCH in resource elements from ten to eight, it is because DMRS can be reduced from Null REs or neighboring REs borrow power, so power can also be increased, which can improve channel estimation accuracy.

Used for 5G NR systematic 2- port DMRS design

Figure 9 shows an example of a 2-port DMRS for PDCCH. In FIG. 9, DMRS port #0 and DMRS port #1 are taken as an example for description. In the example shown in FIG. 9, in the resource element set, two pairs of REs (dark blocks in FIG. 9) are configured for DMRS, and the remaining eight REs are configured for PDCCH. Among them, each pair of REs includes two adjacent REs.

For each pair of REs used for DMRS, frequency division multiplexing (FDM) or code division multiplexing (CDM) can be applied to obtain 2-port DMRS. The density and gap between each pair of REs will take into account the channel estimation. Compared with the case of 1-port DMRS, in the 2-port DMRS design, in addition to the DMRS density and gap of channel estimation, the application of transmission diversity (such as space frequency block code (SFBC , Space-frequency block code)) convenience. Based on this, as shown in FIG. 9, between two pairs of REs used for DMRS, there may be an even number of REs used for PDCCH.

Similarly, the number of DMRS ports used for NR PDCCH can be configured semi-statically on a per UE basis, that is, configured through higher-layer signals or signals. As an implementation manner, the number of DMRS ports used for NR PDCCH may be configured in combination with the configuration of DMRS ports used for PDSCH, or may also be configured separately.

Compared with the LTE CRS design shown in FIG. 4, the 2-port DMRS design for PDCCH shown in FIG. 9 can provide similar frequency gap/density as LTE, and thus can provide similar channel estimation performance as LTE.

Used for 1- port DMRS or 2- port DMRS Unified design

The 1-port DMRS configuration shown in FIG. 7 and FIG. 8 can generate the same RE mapping as the 2-port DMRS configuration shown in FIG. 9, therefore, the same number of RE configurations can be used for the PDCCH in each PRB (As mentioned above, it is also called a resource element group (REG, resource element group) or resource element set used for PDCCH) without considering the number of DMRS antenna ports, which can facilitate the unified design of PDCCH. In other words, whether it is a 1-port DMRS or a 2-port DMRS, eight REs are configured for PDCCH.

According to the embodiment of the present application, a device for transmitting signals is also provided. In a specific implementation, the device can use the aforementioned DMRS design, and can be configured to execute the aforementioned method for transmitting signals.

FIG. 10 is a block diagram showing a signal transmission according to an embodiment of the present application. As shown in FIG. 10, a device 40 may include a configuration unit 42 and a transmission unit 44. The device 40 can be configured on the gNB side and can communicate with user equipment. The configuration unit 42 may be a processor integrated with a resource configuration function. The transmission unit 44 may be a transmitter, a receiver, an antenna, a wireless transmission device, or any other device integrated with a transmission function.

In the process of sending a signal, the configuration unit 42 may be used to configure resources used to carry DMRS, where the resources used to carry DMRS are two REs used for 1-port DMRS or 2-port DMRS, or four. RE. The resource configuration may be performed based on one or more of DMRS density, channel estimation gap, and transmit diversity (transmit diversity).

As an implementation manner, for a 1-port DMRS, the resources configured for the DMRS may be two REs or four REs. In the case of two REs, the configuration unit 42 may distribute the two REs evenly or discretely on the PRB to obtain a more accurate channel estimation result of the PRB. In the case of four REs, the configuration unit 42 may allocate the four REs into two pairs of REs, where each pair of REs includes two adjacent REs. For the 2-port DMRS, the resources configured by the configuration unit 42 for the DMRS are four REs, and similar to the case of the 1-port DMRS, the four REs can be allocated as two pairs of REs, where each pair of REs includes two phases. Adjacent REs to achieve multiplexing and diversity gains.

As another implementation manner, in a case where two REs are configured for 1-port DMRS, the configuration unit 42 may also configure two empty REs for power boost. Each RE of the two empty REs is adjacent to one of the two REs used for DMRS, and between these two empty REs, an even number of REs used for PDCCH may be separated. For details of this configuration, reference may be made to the above description in conjunction with FIG. 7.

In the process of sending a signal, the transmission unit 44 may be used to send the DMRS on the resource configured by the configuration unit 42.

The details described in the foregoing embodiments for the method for transmitting signals are also applicable to the device for transmitting signals according to the embodiments of the present application, and therefore will not be repeated.

Certain aspects of the technical solutions provided by the embodiments of the present application can be implemented as computer program tablets or software. Specific examples include, but are not limited to, computer-readable storage media or non-volatile machine-readable media storing instructions. The instructions can be used to program a computer system (or other electronic device) or a processor to perform processing according to the embodiments of the present application. The non-volatile machine-readable medium includes any mechanism for storing information in a machine (eg, computer) readable form (eg, software, processing application). Non-volatile machine-readable media include, but are not limited to, magnetic storage media, optical storage media (for example, CD-ROM), magneto-optical storage media, read only memory (ROM, read only memory), random access memory ( RAM, random access memory), erasable programmable memory, flash memory, etc.

Based on this, FIG. 11 shows a device 50 which has a processor 52 and one or more interfaces 56, for example, a general purpose input/output (GPIO). The one or more interfaces 56 are connected to the processor 52 via a bus 54.

