Reference signal mapping method and device

1. A reference signal mapping method, comprising steps of:

determining a position of a Resource Element (RE) to which a Channel State Information-Reference Signal (CSI-RS) has been mapped in accordance with an N-port reference signal pattern, N being equal to 12 or 16, the position of the RE to which the CSI-RS has been mapped in the N-port reference signal pattern being determined in accordance with a position of the RE to which the CSI-RS has been mapped in one or more of a 2-port reference signal pattern, a 4-port reference signal pattern and an 8-port reference signal pattern; and

performing a resource mapping operation on the CSI-RS in accordance with the determined position of the RE,

wherein positions of eight REs of twelve REs to which a group of CSI-RSs have been mapped in a 12-port reference signal pattern are identical to positions of eight REs to which a first group of CSI-RSs have been mapped in the 8-port reference signal pattern, and the remaining four REs are distributed in one of the following four modes:

a second distribution mode where the remaining four REs are REs to which no reference signal has been mapped in the 8-port reference signal pattern;

a third distribution mode where the remaining four REs are located at positions identical to four of the REs to which a second group of CSI-RSs have been mapped in the 8-port reference signal pattern; and

a fifth distribution mode where two of the remaining four REs are located at positions identical to two of the eight REs to which the second group of CSI-RS have been mapped in the 8-port reference signal pattern, and the other two of the remaining four REs are REs to which no reference signal has been mapped in the 8-port reference signal pattern, or

positions of four REs of the twelve REs to which a group of CSI-RSs have been mapped in the 12-port reference signal pattern are identical to positions of four of the eight REs to which the first group of CSI-RSs have been mapped in the 8-port reference signal pattern, and the remaining eight REs are distributed in one of the following four modes:

a sixth distribution mode where four of the remaining eight REs are located at positions identical to four of the eight REs to which the second group of CSI-RSs have been mapped in the 8-port reference signal pattern, two of the remaining four REs are located at positions identical to two of the eight REs to which the third group of CSI-RSs have been mapped in the 8-port reference signal pattern, and the other two of the remaining four REs are REs to which no reference signal has been mapped in the 8-port reference signal pattern;

a seventh distribution mode where four of the remaining eight REs are located at positions identical to four of the eight REs to which the second group of CSI-RSs have been mapped in the 8-port reference signal pattern, and the other four of the remaining eight REs are located at positions identical to four of the eight REs to which the third group of CSI-RSs have been mapped in the 8-port reference signal pattern;

an eighth distribution mode where four of the remaining eight REs are located at positions identical to four of the eight REs to which the second group of CSI-RSs have been mapped in the 8-port reference signal pattern, and the other four of the remaining eight REs are REs to which no reference signal has been mapped in the 8-port reference signal pattern; and

a ninth distribution mode where the remaining eight REs are REs to which no reference signal has been mapped in the 8-port reference signal pattern.

2. The reference signal mapping method according to claim 1 , wherein positions of eight REs of sixteen REs to which a group of CSI-RSs have been mapped in a 16-port reference signal pattern are identical to the positions of the eight REs to which a first group of CSI-RSs have been mapped in the 8-port reference signal pattern, and positions of the remaining eight REs are identical to the positions of the eight REs to which a second group of CSI-RSs have been mapped in the 8-port reference signal pattern.

3. The reference signal mapping method according to claim 2 , wherein the N REs to which a group of CSI-RSs have been mapped in the N-port reference signal pattern are located in an identical column of symbols or in different columns of symbols, and each column of symbols contain two adjacent symbols.

4. The reference signal mapping method according to claim 1 , wherein the N REs to which a group of CSI-RSs have been mapped in the N-port reference signal pattern are located in an identical column of symbols or in different columns of symbols, and each column of symbols contain two adjacent symbols.

5. The reference signal mapping method according to claim 1 , wherein in the case that no Demodulation-Reference Signal (DM-RS) is to be transmitted, a part of the N REs to which a group of CSI-RSs have been mapped are mapped to a position of a RE to which the DM-RS has been mapped in accordance with the N-port reference signal pattern.

6. The reference signal mapping method according to claim 1 , wherein in N ports corresponding to a group of CSI-RSs in the N-port reference signal pattern, at least two ports are multiplexed using a 2-bit orthogonal complementary code, or at least four ports are multiplexed using a 4-bit orthogonal complementary code, or at least six ports are multiplexed using a 6-bit orthogonal complementary code.

7. The reference signal mapping method according to claim 6 , wherein in the N-port reference signal pattern, every two ports are multiplexed using a 2-bit orthogonal complementary code, or every four ports are multiplexed using a 4-bit orthogonal complementary code, or every 6 ports are multiplexed using a 6-bit orthogonal complementary code.

8. The reference signal mapping method according to claim 1 , wherein in the N-port reference signal pattern, the number of bits of an orthogonal complementary code used by N ports corresponding to a first group of CSI-RSs is identical to or different from the number of bits of an orthogonal complementary code used by N ports corresponding to a second group of CSI-RSs.

