Multi-carrier using method and device and storage medium

Abstract

The invention provides a multi-carrier using method and device and a storage medium, relates to the technical field of communication, and is used for improving the network performance of a wireless communication system. The method comprises the steps that at most M carriers are simultaneously used for transmission in a switching mode based on a switching pattern, the M carriers belong to N carriers which are configured for a first node and are activated, M is smaller than N, and both M and N are positive integers.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present disclosure relates to the field of communication technology, and in particular to a multi-carrier use method, device and storage medium. Background Art

[0002] In wireless communication systems, multiple carriers can be configured and used simultaneously to support higher peak rates and greater network capacity. However, in some scenarios, there are certain problems with the simultaneous use of multiple carriers, for example: band A is located in the duplex gap of band B, the barrier between the uplink of band B and the downlink of band A is too small, the interval between the uplink of band A and the downlink of band B is too small, and there is an overlap between the downlink of band A and the uplink of band B. Another example: a terminal with only a single antenna cannot support two frequency bands at the same time. In the prior art, the network side can avoid the above situation by adding / deleting and activating / deactivating secondary cells for the terminal, but the efficiency is low due to the slow processing time, which reduces the network performance of the wireless communication system. Summary of the invention

[0003] The present disclosure provides a multi-carrier use method, device and storage medium for improving the transmission performance of a wireless communication system.

[0004] In order to achieve the above objectives, the present disclosure adopts the following technical solutions:

[0005] In a first aspect, a multi-carrier use method is provided, where the method is applied to a first node, and the method includes:

[0006] At most M carriers are used for transmission simultaneously through a switching manner based on a switching pattern, where the M carriers belong to N carriers configured for the first node and activated, M is less than N, and both M and N are positive integers.

[0007] In a second aspect, a communication device is provided, where the device is applied to a first node, and the device includes:

[0008] The processing unit is configured to use M carriers for transmission simultaneously through a switching method based on a switching pattern.

[0009] The M carriers belong to the N carriers configured for the first node and activated, M is less than N, and both M and N are positive integers.

[0010] In a third aspect, a communication device is provided, comprising: a memory and a processor; the memory and the processor are coupled; the memory is used to store instructions executable by the processor; when the processor executes the instructions, the method provided in the first aspect is performed.

[0011] According to a fourth aspect, a computer-readable storage medium is provided, on which computer instructions are stored. When the computer instructions are executed on a computer, the computer executes the method provided in the first aspect.

[0012] According to a fifth aspect, a computer program product is provided. The computer program product includes computer technology program instructions. When the computer program instructions are executed by a processor, the method provided in the first aspect is implemented.

[0013] In the disclosed embodiment, switching is performed between carriers pre-configured and activated for the first node through a switching method based on a switching pattern, thereby shortening the carrier switching time and improving the network performance of the wireless communication system. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0014] The accompanying drawings are used to provide further understanding of the technical solution of the present invention and constitute a part of the specification. Together with the embodiments of the present invention, they are used to explain the technical solution of the present invention and do not constitute a limitation on the technical solution of the present invention.

[0015] Figure 1 A schematic diagram of the architecture of a communication system provided by an embodiment of the present disclosure;

[0016] Figure 2 A flowchart of a multi-carrier use method provided by an embodiment of the present disclosure;

[0017] Figure 3 A schematic diagram of a switching pattern provided by an embodiment of the present disclosure;

[0018] Figure 4 A schematic diagram of another switching pattern provided by an embodiment of the present disclosure;

[0019] Figure 5 A schematic diagram of another switching pattern provided by an embodiment of the present disclosure;

[0020] Figure 6 A schematic diagram of indicating bitmap information provided by an embodiment of the present disclosure;

[0021] Figure 7 A schematic diagram indicating a symbol index provided in an embodiment of the present disclosure;

[0022] Figure 8 A schematic diagram indicating another symbol index provided in an embodiment of the present disclosure;

[0023] Fig. 9 A schematic diagram indicating another symbol index provided in an embodiment of the present disclosure;

[0024] Fig.10 A schematic diagram indicating another symbol index provided in an embodiment of the present disclosure;

[0025] Fig.11 A schematic diagram indicating another symbol index provided in an embodiment of the present disclosure;

[0026] Fig.12 A schematic diagram indicating another symbol index provided in an embodiment of the present disclosure;

[0027] Fig.13 A schematic diagram of the structure of a communication device provided in an embodiment of the present disclosure;

[0028] Fig.14 A schematic diagram of the structure of a communication device provided in an embodiment of the present disclosure. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0029] The following will be combined with the drawings in the embodiments of the present disclosure to clearly and completely describe the technical solutions in the embodiments of the present disclosure. Obviously, the described embodiments are only part of the embodiments of the present disclosure, not all of the embodiments. Based on the embodiments in the present disclosure, all other embodiments obtained by ordinary technicians in this field without making creative work are within the scope of protection of the present disclosure.

[0030] Unless the context requires otherwise, throughout the specification and claims, the term "comprise" and other forms thereof, such as the third person singular form "comprises" and the present participle form "comprising", are to be interpreted as open, inclusive, that is, "including, but not limited to". In the description of the specification, the terms "one embodiment", "some embodiments", "exemplary embodiments", "example", "specific example" or "some examples" and the like are intended to indicate that specific features, structures, materials or characteristics associated with the embodiment or example are included in at least one embodiment or example of the present disclosure. The schematic representation of the above terms does not necessarily refer to the same embodiment or example. In addition, specific features, structures, materials or characteristics may be included in any one or more embodiments or examples in any appropriate manner.

[0031] The terms "first" and "second" are used for descriptive purposes only and should not be understood as indicating or implying relative importance or implicitly indicating the number of the indicated technical features. Thus, a feature defined as "first" or "second" may explicitly or implicitly include one or more of the features. In the description of the present disclosure, unless otherwise specified, "plurality" means two or more.

[0032] In the embodiments of the present disclosure, words such as "exemplary" or "for example" are used to indicate examples, illustrations, or descriptions. Any embodiment or design described as "exemplary" or "for example" in the embodiments of the present disclosure should not be interpreted as being more preferred or more advantageous than other embodiments or designs. Specifically, the use of words such as "exemplary" or "for example" is intended to present related concepts in a specific way.

[0033] Additionally, the use of “based on” is meant to be open and inclusive, as a process, step, calculation, or other action “based on” one or more conditions or values ​​may, in practice, be based on additional conditions or values ​​beyond the conditions.

[0034] The technical solution provided by the embodiments of the present disclosure can be applied to various mobile communication networks, for example, new radio (NR) mobile communication networks using fifth generation mobile communication technology (5th generation mobile networks, 5G), future mobile communication networks or multiple communication convergence systems, etc., and the embodiments of the present disclosure are not limited to this.

[0035] The network architecture of the mobile communication network (including but not limited to the third generation 3G, the fourth generation 4G, the fifth generation 5G and the future mobile communication network, such as the sixth generation 6G) in the disclosed embodiment may include network side devices (for example, including but not limited to base stations) and receiving side devices (for example, including but not limited to terminals). It should be understood that in this example, the first node may be a terminal and the second node may be a base station; or, the first node may be a base station and the second node may be a terminal; or, in the downlink carrier (Downlink carrier, DL carrier), the first communication node (also referred to as the first communication node device, the first node) may be a base station side device, and the second communication node (also referred to as the second communication node device, the second node) may be a terminal side device. Of course, in the uplink carrier (Uplink carrier, UL carrier), the first communication node may also be a terminal side device, and the second communication node may also be a base station side device. In the device-to-device communication between the two communication nodes, the first communication node and the second communication node may both be base stations or terminals. The first communication node and the second communication node may be referred to as the first node and the second node, respectively.

[0036] For example, the network side device is a base station and the receiving side device is a terminal. Figure 1 The following is a schematic diagram of the architecture of a communication system provided by an embodiment of the present disclosure. Figure 1As shown, the communication system includes multiple base stations (such as base station 100 and base station 101) and multiple terminals (such as terminal 110, terminal 111, terminal 112 and terminal 113). The multiple base stations and the multiple terminals can be communicatively connected.

[0037] In the present disclosure, the base station can be a base station or an evolved base station (eNB or eNodeB) in long term evolution (LTE), long term evolution advanced (LTEA), a base station device in a 5G network, or a base station in a future communication system (such as 6 or 8G), etc. The base station can include various macro base stations, micro base stations, home base stations, wireless remote stations, reconfigurable intelligent surfaces (RISs), routers, wireless fidelity (WIFI) devices, or various network side devices such as primary cells and collaborative cells (secondary cells).

[0038] In the present disclosure, a terminal is a device with wireless transceiver function, which can be deployed on land, including indoors or outdoors, handheld, wearable or vehicle-mounted; it can also be deployed on the water surface (such as ships, etc.); it can also be deployed in the air (such as airplanes, balloons and satellites, etc.). The terminal can be a mobile phone, a tablet computer (Pad), a computer with wireless transceiver function, a virtual reality (VR) terminal, an augmented reality (AR) terminal, a wireless terminal in industrial control, a wireless terminal in self driving, a wireless terminal in remote medical, a wireless terminal in smart grid, a wireless terminal in transportation safety, a wireless terminal in smart city, a wireless terminal in smart home, etc. The embodiments of the present disclosure do not limit the application scenarios. A terminal may also be sometimes referred to as a user, user equipment (UE), access terminal, UE unit, UE station, mobile station, mobile station, remote station, remote terminal, mobile device, UE terminal, wireless communication device, UE agent or UE device, etc. The embodiments of the present disclosure are not limited thereto.

[0039] In the present disclosure, high-level signaling includes but is not limited to Radio Resource Control (RRC), Media Access Control control element (MAC CE), and other signaling other than physical layer signaling, such as LPP (LTE Positioning Protocol) high-level signaling, NRPPa (NR Positioning Protocol A) high-level signaling, LPPa (LTE Positioning Protocol A) high-level signaling, where LPP is also applied to NR positioning protocol. Physical layer signaling can also be transmitted between the base station and the terminal, such as transmitting physical layer signaling on the Physical Downlink Control CHannel (PDCCH) and transmitting physical layer signaling on the Physical Uplink Control CHannel (PUCCH).

