Communication method and communication apparatus

Abstract

Provided in the embodiments of the present application are a communication method and a communication apparatus. The method comprises: a first device receiving first information from a second device; and then determining, on the basis of indication information in the first information, the quantity of control information to be received by the first device itself. In this way, a first device can receive, on the basis of the quantity of control information to be received by the first device itself, the control information sent by a second device, so as to prevent the first device from blindly detecting all the control information sent by the second device, so that the delay caused by blind detection of control information by the first device can be effectively reduced, thereby improving the efficiency of subsequent communication, and additional power consumption caused by blind detection by the first device can also be avoided, thereby facilitating power saving of the first device.

Description

A communication method and a communication device Technical Field

[0001] This application relates to the field of wireless communication technology, and in particular to a communication method and a communication device. Background Technology

[0002] The StarFlash standard is currently evolving further, and technological upgrades can provide a better service experience. This new standard evolution requires more flexible support for resource scheduling and carrier aggregation technologies, thereby improving system performance. Within a single transmission time interval (TTI), a terminal (T) node may be scheduled multiple times. Each time a T node is scheduled, it needs to detect control information to obtain information such as the time-frequency resources for downlink data reception or uplink data transmission. For example, when frequency domain resources include multiple carriers, the grant (G) node can schedule the T node once or multiple times based on the channel quality of each carrier.

[0003] Since node T does not know the number of times it has been scheduled within the current TTI, it can only determine its scheduling count by blindly checking all control messages sent by node G on the resource carrying control information. However, the complexity of blind checking by node T in this method is very high, resulting in low system communication efficiency and excessive energy consumption by node T. Therefore, how to reduce the complexity of blind checking of control information to improve system communication efficiency has become an urgent problem to be solved. Summary of the Invention

[0004] This application provides a communication method and a communication device for reducing the complexity of blind detection of control information, thereby improving the efficiency of system communication.

[0005] In a first aspect, embodiments of this application provide a communication method. This method can be applied to a first device (e.g., a terminal device or a terminal node), or a component of the first device (e.g., a processor, chip, or chip system), or a logic node, logic module, or software capable of implementing all or part of the functions of the first device, or a device used in conjunction with the first device. Taking the application of this method to a first device as an example, the method includes: the first device receiving first information from a second device, the first information including indication information; and the first device determining the number of control information to be received by the first device based on the indication information.

[0006] In the above method, the first device receives the first information from the second device, and then determines the number of control information to be received by itself according to the indication information in the first information. In this way, the first device can receive the control information sent by the second device according to the number of control information to be received by itself, avoiding the first device blindly detecting all the control information sent by the second device, reducing the complexity of the first device blindly detecting control information, thereby effectively reducing the delay caused by the first device blindly detecting control information, improving the efficiency of subsequent communication, and also helping to avoid the first device from generating additional energy consumption due to blind detection, thus benefiting the first device in terms of energy saving.

[0007] In conjunction with the first aspect, in one possible implementation, the number of control information to be received by the first device is the number of control information to be received by the first device within a transmission time interval.

[0008] In conjunction with the first aspect, in one possible implementation, the first information is control information, and the indication information in the first information is an index of the number of control information to be received by the first device. The index is used to indicate an element in the set of control information quantities. The method further includes: the first device receiving second information from the second device, the second information including the set of control information quantities; in another possible implementation, the second information is high-level information.

[0009] Based on the indication information, the first device determines the number of control information to be received, specifically including: the first device determines the number of control information to be received based on the set and index of the number of control information.

[0010] With this implementation, the first device can not only effectively and accurately obtain the amount of control information to be received, but also has low overhead in transmitting the first information.

[0011] In conjunction with the first aspect, in one possible implementation, the first information is control information, and the number of control information to be received by the first device is the number of control information sent by the second device to the first device within a transmission time interval.

[0012] For example, the first device is terminal T node #1, and the second device is management G node #1. If the multiple T nodes served by management G node #1 include terminal T node #1 and terminal T node #2, the number of control messages to be received by terminal T node #1 refers to the number of control messages that management G node #1 needs to send to terminal T node #1 within one transmission time interval, excluding the number of control messages that management G node #1 sends to terminal T node #2.

[0013] With this implementation, the first device can effectively obtain the number of control messages sent by the second device to the first device within a transmission time interval, and then receive control messages from the second device based on the number of messages.

[0014] In conjunction with the first aspect, in one possible implementation, the first information is high-level information, and the method further includes: the first device receiving control information from the second device based on the number of control information to be received.

[0015] With this implementation, the first device can effectively obtain the number of control information to be received, and then receive the control information of the second device according to the number of control information to be received. This not only enables subsequent communication, but also avoids the first device blindly detecting and receiving the control information of the second device, thus avoiding additional time delay and energy overhead.

[0016] In conjunction with the first aspect, in one possible implementation, the control information mentioned above includes third information, which is used to indicate the frequency domain resources that the second device schedules for the first device within a transmission time interval.

[0017] With this implementation, the first device can obtain frequency domain resources within a transmission time interval through control information to achieve communication.

[0018] In conjunction with the first aspect, one possible implementation includes some or all subcarriers in the first carrier. This implementation, by scheduling some or all subcarriers in a carrier using control information, demonstrates finer-grained frequency domain resource allocation, better matching the frequency domain fluctuations of the channel and improving link adaptive performance.

[0019] In conjunction with the first aspect, in one possible implementation, when the aforementioned frequency domain resources include some or all of the subcarriers in the first carrier, the information of the frequency domain resources may include identification information of the first carrier and identification information of the first subcarrier group, wherein the identification information of the first subcarrier group is used to indicate at least one subcarrier group in the first carrier. Through this implementation, the first device effectively and accurately determines the first subcarrier group from the first carrier.

[0020] In conjunction with the first aspect, in one possible implementation, when the aforementioned frequency domain resources include some or all of the subcarriers in the first carrier, the information of the frequency domain resources is the identification information of the second subcarrier group, which is used to indicate the position of the second subcarrier group in the total subcarrier group; the second subcarrier group includes multiple subcarriers, which belong to the first carrier.

[0021] Through this implementation, the first device can effectively and accurately determine the second subcarrier group from the total subcarrier group, thereby determining which subcarriers in the first carrier group are scheduled or available. Moreover, the granularity of scheduling subcarriers using control information is finer than that of scheduling carriers using control information alone, which is better able to match the frequency domain fluctuations of the channel and helps improve the link's adaptive performance.

[0022] In conjunction with the first aspect, in one possible implementation, the aforementioned frequency domain resources include some or all subcarriers of each of multiple carriers, wherein the absolute difference between the signal-to-noise ratios corresponding to the multiple carriers does not exceed a first threshold, or the absolute difference between the modulation and coding scheme values ​​corresponding to the multiple carriers does not exceed a second threshold.

[0023] With this implementation, when each control information can be used to schedule multiple carriers, the differences between these multiple carriers are small, which can reduce the probability of transmission errors.

[0024] In conjunction with the first aspect, one possible implementation involves the following: when the aforementioned frequency domain resources include some or all subcarriers of each of multiple carriers, the information of the frequency domain resources includes identification information of the multiple carriers and identification information of subcarrier groups corresponding to each of the multiple carriers. The identification information of the subcarrier groups corresponding to each carrier is used to indicate at least one subcarrier group in the carrier. Alternatively, the aforementioned frequency domain resource information includes identification information of multiple carriers and indication information of subcarrier groups corresponding to each of the multiple carriers. The indication information of the subcarrier groups corresponding to each carrier is used to indicate whether each subcarrier group in that carrier is valid. This implementation allows the first device to accurately and effectively obtain which subcarriers among the multiple carriers scheduled by the control information can be used for subsequent communication.

[0025] In conjunction with the first aspect, in another possible implementation, where the aforementioned frequency domain resources include some or all subcarriers of each of multiple carriers, the information of the frequency domain resources is the identification information of a second subcarrier group. This identification information indicates the position of the second subcarrier group within the overall subcarrier group. The second subcarrier group includes multiple subcarriers, and these multiple subcarriers belong to the total number of carriers. In another possible implementation, the information of the overall subcarrier group can be indicated by higher-layer information (e.g., resource control signaling or radio resource control signaling).

[0026] Through this implementation, the first device can effectively and accurately determine the second subcarrier group from the total subcarrier group, thereby determining which subcarriers among the multiple carriers scheduled by the control information are available. Moreover, the granularity of scheduling subcarriers through control information is finer than that of scheduling carriers directly with control information, which is better suited to the frequency domain fluctuations of the channel and helps improve the link's adaptive performance.

[0027] Secondly, embodiments of this application provide a communication method. This method can be applied to a second device (e.g., a network device or a management node), or a component of the second device (e.g., a processor, chip, or chip system), or a logic node, logic module, or software capable of implementing all or part of the functions of the second device, or a device used in conjunction with the second device. Taking the application of this method to a second device as an example, the method includes: the second device determining the number of control information to be received by the first device; the second device sending first information, and correspondingly, the first device receiving the first information, wherein the first information includes indication information used to indicate the number of control information to be received by the first device.

[0028] In the above method, the second device sends first information to the first device, thereby enabling the first device to determine the number of control information to be received based on the indication information in the first information. In this way, the first device can receive the control information sent by the second device according to the number of control information to be received, avoiding the first device blindly detecting all the control information sent by the second device, reducing the complexity of the first device blindly detecting control information, thereby effectively reducing the delay caused by the first device blindly detecting control information, improving the efficiency of subsequent communication, and also helping to avoid the first device from generating additional energy consumption due to blind detection, thus benefiting the first device in terms of energy saving.