The processor 52 may be used to read and execute computer readable instructions. In one embodiment, the processor 52 may include a controller, an operator, and a register. The hardware architecture of the processor 52 may be an application specific integrated circuit (ASIC, application specific integrated circuit) architecture, a microprocessor, a network processor, and the like.

The interface 56 may be used to input data to be processed to the processor 52 or output the processing result of the processor 52 to the outside. The interface 56 can be connected to peripheral devices such as a display, a camera, and a radio frequency antenna.

In combination with the technical solutions of the embodiments of the present application, the processor 52 may call a program for the method for transmitting signals from the memory, and execute the instructions contained in the program to implement corresponding operations, such as the resource allocation operations described above. The interface 56 can be used to output the result of resource configuration so that the transmitter or transceiver can transmit signals on the configured resource.

With the help of the technical solutions provided by the embodiments of this application, a new NR PDCCH DMRS is provided to meet the requirements of the 5G NR system.

The above are only specific implementations of this application, but the scope of protection of this application is not limited to this. Anyone with common knowledge in the technical field can easily think of changes or substitutions within the technical scope disclosed in this application. All should be covered within the scope of protection of this application. Therefore, the protection scope of this application shall be subject to the protection scope of the patent application.

100‧‧‧Wireless communication system 105‧‧‧Community 107, 109‧‧‧Backhaul interface 111‧‧‧Core Network 103, 200‧‧‧ terminal 201, 301, 52‧‧‧ processor 202、302‧‧‧Memory 203, 303‧‧‧Communication interface 204, 304, 54‧‧‧Bus 205, 305‧‧‧ transmitter 206、306‧‧‧Receiver 207、307‧‧‧Coupler 208、308‧‧‧antenna 209‧‧‧User Interface 210‧‧‧Input/Output Device 101, 300‧‧‧Network equipment 40、50‧‧‧Equipment 42‧‧‧Configuration unit 44‧‧‧Transmission unit 56‧‧‧Interface

From the following description in conjunction with the drawings, this application will be better understood. In the schema:

Figure 1 shows a wireless communication system.

Figure 2 shows a terminal.

Figure 3 shows a network device.

Figure 4 shows the PDCCH CRS design for LTE.

Fig. 5 is a schematic diagram showing a PDCCH 1-port DMRS design for 5G NR according to an embodiment of the present application.

Fig. 6 is a schematic diagram showing another PDCCH 1-port DMRS design for 5G NR according to an embodiment of the present application.

FIG. 7 is a schematic diagram showing another PDCCH 1-port DMRS design for 5G NR according to an embodiment of the present application.

FIG. 8 is a schematic diagram showing another PDCCH 1-port DMRS design for 5G NR according to an embodiment of the present application.

Fig. 9 is a schematic diagram showing a PDCCH 2-port DMRS design for 5G NR according to an embodiment of the present application.

Fig. 10 is a structural block diagram showing a device for transmitting signals according to an embodiment of the present application.

Fig. 11 is a block diagram of a device according to an embodiment of the present invention.

Claims (10)

A method for transmitting signals, including: using two resource elements (RE, resource elements) in a resource element set to transmit a demodulation reference signal (DMRS, demodulation) for a physical downlink control channel (PDCCH, physical downlink control channel) reference signal), wherein the DMRS is a 1-port DMRS, the resource element set is an RE in a physical resource block (PRB, physical resource block) of orthogonal frequency division multiplexing symbols, and is configured in the resource element set Two empty REs, the two empty REs are REs that are neither used for DMRS nor for PDCCH. The method according to item 1 of the scope of patent application, wherein each resource element in the two empty REs is respectively adjacent to one RE of the two REs used for transmitting DMRS. The method according to item 2 of the scope of patent application, wherein an odd number of REs for transmitting PDCCH are inserted between the two empty REs. The method according to item 1 of the scope of patent application, wherein the method further comprises: using the remaining REs in the resource element set to transmit PDCCH, wherein the remaining REs refer to the PRB except for transmitting DMRS The two REs and REs other than the two empty REs. The method according to any one of items 1 to 4 of the scope of patent application, wherein the RE used for transmitting DMRS is configured based on user equipment. The method according to any one of items 1 to 4 of the scope of the patent application, wherein the RE used for transmitting DMRS is configured by a higher layer signal. The method according to any one of items 1 to 4 of the scope of patent application, wherein the location of the RE used for transmitting DMRS is determined based on at least one of DMRS density and channel estimation gap. The method according to any one of items 1 to 4 of the scope of patent application, wherein the number of ports is configured in at least one of the following ways: based on user equipment and configured via higher-level signals; and based on usage Configured in the DMRS port configuration of the physical downlink shared channel (PDSCH, physical downlink shared channel). A device for transmitting signals, comprising: a memory for storing machine executable instructions; and a processor, coupled to the memory, and for calling the machine executable instructions stored in the memory to execute According to the method described in any one of items 1 to 8 of the scope of patent application. A method for transmitting signals, which includes: using four resource elements (RE, resource elements) in a resource element set to transmit a demodulation reference signal (DMRS, demodulation) for a physical downlink control channel (PDCCH, physical downlink control channel) reference signal), wherein the four resource elements are divided into two pairs, each pair includes two adjacent REs, and the resource element set is a physical resource block (PRB, physical resource block) of an orthogonal frequency division multiplexing symbol In the RE.

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