[0040] In the present disclosure, the indicators of various parameters may also be referred to as indexes or identifiers (IDs), which are completely equivalent concepts and can be replaced with each other. For example, the resource identifier of a wireless system, where the wireless system resources include but are not limited to one of the following: a reference signal resource, a reference signal resource group, a reference signal resource configuration, a channel state information (CSI) report, a CSI report set, a terminal, a base station, a panel, a neural network model, a sub-neural network model, a neural network layer, a precoding matrix, a beam, a transmission mode, a sending mode, a receiving mode, a module, a model, a functional module, and the like. The base station may indicate the identifier of one or a group of resources to the terminal through various high-level signaling and / or physical layer signaling. The terminal may feedback the identifier of one or a group of resources to the base station through various high-level signaling and / or physical layer signaling.

[0041] In some embodiments, a time slot may be a time slot or a mini slot. A time slot or a mini slot includes at least one symbol. Here, a symbol refers to a time unit in a subframe, frame or time slot, such as an orthogonal frequency division multiplexing (OFDM) symbol, a single-carrier frequency division multiple access (SC-FDMA) symbol, an orthogonal frequency division multiple access (OFDMA) symbol, etc. In most cases, the description is taken as an example of a time slot, which can be replaced by a time instance.

[0042] In some embodiments, transmission includes sending or receiving, such as sending data or signals, or receiving data or signals.

[0043] In some embodiments, in order to increase the data transmission rate and network capacity, multiple carriers are used for parallel transmission between the terminal and the base station. In some examples, when multiple carriers are transmitted in parallel, blocking bands (guard bands, guard intervals) are configured between adjacent carriers to avoid spectrum overlap between adjacent carriers and reduce mutual interference between carriers. Too wide a blocking band will lead to a waste of spectrum resources, while too narrow a band may not be able to effectively prevent interference.

[0044] In some embodiments, the base station configures and activates the carrier / cell for the terminal. In some examples, the base station allocates carrier resources to the terminal according to the spectrum resources and the terminal service requirements, specifically determining the carrier range, the center frequency and bandwidth of each carrier, the data transmission rate required by the terminal, the delay requirement, the coverage range and other parameters. Then, the carrier configuration information is generated according to the allocated carrier resources, for example, the key parameters such as the carrier identification, frequency band, bandwidth, modulation mode, etc. are generated. And the carrier configuration information is sent to the terminal through the wireless interface. In some examples, the terminal receives the carrier configuration information from the base station through its radio frequency module, parses the carrier configuration information to obtain the key parameters of the carrier, and then activates the carrier configured by the terminal. In some examples, the base station indicates the carrier configuration information to the terminal through high-level signaling such as MAC CE. In some examples, the base station initializes the cell, for example, sets the basic parameters of the cell, such as cell ID, frequency band, bandwidth, etc., and allocates necessary resources to the cell, such as channels, power, etc. Then, according to the service requirements of the terminal and network planning, the corresponding carrier resources are configured for the cell. In some examples, when activating the cell, the base station sends the corresponding indication signaling to the cell to instruct the cell to start working. In some examples, when accessing the network, the terminal selects a suitable cell for communication and performs data transmission with the base station.

[0045] In some embodiments, the base station deletes or deactivates a carrier / cell for a terminal. In some examples, a network management system (NMS) or an operation and maintenance center (OMC) receives a task or instruction to delete a cell / carrier, and sends a configuration request to delete the cell / carrier to the base station through a specific signaling channel. After receiving the configuration request to delete the cell / carrier, the base station updates the internal configuration database of the base station, and sends a notification of deleting the cell / carrier to the terminal located in the cell through the wireless interface. For example, a notification of deleting the cell is sent to the terminal located in the cell through a broadcast message or signaling. After receiving the notification of deleting the cell / carrier, the terminal releases the resources related to the cell / carrier. After confirming the deletion operation, the base station sends a confirmation message to the NMS / OMC that the cell / carrier has been successfully deleted, so that the NMS / OMC updates the network configuration database to reflect the current network status.

[0046] In some embodiments, the antenna is a physical antenna. In some examples, the antenna is a logical antenna. In some examples, the concepts of port and antenna are interchangeable. In some examples, the antenna is a transmitting antenna. In some examples, the antenna is a receiving antenna. In some examples, the antenna includes an antenna pair of a transmitting antenna and a receiving antenna. In some examples, the antenna may be a uniform linear array. In some examples, the antenna is a uniform planar array, such as an array element / antenna including Ng rows and Mg columns, where Ng and Mg are positive integers. In some examples, the antenna is a uniform circular array. In some examples, the antenna may be a non-uniform linear array. In some examples, the antenna is a non-uniform planar array. In some examples, the antenna is a non-uniform circular array. In some examples, the antenna is a directional antenna, and in some examples, the antenna is an omnidirectional antenna. In some examples, the antenna is a dual-polarized antenna. In some examples, the antenna is a single-polarized antenna. In some examples, the terminal has a limited number of antennas and cannot use multiple carriers for transmission at the same time.

[0047] Next, if Figure 2 As shown, an embodiment of the present disclosure provides a multi-carrier use method, which can be applied to a first node, and the method includes the following steps:

[0048] S201: Use at most M carriers for transmission simultaneously through a switching method based on a switching pattern, where the M carriers belong to N carriers configured for the first node and activated, or the M carriers belong to N carriers configured for the first node, M is less than N, and both M and N are positive integers.

[0049] In some examples, N or X carriers among N carriers are transmitted using a switching-based usage manner, where X is less than N, X is not less than M, and X, M, and N are all positive integers.

[0050] Here, X or N represents the carrier involved in the switching process.

[0051] For example, when N=2, M=1, and X=N=2, it indicates that the switching pattern is configured in two carriers, and the two carriers are transmitted using a switching method based on the switching pattern.

[0052] When N=4, M=1, and X=N=4, it indicates that the switching pattern is configured in four carriers, and the four carriers are transmitted using a switching method based on the switching pattern.

[0053] When N=4, M=1, and X=2, it indicates that the switching pattern is configured in two carriers among the four carriers, and the two carriers are transmitted using a switching method based on the switching pattern.

[0054] When N=4, M=2, and X=3, it indicates that the switching pattern is configured in three carriers among the four carriers, and these three carriers are transmitted using a switching manner based on the switching pattern.

[0055] In some examples, the cell responsible for the main communication between the first node and the second node is called the primary cell (PCell), and the PCell is usually in an activated state. On the basis of the PCell, the additional cell added to provide a wider network coverage or a higher data transmission rate is called the secondary cell (SCell). The SCell is used to provide additional wireless resources for the first node, share the pressure of the PCell and improve network performance. The primary carrier is a carrier that supports the PCell corresponding to the PCell. The secondary carrier is a carrier corresponding to the SCell, which is used to carry additional data transmission tasks.

[0056] In some embodiments, M carriers are used for transmission because, among the N carriers, when the frequency bands of some carriers overlap or the distance is too close, the carriers are prone to interfere with each other, affecting the quality of information transmission, and therefore, these carriers cannot be used simultaneously for simultaneous transmission. Alternatively, due to hardware limitations of the first node itself, N carriers cannot be used simultaneously for transmission. For example, when the number of antennas of the first node is 3, more than 3 carriers cannot be used simultaneously for transmission.

[0057] In some embodiments, the N carriers include a primary carrier and a secondary carrier. The M carriers may include both a primary carrier and a secondary carrier, or may include only a primary carrier or only a secondary carrier.

[0058] In one embodiment, the values ​​of M and N and the corresponding cell / carrier switching process include the following cases:

[0059] In the case of N=2 and M=1, the first node switches from using PCell for transmission to using SCell for transmission, and then switches back to PCell after the carrier transmission in SCell is completed.

[0060] In the case of N>2 and M=1, the first node switches from using the PCell for transmission to using one of the SCells for transmission, and then switches back to the PCell after the carrier transmission in the SCell is completed.

[0061] When N>2 and M=2, the first node switches from using PCell for transmission to using at most two SCells for transmission. After the SCell transmission is completed, one of the SCells switches back to PCell. Alternatively, PCell always remains in a transmittable state, and at most only one SCell is in a transmittable state at the same time, that is, dynamic switching between all SCells.

[0062] In the case of N>M, M>2, the first node switches from using PCell for transmission to using at most M SCells for transmission. After the SCell transmission is completed, one of the SCells switches back to PCell. Alternatively, PCell always remains in a transmittable state, and at most M-1 SCells are in a transmittable state at the same time, that is, dynamic switching between all SCells.

[0063] As an example, the above switching process preferably switches the SCell with a larger index, and does not need to switch the SCell with a smaller index.

[0064] Here, Index refers to a specific index or ID assigned to the SCell, and a SCell with a large Index refers to a SCell whose Index value is larger than that of other SCells.

[0065] The switching mode based on the switching pattern refers to a mode or strategy for indicating or controlling the first node to switch between multiple carriers through the switching pattern. For example: indicating the usage time of the first node on each carrier through the switching pattern. This switching mode can provide a relatively regular switching path and strategy, so that the first node can quickly switch according to the pre-configured switching pattern when switching carriers, reducing the delay and jitter in the switching process, thereby improving the stability and reliability of the wireless communication system.

[0066] The switching pattern is determined by configuring a period and the usage time of the objects associated with the switching pattern within the period.

[0067] In some embodiments, the configuration switching pattern also includes the usage time of non-associated objects of the configuration switching pattern within the cycle; or the usage time of non-associated objects within the cycle is implicitly obtained, that is, the remaining usage time within the cycle except the usage time of associated objects.

[0068] As an example, the same period may include only the usage time of the associated object, or the same period may include the usage time of the associated object and the non-associated object. Figure 3 As shown, period a is the duration of the PCell, and period b is the sum of the duration of the PCell and the duration of the SCell.