[0029] In conjunction with the second aspect, in one possible implementation, the number of control information to be received is the number of control information to be received by the first device within a transmission time interval.

[0030] In conjunction with the second aspect, in one possible implementation, the first information is control information, and the indication information is an index of the number of control information to be received, the index indicating an element in the set of control information quantities. The method further includes: the second device sending second information to the first device, the second information including the set of control information quantities. In another possible implementation, the second information is high-level information.

[0031] This implementation method enables the first device to effectively and accurately obtain the amount of control information to be received, while reducing the overhead of transmitting the first information.

[0032] In conjunction with the second aspect, in one possible implementation, the first information is control information, and the number of control information to be received by the first device is the number of control information sent by the second device to the first device within a transmission time interval.

[0033] For example, the first device is terminal T node #1, and the second device is management G node #1. If the multiple T nodes served by management G node #1 include terminal T node #1 and terminal T node #2, the number of control messages to be received by terminal T node #1 refers to the number of control messages that management G node #1 needs to send to terminal T node #1 within one transmission time interval, excluding the number of control messages that management G node #1 sends to terminal T node #2.

[0034] This implementation allows the first device to effectively obtain the number of control messages sent by the second device to the first device within a transmission time interval, and the first device can then receive control messages from the second device based on this number.

[0035] In conjunction with the second aspect, in one possible implementation, the first information is high-level information, and the method further includes: the second device sending control information to the first device based on the number of control information to be received.

[0036] This implementation method enables the first device to effectively obtain the number of control information to be received, and then receive the control information of the second device according to the number of control information to be received. This not only enables subsequent communication, but also avoids the first device blindly detecting and receiving the control information of the second device, thus avoiding additional latency and energy overhead.

[0037] In conjunction with the second aspect, one possible implementation includes third information in the control information. This third information indicates the frequency domain resources that the second device schedules for the first device within a transmission time interval. This implementation allows the first device to obtain frequency domain resources within a transmission time interval for communication.

[0038] In conjunction with the second aspect, one possible implementation includes some or all subcarriers of the first carrier. With this implementation, the second device schedules some or all subcarriers of a carrier for the first device using control information. This results in finer-grained frequency domain resources, better matching the frequency fluctuations of the channel and improving link adaptive performance.

[0039] In conjunction with the second aspect, in one possible implementation, when the aforementioned frequency domain resources include some or all of the subcarriers in the first carrier, the information of the frequency domain resources may include the identification information of the first carrier and the identification information of the first subcarrier group, wherein the identification information of the first subcarrier group is used to indicate at least one subcarrier group in the first carrier.

[0040] This implementation method enables the first device to effectively and accurately determine the first subcarrier group from the first carrier.

[0041] In conjunction with the second aspect, in another possible implementation, when the aforementioned frequency domain resources include some or all of the subcarriers in the first carrier, the information of the frequency domain resources is the identification information of the second subcarrier group. The identification information of the second subcarrier group is used to indicate the position of the second subcarrier group in the total subcarrier group. The second subcarrier group includes multiple subcarriers, which belong to the first carrier.

[0042] This implementation allows the first device to effectively and accurately determine the second subcarrier group from the total subcarrier group, thereby determining which subcarriers in the first carrier group are scheduled or available. Furthermore, scheduling subcarriers using control information has a finer granularity than scheduling carriers using control information alone, which better matches the frequency domain fluctuations of the channel and improves link adaptive performance.

[0043] In conjunction with the second aspect, in another possible implementation, the aforementioned frequency domain resources include some or all subcarriers of each of multiple carriers, wherein the absolute difference between the signal-to-noise ratios corresponding to the multiple carriers does not exceed a first threshold, or the absolute difference between the modulation and coding scheme values ​​corresponding to the multiple carriers does not exceed a second threshold.

[0044] With this implementation, when each control information can be used to schedule multiple carriers, the differences between these multiple carriers are small, which can reduce the probability of transmission errors.

[0045] In conjunction with the second aspect, one possible implementation involves the following: when the aforementioned frequency domain resources include some or all subcarriers of each of multiple carriers, the information of the frequency domain resources includes identification information of the multiple carriers and identification information of subcarrier groups corresponding to each of the multiple carriers. The identification information of the subcarrier groups corresponding to each carrier is used to indicate at least one subcarrier group in the carrier. Alternatively, the aforementioned frequency domain resource information includes identification information of multiple carriers and indication information of subcarrier groups corresponding to each of the multiple carriers. The indication information of the subcarrier groups corresponding to each carrier is used to indicate whether each subcarrier group in that carrier is valid. This implementation allows the first device to accurately and effectively obtain which subcarriers among the scheduled multiple carriers can be used for subsequent communication.

[0046] In conjunction with the second aspect, in another possible implementation, where the aforementioned frequency domain resources include some or all subcarriers of each of multiple carriers, the information of the frequency domain resources is the identification information of a second subcarrier group. This identification information indicates the position of the second subcarrier group within the overall subcarrier group. The second subcarrier group includes multiple subcarriers, and these multiple subcarriers belong to the total number of carriers. In this possible implementation, the information of the overall subcarrier group can be indicated by higher-layer information (e.g., resource control signaling or radio resource control signaling).

[0047] This implementation allows the first device to effectively and accurately determine the second subcarrier group from the total subcarrier group, thereby determining which subcarriers among the multiple carriers scheduled by the control information are available. Furthermore, scheduling subcarriers using control information has a finer granularity than scheduling carriers using control information alone, which better matches the frequency domain fluctuations of the channel and improves link adaptive performance.

[0048] Thirdly, this application also provides a communication device, which is a first device or a chip corresponding to the first device. The communication device has the functions of implementing the first aspect and any of the possible embodiments described above. The communication device can be implemented in hardware or by hardware executing corresponding software. The hardware or software includes one or more units or modules corresponding to the above functions.

[0049] In one possible design, the communication device includes a processor configured to support the communication device in performing corresponding functions of the first device in the method described above. The communication device may also include a memory coupled to the processor, which stores necessary program instructions and data for the communication device. Optionally, the communication device further includes interface circuitry for supporting communication between the communication device and other communication devices, such as the transmission and reception of data or signals. Exemplarily, the communication interface may be a transceiver, circuit, bus, module, or other type of communication interface.

[0050] In one possible design, the communication device includes corresponding functional modules, each used to implement the steps in the above method. The functions can be implemented in hardware or by hardware executing corresponding software. The hardware or software includes one or more modules corresponding to the functions described above.

[0051] In one possible design, the communication device includes a processing unit and a communication unit, which can perform the corresponding functions in the above method examples, as described in the method provided in the first aspect, and will not be repeated here.

[0052] Fourthly, this application also provides a communication device, which is a second device or a chip corresponding to a second device. The communication device has the functions to implement the second aspect described above and any of the possible embodiments therein. The communication device can be implemented in hardware or by hardware executing corresponding software. The hardware or software includes one or more units or modules corresponding to the above functions.

[0053] In one possible design, the communication device includes a processor configured to support the communication device in performing corresponding functions of the second device in the method described above. The communication device may also include a memory coupled to the processor, which stores necessary program instructions and data for the communication device. Optionally, the communication device further includes interface circuitry for supporting communication between the communication device and other communication devices, such as the transmission and reception of data or signals. Exemplarily, the communication interface may be a transceiver, circuit, bus, module, or other type of communication interface.

[0054] In one possible design, the communication device includes corresponding functional modules, each used to implement the steps in the above method. The functions can be implemented in hardware or by hardware executing corresponding software. The hardware or software includes one or more modules corresponding to the functions described above.

[0055] In one possible design, the communication device includes a processing unit and a communication unit, which can perform the corresponding functions in the above method examples, as described in the method provided in the second aspect, and will not be repeated here.

[0056] Fifthly, a communication device is provided, including a processor and an interface circuit. The interface circuit is configured to receive signals from other communication devices outside the communication device and transmit them to the processor, or to send signals from the processor to other communication devices outside the communication device. The processor is configured to implement the methods of the first aspect and any of the possible implementations thereof through logic circuits or execution code instructions.

[0057] In a sixth aspect, a communication device is provided, including a processor and an interface circuit. The interface circuit is configured to receive signals from other communication devices outside the communication device and transmit them to the processor, or to send signals from the processor to other communication devices outside the communication device. The processor is configured to implement the methods of the second aspect and any of the possible implementations thereof through logic circuits or execution code instructions.

[0058] In a seventh aspect, a computer-readable storage medium is provided that stores a computer program or instructions which, when executed by a processor, implement the methods of any one of the first and second aspects and any possible implementation thereof.

[0059] Eighthly, a computer program product storing instructions is provided, which, when executed by a processor, implement the methods of the first and second aspects and any possible implementation thereof.

[0060] A ninth aspect provides a chip system including a processor and potentially a memory for implementing the methods of the first and second aspects and any possible embodiments thereof. The chip system may be composed of chips or may include chips and other discrete devices.

[0061] In a tenth aspect, a communication system is provided, the communication system comprising a first device and a second device, the first device being configured to implement the method as described in the first aspect above or any of the possible implementations thereof, and the second device being configured to implement the method as described in the second aspect above or any of the possible implementations thereof.