9. The reference signal mapping method according to claim 1 , wherein the N-port reference signal pattern comprises a Downlink Pilot Timeslot (DwPTS) N-port reference signal pattern.

10. A reference signal mapping device, comprising a processor, a memory connected to the processor through a bus interface and configured to store therein programs and data for the operation of the processor, and a transceiver configured to communicate with any other devices over a transmission medium, wherein

the processor is configured to call and execute the programs and data stored in the memory, to enable the reference signal mapping device to:

determine a position of a Resource Element (RE) to which a Channel State Information-Reference Signal (CSI-RS) has been mapped in accordance with an N-port reference signal pattern, N being equal to 12 or 16, the position of the RE to which the CSI-RS has been mapped in the N-port reference signal pattern being determined in accordance with a position of the RE to which the CSI-RS has been mapped in one or more of a 2-port reference signal pattern, a 4-port reference signal pattern and an 8-port reference signal pattern; and

perform a resource mapping operation on the CSI-RS in accordance with the determined position of the RE,

wherein positions of eight REs of twelve REs to which a group of CSI-RSs have been mapped in a 12-port reference signal pattern are identical to positions of eight REs to which a first group of CSI-RSs have been mapped in the 8-port reference signal pattern, and the remaining four REs are distributed in one of the following four modes:

a second distribution mode where the remaining four REs are REs to which no reference signal has been mapped in the 8-port reference signal pattern;

a third distribution mode where the remaining four REs are located at positions identical to four of the REs to which a second group of CSI-RSs have been mapped in the 8-port reference signal pattern; and

a fifth distribution mode where two of the remaining four REs are located at positions identical to two of the eight REs to which the second group of CSI-RS have been mapped in the 8-port reference signal pattern, and the other two of the remaining four REs are REs to which no reference signal has been mapped in the 8-port reference signal pattern, or

positions of four REs of the twelve REs to which a group of CSI-RSs have been mapped in the 12-port reference signal pattern are identical to positions of four of the eight REs to which the first group of CSI-RSs have been mapped in the 8-port reference signal pattern, and the remaining eight REs are distributed in one of the following four modes:

a sixth distribution mode where four of the remaining eight REs are located at positions identical to four of the eight REs to which the second group of CSI-RSs have been mapped in the 8-port reference signal pattern, two of the remaining four REs are located at positions identical to two of the eight REs to which the third group of CSI-RSs have been mapped in the 8-port reference signal pattern, and the other two of the remaining four REs are REs to which no reference signal has been mapped in the 8-port reference signal pattern;

a seventh distribution mode where four of the remaining eight REs are located at positions identical to four of the eight REs to which the second group of CSI-RSs have been mapped in the 8-port reference signal pattern, and the other four of the remaining eight REs are located at positions identical to four of the eight REs to which the third group of CSI-RSs have been mapped in the 8-port reference signal pattern;

an eighth distribution mode where four of the remaining eight REs are located at positions identical to four of the eight REs to which the second group of CSI-RSs have been mapped in the 8-port reference signal pattern, and the other four of the remaining eight REs are REs to which no reference signal has been mapped in the 8-port reference signal pattern; and

a ninth distribution mode where the remaining eight REs are REs to which no reference signal has been mapped in the 8-port reference signal pattern.

11. The reference signal mapping device according to claim 10 , wherein positions of eight REs of sixteen REs to which a group of CSI-RSs have been mapped in a 16-port reference signal pattern are identical to the positions of the eight REs to which a first group of CSI-RSs have been mapped in the 8-port reference signal pattern, and positions of the remaining eight REs are identical to the positions of the eight REs to which a second group of CSI-RSs have been mapped in the 8-port reference signal pattern.

12. The reference signal mapping device according to claim 10 , wherein the N REs to which a group of CSI-RSs have been mapped in the N-port reference signal pattern are located in an identical column of symbols or in different columns of symbols, and each column of symbols contain two adjacent symbols.

13. The reference signal mapping device according to claim 10 , wherein in the case that no Demodulation-Reference Signal (DM-RS) is to be transmitted, a part of the N REs to which a group of CSI-RSs have been mapped are mapped to a position of a RE to which the DM-RS has been mapped in accordance with the N-port reference signal pattern.

14. The reference signal mapping device according to claim 10 , wherein in N ports corresponding to a group of CSI-RSs in the N-port reference signal pattern, at least two ports are multiplexed using a 2-bit orthogonal complementary code, or at least four ports are multiplexed using a 4-bit orthogonal complementary code, or at least six ports are multiplexed using a 6-bit orthogonal complementary code.

15. The reference signal mapping device according to claim 10 , wherein the N-port reference signal pattern comprises a Downlink Pilot Timeslot (DwPTS) N-port reference signal pattern.

16. The reference signal mapping device according to claim 10 , wherein the reference signal mapping device is a base station in a Long Term Evolution (LTE) system.