[0069] For example, when the associated object is the primary carrier, the usage time of the primary carrier in the switching pattern period is configured, and the remaining usage time except the usage time of the primary carrier is the usage time of the non-associated object (for example, the usage time of the secondary carrier is the usage time of the non-associated object). Figure 4As shown, the switching pattern period and the usage time (Pcell duration) or duration (PCell operation duration) of the associated object PCell are configured, and the usage time (SCell duration) or duration (SCell operation duration) of the non-associated object SCell is configured or implicitly obtained. When switching to the SCell, data is transmitted during the SCell duration of the SCell. When switching to the PCell, data is transmitted during the Pcell duration of the PCell.

[0070] In some embodiments, multiple switching can be performed between carriers in the same cycle. Figure 5 As shown, the PCell and SCell are switched twice within one period Period.

[0071] In some embodiments, the associated objects of the switching pattern include any of the following: carrier, cell, cell pair, cell set, frequency band, and a cell includes one or more carriers.

[0072] As an example, the use time of the carrier in the switching pattern period is configured. For example, the associated object is the primary carrier, and the non-associated object is other carriers except the primary carrier. The use time of the primary carrier in the switching pattern period is configured, and the auxiliary carrier or other carriers except the primary carrier are used for the remaining time.

[0073] As an example, the use time of the cell within the switching pattern period is configured. For example: the associated object is PCell, and the non-associated object is other carriers except the PCell. The use time of the PCell within the switching pattern period is configured, and the SCell or other cells except the PCell are used for the remaining time. For another example: the use time of the UL carrier and / or the use time of the DL carrier within the switching pattern period is configured, or the use time of the UL carrier and the use time of the DL carrier within the intra-cell switching pattern period is configured, or the use time of the UL carrier within the inter-cell switching pattern period is configured, or the use time of the DL carrier within the inter-cell switching pattern period is configured, or the use time of the UL carrier and the use time of the DL carrier within the inter-cell switching pattern period is configured. Exemplarily, one of the intra-cell or inter-cell DL carrier and UL carrier is selected as the associated object, and the other is the non-associated object, and the use time of the DL carrier or the use time of the UL carrier is configured. For example: only the use time of the DL carrier is configured, or only the use time of the UL carrier is configured. Exemplarily, the usage time of the frequency division duplexing (FDD) UL carrier paired with the supplementary uplink (SUL) carrier may not be restricted. In this case, the DL carrier may be used as an associated object, and only the usage time of the DL carrier may be configured. SUL refers to an additional UL carrier configured outside the conventional UL carrier to provide enhanced UL carrier coverage. Exemplarily, one of the UL carrier and the SUL carrier is selected as an associated object, and the other is a non-associated object, and the usage time of the UL carrier or the usage time of the SUL carrier is configured.

[0074] As an example, the usage time of multiple carrier pairs in the switching pattern period is configured. For example: in a carrier group including 4 carriers, one pair of carriers is used as an associated object, and the other carriers are non-associated objects, and the usage time of the pair of carriers is configured. Another example: in a carrier group including 4 carriers, several pairs of carriers in the carrier group are used as associated objects, and the usage time of several pairs of carriers is configured respectively.

[0075] As an example, the usage time of a carrier pair within the switching pattern period is configured. For example, in a carrier group including 4 carriers, only one carrier pair can be configured with a switching pattern, with one carrier in the pair as the associated object and the other carrier as the non-associated object. The usage time of the associated object is configured, and the remaining time is the usage time of the non-associated object.

[0076] Another example: In a carrier group including 4 carriers, the usage time of each carrier is configured separately. Optionally, the associated object can be multiple carriers at this time, and the usage time of the associated objects is configured. For example, the 4 carriers are represented by indexes 0, 1, 2, and 3 respectively. At this time, the usage time of each carrier is indicated by a bitmap. When the bitmap is "0012032100", it indicates the carrier to which each of the 10 slots belongs, specifically: the carrier with index 0 is used in the 1st, 2nd, 5th, 9th, and 10th time slots, the carrier with index 1 is used in the 3rd and 8th time slots, the carrier with index 2 is used in the 4th and 7th time slots, and the carrier with index 3 is used in the 6th time slot. For another example, for each carrier, the bitmap is configured separately. The first carrier is configured with "0001100011", which means that the first carrier can be used in the 1st, 2nd, 3rd, 6th, 7th, and 8th slots out of 10 slots; the second carrier is configured with "1110111101", which means that the second carrier can be used in the 4th and 9th slots out of 10 slots. The above example assumes that M=1. Optionally, the same slot can also allow more than one carrier to transmit simultaneously, that is, M>1.

[0077] In some embodiments, carrier switching without distinguishing between UL carriers and DL carriers is equivalent to switching between cells.

[0078] As an example, the use time of one cell in the switching pattern period is configured, and the remaining time uses other cells. For example: with PCell as the associated object and SCell as the non-associated object, the use time of the switching pattern PCell in the period is configured, and the remaining time uses SCell. Alternatively, with SCell as the associated object and PCell as the non-associated object, the use time of the switching pattern SCell in the period is configured, and the remaining time uses PCell.

[0079] As an example, the use time of a cell pair in the switching pattern period is configured. For example, in a cell group including 4 cells, one pair of cells is used as an associated object, and the other cells are non-associated objects, and the use time of one pair of cells is configured.

[0080] As an example, the usage time of multiple cell pairs in the switching pattern period is configured. For example, in a cell group including 4 cells, several cell pairs in the cell group are used as associated objects, and the usage time of several cell pairs is configured respectively.

[0081] As an example, the use time of a cell pair in the switching pattern period is configured. For example, in a cell group including 4 cells, only one pair of cells can be configured with a switching pattern, one of the cells in the pair is used as an associated object, and the other cell is a non-associated object. The use time of the associated object is configured, and the remaining time is the use time of the non-associated object.

[0082] Another example: In a cell group including 4 cells, the usage time of each cell is configured separately. Optionally, the associated object can be multiple cells at this time, and the usage time of the associated object is configured. For example, the 4 cells are represented by indexes 0, 1, 2, and 3 respectively. At this time, the usage time of each cell is indicated by a bitmap. When the bitmap is "0012032100", it indicates the cell used in each slot of the 10 slots. For another example, a bitmap is configured for each cell separately. For example, the first cell is configured with "0001100011", indicating that the first cell can be used in the 1st, 2nd, 3rd, 6th, 7th, and 8th slots of the 10 slots; the second cell is configured with "1110111101", indicating that the second cell can be used in the 4th and 9th slots of the 10 slots. The above example assumes that M=1. Optionally, the same slot can also allow more than one cell to transmit simultaneously, that is, M>1.

[0083] In some embodiments, when a cell includes multiple carriers, the switching between carriers can be divided into inter-cell switching and intra-cell switching. For example, switching pattern 1 indicates inter-cell switching; switching pattern 2 indicates intra-cell carrier switching, for example: switching pattern 1 indicates switching between cell a and cell b, switching pattern 2 indicates switching between different carriers in cell a, for example: different carriers can refer to multiple DL carriers and / or multiple UL carriers, so the switching between different carriers may be switching between multiple DL carriers, or switching between multiple UL carriers, or switching between DL carriers and UL carriers, etc. The intra-cell carrier switching is performed only during the use time of the cell configured by switching pattern 1, for example: when switching pattern 1 indicates the use of cell a, switching between different carriers in cell a is performed based on switching pattern 2, and when switching pattern 1 indicates the use of cell b, the carrier in cell a does not need to be switched.

[0084] In some embodiments, since transmission (Transmit, Tx) / reception (Receive, Rx) can be used for multiple carriers in one band (intra-band Carrier Aggregation (CA) technology), for example: transmission within a specific frequency range (Tx per band), Rx is shared in intra-band non-contiguous CC (intra-band non-contiguous CC), the switching pattern can also configure the usage time of different bands.

[0085] As an example, configure the usage time of one or more band pairs or Cell set pairs within the switching pattern period. For example: in a band group including 4 bands, configure the usage time of one pair of bands. Another example: in a band group including 4 bands, configure the usage time of each pair of bands separately. As an example, configure the usage time of the switching pattern Cell set and / or band. For example: in the case where the cell cell#0 corresponding to band A in the cell group Cell set#0 switches with the cell cell#2 corresponding to band B in the cell group Cell set#1, configure the usage time of the switching pattern band A (Cell set#0) and band B (Cell set#1).

[0086] As an example, a switching pattern of a band pair or a cell set pair within a configuration period. For example, in a band group including 4 bands, a switching pattern of one pair of bands is configured. For example, when cell #0 corresponding to band A switches with cell #2 corresponding to band B, the switching pattern is determined by configuring the usage time of band A and band B.

[0087] As an example, the switching pattern further configures the duration of the primary carrier within the period, for example: configuring the duration of the switching pattern PCell (Pcell operation duration).

[0088] In some embodiments, the period, the usage time of the associated object and / or the usage time of the non-associated object are configured based on the subcarrier spacing (SCS). For example, Pcellduration / Pcell operation duration is configured based on the subcarrier spacing of PCell, and the time slot length is determined based on the SCS of PCell, and then the Pcell duration / Pcell operation duration is determined based on the time slot length (for example, the Pcell duration is an integer multiple of the time slot length).

[0089] Among them, SCS refers to the frequency difference between adjacent subcarriers, and the time slot length is inversely proportional to SCS.

[0090] In some embodiments, the period is the same as the frame structure period; or, the period is an independently configured period, for example, the period is an integer multiple of a time slot length or a wireless frame.

[0091] Among them, the frame structure period refers to the repetition period of the frame structure in the communication system. The radio frame is the basic time unit. In the 5G NR system, the radio frame length is usually 10ms. Each radio frame is divided into 10 subframes, and the length of each subframe is 1ms. The subframe is further divided into time slots, and the number of time slots depends on the SCS. For example: when the SCS is 15kHz, each subframe contains 1 time slot, and the time slot length is 1ms; when the SCS is 30kHz, each subframe contains 2 time slots, and the length of each time slot is 0.5ms.