[0062] It should be noted that the technical effects that can be achieved by any of the third to tenth aspects or any of the third to tenth aspects can be referred to the description of the technical effects that can be achieved by any of the first and second aspects or any of the first and second aspects, which will not be repeated here. Attached Figure Description

[0063] Figure 1 is a schematic diagram of a communication system architecture to which the method of this application embodiment can be applied;

[0064] Figure 2 is a flowchart illustrating a communication method provided in an embodiment of this application;

[0065] Figure 3 is a schematic flowchart of a method according to one embodiment of this application;

[0066] Figure 4 is a schematic diagram of the correspondence between GCI, transport block and carrier in an embodiment of this application;

[0067] Figure 5 is a schematic diagram of a method flow of another embodiment provided in this application;

[0068] Figure 6 is a schematic flowchart of another embodiment of the method provided in this application;

[0069] Figure 7 is a schematic diagram of another correspondence between GCI, transport block, and carrier in an embodiment of this application;

[0070] Figure 8 is a schematic flowchart of another embodiment of the method provided in this application;

[0071] Figure 9 is a schematic diagram of the structure of a communication device according to an embodiment of this application;

[0072] Figure 10 is a schematic diagram of another communication device according to an embodiment of this application;

[0073] Figure 11 is a schematic diagram of a chip device structure according to an embodiment of this application. Detailed Implementation

[0074] The scenarios described in the embodiments of this application are for the purpose of more clearly illustrating the technical solutions of the embodiments of this application, and do not constitute a limitation on the technical solutions provided in the embodiments of this application. Obviously, the described embodiments are only some embodiments of the present invention, not all embodiments. Based on the embodiments in this application, all other embodiments obtained by those of ordinary skill in the art without creative effort are within the scope of protection of this application.

[0075] To better understand the solutions provided in the embodiments of this application, some terms, concepts, or processes involved in the embodiments of this application will be explained below. It should be noted that these explanations are intended to make the embodiments of this application easier to understand and should not be regarded as limiting the scope of protection claimed by this application.

[0076] 1) G symbol: A symbol used by a G node or G link to transmit information. Specifically, this symbol can be a unit of time-domain resources, and can also be called a time-domain symbol.

[0077] 2) T symbol: The symbol used by a T node or T link to send information.

[0078] 3) Transmit Time Interval (TTI): The time required for one transmit-receive interaction between the G node and the T node. It can include one or more radio frames, each containing N time-domain symbols; N is a positive integer. For example, when the subcarrier spacing is 120 kHz, the length of one radio frame can include 14 time-domain symbols, approximately 125 microseconds (μs). If it includes 8 radio frames, then one TTI is 1 millisecond (ms).

[0079] 4) Transmission direction:

[0080] Downlink: Sending information from network devices to terminal devices is called downlink, or sending information from the scheduling device to the scheduled device is called downlink, or sending information from the master node device to the slave node device is called downlink. Taking the 5th generation (5G) system as an example, sending information from the base station to the terminal is downlink; taking the StarScan system as an example, sending information from the G node to the T node is downlink.

[0081] Uplink: Sending information from a terminal device to a network device is called uplink, or sending information from a scheduled device to the device responsible for scheduling is called uplink, or sending information from a slave node device to a master node device is called uplink. Taking 5G as an example, sending information from a terminal to a base station is uplink; taking the StarScan system as an example, sending information from a T node to a G node is uplink.

[0082] 5) Radio frame: Radio frame can also be simply referred to as frame in the text, which includes multiple time-domain symbols.

[0083] 6) Superframe: A superframe consists of multiple radio frames, and its duration is usually 1ms.

[0084] 7) Carrier and Channel: A carrier and channel refer to a segment of spectrum resources. The concept of a channel is often used for spectrum resource allocation. One channel is typically 20 MHz. For example, in the 5.1 and 5.8 GHz unlicensed spectrum, a segment of spectrum resources is divided into multiple channels, each with a number, such as channel numbers 149, 153, 157, 161, 165, etc., and each channel has a bandwidth of 20 MHz.

[0085] For example, in this paper, if the bandwidth of one carrier and one channel are both 20MHz, they can be considered equivalent.

[0086] 8) Communication Domain: A communication domain consists of one master node (e.g., G node) and at least one slave node (e.g., T node), where the master node schedules the slave nodes to enable data transmission between nodes. In the StarSpark SLB1.0 protocol, the time-frequency resources used for communication between nodes in the communication domain are referred to as the communication domain.

[0087] In this embodiment of the application, it is assumed that communication domain a includes AP1 and STA1, but communication domain b does not include STA1. Therefore, for STA1, communication domain a can be referred to as this communication domain, while communication domain b can be referred to as other communication domains. Here, AP is short for access point, and STA is short for station.

[0088] It should be noted that in the embodiments of this application, "at least one" refers to one or more, and "more than one" refers to two or more. "And / or" describes the relationship between related objects, indicating that three relationships can exist. For example, A and / or B can represent: A alone, A and B simultaneously, or B alone, where A and B can be singular or plural. The character " / " generally indicates that the preceding and following related objects are in an "or" relationship. "At least one of the following" or similar expressions refer to any combination of these items, including any combination of single or plural items. For example, at least one of a, b, or c can represent: a, b, c, a and b, a and c, b and c, or a and b and c, where a, b, and c can be single or multiple.

[0089] Furthermore, unless otherwise stated, the ordinal numbers such as "first," "second," or "1," "2," etc. (except in special cases indicating numerical values) mentioned in the embodiments of this application are used to distinguish multiple objects and are not used to limit the size, content, order, timing, priority, or importance of multiple objects. For example, "first information" and "second information" are only used to distinguish different information and do not indicate that the size, priority, or importance of these two pieces of information are different.

[0090] It should be noted that, in this application, the terms "exemplary" or "for example" are used to indicate that something is being described as an example, illustration, or illustration. Any embodiment or design described as "exemplary" or "for example" in this application should not be construed as being more preferred or advantageous than other embodiments or design solutions. Specifically, the use of terms such as "exemplary" or "for example" is intended to present the relevant concepts in a concrete manner.

[0091] The terms "comprising" and "having," and any variations thereof, used in the following description of embodiments of this application are intended to cover non-exclusive inclusion. For example, a process, method, system, product, or device that includes a series of steps or units is not limited to the listed steps or units, but may optionally include other steps or units not listed, or may optionally include other steps or units inherent to these processes, methods, products, or devices. Furthermore, the term "for indicating" used in the description of embodiments of this application can include both direct and indirect indication. When describing an indication message for indicating A, it may include whether the indication message directly indicates A or indirectly indicates A, but does not necessarily mean that the indication message carries A.

[0092] The preceding text introduced some terms, concepts, or processes involved in the embodiments of this application. The following text introduces the application scenarios and devices involved in the embodiments of this application.

[0093] StarFlash technology, as an emerging short-range wireless technology, is currently undergoing standardization. It can be applied to smart offices, smart homes, smart cockpits, and other scenarios, supporting diverse services with low latency, high reliability, and high security. The StarFlash standard is currently evolving further, and technological upgrades will provide a better service experience. This new standard evolution requires more flexible support for resource scheduling and carrier aggregation technologies, which will help improve system performance.

[0094] In the Starflash system, the G node schedules the T node for data transmission and reception. The G node can send "Dynamic Scheduling Data Control Information" (GCI) to the T node to indicate the information required for the scheduled data. Specific information is shown in Table 1 below. In a single data transmission, the G node first notifies the T node via GCI which time-frequency resources it should use for data transmission and reception. The transmitted data is called a transport block (TB), and the size of the transport block is the number of information bits before channel coding.

[0095] Table 1 below shows the names of the various fields in GCI, their bit lengths, and their corresponding indications.

[0096] Table 1

[0097] In current technology, each time a G node schedules a T node, it transmits 1 TB and sends 1 GCI. The T node needs to blindly detect the GCI on the pre-configured time-frequency resources (or search space).

[0098] Within one transmission time interval (TTI), a G node may perform multiple scheduling operations for the same T node. The G node will send multiple GCIs to the T node. Therefore, the T node needs to detect the GCIs during each scheduling operation to obtain information such as the time and frequency resources for receiving data (corresponding to downlink) or sending data (corresponding to uplink).

[0099] Since the T node does not know the number of times it has been scheduled within the current TTI (or the number of times it needs to receive or send data within the current TTI), it can only determine the GCI by blindly checking all GCIs sent by the G node within the time-frequency resources carrying control information (or the search space). Typically, after the T node correctly decodes a GCI, it can correctly receive the GCI and determine that the GCI was sent by the G node only when the physical layer identifier contained in the cyclic redundancy check code of the GCI matches the physical layer identifier of the T node. Therefore, each blind check by the T node involves channel decoding and other operations. However, in this approach, the complexity of blind GCI checking by the T node is very high, which increases signal processing latency, resulting in low system communication efficiency. Furthermore, the T node consumes excessive energy for blind checking, which is detrimental to energy conservation.

[0100] Therefore, how to reduce the complexity of blind detection of control information in order to improve the efficiency of system communication has become an urgent problem to be solved.

[0101] To address the aforementioned issues, this application proposes a communication method and a communication device to reduce the complexity of blind detection of control information, thereby improving system communication efficiency and facilitating energy saving at the T-node. The method and device are based on the same inventive concept. Since the methods and devices solve problems based on similar principles, their implementations can be mutually referenced, and repeated details will not be elaborated further.

[0102] This application primarily uses short-range wireless communication scenarios as an example for illustration. Those skilled in the art will readily understand that the various aspects involved in this application can be extended to other communication scenarios or networks employing various standards or protocols, such as high-performance radio local area networks (HIPERLANs), wireless wide area networks (WWANs), wireless personal area networks (WPANs), or other currently known or future-developed networks. Therefore, regardless of the coverage area and wireless access protocol used, the various aspects provided in this application can be applied to any suitable wireless network.

