# US 2019/0356540 A1 · Reference signal indication method, network device and terminal device > Agents: this data is available as JSON from the patentgrep API and MCP server — see https://patentgrep.com/llms.txt - Number: US 2019/0356540 A1 - Document ID: US20190356540A1 - Status: Published application - Kind: A1 - Application number: 16/476,143 - Filed: 2017-12-29 - Published: 2019-11-21 - Earliest claimed: 2017-01-05 - Assignees: Vivo Mobile Communication Co., Ltd. - Applicants: Vivo Mobile Communication Co., Ltd. - Inventors: Xiaodong SUN - Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US20190356540A1 ## CPC - H04L 41/0803: Configuration setting - H04L 5/00: Arrangements affording multiple use of the transmission path - H04L 5/0048: {Allocation of pilot signals, i.e. of signals known to the receiver (allocation of control signalling H04L5/0053; use of control signalling H04L5/0091)} - H04L 5/0091: {Signalling for the administration of the divided path, e.g. signalling of configuration information} - H04W 72/04: Wireless resource allocation - H04W 76/27: Transitions between radio resource control [RRC] states - H04L: TRANSMISSION OF DIGITAL INFORMATION, e.g. TELEGRAPHIC COMMUNICATION (arrangements common to telegraphic and telephonic communication H04M) - H04W: WIRELESS COMMUNICATION NETWORKS (broadcast communication H04H; communication systems using wireless links for non-selective communication, e.g. wireless extensions H04M1/72) ## Abstract A reference signal indication method, a network device and a terminal device are provided. The method includes: configuring a target reference signal pattern to be used for a terminal device in later transmission occasions, wherein the target reference signal pattern is a reference signal pattern selected from multiple predefined reference signal patterns; and not transmitting reference signal indication information to the terminal device, in a case that the target reference signal pattern is a default reference signal pattern; or not transmitting the reference signal indication information to the terminal device, in a case that the target reference signal pattern is the same as a reference signal pattern indicated by a previous piece of reference signal indication information. ## Claims ### Claim 1 A reference signal indication method, applied to a network device side and comprising: configuring a target reference signal pattern to be used for a terminal device in later transmission occasions, wherein the target reference signal pattern is a reference signal pattern selected from multiple predefined reference signal patterns; and not transmitting reference signal indication information to the terminal device, in a case that the target reference signal pattern is a default reference signal pattern; or not transmitting the reference signal indication information to the terminal device, in a case that the target reference signal pattern is same as a reference signal pattern indicated by a previous piece of reference signal indication information. ### Claim 2 (depends on 1) The reference signal indication method according to claim 1, wherein after the configuring the target reference signal pattern to be used for the terminal device in the later transmission occasions, the method further comprises: in a case that the target reference signal pattern satisfies a predefined condition, determining the reference signal indication information used for indicating the target reference signal pattern, wherein, the predefined condition is a condition that reference signal patterns other than the default reference signal pattern is to be used, or the predefined condition is a condition that a reference signal pattern different from a reference signal pattern indicated by the previous piece of reference signal indication information is to be used; transmitting the reference signal indication information to the terminal device. ### Claim 3 (depends on 2) The reference signal indication method according to claim 2, wherein the transmitting the reference signal indication information to the terminal device, comprises: transmitting the reference signal indication information to the terminal device by incorporating the reference signal indication information in a high-layer Radio Resource Control (RRC) signaling, a Medium Access Control (MAC) Control Element (CE) or physical-layer Downlink Control Indicator (DCI) information. ### Claim 4 (depends on 2) The reference signal indication method according to claim 2, wherein, the reference signal indication information comprises N bits, 2N is smaller than or equal to the number of all reference signal patterns, and N is a positive integer. ### Claim 5 (depends on 4) The reference signal indication method according to claim 4, wherein a first value represented by the N bits is used for indicating that the target reference signal pattern is a K-th reference signal pattern used in previous M transmission occasions, K is smaller than or equal to 2N; a second value represented by the N bits is used for indicating that the target reference signal pattern is not any of reference signal patterns used in the previous M transmission occasions. ### Claim 6 (depends on 1) The reference signal indication method according to claim 1, wherein, the target reference signal pattern is at least one of a Demodulation Reference Signal pattern, a Channel-State-Information Reference Signal pattern, a Phase Tracking Reference Signal pattern, or a Sounding Reference Signal pattern. ### Claim 7 A reference signal indication method, applied to a terminal device side and comprising: receiving reference signal indication information transmitted by a network device, wherein, the reference signal indication information is used to indicate a target reference signal pattern to be used in later transmission occasions, and the target reference signal pattern is a reference signal pattern selected from multiple predefined reference signal patterns; and in a case that the reference signal indication information is not received, determining the target reference signal pattern to be a default reference signal pattern, and transmitting corresponding reference signals in transmission resources corresponding to the default reference signal pattern; or in a case that the reference signal indication information is not received, determining the target reference signal pattern to be a reference signal pattern indicated by a previous piece of reference signal indication information received by the terminal device, and transmitting corresponding reference signals in transmission