[0092] In some embodiments, there are multiple switching patterns, the multiple switching patterns have different associated objects, and the periods of the multiple switching patterns are the same or different.

[0093] For example, the associated object indicated by switching pattern a is PCell, and the associated object indicated by switching pattern b is a pair of carriers in PCell. Switching pattern a indicates the usage time of PCell, and switching pattern b indicates the usage time of a pair of carriers in PCell. During the usage time of PCell, the pair of carriers are switched with other carriers in PCell. During the usage time of cells outside PCell (for example, the usage time of SCell), the carriers in PCell are not switched.

[0094] In some embodiments, a switching pattern is configured with multiple periods, and the switching patterns within the multiple periods can be configured independently. For example, a switching pattern has a dual period, the first period is 5ms, the second period is 10ms, the two periods are configured with switching patterns respectively, and the two periods repeat the switching patterns within the two periods with a large period of 15ms. For example: the switching pattern configuration in the first period: PCell duration is 1ms, SCell duration is 4ms; the switching pattern configuration in the second period: PCell duration is 5ms, SCell duration is 5ms. This makes the duration configuration of PCell and SCell more flexible to adapt to different types of service transmission.

[0095] In some embodiments, the second node sends a first signaling to the first node, the first signaling including configuration information of the switching pattern, so that the first node can determine the usage time of the associated object based on the configuration information of the switching pattern.

[0096] The configuration information of the switching pattern includes at least one of the following: the switching pattern period, the starting position of the associated object's usage time, the duration of the associated object's usage time, and the ending position of the associated object's usage time. Optionally, the above configuration can be used for the switching pattern configuration in each period of a double period or multiple periods.

[0097] The starting position of the usage time of the associated object refers to the starting time slot (slot) and / or starting symbol (symbo1) of the usage time of the associated object.

[0098] In some embodiments, the starting position of the usage time of the associated object is the same as the starting position of the period. Figure 4 As shown, when the associated object is PCell and the period is Period, the starting slot of the Pcell duration of PCell is the same as the starting slot of Period.

[0099] The duration of the usage time of the associated object refers to the number of time slots (nrofSlots) and / or the number of symbols (nrofSymbols) occupied by the usage time of the associated object, preferably nrofSlots and nrofSymbols in the next slot of the ending slot. For example: Pcell duration is nrofSlots+nrofSymbols.

[0100] The end position of the usage time of the associated object refers to the end time slot and / or end symbol of the usage time of the associated object, preferably the ending symbol in the ending slot.

[0101] In some embodiments, the end position of the usage time of the associated object is the same as the end position of the cycle. Figure 4 As shown, when the associated object is SCell and the period is Period, the end slot of the SCell duration of the SCell is the same as the end slot of the Period.

[0102] As an example, in a cycle, except for the slots / symbols of associated objects, the remaining slots / symbols are the usage time of non-associated objects.

[0103] As an example, in a cycle, except for the slot / symbol of the associated object, the remaining slots / symbols are allocated through other switching patterns or through dynamic indication.

[0104] For example, when the associated object is PCell within a cycle, except for the usage time of PCell, the remaining time within the cycle can be configured as the usage time of SCell; or, the remaining time within the cycle is allocated among several SCells according to another switching pattern; in some embodiments, when the starting position of the usage time of the associated object and the starting position of the cycle are the same, the usage time of the associated object is determined based on the starting position of the cycle and the duration of the usage time of the associated object; or the usage time of the associated object is determined based on the starting position of the cycle and the end position of the usage time of the associated object.

[0105] In other embodiments, when the starting position of the usage time of the associated object and the starting position of the cycle are different, the usage time of the associated object is determined based on the starting position of the usage time of the associated object and the duration of the usage time of the associated object; or the usage time of the associated object is determined based on the starting position of the usage time of the associated object and the ending position of the usage time of the associated object.

[0106] As an example, configure period + starting position + usage time: configure the available duration of the reference cell (reference cell) / non-reference cell (non-reference cell) within the period, take the slot of the reference cell (such as PCell) as the unit, determine its starting position by the period starting point + offset (or independently configure the period and the starting time slot), configure nrofSlots in units of the reference cell slot to determine the usage duration, and the remaining duration is the available duration of the non-reference cell within the period.

[0107] In some embodiments, the starting position and usage time of the associated object are configured. Figure 5 As shown, when the associated object is SCell and the period is Period, the starting position and usage time of the SCell duration of the SCell are determined by configuring the slot offset and nrofSlots, that is, the slot offset relative to the starting point of the Period. The time unit slot is the slot of the reference cell, that is, the time unit slot corresponding to the non-associated object PCell. Further, the configuration is to the symbol granularity, and the symbol offset (preferably the symbol offset in the starting slot determined by the offset) and / or nrofSymbols (preferably the nrofSymbols in the next slot of nrofSlots) are additionally configured to determine the symbol starting point and / or symbol duration, and the remaining slot / symbol number within the period duration is used for another cell.

[0108] As an example, configure period + starting position + ending position: within the configured period duration (e.g., 10ms), configure the starting slot and ending slot for the reference cell in units of the slot of the reference cell (e.g., PCell) to determine the usage duration of the reference cell (or configure period + offset to determine the starting position, and additionally configure the ending slot), and the number of remaining slots within the period duration is used for another cell. Optionally, configure to symbol granularity, additionally configure the starting symbol (preferably the starting symbol in the starting slot), and / or configure the ending symbol (preferably the ending symbol in the ending slot), and the number of remaining slots / symbols within the period duration is used for another cell.

[0109] In some embodiments, a resource indication value (Resource Indication Value) is used to indicate the starting position of the usage time of the associated object and the duration of the usage time of the associated object, or to indicate the starting position of the usage time of the associated object and the end position of the usage time of the associated object.

[0110] In some embodiments, the configuration information of the switching pattern also includes a period and bitmap information. The bitmap information is used to indicate whether all or part of the time units of the associated object in the period belong to the usage time of the associated object of the switching pattern. Exemplarily, the time unit is a time slot; or the time unit also includes a symbol, a radio frame, a subframe, etc.

[0111] Among them, all time units in the indication period refer to whether each time unit in the indication period belongs to the usage time of the associated object of the switching pattern. Figure 6 As shown, the cycle includes 10 time slots, and the associated object is PCell, which respectively indicates whether these 10 time slots belong to the use time of PCell.

[0112] The part of the time units in the indication period refers to whether the part of the time units in the indication period belongs to the use time of the associated object of the switching pattern, and the remaining time units in the period are not configured with the switching pattern. For example, in the case of time division duplexing (TDD), the DL carrier and the UL carrier use different time units for transmission respectively. At this time, the UL carrier switching pattern between the two cells can be configured only for the time unit used by the UL carrier in the period, and the remaining time units are not configured with the switching pattern. For example: the period includes 10 time slots of PCell, PCell is a TDD carrier, the last 4 time slots belong to the use time of UL carrier, the switching pattern is configured for these 4 time slots, the first time slot of these 4 time slots belongs to the use time of the UL carrier of PCell, the 2nd, 3rd and 4th time slots of these 4 time slots belong to the use time of the UL carrier of SCell, and the remaining 6 time slots in the period are not configured with the switching pattern, and SCell can be an FDD or TDD carrier. As an example, for slots / symbols that are not configured with a switching pattern, the terminal can only use the PCell for transmission, or, among N carriers, the terminal can use N carriers or X carriers for transmission at the same time.

[0113] For example, the switching pattern indicates the number of time slots included in the cycle, such as: Figure 6 As shown, the cycle includes 10 time slots, and the bitmap information indicates the time slots of the 10 time slots that belong to the associated object. The bitmap information is based on the time unit indication of the reference cell, so when the bitmap information is used for indication, the associated object is only for the reference cell (e.g., PCell). In some embodiments, the bitmap information includes slot bitmap information.

[0114] The time slot bitmap information is used to indicate whether each time slot of the associated object within the period belongs to the usage time of the associated object of the switching pattern.

[0115] For example: Figure 6 As shown, the period Period includes 10 time slots, the slot bitmap is 0001100011, 0 indicates that the corresponding time slot belongs to the usage time of PCell, 1 indicates that the corresponding time slot does not belong to the usage time of PCell, the 1st to 3rd time slots and the 6th to 8th time slots of Period belong to the usage time of PCell, and the 4th to 5th time slots and the 9th to 10th time slots of Period do not belong to the usage time of PCell.

[0116] In some embodiments, the bitmap information further includes at least one symbol bitmap information (symbol bitmap), wherein the symbol bitmap information is used to indicate whether each symbol in a specific time slot belongs to the usage time of an associated object of the switching pattern.

[0117] For example: Figure 7 As shown, the symbol bitmap information indicates whether the symbols in the first time slot of PCell belong to the usage time of PCell. The first time slot includes 14 symbols, Symbol bitmap11110000000000, 0 indicates that the corresponding time slot belongs to the usage time of PCell, 1 indicates that the corresponding time slot does not belong to the usage time of PCell, the 1st to 4th symbols in the time slot do not belong to the usage time of PCell, and the 5th to 14th symbols belong to the usage time of PCell.

[0118] In some embodiments, the configuration information of the switching pattern further includes at least one symbol index, wherein the symbol index is used to indicate a start symbol or an end symbol of the usage time of the associated object within a specific time slot.

[0119] In some embodiments, the specific time slot includes at least one of the following:

[0120] The time slot corresponding to the first indicator bit in the indicator bits whose values ​​are consecutively 0 in the time slot bitmap information. Figure 7 As shown, the indicator bits corresponding to the first three time slots of PCell in the symbol bitmap are all 0, then the starting symbol of the use time of PCell is indicated by the symbol index (Starting symbol index 4) in the first time slot of PCell, and the symbol bitmap corresponding to Startingsymbol index 4 is 11110000000000, then the starting symbol of the use time of PCell is the 5th symbol in the first time slot of PCell.