[0103] The technical solutions of this application embodiment can also be applied to various communication systems or networks, such as: WLAN communication systems, Wireless Fidelity (Wi-Fi) systems, Long Term Evolution (LTE) systems, LTE Frequency Division Duplex (FDD) systems, LTE Time Division Duplex (TDD) systems, Universal Mobile Telecommunication System (UMTS) systems, Worldwide Interoperability for Microwave Access (WiMAX) communication systems, 5th Generation (5G) systems or New Radio (NR) systems, Future Communications systems, Internet of Things (IoT) networks, or Vehicle-to-Everything (V2X) networks, etc. The communication systems applicable to this application described above are merely illustrative examples; the application is not limited to these examples. These examples are uniformly described here and will not be repeated below.

[0104] This application can support Spark Link / NearLink standard protocols, as well as IEEE protocols such as IEEE 802.11be / Wi-Fi 7 / EHT, IEEE 802.11bn / UHR / Wi-Fi 8, IEEE Integrated mmWave / IMMW, IEEE 802.15 / UWB, or IEEE 802.11bf / sensing.

[0105] For example, Figure 1 is a diagram of a StarNet network architecture applicable to embodiments of this application. Referring to Figure 1, taking an example where the network architecture includes one G node and its served T nodes, the G node serving the T node can be understood as the G node providing network access and other services to the T node. The G node can communicate with several T nodes it serves. Furthermore, embodiments of this application can also be applied to communication between G nodes. For example, the various G nodes can communicate with each other through a distributed system (DS). Embodiments of this application can also be applied to communication between G nodes. It should be understood that the number of G nodes and T nodes in Figure 1 is merely an example, and there can be more or fewer.

[0106] The network architecture shown in Figure 1 above does not constitute a limitation on the network architecture applicable to the embodiments of this application. The embodiments of this application can also be applied to WLAN network architectures, such as those including APs and STAs, where APs can provide services such as network access to stations. The number of APs and STAs is not specifically limited.

[0107] Access points are devices that allow terminal devices (such as mobile phones) to access wired (or wireless) networks. They are primarily deployed in homes, buildings, and campuses, with a typical coverage radius of tens to hundreds of meters. They can also be deployed outdoors. An access point acts as a bridge between wired and wireless networks, connecting various wireless network clients and then connecting the wireless network to the Ethernet. Specifically, access points can be terminal devices (such as mobile phones) or network devices (such as routers) with Wi-Fi chips, or wireless communication chips, wireless sensors, or wireless communication terminals with access point functionality. Access points can be devices that support the 802.11be standard. They can also be devices that support various wireless local area networks (WLAN) standards within the 802.11 family, including 802.11ax, 802.11ac, 802.11ad, 802.11ay, 802.11n, 802.11g, 802.11b, 802.11a, and 802.11be next-generation.

[0108] A site can be a wireless communication chip, wireless sensor, or wireless communication terminal, and can also be referred to as a user. For example, a site can be a mobile phone supporting Wi-Fi communication, a tablet computer supporting Wi-Fi communication, a set-top box supporting Wi-Fi communication, a smart TV supporting Wi-Fi communication, a smart wearable device supporting Wi-Fi communication, an in-vehicle communication device supporting Wi-Fi communication, and a computer supporting Wi-Fi communication, etc. Optionally, the site can support the 802.11be standard. The site can also support various wireless local area network (WLAN) standards of the 802.11 family, such as 802.11ax, 802.11ac, 802.11n, 802.11g, 802.11b, 802.11a, and 802.11be next generation.

[0109] For example, access points and sites can be devices used in the Internet of Vehicles (IoV), IoT nodes and sensors in the Internet of Things (IoT), smart cameras, smart remote controls, smart water and electricity meters in smart homes, and sensors in smart cities.

[0110] The AP and STA involved in the embodiments of this application can be APs and STAs that comply with the IEEE 802.11 system standard. An AP is a device deployed in a wireless communication network to provide wireless communication functions for its associated STAs. The AP can serve as the hub of the communication system and is typically a network-side product that supports the MAC and PHY of the 802.11 system standard. Examples include base stations, routers, gateways, repeaters, communication servers, switches, or bridges. The base station can include various forms of macro base stations, micro base stations, repeater stations, etc. For ease of description, the devices mentioned above are collectively referred to as APs. STAs are typically terminal products that support the 802.11 system standard's Media Access Control (MAC) and Physical Layer (PHY), such as mobile phones and laptops.

[0111] In this application, "network architecture" can be used interchangeably with "communication system".

[0112] The method provided in this application is also applicable to various wireless communication systems, such as Wi-Fi systems, 5G communication systems, or various future mobile communication systems, and this application does not limit it.

[0113] The communication system architecture or network architecture and business scenarios described in the embodiments of this application are for the purpose of more clearly illustrating the technical solutions of the embodiments of this application, and do not constitute a limitation on the technical solutions provided in the embodiments of this application. As those skilled in the art will know, with the evolution of communication system or network architecture and the emergence of new business scenarios, the technical solutions provided in the embodiments of this application can also be applied to similar technical problems.

[0114] Unless otherwise specified in this document, the terms "first device" and "second device" are used to describe the implementing entities.

[0115] The first device can be an entity capable of transmitting and / or receiving signals and having management functions. For example, the first device can be a network device (e.g., a base station) in a wireless communication network, an access station (e.g., an AP or AP multi-link device (MLD)) in a Wi-Fi network, a G node or master node in a StarNet network, etc. The second device can be any type of terminal capable of transmitting and / or receiving signals. For example, the second device can be a terminal device in a wireless communication network, a station (e.g., a Non-AP STA or Non-AP MLD) in a Wi-Fi network, a T node or slave node in a StarNet network, etc. The terminal can be a user equipment for machine-type communications, a cockpit domain controller (CDC), a fifth-generation mobile communication terminal, or other types of terminals, etc.

[0116] Alternatively, the first device can be any type of terminal capable of transmitting and / or receiving signals. For example, the first device can be a terminal device in a wireless communication network, a station in a Wi-Fi network (such as a Non-AP STA or Non-AP MLD), a T-node in a StarNet network, or a slave node. For instance, the terminal can be a user equipment for machine-type communications, a CDC, a fifth-generation mobile communication terminal, or other types of terminals, etc. The second device can be an entity capable of transmitting and / or receiving signals and having management functions. For example, the second device can be a network device in a wireless communication network (such as a base station), an access station in a Wi-Fi network (such as an AP or AP MLD), a G-node in a StarNet network, or a master node.

[0117] In the above, CDC can be abbreviated as vehicle infotainment system. Currently, in addition to traditional functions such as radio, music playback, and navigation, vehicle infotainment systems now have cellular communication capabilities (3G, 4G, etc.). They can be combined with the vehicle's controller area network (CAN)-bus (BUS) technology to enable information communication between people and vehicles, and between vehicles and the outside world, thereby enhancing user experience and providing service and safety-related functions.

[0118] In the above, master nodes and slave nodes refer to two types of nodes distinguished by their logical functions. The master node manages the slave nodes and has the function of allocating resources, being responsible for allocating resources to the slave nodes. The slave nodes communicate using the resources allocated by the master node according to its scheduling. Nodes can be various devices; for example, the master node could be a mobile phone, and the slave node could be a headset. The mobile phone and headset establish a communication connection to achieve data interaction. The mobile phone manages the headset, and the mobile phone has the function of allocating resources to the headset.

[0119] The above description of "first device" and "second device" is exemplary. As the communication scenarios or systems in which the technical solutions of the embodiments of this application are applied change, the first device and the second device may have other names, which will not be listed one by one in this application.

[0120] In the following text, "first device" can be replaced with "first node", "first communication device", "terminal node", "terminal equipment", etc., and "second device" can be replaced with "second node", "second communication device", "management node", "network equipment", etc.

[0121] In this application, "send" and "receive" refer to the direction of information / data / signal transmission. For example, "send information to XX" can be understood as the destination of the information being XX, and "send information" can include direct transmission or indirect transmission through other units or modules. "Receive information from YY" can be understood as the source of the information being YY, and "receive information" can include direct reception from YY or indirect reception from YY through other units or modules. Furthermore, "send" can also be understood as the "output" of a chip interface, and "receive" can be understood as the "input" of a chip interface. In other words, "send" or "receive" can occur between nodes / devices, such as a base station and a terminal transmitting or receiving data via an air interface. "Send" or "receive" can also occur within a device, such as between components, modules, chips, software modules, or hardware modules within the device via a bus, wiring, or interface.

[0122] It should be understood that the names of the messages (or information) in the following processes in this application are merely examples. As communication technology evolves, the names of the messages (or information, etc.) in the following processes may change. However, regardless of how the names change, as long as their meaning is the same as the function or meaning of the messages (or information, etc.) in this application, they all fall within the protection scope of this application. For example, "first information" can be replaced with "GCI" or "higher-level information," etc.

[0123] The solutions of the embodiments of this application will be described below.

[0124] This application provides a communication method, which can be applied to, but is not limited to, the network architecture shown in Figure 1. The method can be executed by a first device (or a second device), by a module of the first device (or the second device) (e.g., a processor, chip, or chip system), or by a logical node, logical module, or software capable of implementing all or part of the functions of the first device (or the second device). Furthermore, this application does not specifically limit the specific structure and number of the execution entities (first device, second device) of the method provided in this application, as long as communication can be performed by running a program that records the code of the method provided in this application. For ease of description, the interaction between the first device and the second device is used as an example in the following description. The order of steps in the following processes is merely an example; in actual applications, the execution order of steps in each process can be adjusted, and all or part of the following steps can be executed adaptively.

[0125] Referring to Figure 2, the method provided in this application embodiment may include the following:

[0126] S201: The second device determines the number of control information to be received by the first device.