resources corresponding to the reference signal pattern indicated by the previous piece of reference signal indication information received by the terminal device. ### Claim 8 (depends on 7) The reference signal indication method according to claim 7, wherein, after the receiving reference signal indication information transmitted by the network device, the method further comprises: after receiving the reference signal indication information, determining the target reference signal pattern based on the received reference signal indication information; transmitting corresponding reference signals in transmission resources corresponding to the target reference signal pattern. ### Claim 9 (depends on 8) The reference signal indication method according to claim 8, wherein, the determining the target reference signal pattern based on the received reference signal indication information, comprises: analyzing the reference signal indication information to obtain N bits, wherein 2N is smaller than or equal to the number of all reference signal patterns, N is a positive integer; in a case that a value represented by the N bits is a first value, determining that the target reference signal pattern is a K-th reference signal pattern used in previous M transmission occasions, wherein K is smaller than or equal to 2N; in a case that the value represented by the N bits is a second value, determining that the target reference signal pattern is not any of reference signal patterns used in the previous M transmission occasions. ### Claim 10 (depends on 7) The reference signal indication method according to claim 7, wherein, the receiving reference signal indication information transmitted by a network device, comprises: receiving a high-layer Radio Resource Control (RRC) signaling, a Medium Access Control (MAC) Control Element (CE) or physical-layer Downlink Control Indicator (DCI) information transmitted by the network device; analyzing the high-layer RRC signaling, the MAC CE or the physical-layer DCI information, to obtain the reference signal indication information indicating the target reference signal pattern to be used in the later transmission occasions. ### Claim 11 A network device, comprising: a configuration circuit, configured to select a target reference signal pattern to be used for a terminal device in later transmission occasions, wherein the target reference signal pattern is a reference signal pattern selected from multiple predefined reference signal patterns; a first processing circuit, configured to not transmit reference signal indication information to the terminal device in a case that the target reference signal pattern is a default reference signal pattern; or a second processing circuit, configured to not transmit the reference signal indication information to the terminal device in a case that the target reference signal pattern is the same as a reference signal pattern indicated by a previous piece of reference signal indication information. ### Claim 12 (depends on 11) The network device according to claim 11, further comprising: a first determination circuit, configured to determine the reference signal indication information used to indicate the target reference signal pattern, in a case that the target reference signal pattern satisfies a predefined condition, wherein the predefined condition is a condition that reference signal patterns other than the default reference signal pattern is to be used, or the predefined condition is a condition that a reference signal pattern different from a reference signal pattern indicated by the previous piece of reference signal indication is to be used; a transmission circuit, configured to transmit the reference signal indication information to the terminal device. ### Claim 13 (depends on 11) The network device according to claim 11, wherein, the transmission circuit comprises: a transmission sub-circuit, configured to transmit the reference signal indication information to the terminal device by incorporating the reference signal indication information in a high-layer Radio Resource Control (RRC) signaling, a Medium Access Control (MAC) Control Element (CE) or physical-layer Downlink Control Indicator (DCI) information. ### Claim 14 (depends on 11) The network device according to claim 11, wherein, the reference signal indication information comprises N bits, 2N is smaller than or equal to the number of all reference signal patterns, and N is a positive integer. ### Claim 15 (depends on 14) The network device according to claim 14, wherein, a first value represented by the N bits is used for indicating that the target reference signal pattern is a K-th reference signal pattern used in previous M transmission occasions, K is smaller than or equal to 2N; a second value represented by the N bits is used for indicating that the target reference signal pattern is not any of reference signal patterns used in the previous M transmission occasions. ### Claim 16 (depends on 11) The network device according to claim 11, wherein, the target reference signal pattern is at least one of a Demodulation Reference Signal pattern, a Channel-State-Information Reference Signal pattern, a Phase Tracking Reference Signal pattern, or a Sounding Reference Signal pattern. ### Claim at position 17 -20. (canceled) ### Claim 21 (depends on 1) A network device, comprising: a storage, a processor, and computer programs stored on the storage and executable on the processor, wherein, when the processor executes the computer programs, the processor implements steps of the reference signal indication method according to claim 1. ### Claim 22 (depends on 7) A terminal device, comprising: a storage, a processor, and computer programs stored on the storage and executable on the processor, wherein, when the processor executes the computer programs, the processor implements steps of the reference signal indication method according to claim 7. ### Claim 23 (depends on 1) A non-volatile computer readable storage medium, comprising: computer programs stored on the non-volatile computer readable storage medium, wherein when the computer programs are executed by a processor, the processor implements steps of reference signal indication methods according to claim 1. ### Claim 24 (depends on 7) A non-volatile computer readable storage medium, comprising: computer programs stored on the non-volatile computer readable storage medium, wherein when the computer programs are executed by a processor, the processor implements steps of reference signal indication methods according to claim 7.