[0121] The time slot corresponding to the last indicator bit in the indicator bits with consecutive values ​​of 0 in the time slot bitmap information. Figure 8 As shown, the indicator bits corresponding to the first three time slots of PCell in the symbol bitmap are all 0, then the end symbol of the use time of PCell is indicated by the symbol index (Ending symbol index 7) in the third time slot of PCell, and the symbol bitmap corresponding to Ending symbolindex 7 is 00000000111111, then the end symbol of the use time of PCell is the 8th symbol in the third time slot of PCell.

[0122] The time slot corresponding to the first indicator bit in the indicator bits whose values ​​are consecutively 1 in the time slot bitmap information. Figure 8 As shown, the indicator bit corresponding to the last time slot of PCell in the symbol bitmap is 1, and when switching from SCell to PCell in this time slot, the starting symbol of the usage time of PCell is indicated by the symbol index (Starting symbol index 10) in the last time slot of PCell, and the symbol bitmap corresponding to Starting symbol index 10 is 11111111110000, then the starting symbol of the usage time of PCell is the 11th symbol in the last time slot of PCell.

[0123] The time slot corresponding to the last indicator bit in the indicator bits with consecutive values ​​of 1 in the time slot bitmap information. Figure 7 As shown, the indicator bit corresponding to the last time slot of PCell in the symbol bitmap is 1, and when switching from PCell to SCell in this time slot, the end symbol of the use time of PCell is indicated by the symbol index (Ending symbol index 6) in the last time slot of PCell, and the symbol bitmap corresponding to Ending symbol index 6 is 00000001111111, then the end symbol of the use time of PCell is the 7th symbol in the last time slot of PCell.

[0124] As an example, when there is an indicator bit with discontinuous values ​​in the time slot bitmap information, the indicator bit can be used as the first indicator bit / the last indicator bit.

[0125] In some embodiments, the time slot position where the symbol index is located includes the following situations:

[0126] The symbol index is located at the time slot corresponding to the first indicator bit among the indicator bits with consecutive values ​​of 1, and the time slot corresponding to the first indicator bit among the indicator bits with consecutive values ​​of 0.

[0127] The symbol index is located at the time slot corresponding to the last indicator bit among the indicator bits that continuously take the value of 1, and the time slot corresponding to the last indicator bit among the indicator bits that continuously take the value of 1.

[0128] The symbol index is located in the time slot corresponding to the first indicator bit and the last indicator bit of the indicator bits whose values ​​are consecutively 1.

[0129] The symbol index is located in the time slot corresponding to the first indicator bit and the last indicator bit of the indicator bits whose values ​​are consecutively 0.

[0130] In some embodiments, a set of symbolic indices is used to indicate two types of slots.

[0131] For example: Fig. 9 As shown, the slot bitmap is 0001100001 (the symbol bitmap in the time slot is continuous 0+continuous 1, and the time slot is the time slot corresponding to 0, and the symbol bitmap in the time slot is continuous 1+continuous 0, and the time slot is the time slot corresponding to 1), and the symbol index Ending symbol index 7 of the third time slot of PCell (the indicator bit value is 0) is 00000000111111, then invert Ending symbol index 7 to obtain Starting symbol index 8: 11111111000000, and Starting symbol index 8 can be used as the symbol index of the last time slot of PCell (the indicator bit value is 1). At this time, the symbol index is located in the time slot corresponding to the last indicator bit in the indicator bits with continuous values ​​of 1, and the time slot corresponding to the last indicator bit in the indicator bits with continuous values ​​of 0.

[0132] When the symbol index is reversed, Starting symbol index = Ending symbol index + 1, for example: Starting symbol index 8 = Ending symbol index 7 + 1. If the number of symbols included in a slot is exceeded, it starts from the next slot.

[0133] Another example: Fig.10 As shown, the slot bitmap is 0001100001 (the symbol bitmap in the time slot is continuous 1+continuous 0, and the time slot is the time slot corresponding to 0, and the symbol bitmap in the time slot is continuous 0+continuous 1, and the time slot is the time slot corresponding to 1), and the symbol index Starting symbol index 7 of the first time slot of PCell (the indicator bit value is 0) is 11111100000000, then invert Starting symbol index 7 to obtain Ending symbol index 6: 00000011111111, and Ending symbol index 6 can be used as the symbol index of the last time slot of PCell (the indicator bit value is 1). At this time, the symbol index is located in the time slot corresponding to the first indicator bit in the indicator bits with continuous values ​​of 1, and the time slot corresponding to the first indicator bit in the indicator bits with continuous values ​​of 0.

[0134] When the symbol index is reversed, Ending symbol index = Starting symbol index - 1, for example: Ending symbol index 6 = Starting symbol index 7 - 1. If it is a negative value, it ends at the previous slot.

[0135] Another example: Fig.11 As shown, the slot bitmap is 0001100001 (the symbol bitmap in the time slot is continuous 0+continuous 1, and the time slot is the time slot corresponding to the last indicator bit in the indicator bits with continuous values ​​of 0, and the symbol bitmap in the time slot is continuous 1+continuous 0, and the time slot is the time slot corresponding to the first indicator bit in the indicator bits with continuous values ​​of 0), and the symbol index Starting symbol index 6 of the first time slot of PCell (the indicator bit value is 0) is 11111100000000, then the Starting symbol index 6 is inverted to obtain Ending symbol index 5: 00000000111111, and Ending symbol index 5 can be used as the symbol index of the ninth time slot of PCell (the indicator bit value is 0). At this time, the symbol index is located in the time slot corresponding to the first indicator bit and the last indicator bit in the indicator bits with continuous values ​​of 0.

[0136] In some embodiments, two sets of symbol indices are used to indicate two types of slots respectively.

[0137] For example: Figure 8 As shown, the slot bitmap is 0001100001 (the symbol bitmap in the time slot is continuous 0+continuous 1, and the time slot is the time slot corresponding to 0, and the symbol bitmap in the time slot is continuous 1+continuous 0, and the time slot is the time slot corresponding to 1), and the symbol index Ending symbol index 7 of the third time slot of PCell (the indicator bit value is 0) is 00000000111111. The symbol index Starting symbolindex 10 of the last time slot of PCell (the indicator bit value is 1) is 11111111110000, and Ending symbol index 7 and Starting symbol index 10 are two sets of symbol indexes. At this time, the symbol index is located in the time slot corresponding to the last indicator bit in the indicator bits with continuous values ​​of 1, and the time slot corresponding to the last indicator bit in the indicator bits with continuous values ​​of 0.

[0138] Another example: Fig.12As shown, slotbitmap is 0001100001 (symbolbitmap in the time slot is continuous 0+continuous 1, the time slot is the time slot corresponding to the last indicator bit in the indicator bits with continuous values ​​of 0, symbol bitmap in the time slot is continuous 1+continuous 0, the time slot is the time slot corresponding to the first indicator bit in the indicator bits with continuous values ​​of 0), the symbol index Starting symbol index 4 of the first time slot of PCell (the indicator bit value is 0) is 11110000000000. The symbol index Ending symbol index 7 of the ninth time slot of PCell (the indicator bit value is 0) is 00000000111111, and Starting symbol index 4 and Ending symbol index 7 are two sets of symbol indexes. At this time, the symbol index is located in the time slot corresponding to the first indicator bit in the indicator bits with continuous values ​​of 0, and the time slot corresponding to the last indicator bit in the indicator bits with continuous values ​​of 0.

[0139] Another example: Figure 7 As shown, the slot bitmap is 0001100001 (the symbol bitmap in the time slot is continuous 1+continuous 0, and the time slot is the time slot corresponding to 0. The symbol bitmap in the time slot is continuous 0+continuous 1, and the time slot is the time slot corresponding to 1). The symbol index Starting symbol index 4 of the first time slot of PCell (the indicator bit value is 0) is 11110000000000. The symbol index Ending symbol index 6 of the tenth time slot of PCell (the indicator bit value is 1) is 00000001111111. Starting symbol index 4 and Ending symbol index 6 are two sets of symbol indexes. At this time, the symbol index is located in the time slot corresponding to the first indicator bit in the indicator bits with continuous values ​​of 0, and the time slot corresponding to the first indicator bit in the indicator bits with continuous values ​​of 1.

[0140] In some embodiments, when the indicator bit corresponding to the time slot is 0, the continuous 1s in the symbol bitmap may be defaulted, which is equivalent to not configuring the symbol bitmap.

[0141] In some embodiments, when the indicator bit corresponding to the time slot is 1, the continuous 0s in the symbol bitmap may be defaulted, which is equivalent to not configuring the symbol bitmap.

[0142] In some embodiments, when the number of time slots corresponding to consecutive indicator bits with a value of 1 and / or the number of time slots corresponding to consecutive indicator bits with a value of 0 is 1, the symbol bitmap is not configured.

[0143] In some embodiments, when the number of time slots corresponding to consecutive indicator bits with a value of 1 and / or the number of time slots corresponding to consecutive indicator bits with a value of 0 is less than N (N is a positive integer), the symbol bitmap is not configured.

[0144] In some embodiments, the symbol index is also used to indicate the start symbol or end symbol of the usage time of the non-associated object in a specific time slot, so that the first node can also determine the usage time of the non-associated object based on the configuration information of the switching pattern. For example, the usage time of the associated object is indicated, and the remaining time of the usage time of the associated object in the cycle is the usage time of the non-associated object.

[0145] In some embodiments, there is a gap between the usage time of the associated object and the usage time of the non-associated object within a period. Figure 4 As shown, there is a gap between the usage time of PCell and the usage time of SCell within the cycle (the gap is neither within the usage time of PCell nor within the usage time of SCell), or the gap is located at the starting position and / or ending position of the usage time of PCell and / or the usage time of SCell (the gap is within the usage time of PCell and / or the usage time of SCell).

[0146] The gap refers to a time gap reserved for antenna switching when carrier switching is performed. For example, the gap duration is 20us, 35us, or 70us.