[0127] For example, the type of control information in the embodiments of this application may be GCI.

[0128] S202: The second device sends the first information, and correspondingly, the first device receives the first information.

[0129] The first information includes indication information, which is used to indicate the number of control information to be received by the first device.

[0130] In one possible implementation, the number of control information to be received by the first device is the number of control information to be received by the first device within a transmission time interval.

[0131] S203: The first device determines the number of control information to be received by the first device based on the instruction information in the first information.

[0132] In this application embodiment, the above S202 and S203 can be implemented in several ways, including but not limited to the following:

[0133] In Method 1, the first information is control information, and the indication information in the first information is an index of the number of control information to be received by the first device. The index indicates an element in the set of control information quantities.

[0134] Regarding method one, in one possible implementation, the method of this application embodiment further includes: the second device sending second information to the first device, and correspondingly, the first device receiving the second information, wherein the second information includes a set of control information quantities.

[0135] Based on the indication information, the first device determines the number of control information to be received, which may include: the first device determining the number of control information to be received based on the set and index of the number of control information.

[0136] In one possible implementation, the second information mentioned above is higher-level information. For example, it could be X resource control (XRC) or radio resource control (RRC).

[0137] Method 2: The first information is control information, and the number of control information to be received by the first device is the number of control information sent by the second device to the first device within a transmission time interval.

[0138] For example, the first device is terminal T node #1, and the second device is management G node #1. If the multiple T nodes served by management G node #1 include terminal T node #1 and terminal T node #2, the number of control messages to be received by terminal T node #1 refers to the number of control messages that management G node #1 needs to send to terminal T node #1 within one transmission time interval, excluding the number of control messages that management G node #1 sends to terminal T node #2.

[0139] Method 3: The first piece of information is high-level information.

[0140] Regarding method three, in one possible implementation, the method in this embodiment further includes: the first device receiving control information based on the quantity of control information to be received. Optionally, this implementation can be performed after the first information transmission.

[0141] In one possible implementation, the control information received by the first device from the second device includes third information, which is used to indicate the frequency domain resources that the second device schedules for the first device within a transmission time interval.

[0142] In this application embodiment, the frequency domain resources scheduled by the second device for the first device within a transmission time interval may fall into the following categories:

[0143] Case 1: The frequency domain resource includes some or all of the subcarriers in the first carrier.

[0144] In one possible implementation of scenario 1, the information of the frequency domain resource includes identification information of the first carrier and identification information of the first subcarrier group, wherein the identification information of the first subcarrier group is used to indicate the position of at least one subcarrier group in the first carrier.

[0145] For example, the identification information of the first carrier may be the index of the first carrier or an identifier ID, etc. The identification information of the first subcarrier group may include the number of at least one subcarrier group in the first carrier or an identifier ID, etc.

[0146] For example, the aforementioned frequency domain resource is the first subcarrier group in the first carrier; if the first carrier includes 13 subcarrier groups, the 13 subcarrier groups are numbered 0 to 12, and the first subcarrier group is numbered 1. Then the information of this frequency domain resource includes the index of the first carrier (an example of the identification information of the first carrier) and the information of the number 1 of the first subcarrier group (an example of the identification information of the first subcarrier group).

[0147] In another possible implementation for scenario 1, the information of the frequency domain resource includes the identification information of the first carrier and the indication information of each subcarrier group in the first carrier. The indication information of each subcarrier group in the first carrier is used to indicate whether the subcarrier group is valid, that is, whether the first device can use the subcarrier group.

[0148] In another possible implementation of scenario 1, the information of the frequency domain resource includes the identification information of the second subcarrier group, which indicates the position of the second subcarrier group within the overall subcarrier group. In scenario 1, the subcarriers in this second subcarrier group belong to the first carrier.

[0149] For example, if the total number of available carriers in the current system is M, all subcarriers of the M carriers are grouped into K subcarrier groups, and each of the K subcarrier groups is assigned a number from 0 to K-1; M and K are positive integers. If the aforementioned frequency domain resource is at least one subcarrier in the first carrier group, and this at least one subcarrier is located in the second subcarrier group, and the second subcarrier group is numbered 2 among the K subcarrier groups, then the information of this frequency domain resource includes the information of subcarrier group number 2.

[0150] Case 2: The frequency domain resource includes some or all subcarriers of each of the multiple carriers.

[0151] For scenario 2, in one possible implementation, the absolute difference between the signal-to-noise ratios corresponding to the multiple carriers does not exceed a first threshold, or the absolute difference between the modulation and coding scheme values ​​corresponding to the multiple carriers does not exceed a second threshold.

[0152] Regarding scenario 2, in one possible implementation, the information of the frequency domain resource includes identification information of multiple carriers and identification information of subcarrier groups corresponding to each carrier among the multiple carriers. The identification information of the subcarrier groups corresponding to each carrier is used to indicate at least one subcarrier group in that carrier; each subcarrier group includes at least one subcarrier.

[0153] For example, the frequency domain resources scheduled by the control information mentioned above include some or all subcarriers of each of two carriers, referred to as carrier 0 and carrier 2 respectively. The subcarriers in each carrier are grouped, and each grouped carrier includes at least one subcarrier group. Then, the information of this frequency domain resource includes the index of carrier 0 and the index of carrier 2, as well as the identification information of the available subcarrier groups in carrier 0 and carrier 2.

[0154] For example, for each carrier in carrier 0 and carrier 2, the subcarriers are grouped, with carrier 0 comprising at least one subcarrier group and carrier 2 also comprising at least one subcarrier group. If the frequency domain resources scheduled by the above control information include subcarrier group #1 in carrier 0 and subcarrier group #2 in carrier 2, then the information of this frequency shift resource includes the index of carrier 0 and the number of subcarrier group #1 in carrier 0, and the index of carrier 2 and the number of subcarrier group #2 in carrier 2.

[0155] In another possible implementation for scenario 2, the information of the frequency domain resource includes the identification information of the multiple carriers and the indication information of the subcarrier group corresponding to each of the multiple carriers. The indication information of the subcarrier group corresponding to each carrier is used to indicate whether each subcarrier group in the carrier is valid, that is, whether the first device can use the subcarrier group; wherein, each subcarrier group includes at least one subcarrier.

[0156] For example, the frequency domain resources scheduled by the control information mentioned above include some or all subcarriers of each of two carriers, referred to as carrier 0 and carrier 2 respectively. The subcarriers in each carrier are grouped, and each grouped carrier includes at least one subcarrier group. Then, the information of this frequency domain resource includes the index of carrier 0 and the index of carrier 2, as well as indication information of each subcarrier group in carrier 0 and each subcarrier group in carrier 2. The indication information of each subcarrier group in carrier 0 is used to indicate whether the subcarrier group is available or valid, and the indication information of each subcarrier group in carrier 2 is used to indicate whether the subcarrier group is available or valid.

[0157] For example, if the aforementioned frequency domain resources include subcarrier group #1 in carrier 0 and subcarrier #2 in carrier 2, then the information of these frequency domain resources includes the index of carrier 0 and indication information for all subcarrier groups in carrier 0, as well as the index of carrier 2 and indication information for all subcarrier groups in carrier 2. Specifically, the indication information for subcarrier group #1 in carrier 0 indicates that subcarrier group #1 is valid or available, while the indication information for other subcarrier groups in carrier 0 indicates that they are invalid or unavailable. Similarly, the indication information for subcarrier group #2 in carrier 2 indicates that subcarrier group #2 is valid or available, while the indication information for other subcarrier groups in carrier 2 indicates that they are invalid or unavailable.

[0158] In another possible implementation for scenario 2, the information of the frequency domain resource is the identification information of the second subcarrier group. The identification information of the second subcarrier group is used to indicate the position of the second subcarrier group in the total subcarrier group. The second subcarrier group includes multiple subcarriers, and the multiple subcarriers belong to the multiple carriers scheduled according to the above control information.

[0159] For example, if the total number of available carriers in the current system is M, all subcarriers of the M carriers are grouped into K subcarrier groups, and each of the K subcarrier groups is assigned a number from 0 to K; M and K are positive integers. If the aforementioned frequency domain resource is at least one subcarrier of the first carrier and at least one subcarrier of the second carrier, and at least one subcarrier of the first carrier and at least one subcarrier of the second carrier are located in the second subcarrier group, and the number of the second subcarrier group is 2 among the numberings of the K subcarrier groups, then the information of this frequency domain resource includes the information of the number 2 of the second subcarrier group.

[0160] Regarding scenarios 1 and 2 above, in one possible implementation, the information of the total subcarrier group is indicated by higher-layer information. For example, the higher-layer information is resource control signaling or radio resource control signaling.

[0161] Based on the above scheme, the first device receives the first information from the second device, and then determines the number of control information it needs to receive based on the indication information in the first information. In this way, the first device can receive the control information sent by the second device according to the number of control information it needs to receive, which helps avoid the first device blindly detecting all the control information sent by the second device. This effectively reduces the latency caused by blind detection of control information by the first device, improves the efficiency of subsequent communication, and also avoids the additional energy consumption incurred by the first device due to blind detection, thus contributing to energy saving for the first device.

[0162] The following section uses the scheme shown in Figure 2 applied to the network architecture shown in Figure 1 as an example, and provides a detailed introduction to the scheme shown in Figure 2 through several specific implementation methods.

