Operation mode indication method, apparatus, and system

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-12445957-B2
Application number	US-202318155881-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Jan 18, 2023
Priority date	Jul 24, 2020
Publication date	Oct 14, 2025
Grant date	Oct 14, 2025

Abstract

A multi-antenna operation mode indication method and an apparatus resolve a problem that increased power consumption and a resource waste are caused because a terminal device still operates in a multi-user multiple-input multiple-output (MU-MIMO) mode by default in a single-port transmission mode. The method includes: a network device sends indication information to a terminal device, to indicate that a multi-antenna operation mode of the terminal device is single-user multiple-input multiple-output (SU-MIMO) or MU-MIMO. The terminal device determines, based on the indication information from the network device, whether a demodulation reference signal (DMRS) port number corresponding to the terminal device and a DMRS port number not corresponding to the terminal device are allocated to another terminal device, to adjust the multi-antenna operation mode.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A communication method, comprising:
receiving first information from a network device, wherein the first information indicates a first multi-antenna operation mode of a first terminal device, and the first information is carried in radio resource control (RRC) signaling or media access control (MAC) signaling;
receiving second information from the network device, wherein the second information indicates at least one first demodulation reference signal (DMRS) port number and a quantity N of demodulation reference signal DMRS code division multiplexing (CDM) groups that correspond to a second multi-antenna operation mode of the first terminal device, the N DMRS CDM groups comprise the at least one first DMRS port number, and N is a positive integer, wherein the second information is carried in downlink control information (DCI);
determining that a multi-antenna operation mode of the first terminal device is the second multi-antenna operation mode;
sending third information to the network device, wherein the third information indicates at least an application scenario or a device type of the first terminal device;
receiving fourth information from the network device, wherein the fourth information indicates a third multi-antenna operation mode of the first terminal device based on the third information; and
determining that a multi-antenna operation mode of the first terminal device is the third multi-antenna operation mode.

2. The communication method according to claim 1 , wherein the N DMRS CDM groups further comprise at least one second DMRS port number, and the at least one second DMRS port number is different from the at least one first DMRS port number.

3. The communication method according to claim 2 , wherein
the first multi-antenna operation mode is multi-user multiple-input multiple-output (MU-MIMO), and the second multi-antenna operation mode is MU-MIMO; or
the first multi-antenna operation mode is single-user multiple-input multiple-output (SU-MIMO), and the second multi-antenna operation mode is MU-MIMO; and
the method further comprises:
determining that the at least one second DMRS port number is allocated to a second terminal device, wherein the second terminal device is different from the first terminal device.

4. The communication method according to claim 2 , wherein
the first multi-antenna operation mode is MU-MIMO, and the second multi-antenna operation mode is SU-MIMO; or
the first multi-antenna operation mode is SU-MIMO, and the second multi-antenna operation mode is SU-MIMO; and
the method further comprises:
determining that the at least one second DMRS port number is not allocated to a second terminal device, wherein the second terminal device is different from the first terminal device.

5. The communication method according to claim 4 , wherein N is greater than 1; and
the second information further indicates that a time-frequency resource corresponding to the at least one second DMRS port number is not used for data transmission or is used for data transmission between the first terminal device and the network device.

6. A communication method, comprising:
sending first information to a first terminal device, wherein the first information indicates a first multi-antenna operation mode of the first terminal device, and the first information is carried in radio resource control (RRC) signaling or media access control (MAC) signaling;
sending second information to the first terminal device, wherein the second information indicates at least one DMRS port number and a quantity N of DMRS CDM groups that correspond to a second multi-antenna operation mode of the first terminal device, the N DMRS CDM groups comprise the at least one first DMRS port number, and N is a positive integer, wherein the second information is carried in downlink control information (DCI);
receiving third information from the first terminal device, wherein the third information indicates at least an application scenario or a device type of the first terminal device that corresponds to a third multi-antenna operation mode of the first terminal device; and
determining a third multi-antenna operation mode of the first terminal device based on the third information.

7. The communication method according to claim 6 , wherein the N DMRS CDM groups further comprise at least one second DMRS port number, and the at least one second DMRS port number is different from the at least one first DMRS port number.

8. The communication method according to claim 7 , wherein:
the first multi-antenna operation mode is MU-MIMO, and the second multi-antenna operation mode is MU-MIMO; or
the first multi-antenna operation mode is SU-MIMO, and the second multi-antenna operation mode is MU-MIMO; and
the method further comprises:
determining that the at least one second DMRS port number is allocated to a second terminal device, wherein the second terminal device is different from the first terminal device.

9. The communication method according to claim 6 , wherein
the first multi-antenna operation mode is MU-MIMO, and the second multi-antenna operation mode is SU-MIMO; or
the first multi-antenna operation mode is SU-MIMO, and the second multi-antenna operation mode is SU-MIMO; and
the method further comprises:
determining that the at least one second DMRS port number is not allocated to a second terminal device, wherein the second terminal device is different from the first terminal device.

10. The communication method according to claim 9 , wherein N is greater than 1; and
the second information further indicates that a time-frequency resource corresponding to the at least one second DMRS port number is not used for data transmission or is used for data transmission between the first terminal device and the network device.

11. A first wireless apparatus, comprising one or more processors; and a memory, wherein the memory stores a computer program, and when executing the computer program stored in the memory, the one or more processors executes operations comprising:
receiving first information from a network device, wherein the first information indicates a first multi-antenna operation mode of a first terminal device, and the first information is carried in radio resource control (RRC) signaling or media access control (MAC) signaling;
receiving second information from the network device, wherein the second information indicates at least one first DMRS port number and a quantity N of demodulation reference signal DMRS CDM groups that correspond to a second multi-antenna operation mode of the first terminal device, the N DMRS CDM groups comprise the at least one first DMRS port number, and N is a positive integer, wherein the second information is carried in downlink control information (DCI);
determining that a multi-antenna operation mode of the apparatus is the second multi-antenna operation mode;
sending third information to the network device, wherein the third information indicates at least an application scenario or a device type of the first terminal device;
receiving fourth information from the network device, wherein the fourth information indicates a third multi-antenna operation mode of the first terminal device based on the third information; and
determining that a multi-antenna operation mode of the first terminal device is the third multi-antenna operation mode.

12. The first wireless apparatus according to claim 11 , wherein the N DMRS CDM groups further comprise at least one second DMRS port number, and the at least one second DMRS port number is different from the at least one first DMRS port number.

13. The fi

Assignees

• Huawei Tech Co Ltd

Inventors

• Qu Weilin
• Zheng Juan
• Li Chaojun
• Jin Zhe

Classifications

• H04L5/0051

  of dedicated pilots, i.e. pilots destined for a single user or terminal · CPC title

• H04B7/0452 Primary

  Multi-user MIMO systems · CPC title

• H04B7/0404

  the mobile station comprising multiple antennas, e.g. to provide uplink diversity · CPC title

• H04L5/0092

  Indication of how the channel is divided · CPC title

• H04B7/0628

  Diversity capabilities · CPC title