[0147] In some embodiments, the location of the gap includes the following situations:

[0148] The gap is located at the start and end of the usage time of the associated object of the switching pattern.

[0149] The gap is located at the start and end of the usage time of the non-associated objects of the switching pattern.

[0150] The gap is located at the start of the usage time of the associated object and the start of the usage time of the non-associated object.

[0151] The gap is located at the end of the usage time of the associated object and the end of the usage time of the non-associated object.

[0152] In some embodiments, the position of the gap is configured, and the gap position includes one of the following: the gap is located at the starting position and the ending position of the usage time of the associated object of the switching pattern; or, the gap is located at the starting position and the ending position of the usage time of the non-associated object of the switching pattern; or, the gap is located at the starting position of the usage time of the associated object, and the starting position of the usage time of the non-associated object; or, the gap is located at the ending position of the usage time of the associated object, and the ending position of the usage time of the non-associated object.

[0153] In some embodiments, the location of the gap is configured via higher layer signaling.

[0154] In some embodiments, the second node sends a second signaling to the first node, and the second signaling is used to activate or deactivate the configuration of the gap after the location of the gap is configured, so that the first node can choose whether to configure the gap according to specific needs. Activating the configuration of the gap means configuring a gap between the usage time of the associated object and the usage time of the non-associated object within the period.

[0155] Optionally, the second signaling includes physical layer signaling, high layer signaling, etc. For example, RRC signaling, MACCE signaling, or downlink control information (Downlink Control Information, DCI) signaling.

[0156] In some embodiments, the second signaling indicates whether the gap is activated, and further indicates the location of the gap and the duration of the gap.

[0157] In some embodiments, a gap is required when the transmit chain (Transmit Chain, Tx chain) / receive chain (Receive Chain, Rx chain) is restricted / shared, and is not required when the Rx chain / Tx chain is not restricted / shared.

[0158] Rx chain sharing means that in a wireless communication network, the first node shares the same Rx chain for data transmission on multiple bands / carriers. Tx chain sharing means that in a wireless communication network, the first node shares the same Tx chain for data transmission on multiple bands / carriers.

[0159] Tx chain limitation means that the performance or capability of the transmission link is limited, and Rx chain limitation means that the performance or capability of the reception link is limited, resulting in a decrease in the quality or power of the transmission / reception signal. For example, the number of antennas of the first node is limited, and there is only one antenna port. Therefore, when performing carrier switching, the gap duration needs to be configured to reserve time for the switching process of the first node.

[0160] As an example, when a first node transmits on a UL carrier of a band / cell or receives on a DL carrier, if the previous uplink transmission was performed on a UL carrier of another band / cell, or the previous downlink transmission was performed on a DL carrier of another band / cell, the first node does not expect to transmit on any carrier within the gap duration.

[0161] In some embodiments, the manners of configuring the switching pattern for the first node include the following, but are not limited to:

[0162] Method 1: configure the switching pattern semi-statically through RRC.

[0163] As an example, in the case where the period of the switching pattern needs to be adjusted, such as increasing or decreasing the duration of the period, the established RRC connection is modified through RRC reconfiguration to reconfigure the duration of the period.

[0164] The RRC connection refers to a high-level communication protocol between the first node and the second node, which is used to handle the allocation and management of radio resources and the transmission of control information. After the RRC connection is established, the first node can enter a connected state, thereby being able to receive and send data.

[0165] As an example, when a switching mode based on a switching pattern is required, the switching pattern is deactivated through RRC reconfiguration, or the switching pattern is not configured when the RRC is reconfigured.

[0166] Mode 2: Based on the RRC configuration, dynamically configure the switching pattern.

[0167] As an example, the second node sends a third signaling to the first node; accordingly, the first node receives the third signaling, where the third signaling includes at least one of the following:

[0168] The first indication is used to indicate the use or disablement of the switching pattern, for example: to indicate that the first node uses only the PCell for transmission and stops switching with other cells; or to indicate to stop switching between the PCell and the SCell.

[0169] The second indication is used to indicate the duration of adjusting the usage time of the non-associated object. For example, indicating to increase or decrease the SCell duration of the SCell. In some embodiments, the second indication is also used to indicate to increase or decrease the duration of the cycle of the non-associated object or the associated object.

[0170] The third indication is used to indicate a switching pattern to be used from a plurality of configured switching patterns. For example, a plurality of switching patterns are pre-configured for the first node, and the third indication activates one of the switching patterns for use.

[0171] The third signaling mentioned above is physical layer signaling or high layer signaling, such as DCI signaling and MAC CE signaling.

[0172] In some embodiments, when there is no traffic transmission during the usage time of the non-associated object or scheduling information for scheduling traffic transmission of the non-associated object is not detected, the duration of the usage time of the non-associated object is adjusted.

[0173] As an example, the duration of the use time of the non-associated object is adjusted through the third signaling. For example, when there is no service transmission / no DCI signaling for scheduling service transmission is detected during the use time of the SCell, the second node sends the third signaling to adjust the duration of the use time of the non-associated object.

[0174] When adjusting the duration of the usage time of the non-associated object, the duration of the usage time of the non-associated object may be reduced or increased according to a preset rule.

[0175] As an example, the preset rule is: when the DCI signaling for scheduling service transmission is not detected within a certain time offset, the duration of the use time of the non-associated object is reduced, the larger the time offset, the smaller the duration of the use time of the SCell, and after the time offset reaches the threshold, the use time of the non-associated object is no longer changed. When the DCI signaling for scheduling service transmission is detected, the configured switching pattern is restored so that the duration of the use time of the SCell is restored.

[0176] In some embodiments, the switching pattern is at a cell level, or at a terminal level.

[0177] Among them, the cell-level switching pattern is usually controlled by the network side (such as the base station), and the terminal-level switching pattern is usually controlled by the terminal itself. For example, when the terminal antenna is limited and multiple carriers cannot be used simultaneously, the terminal-level switching pattern is preferred; when multiple carriers cannot be used simultaneously due to overlapping or interference between bands, the cell-level switching pattern is preferred.

[0178] In some embodiments, when the switching pattern is at the cell level, the switching pattern takes effect in the following situations:

[0179] The switching pattern does not take effect before the terminal is in the connected state.

[0180] For example, the switching pattern is not effective before the terminal is in the connected state, and only uses the PCell for transmission, and is directly effective after the RRC connection between the terminal and the second node is successful and the terminal enters the connected state. Alternatively, the switching pattern is effective after the terminal enters the connected state and receives an indication.

[0181] The switching pattern takes effect before the terminal is in a connected state and only the configuration of the use time of the primary cell in the switching pattern is applied.

[0182] As an example, when the switching pattern is at the terminal level, only the PCell is used for transmission, and the switching pattern takes effect after the RRC connection.

[0183] As an example, when the switching pattern is at the cell level, the terminal does not take effect before the RRC connection; or, the configuration of the PCell in the switching pattern takes effect. For example: after the terminal receives the switching pattern indicated by the system key information block (SystemInformation Block Type 1, SIB1), the Pcelloperation duration of the PCell in the switching pattern takes effect, that is, the terminal only transmits during the Pcell operation duration of the PCell, reducing the energy consumption of the terminal.

[0184] As an example, the terminal is not effective before RRC connection, and only uses PCell for information transmission. After RRC connection, a semi-statically configured switching pattern indicated by DCI signaling is used, and the switching pattern is a terminal-level switching pattern.

[0185] As an example, the terminal is effective before RRC connection, and uses PCell and SCell based on a switching pattern, and the switching pattern is at the cell level. For example, SIB1 indicates that the switching pattern is effective before RRC connection.

[0186] In some embodiments, when there is repetition on the target cell or a transmission block is transmitted across multiple time slots (Multi-slot Transmission Block, TBoMS), the transmission is performed in the following ways, but is not limited thereto.

[0187] Method 1: Configure the handover pattern so that a repetition / TBoMS transmission is completely within the usage time of the target cell, without interrupting or discarding the repetition / TBoMS transmission due to handover.

[0188] The target cell refers to the cell where the repetition / TBoMS is located.

[0189] Method 2: When one or part of the transmission in the repetition / TBoMS on the target cell overlaps with at least one symbol of the usage time of the non-target cell, the overlapping one or part of the transmission is discarded. For example: when a repetition is not completed at the end of the Pcell operation duration, the subsequent repetition transmission is discarded. When a repetition on the PCell spans two or more Pcell operation durations, the transmission that overlaps with at least one symbol of the SCell operation duration is discarded.

[0190] Mode 3: When one or part of the transmission in the repetition / TBoMS on the target cell overlaps with at least one symbol of the usage time of the non-target cell, the repeated transmission is discarded or the transmission block is transmitted across multiple time slots. For example: the PUSCH repetition on the PCell is repeated 4 times, and the transmission occupies four time slots. When one or at least one transmission overlaps with at least one symbol of the SCell operation duration, the PUSCH repetition is not transmitted or the transmission is canceled.

[0191] Mode 4: The repetition / TBoMS on the target cell is transmitted in the available time slots or symbols, and the time slots or symbols corresponding to the usage time of the non-target cell are not counted in the available time slots or symbols.

[0192] Mode 5: When one or part of the transmission in the repetition / TBoMS on the target cell overlaps with at least one symbol of the usage time of the non-target cell, the usage time of the non-target cell is skipped to complete the remaining transmission of the repeated transmission or the transmission block across multiple time slots. When the repetition / TBoMS has not completed the transmission at the end position of the operation duration of this cell, the remaining subsequent transmission is completed after skipping the operation duration of the non-cell. For example: In the case of PUSCH repetition on PCell, only the Pcell operationduration of PCell is counted into the time that can be used.

[0193] In some embodiments, different transmission strategies are implemented according to the length of the non-target cell usage time. For example, when the non-target cell usage time is less than or not greater than N time slots / symbols, mode 4 transmission is used, otherwise mode 2 / mode 3 transmission is used.