[0163] Implementation Method 1:

[0164] In Embodiment 1, based on the scheme shown in Figure 2 above, taking the first device as node G in Figure 1 and the second device as node T #1 in Figure 1 as an example, and taking the first information sent by the second device to the first device as control information (hereinafter referred to as the first GCI), the control information includes indication information of the number of GCIs. The scheme of this embodiment is described in detail below. Referring to Figure 3, the method flow of Embodiment 1 includes the following steps:

[0165] S300: Node G sends the first resource control signaling to Node T #1 (an example of high-level information in the scheme shown in Figure 2 above). Accordingly, Node T #1 receives the first resource control signaling.

[0166] For information on the first resource control signaling, please refer to the introduction of the resource control signaling XRC in the current technology; it will not be elaborated here.

[0167] S301: The G node determines the number of GCIs that need to be sent to the T node #1 within the first TTI.

[0168] In one possible implementation, the G node determines the number of GCIs that need to be sent to the T node within the first TTI based on the current channel quality and / or the type of service data.

[0169] S302: Node G sends the first GCI to node T #1 (an example of the first information in the scheme shown in Figure 2 above), and correspondingly, node T #1 receives the first GCI.

[0170] The first GCI includes GCI quantity indication information (an example of the indication information in the first information in the scheme shown in Figure 2 above). The GCI quantity indication information is used to indicate the number of GCIs that T node #1 needs to receive in the first TTI.

[0171] In the embodiments of this application, the number of GCIs that T node #1 needs to receive in the first TTI refers to the number of GCIs that T node #1 needs to receive from the G node corresponding to this communication domain in the first TTI, excluding the number of GCIs received from other G nodes.

[0172] S303: T node #1 determines the number of blind-detected GCIs in the first TTI based on the indication information of the number of GCIs in the first GCI (an example of the number of control information to be received by the first device in the scheme shown in Figure 2 above).

[0173] For example, when executing S302-S303, it can be implemented in the following ways:

[0174] Method 1: The first GCI includes an indication of the number of GCIs. This indication is N bits long and is used to indicate the number of GCIs that node T#1 needs to receive within the first TTI. Therefore, node T#1 can determine the number of GCIs it needs to blindly detect within the first TTI based on this N-bit indication. N is a positive integer.

[0175] For example, when N=1, the first GCI includes 1 bit of indication information. If the value of this 1 bit is 0, then this 1 bit of indication information is used to indicate that the number of GCIs that node T#1 needs to receive in the first TTI is 1; thus, node T#1 determines that it needs to blindly detect 1 GCI in the first TTI.

[0176] If the value corresponding to this 1 bit is 1, then this 1 bit of indication information is used to indicate that the number of GCIs that T node #1 needs to receive in the first TTI is 2. Therefore, T node #1 determines that it needs to blindly detect 2 GCIs in the first TTI.

[0177] For example, when N=2, the first GCI includes 2 bits of indication information.

[0178] If the value of these 2 bits is 1, then these 2 bits indicate that node T #1 needs to receive 1 GCI within the first TTI. Therefore, node T #1 determines that it needs to blindly detect 1 GCI within the first TTI.

[0179] If the value corresponding to these 2 bits is 2, then these 2 bits indicate that node T #1 needs to receive 2 GCIs within the first TTI. Therefore, node T #1 determines that it needs to blindly detect 2 GCIs within the first TTI.

[0180] If the value corresponding to these 2 bits is 3, then these 2 bits indicate that node T #1 needs to receive 3 GCIs within the first TTI. Therefore, node T #1 determines that it needs to blindly detect 3 GCIs within the first TTI.

[0181] If the value corresponding to these 2 bits is 4, then these 2 bits are used to indicate that node T #1 needs to receive 4 GCIs within the first TTI. Therefore, node T #1 determines that it needs to blindly detect 4 GCIs within the first TTI.

[0182] Method 2: The first GCI includes GCI quantity indication information. The GCI quantity indication information is used to indicate the index corresponding to the number of GCIs that T node #1 needs to receive in the first TTI within the GCI quantity set.

[0183] In one possible implementation of this second method, in S303 above, the first resource control signaling sent by node G to node T#1 carries a set of GCI quantities. The set of GCI quantities can be configured by node G, agreed upon or negotiated by both parties, or stipulated in the protocol; there are no restrictions on this.

[0184] Therefore, node T#1 can determine the number of blind GCIs it needs to receive in the first TTI based on the index corresponding to the number of GCIs it needs to receive in the first TTI, as well as the set of GCIs.

[0185] In one possible implementation, the quantities in the GCI quantity set can be consecutive numerical values.

[0186] For example, the GCI quantity set is {1, 2, 3, 4}. The GCI quantity indication information occupies 2 bits and is used to indicate the index corresponding to the number of GCIs that T node #1 needs to receive within the first TTI.

[0187] If the value corresponding to these 2 bits is 1, it indicates that the index corresponding to the number of GCIs that T node #1 needs to receive in the first TTI is 1. Then the number of GCIs that T node #1 needs to receive in the first TTI is the first element 1 in the GCI quantity set.

[0188] If the value corresponding to these 2 bits is 2, it indicates that the index corresponding to the number of GCIs that T node #1 needs to receive in the first TTI is 2. Then the number of GCIs that T node #1 needs to receive in the first TTI is the second element 2 in the GCI quantity set.

[0189] If the value corresponding to these 2 bits is 3, it indicates that the index corresponding to the number of GCIs that T node #1 needs to receive in the first TTI is 3. Therefore, the number of GCIs that T node #1 needs to receive in the first TTI is the 3rd element 3 in the GCI quantity set.

[0190] If the value corresponding to these 2 bits is 4, it indicates that the index corresponding to the number of GCIs that T node #1 needs to receive in the first TTI is 4. Therefore, the number of GCIs that T node #1 needs to receive in the first TTI is the 4th element 4 in the GCI quantity set.

[0191] In another possible implementation, the quantities in the GCI quantity set can be non-continuous values ​​or arithmetic progression values.

[0192] For example, the GCI quantity set is {1, 2, 4, 6}. The GCI quantity indication information occupies 2 bits and is used to indicate the index corresponding to the number of GCIs that T node #1 needs to receive in the first TTI.

[0193] If the value corresponding to these 2 bits is 1, it indicates that the index corresponding to the number of GCIs that T node #1 needs to receive in the first TTI is 1. Then the number of GCIs that T node #1 needs to receive in the first TTI is the first element 1 in the GCI quantity set.

[0194] If the value corresponding to these 2 bits is 2, it indicates that the index corresponding to the number of GCIs that T node #1 needs to receive in the first TTI is 2. Then the number of GCIs that T node #1 needs to receive in the first TTI is the second element 2 in the GCI quantity set.

[0195] If the value corresponding to these 2 bits is 3, it indicates that the index corresponding to the number of GCIs that T node #1 needs to receive in the first TTI is 3. Then the number of GCIs that T node #1 needs to receive in the first TTI is the 3rd element 4 in the GCI quantity set.

[0196] If the value corresponding to these 2 bits is 4, it indicates that the index corresponding to the number of GCIs that T node #1 needs to receive in the first TTI is 4. Then the number of GCIs that T node #1 needs to receive in the first TTI is the 4th element 6 in the GCI quantity set.

[0197] In this first implementation, if node T #1 needs to receive multiple GCIs from node G within the first TTI, each GCI can carry an indication of the number of GCIs in the same manner as the first GCI. Alternatively, some of the GCIs can carry the indication of the number of GCIs in the same manner as the first GCI, or only the first GCI can carry the indication of the number of GCIs; there are no restrictions on this. Furthermore, the aforementioned first GCI is not limited to the first GCI sent by node G to node T #1 within the first TTI. That is, the first GCI can be the first GCI sent by node G to node T #1 within the first TTI, or it can be any one of the multiple GCIs sent by node G to node T #1 within the first TTI.

[0198] If the indication information of the number of GCIs in the first GCI indicates that the number of GCIs that T node #1 needs to receive in the first TTI is 1, then the first GCI can be the first GCI, and T node #1 stops detection after receiving the first GCI.

[0199] In this way, node T #1 determines the number of GCIs it needs to blindly detect based on the indication information of the number of GCIs in the first GCI, and then determines the number of GCIs that still need to be received / blindly detected after the first GCI, so as to decide when to stop detecting GCIs and avoid generating additional power consumption waste.

[0200] S304: If the number of GCIs detected and received by node T#1 does not reach the number of GCIs blindly detected by node T#1 within the first TTI, node T#1 continues to detect and receive GCIs.

[0201] S305: When the number of GCIs detected and received by node T#1 reaches the number of GCIs blindly detected by node T#1 within the first TTI, node T#1 stops detecting and receiving GCIs.

[0202] If the aforementioned T node #1 determines that the number of GCIs to be blindly detected in the first TTI is 1 based on the indication information of the number of GCIs in the first GCI, then once T node #1 detects the first GCI, it will stop detecting and will not continue detecting.

[0203] S306: Node T #1 determines the frequency domain resource based on at least one GCI detected and received (including the first GCI), and performs data transmission and reception on the frequency domain resource.

[0204] In this embodiment of the application, the G node can send a GCI to the T node #1 according to the resource scheduling result. The GCI includes a frequency domain resource field, which is used to indicate the information of the frequency domain resources scheduled by the G node for the T node #1 within the first TTI.

[0205] In Implementation Method 1, the G node can schedule each carrier individually. That is, for each carrier scheduled, the G node can transmit one GCI and schedule one TB, and can also employ different modulation and coding schemes (MCS). Therefore, the resources of the GCI and carrier in Implementation Method 1 can be understood as a one-to-one correspondence. For example, referring to Figure 4, GCI1 corresponds to scheduling some or all of the subcarrier resources in TB1 and carrier 1, GCI2 corresponds to scheduling some or all of the subcarrier resources in TB2 and carrier 2, and GCI3 corresponds to scheduling some or all of the subcarrier resources in TB3 and carrier 3.

[0206] For example, taking the inclusion of the frequency domain resource field in the first GCI as an example, the following describes how to use the frequency domain resource field to indicate information about the frequency domain resources scheduled by the G node for the T node #1 within the first TTI:

[0207] Method a: If the frequency domain resource scheduled by node G for node T #1 within the first TTI is the first subcarrier group in the total subcarrier group, then the frequency domain resource field is used to indicate the number of the first subcarrier group.

[0208] In one possible implementation, the frequency domain resource field in the first GCI can be indicated using a bitmap to indicate the subcarrier group.

[0209] For example, if the current system has M available carriers, divide the M carriers into K subcarrier groups, then number the K subcarrier groups and assign a corresponding number to each subcarrier group; K is a positive integer. For example, K = 16, which means dividing all the subcarriers of the M carriers into 16 subcarrier groups, and assigning corresponding numbers from 0 to 15 to the 16 subcarrier groups.

[0210] For example, the available system bandwidth currently includes M carriers or channels with a bandwidth of 20MHz. These M carriers are divided into K subcarrier groups, which are then numbered, and each subcarrier group is assigned a corresponding number. For instance, if K=16, all subcarriers of the M carriers are divided into 16 subcarrier groups, and each of the 16 subcarrier groups is assigned a number from 0 to 15.

[0211] Based on the above, the bitmap length of the frequency domain resource field in the first GCI can be designed to be K bits. Each of the K bits can be used to indicate the allocation of K subcarriers. For example, regarding one bit, if the value of that bit is 1, it indicates that the corresponding subcarrier group is allocated to node T#1, meaning the corresponding subcarrier group is valid for node T#1. If the value of that bit is 0, it indicates that the corresponding subcarrier group is not allocated to node T#1, meaning the corresponding subcarrier group is invalid for node T#1.

[0212] Regarding the allocation situation shown in Figure 4, since one GCI schedule corresponds to part or all of the frequency domain resources in a certain carrier.

[0213] For example, node G schedules the first subcarrier group for node T#1 within the first TTI. The subcarriers in the first subcarrier group belong to carrier 1. The number of the first subcarrier group is 2, and number 2 is the number of the above K=16 subcarrier groups.

[0214] In one possible implementation, before S301, the method further includes: node G sending a second resource control signaling to node T#1. This second resource control signaling indicates that the number of carriers currently available in the system is M, where M can be 1, 2, 4, 5, 8, 10, 16, etc. In this embodiment, the second resource control signaling and the first resource control signaling in S300 may be the same signaling, different signaling, or both may be in the same message; no specific limitation is imposed.

[0215] Method b: If the frequency domain resource scheduled by node G for node T #1 within the first TTI is the second subcarrier group in the first carrier, then the frequency domain resource field is used to indicate the index of the first carrier and the corresponding number of the second subcarrier group in the first carrier.

[0216] In one possible implementation, the frequency domain resource field in the first GCI includes N1 bits of information and N2 bits of information. The N1 bits of information indicate the index of the first carrier, and the N2 bits of information indicate the number corresponding to the second subcarrier group. This number is the internal number of the carrier indicated by the N1 bits, with the starting point being the indicated carrier, not the starting point of the M carriers. N1 and N2 are positive integers.

[0217] For example, let M = 5, N1 = 3, N2 = 13. This means the current system has 5 available carriers, each containing 13 subcarrier groups. The frequency domain resource field in the first GCI includes 3 bits and 13 bits of information. The 3 bits indicate the index of the first carrier, and the 13 bits, using a bitmap, can be applied one-to-one to indicate the allocation of the 13 subcarrier groups within the first carrier. For instance, for any one bit, if the value is 0, it means the corresponding subcarrier group has not been allocated to node T#1, i.e., the corresponding subcarrier group is invalid or unavailable for node T#1. If the value is 1, it means the corresponding subcarrier group has been allocated to node T#1, i.e., the corresponding subcarrier group is valid or unavailable for node T#1.

[0218] Using method b described above, for each carrier, its subcarriers are divided into at least one subcarrier group, allowing node G to allocate a subcarrier group from a specific carrier to node T#1. This granularity of subcarrier group division is smaller than that of carrier division, enabling better matching of channel frequency selectivity.

[0219] For example, when one channel is 20MHz and the subcarrier spacing is 120kHz, the number of subcarriers available in one channel is 160 (excluding DC subcarriers and subcarriers in the user guard interval).

[0220] When using method a above, let M=4 and K=16. If the subcarriers within the 4 carriers are uniformly divided into 16 subcarrier groups, then each subcarrier group contains 40 subcarriers.

[0221] When using method b above, let N1 = 3 and N2 = 13. For each carrier, each carrier contains 13 subcarrier groups, and each subcarrier group contains 12 to 13 subcarriers. It can be seen that the granularity of the division is finer.

[0222] In S300-S306 above, the interaction between G node and T node #1 is used as an example to introduce the solution of the embodiment of this application. The interaction between the G node and other T nodes it serves (such as T node #2 or T node #3, etc.) can be implemented with reference to S300-S306 above, and will not be described in detail here.

[0223] In Implementation Method 1, after the G node determines the number of carriers and GCIs that the T node needs to schedule within a corresponding TTI, it can carry an indication of the number of GCIs in the GCI. Upon receiving the GCI, the T node can determine the number of GCIs it needs to detect within the first TTI based on the GCI count indication, and then promptly stop detecting GCIs upon receiving that number, avoiding blindly detecting all GCIs. Therefore, this method not only reduces signal processing latency in the system and improves the communication efficiency of subsequent T nodes, but also reduces the energy consumption of the T nodes, thus promoting energy conservation.

[0224] Implementation Method Two:

[0225] Compared to Implementation Method 1, the main difference in Implementation Method 2 is that, taking the first information sent by the second device to the first device as higher-level information (hereinafter referred to as the first resource control signaling) as an example, that is, the G node sends higher-level information to the T node #1, which includes indication information of the number of GCIs. Referring to Figure 5, the method flow of Implementation Method 2 includes the following steps:

[0226] S500: Node G sends a first resource control signaling message to Node T #1 (an example of the first information in the scheme shown in Figure 2 above); correspondingly, Node T #1 receives the first resource control signaling message. The first resource control signaling message includes an indication of the number of GCIs, which instructs Node G to configure Node T #1 to blindly detect the maximum number of GCIs within the first TTI.

[0227] S501: G node determines the number of GCIs that need to be sent to T node #1 within the current first TTI.

[0228] The above S501 can be described with reference to the above S301, and will not be repeated here.

[0229] S502: Node G sends GCI to Node T #1 (an example of control information in the scheme shown in Figure 2 above); correspondingly, Node T #1 receives GCI.

[0230] S503: When the number of GCIs detected and received by node T#1 does not reach the maximum number of GCIs that node T#1 can blindly detect, it continues to detect and receive GCIs.

[0231] S504: When the number of GCIs detected and received by node T#1 reaches the maximum number of blind GCIs detected by node T#1, node T#1 stops detecting and receiving GCIs.

[0232] S505: Node T #1 determines the frequency domain resource based on at least one GCI detected and received, and performs data transmission and reception on that frequency domain resource.

[0233] In Implementation Method 2, node G can send a GCI to node T#1 based on the resource scheduling result. The GCI includes a frequency domain resource field, which indicates the information of the frequency domain resources scheduled by node G for node T#1 within the first TTI. The specific indication method can be referred to the description at S305 in Implementation Method 1 above, and will not be repeated here.

[0234] In the above S500-S505, the interaction between G node and T node #1 is used as an example to introduce the solution of the embodiment of this application. The interaction between the G node and other T nodes it serves (such as T node #2 or T node #3, etc.) can be implemented with reference to the above S500-S505, and will not be described in detail here.

[0235] In Implementation Method Two, unlike Implementation Method One, the G node can send higher-layer signaling (such as a first resource control signaling) to the T node. This higher-layer signaling carries an indication of the number of GCIs, instructing the G node to configure the T node to blindly detect the number of GCIs within a corresponding TTI. Upon receiving this higher-layer signaling, the T node can determine the number of GCIs it needs to detect within the first TTI based on the GCI count indication. After receiving this number of GCIs, the T node can promptly stop detecting GCIs, avoiding blindly detecting all GCIs. Therefore, this method not only reduces signal processing latency in the system and improves the communication efficiency of subsequent T nodes, but also reduces the energy consumption of the T node, thus promoting energy conservation.

[0236] Implementation Method 3:

[0237] Compared to Implementation Method 1, the main difference in Implementation Method 3 is that one GCI can correspond to multiple carriers, instead of one GCI corresponding to one carrier. This minimizes the number of GCIs sent from node G to node T#1 when dealing with a large number of carriers. Referring to Figure 6, the method flow of Implementation Method 3 includes the following steps:

[0238] S600: Node G sends the first resource control signaling to node T #1; correspondingly, node T #1 receives the first resource control signaling.

[0239] S601: The G node determines the number of GCIs that need to be sent to the T node #1 within the first TTI.

[0240] In one possible implementation, the G node determines the number of GCIs that need to be sent to the T node #1 within the first TTI based on the current communication quality and / or the type of service data. Each GCI corresponds to a set of carriers, and each set of carriers is used to transmit one transport block.