[0194] In some embodiments, the switching mode is based on the switching pattern, and a semi-static codebook can be used for hybrid automatic repeat request (HARQ)-acknowledgment signal (ACK) feedback, and the semi-static codebook structure includes HARQ-ACK bits (bits) when the carrier is in a transmittable state.

[0195] Among them, the semi-static codebook refers to a codebook whose HARQ-ACK codebook size does not change dynamically with the actual data scheduling situation. HARQ is a data transmission protocol used for the confirmation mechanism of data packets in wireless communications to ensure reliable data transmission. ACK refers to the confirmation signal, which is a confirmation message for the successful reception of a data packet.

[0196] In one example, if the receiving end fails to receive the data packet correctly, it sends a negative acknowledgement to the sending end to request retransmission; if the receiving end receives the data packet correctly, it sends an ACK.

[0197] HARQ-ACK bits are a group of bits sent by the receiving end to the transmitting end to indicate whether the receiving end has correctly received the data packet sent by the transmitting end. Based on the switching mode of the switching pattern, the switching between carriers has a certain regularity. Therefore, when switching based on the switching pattern, the semi-static codebook for HARQ-ACK feedback can include HARQ-ACK-bits when the carrier is in a transmittable state.

[0198] In some embodiments, the physical downlink shared channel (PD SCH) corresponding to the feedback information bit of the PDSCH of the target cell in the HARQ-ACK codebook does not include a PDSCH that overlaps with at least one symbol in the usage time of the non-target cell, where the PDSCH is used for data transmission. For example: the HARQ-ACK codebook only includes the HARQ-ACK-bits of the Pcell operationduration in the PCell, excluding the unused time in the PCell, specifically, when determining the PDSCH that may be received, excluding the PDSCH that overlaps with at least one symbol in the usage time of the non-PCell, so as to reduce the overhead of the HARQ-ACK feedback.

[0199] The switching method of the multi-carrier use process is to switch among multiple carriers configured and activated for the first node, that is, the carrier to be switched is pre-activated, so that the second node does not need to add / delete, activate / deactivate the secondary cell or carrier for the first node in real time during the switching process, thereby improving the processing efficiency of the switching process. At the same time, the first node performs fast switching according to the pre-configured switching pattern, reducing the delay and jitter in the switching process, and further improving the network performance of the wireless communication system.

[0200] Fig.13 The structure diagram of a communication device provided by an embodiment of the present disclosure is shown in FIG. Fig.13 As shown, the communication device includes a processing unit 1300. The processing unit 1300 is specifically configured to: use at most M carriers for transmission simultaneously through a switching method based on a switching pattern, where at most M carriers belong to N carriers configured for the first node and activated, M is less than N, and both M and N are positive integers.

[0201] In some embodiments, the period of the switching pattern and the usage time of the objects associated with the switching pattern within the period are configured, and the objects associated with the switching pattern include any of the following: carrier, cell, cell pair, cell group, frequency band, and a cell includes one or more carriers.

[0202] In some embodiments, configuring the switching pattern further includes: determining the usage time of the non-associated objects of the switching pattern within the cycle within the cycle, wherein determining refers to configuring the usage time of the non-associated objects of the switching pattern within the cycle within the cycle.

[0203] In some embodiments, the usage time of the non-associated object in the period belongs to the remaining usage time in the period except the usage time of the associated object.

[0204] In some embodiments, the number of switching patterns is multiple cycles, and the switching patterns in the multiple cycles are independently configured.

[0205] In some embodiments, the apparatus further includes a receiving unit 1301, where the receiving unit 1301 is configured to: receive a first signaling, where the first signaling includes configuration information of the switching pattern.

[0206] In some embodiments, the configuration information of the switching pattern includes at least one of the following: the switching pattern cycle, the starting position of the usage time of the associated object, the duration of the usage time of the associated object, and the ending position of the usage time of the associated object.

[0207] In some embodiments, the configuration information of the switching pattern includes a period of the switching pattern and bitmap information, and the bitmap information is used to indicate whether all or part of the time units of the associated objects within the period belong to the usage time of the associated objects of the switching pattern.

[0208] In some embodiments, the time unit is a time unit determined with reference to an associated object or a non-associated object.

[0209] In some embodiments, the bitmap information includes time slot bitmap information, and the time slot bitmap information is used to indicate whether each time slot of the associated object within the period belongs to the usage time of the associated object of the switching pattern.

[0210] In some embodiments, the bitmap information further includes at least one symbol bitmap information, and the symbol bitmap information is used to indicate whether each symbol in a specific time slot belongs to the usage time of an associated object of the switching pattern.

[0211] In some embodiments, the configuration information of the switching pattern further includes at least one symbol index, where the symbol index is used to indicate a start symbol or an end symbol of the usage time of the associated object within a specific time slot.

[0212] In some embodiments, the configuration information of the switching pattern further includes at least one symbol index, where the symbol index is used to indicate a start symbol or an end symbol of the usage time of the non-associated object within a specific time slot.

[0213] The specific time slot includes at least one of the following:

[0214] The time slot corresponding to the first indicator bit among the indicator bits whose values ​​are consecutively 0 in the time slot bitmap information.

[0215] The time slot corresponding to the last indicator bit in the indicator bits whose values ​​are consecutively 0 in the time slot bitmap information.

[0216] The time slot corresponding to the first indicator bit among the indicator bits whose values ​​are consecutively 1 in the time slot bitmap information.

[0217] The time slot corresponding to the last indicator bit in the indicator bits with consecutive values ​​of 1 in the time slot bitmap information.

[0218] In some embodiments, there is a switching time interval between the usage time of the associated object and the usage time of the non-associated object within the period.

[0219] In some embodiments, the switching time interval is located at the start position and the end position of the usage time of the object associated with the switching pattern.

[0220] In some embodiments, the switching time interval is located at the start position and the end position of the usage time of the non-associated object of the switching pattern.

[0221] In some embodiments, the switching time interval is located at the start position of the usage time of the associated object and the start position of the usage time of the non-associated object.

[0222] In some embodiments, the switching time interval is located at the end position of the usage time of the associated object and the end position of the usage time of the non-associated object.

[0223] In some embodiments, the location of the switching time interval is configured via higher layer signaling.

[0224] In some embodiments, the receiving unit 1301 is further configured to: receive a second signaling to activate or deactivate the switching time interval after the position of the switching time interval is configured through high-layer signaling.

[0225] In some embodiments, the receiving unit 1301 is further configured to: receive a third signaling, where the third signaling includes at least one of the following:

[0226] The first indication is used to indicate whether to use or disable the switching pattern.

[0227] The second indication is used to indicate the duration of adjusting the usage time of the associated object or the non-associated object.

[0228] The third indication is used to indicate a switching pattern to be used from a plurality of configured switching patterns.

[0229] In some embodiments, the processing unit is further used to: adjust the duration of the non-associated object usage time when there is no service transmission during the non-associated object usage time or scheduling information for scheduling service transmission of the non-associated object is not detected.

[0230] In some embodiments, the switching pattern is at a cell level, or at a terminal level.

[0231] In some embodiments, in the case of a cell level switching pattern, the switching pattern does not take effect before the terminal is in a connected state.

[0232] In some embodiments, in the case of a cell level switching pattern, the switching pattern takes effect before the terminal is in a connected state and only the configuration regarding the usage time of the primary cell in the switching pattern is applied.

[0233] In some embodiments, the PDSCH corresponding to the feedback information bit of the target cell in the HARQ-ACK codebook does not include a PDSCH that overlaps with at least one symbol in the usage time of the non-target cell.

[0234] In some embodiments, the processing unit is also used to: if one or part of the repeated transmission or transmission block across multiple time slots on the target cell overlaps with at least one symbol of the usage time of the non-target cell, then the overlapping one or part of the transmission is discarded.

[0235] In some embodiments, the above-mentioned processing unit is also used for: if one or part of the transmission in the repeated transmission or transmission block across multiple time slots on the target cell overlaps with at least one symbol of the usage time of the non-target cell, then the repeated transmission or the transmission block across multiple time slots is discarded.

[0236] In some embodiments, the above-mentioned processing unit is also used for: repeated transmission or transmission block transmission across multiple time slots on the target cell is transmitted in available time slots or symbols, and the time slots or symbols corresponding to the usage time of non-target cells are not counted in the available time slots or symbols.

[0237] In some embodiments, the above-mentioned processing unit is also used for: if one or part of the transmission in the repeated transmission or the transmission of the transmission block across multiple time slots on the target cell overlaps with at least one symbol of the usage time of the non-target cell, then the usage time of the non-target cell is skipped to complete the remaining transmission of the repeated transmission or the transmission block across multiple time slots.

[0238] In the case of implementing the functions of the above-mentioned integrated modules in the form of hardware, the embodiment of the present disclosure provides a structural schematic diagram of a communication device, such as Fig.14 The figure is a schematic diagram of the structure of a communication device provided by an embodiment of the present disclosure, and the communication device includes: a processor 1402, a communication interface 1403, and a bus 1404. Optionally, the communication device may further include a memory 1401.

[0239] The processor 1402 may be a processor that implements or executes various exemplary logic blocks, modules, and circuits described in conjunction with the present disclosure. The processor 1402 may be a central processing unit, a general-purpose processor, a digital signal processor, an application-specific integrated circuit, a field programmable gate array, or other programmable logic devices, transistor logic devices, hardware components, or any combination thereof. It may implement or execute various exemplary logic blocks, modules, and circuits described in conjunction with the present disclosure. The processor 1402 may also be a combination that implements computing functions, such as a combination of one or more microprocessors, a combination of a DSP and a microprocessor, and the like.

[0240] The communication interface 1403 is used to connect with other devices via a communication network, such as Ethernet, wireless access network, wireless local area network (WLAN), etc.

[0241] The memory 1401 may be a read-only memory (ROM) or other types of static storage devices that can store static information and instructions, a random access memory (RAM) or other types of dynamic storage devices that can store information and instructions, or an electrically erasable programmable read-only memory (EEPROM), a disk storage medium or other magnetic storage device, or any other medium that can be used to carry or store desired program code in the form of instructions or data structures and can be accessed by a computer, but is not limited thereto.

[0242] As a possible implementation, the memory 1401 may exist independently of the processor 1402, and the memory 1401 may be connected to the processor 1402 via a bus 1404 to store instructions or program codes. When the processor 1402 calls and executes the instructions or program codes stored in the memory 1401, the multi-carrier use method provided in the embodiment of the present disclosure can be implemented.

[0243] In another possible implementation, the memory 1401 may also be integrated with the processor 1402 .

[0244] The bus 1404 may be an extended industry standard architecture (EISA) bus, etc. The bus 1404 may be divided into a 5740 bus, a data bus, a control bus, etc. For ease of representation, Fig.14 Only one thick line is used in the diagram, but this does not mean that there is only one bus or only one type of bus.

[0245] Through the description of the above implementation methods, technical personnel in the relevant field can clearly understand that for the convenience and simplicity of description, only the division of the above-mentioned models is used as an example. In actual applications, the above-mentioned functions can be allocated to different models as needed, that is, the internal structure of the base station or terminal is divided into different models to complete all or part of the functions described above.

[0246] The embodiment of the present disclosure also provides a computer-readable storage medium. All or part of the processes in the above method embodiments can be completed by computer instructions to instruct the relevant hardware, and the program can be stored in the above computer-readable storage medium. When the program is executed, it can include the processes of the above method embodiments. The computer-readable storage medium can be the memory or memory of any of the above embodiments. The above computer-readable storage medium can also be an external storage device of the above base station or terminal, such as a plug-in hard disk, a smart memory card (smart media card, SMC), a secure digital (secure digital, SD) card, a flash card (flash card), etc. equipped on the above base station or terminal. Further, the above computer-readable storage medium can also include both the internal storage unit of the above base station or terminal and an external storage device. The above computer-readable storage medium is used to store the above computer program and other programs and data required by the above base station or terminal. The above computer-readable storage medium can also be used to temporarily store data that has been output or is to be output.

[0247] The embodiments of the present disclosure further provide a computer program product, which includes a computer program. When the computer program product is run on a computer, the computer is enabled to execute any one of the multi-carrier use methods provided in the above embodiments.

[0248] Although the present disclosure is described herein in conjunction with various embodiments, in the process of implementing the claimed disclosure, those skilled in the art may understand and implement other variations of the disclosed embodiments by viewing the drawings, the disclosure, and the appended claims. In the claims, the word "comprising" does not exclude other components or steps, and "one" or "an" does not exclude multiple situations. A single processor or other unit may implement several functions listed in the claims. Certain measures are recorded in different dependent claims, but this does not mean that these measures cannot be combined to produce good results.

[0249] Although the present disclosure has been described in conjunction with specific features and embodiments thereof, it is apparent that various modifications and combinations may be made thereto without departing from the spirit and scope of the present disclosure. Accordingly, this specification and the drawings are merely exemplary illustrations of the present disclosure as defined by the appended claims, and are deemed to have covered any and all modifications, variations, combinations or equivalents within the scope of the present disclosure. Obviously, those skilled in the art may make various modifications and variations to the present disclosure without departing from the spirit and scope of the present disclosure. Thus, if these modifications and variations of the present disclosure fall within the scope of the claims of the present disclosure and their equivalents, the present disclosure is also intended to include these modifications and variations.

[0250] The above are only specific embodiments of the present disclosure, but the protection scope of the present disclosure is not limited thereto. Any changes or substitutions within the technical scope disclosed in the present disclosure should be included in the protection scope of the present disclosure. Therefore, the protection scope of the present disclosure should be based on the protection scope of the claims.

Claims

1. A multi-carrier use method, characterized in that: Applied to the first node, the method comprises: At most M carriers are used for transmission simultaneously through a switching manner based on a switching pattern, where the M carriers belong to N carriers configured for the first node and activated, M is less than N, and both M and N are positive integers.

2. The method according to claim 1, characterized in that: The period of the switching pattern and the use time of the associated objects of the switching pattern within the period are configured, and the associated objects of the switching pattern include any one of the following: carrier, cell, cell pair, cell group, frequency band, and the cell includes one or more carriers.

3. The method according to claim 2, characterized in that Configuring the switching pattern also includes determining the usage time of non-associated objects of the switching pattern within the cycle, wherein the determination refers to the usage time of non-associated objects of the switching pattern within the configuration cycle, or the usage time of the non-associated objects within the cycle belongs to the remaining usage time within the cycle except the usage time of the associated objects.

4. The method according to claim 1, characterized in that: The switching pattern has multiple periods, and the switching patterns within the multiple periods are independently configured.

5. The method according to claim 1, characterized in that: The method further comprises: A first signaling is received, where the first signaling includes configuration information of the switching pattern.

6. The method according to claim 5, characterized in that The configuration information of the switching pattern includes at least one of the following: a switching pattern cycle, a starting position of the use time of the associated object, a duration of the use time of the associated object, and an end position of the use time of the associated object.

7. The method according to claim 5, characterized in that The configuration information of the switching pattern includes a period of the switching pattern and bitmap information, and the bitmap information is used to indicate whether all or part of the time units in the period belong to the usage time of the associated object of the switching pattern.

8. The method according to claim 7, characterized in that The time unit is a time unit determined with reference to an associated object or a non-associated object.

9. The method according to claim 7, characterized in that: The bitmap information includes time slot bitmap information, and the time slot bitmap information is used to indicate whether each time slot in a period belongs to the usage time of the associated object of the switching pattern.

10. The method according to claim 9, characterized in that The bitmap information further includes at least one symbol bitmap information, wherein the symbol bitmap information is used to indicate whether each symbol in a specific time slot belongs to the usage time of the associated object of the switching pattern; or, The configuration information of the switching pattern also includes at least one symbol index, which is used to indicate the start symbol or end symbol of the usage time of the associated object in a specific time slot, or the start symbol or end symbol of the usage time of the non-associated object in a specific time slot.

11. The method according to claim 10, characterized in that The specific time slot includes at least one of the following: The time slot corresponding to the first indicator bit among the indicator bits whose values ​​are consecutively 0 in the time slot bitmap information; The time slot corresponding to the last indicator bit in the indicator bits whose values ​​are consecutively 0 in the time slot bitmap information; The time slot corresponding to the first indicator bit among the indicator bits whose values ​​are consecutively 1 in the time slot bitmap information; The time slot corresponding to the last indicator bit in the indicator bits with consecutive values ​​of 1 in the time slot bitmap information.

12. The method according to claim 3, characterized in that There is a switching time interval between the usage time of the associated object and the usage time of the non-associated object within the period.

13. The method according to claim 12, characterized in that The position of the switching time interval includes one of the following: The switching time interval is located at the start position and the end position of the usage time of the object associated with the switching pattern; or, The switching time interval is located at the start position and the end position of the usage time of the non-associated object of the switching pattern; or, The switching time interval is located at the starting position of the usage time of the associated object and the starting position of the usage time of the non-associated object; or, The switching time interval is located at an end position of the usage time of the associated object and an end position of the usage time of the non-associated object.

14. The method according to claim 12, characterized in that The method further includes: configuring the position of the switching time interval through high-layer signaling, or, after the position of the switching time interval is configured through high-layer signaling, receiving a second signaling to activate or deactivate the switching time interval.

15. The method according to claim 5, characterized in that The method further comprises: Receive a third signaling, where the third signaling includes at least one of the following: a first indication, the first indication being used to indicate use or disablement of the switching pattern; a second indication, where the second indication is used to indicate a duration for adjusting a usage time of an associated object or a non-associated object; A third indication is used to indicate a switching pattern to be used from a plurality of configured switching patterns.

16. The method according to claim 1, characterized in that The method further comprises: When there is no service transmission during the use time of the non-associated object or scheduling information for scheduling service transmission of the non-associated object is not detected, the duration of the use time of the non-associated object is adjusted.

17. The method according to claim 1, characterized in that The switching pattern is at a cell level or a terminal level.

18. The method according to claim 15, characterized in that In the case of the cell level of the switching pattern, the switching pattern is not effective before the terminal is in a connected state, or the switching pattern is effective before the terminal is in a connected state and only the configuration of the use time of the primary cell in the switching pattern is applied.

19. The method according to claim 1, characterized in that The PDSCH corresponding to the feedback information bit of the target cell in the HARQ-ACK codebook does not include a PDSCH that overlaps with at least one symbol in the usage time of the non-target cell.

20. The method according to claim 1, characterized in that The method further comprises: If one or part of the repeated transmissions or transmission blocks across multiple time slots on the target cell overlaps with at least one symbol of the usage time of the non-target cell, the overlapping one or part of the transmission is discarded; or, If one or part of the transmissions in the repeated transmissions or the transmissions of the transport block across multiple time slots on the target cell overlaps with at least one symbol of the usage time of the non-target cell, the repeated transmissions or the transmissions of the transport block across multiple time slots are discarded; or, Repeated transmission or transmission block transmission across multiple time slots on the target cell is transmitted in available time slots or symbols, and the time slots or symbols corresponding to the use time of non-target cells are not counted in the available time slots or symbols; or, If one or part of the transmission in the repeated transmission or the transmission of the transmission block across multiple time slots on the target cell overlaps with at least one symbol of the usage time of the non-target cell, the usage time of the non-target cell is skipped to complete the remaining transmission of the repeated transmission or the transmission block across multiple time slots.

21. A communication device, characterized in that: include: Memory and processor; Memory and processor coupling; The memory is used to store instructions executable by the processor; When the processor executes the instructions, the method according to any one of claims 1 to 20 is performed.

22. A computer-readable storage medium, characterized in that: The computer-readable storage medium stores computer instructions, and when the computer instructions are executed on a computer, the computer is enabled to execute the method according to any one of claims 1 to 20.

23. A computer program product, characterized in that The computer program product comprises computer program instructions, and when the computer program instructions are executed by a processor, the method according to any one of claims 1 to 20 is implemented.

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