[0241] For example, referring to Figure 7, if node G determines that the carriers scheduled / allocated to node T#1 within the first TTI are carrier 0, carrier 2, and carrier 3, where the difference (SINR or MCS) between carrier 0 and carrier 2 is small, and the difference (SINR or MCS) between carrier 0, carrier 2, and carrier 3 is large, then to avoid the probability of transmission errors, node G can group carrier 0 and carrier 2, which have similar SINR or MCS, into one group, and carrier 3 into another group. The carriers in different groups can be transmitted using different MCSs. In this way, node G can schedule two groups of carriers through two GCIs: GCI1 schedules TB1 and the subcarrier resources in carrier 0 and carrier 2, and GCI2 schedules TB2 and the subcarrier resources in carrier 3.

[0242] Compared to scheduling each carrier through a GCI, this method can reduce the number of GCIs, thereby reducing the number of GCIs detected by T node #1 and the detection overhead, and can also achieve better scheduling performance.

[0243] S602: Node G sends the first GCI to Node T #1 (an example of the first information in the scheme shown in Figure 2 above); correspondingly, Node T #1 receives the first GCI. The first GCI includes an indication of the number of GCIs, which indicates the number of GCIs Node T #1 needs to receive within the first TTI.

[0244] Unlike the first GCI in S302 above, in S602, the first GCI sent by the G node to the T node #1 is used to schedule a carrier group, which may include one or more carriers.

[0245] S603: T node #1 determines the number of blind-detected GCIs in the first TTI based on the indication information of the number of GCIs in the first GCI (an example of the number of control information to be received by the first device in the scheme shown in Figure 2 above).

[0246] S604: If the number of GCIs detected and received by node T#1 does not reach the number of GCIs blindly detected by node T#1 within the first TTI, node T#1 continues to detect and receive GCIs.

[0247] S605: When the number of GCIs detected and received by node T#1 reaches the number of GCIs blindly detected by node T#1 within the first TTI, node T#1 stops detecting and receiving GCIs.

[0248] S602 to S605 can be referred to one by one as S302 to S305 above, and will not be repeated here.

[0249] S606: Node T #1 determines the frequency domain resource based on at least one GCI detected and received (including the first GCI), and performs data transmission and reception on the frequency domain resource.

[0250] For example, the following section uses the frequency domain resource field included in the first GCI mentioned above as an example to describe in detail the specific indication method:

[0251] Method a: If the frequency domain resource scheduled by node G for node T #1 within the first TTI is the first subcarrier group in the total subcarrier group, then the frequency domain resource field is used to indicate the number of the first subcarrier group.

[0252] In one possible implementation, the frequency domain resource field in the first GCI can be indicated using a bitmap to indicate the subcarrier group.

[0253] Similar to method a in S306 above, the specific details can be found in method a above, and will not be repeated here.

[0254] Method b: If node G schedules a subcarrier group from M carriers as frequency domain resources for node T #1 within the first TTI, then the frequency domain resource field is used to indicate the index of the M carriers and the corresponding number of the subcarrier group within each carrier. M is a positive integer.

[0255] One possible implementation is to use a bitmap approach, where the frequency domain resource field in the first GCI includes M indication information, and each of the M indication information is applied one-to-one to indicate the allocation of the M carriers.

[0256] For example, if M=5, that is, 5 carriers, then the frequency domain resource field can include 5 indication information. The 5 indication information can be applied one-to-one to indicate the allocation or scheduling of the M carriers. Each indication information includes N1 bits of information and N2 bits of information. The N1 bits of information are used to indicate whether the corresponding carrier is scheduled, and the N2 bits of information are used to indicate the number of the subcarrier group that is scheduled in the carrier.

[0257] In the above S600-S606, the interaction between G node and T node #1 is used as an example to introduce the solution of the embodiment of this application. For other G nodes and other T nodes with similar interaction between G node and T node #1, the above S600-S606 can be referred to for implementation, and will not be described in detail here.

[0258] In Implementation Method 3, compared to Implementation Method 1, not only can the T node know the number of GCIs it needs to detect, avoiding the T node blindly detecting all GCIs, but the carriers scheduled by the G node for the T node within a TTI are grouped, and each group of carriers is matched with the corresponding GCI. This allows one GCI to schedule the resources of multiple carriers, thereby reducing the number of GCIs sent by the G node to the T node. Correspondingly, the number of GCIs detected by the T node can also be reduced, further improving the subsequent communication efficiency of the T node and reducing the energy consumption of the T node.

[0259] Implementation Method Four:

[0260] Compared to Implementation Method 3, the main difference in Implementation Method 4 is that, taking the first information sent by the second device to the first device as higher-level information (hereinafter referred to as the first resource control signaling) as an example, that is, the G node sends higher-level information to the T node #1, which includes indication information of the number of GCIs. Referring to Figure 8, the method flow of Implementation Method 4 includes the following steps:

[0261] S800: Node G sends a first resource control signaling message to Node T #1. Correspondingly, Node T #1 receives the first resource control signaling message, which (an example of the first information in the scheme shown in Figure 2 above) includes an indication of the number of GCIs. The indication of the number of GCIs is used to instruct Node G to configure Node T #1 to blindly detect the maximum number of GCIs within the first TTI.

[0262] S801: The G node determines the number of GCIs that need to be sent to the T node #1 within the first TTI.

[0263] S801 can be referred to in the above description of S601, and will not be repeated here.

[0264] S802: Node G sends GCI to node T #1, and node T #1 receives GCI accordingly.

[0265] S803: If the number of GCIs detected and received by node T#1 does not reach the maximum number of GCIs that node T#1 can blindly detect, it shall continue to detect and receive GCIs.

[0266] S804: When the number of GCIs detected and received by node T#1 reaches the maximum number of blind GCIs detected by node T#1, node T#1 stops detecting and receiving GCIs.

[0267] S802 to S804 can be referred to one by one as S502 to S504 above, and will not be repeated here.

[0268] S805: The T node determines the frequency domain resource based on at least one GCI detected and received, and performs data transmission and reception on that frequency domain resource.

[0269] S805 can be referred to in the description of S606 above, and will not be repeated here.

[0270] In the above S800-S805, the interaction between G node and T node #1 is used as an example to introduce the solution of the embodiment of this application. The interaction between the G node and other T nodes it serves (such as T node #2 or T node #3, etc.) can be implemented with reference to the above S800-S05, and will not be described in detail here.

[0271] In Implementation Method Four, unlike Implementation Method Three, the G node can send higher-layer signaling (such as first resource control signaling) to the T node. This higher-layer signaling carries an indication of the number of GCIs, instructing the G node to configure the T node to blindly detect a certain number of GCIs within the first TTI. Upon receiving this higher-layer signaling, the T node can determine the number of GCIs it needs to detect within the first TTI based on the GCI count indication. After receiving this number of GCIs, the T node can promptly stop detecting GCIs, avoiding blindly detecting all GCIs. Furthermore, this method can also implement carrier grouping, reducing the number of GCIs detected by the T node, further improving system communication efficiency and reducing the energy consumption of the T node.

[0272] The following explanations are provided regarding the above-described embodiments one through four:

[0273] (1) The above-mentioned implementation methods one to four can be implemented separately or in combination, and no specific limitation is made in this regard.

[0274] (2) The above focuses on describing the differences between implementation methods one to four. Except for the differences, implementation methods one to four can be referred to each other.

[0275] (3) The step numbers of the flowcharts described in Embodiments 1 to 4 above are merely examples of the execution flow and do not constitute a restriction on the order of execution of the steps. There are no temporal dependencies between the steps in the various implementations of this application, and there is no strict execution order between them. In addition, not all the steps shown in the flowcharts are mandatory steps, and some steps can be added or deleted based on the actual needs of each flowchart.

[0276] In this application, unless otherwise specified or in case of logical conflict, the terminology and / or descriptions of different implementations are consistent and may be referenced in each other.

[0277] The order of steps in the embodiments of this application is determined by the logic of the scheme and is not limited by this application. The order of judgment of different conditions in the embodiments of this application is not limited by this application. The terms "after" and "at" in this application are not strictly limited to specific time points. The nouns and terms involved in this application are merely examples and may be other names, which are not limited by this application.

[0278] In the embodiments provided above, the methods provided by the embodiments of this application are described from the perspective of interaction between various devices. To implement the functions of the methods provided in the embodiments or implementations of this application above, the first device or the second device may include hardware structures and / or software modules, implementing the above functions in the form of hardware structures, software modules, or a combination of hardware structures and software modules. Whether a particular function is executed in the form of hardware structures, software modules, or a combination of hardware structures and software modules depends on the specific application and design constraints of the technical solution.

[0279] The module division in this embodiment is illustrative and represents only one logical functional division; in actual implementation, other division methods may be used. Furthermore, the functional modules in the various embodiments or implementations of this application can be integrated into a single processor, exist as separate physical entities, or be integrated into a single module. The integrated modules described above can be implemented in hardware or as software functional modules.

[0280] Similar to the above concept, as shown in FIG9, this application embodiment also provides a communication device 900 for implementing the functions of the first device or the second device in the above method. For example, the communication device 900 can be a software module or a chip system. In this application embodiment, the chip system can be composed of chips or can include chips and other discrete devices. The communication device 900 may include: a communication unit 901 and a processing unit 902.

[0281] In this embodiment, the communication unit 901, also referred to as the transceiver unit, may include a sending unit and / or a receiving unit, respectively used to perform the sending and receiving steps of the first device or the second device in the above method embodiments. The processing unit 902 may be used to read instructions and / or data from the storage module so that the communication device 900 implements the aforementioned method embodiments.

[0282] Optionally, the communication device 900 may further include a storage unit 903, which is equivalent to a storage module and can be used to store instructions and / or data.

[0283] The communication device provided in the embodiments of this application will be described in detail below with reference to Figures 9 and 10. It should be understood that the description of the device embodiments corresponds to the description of the method embodiments. Therefore, the contents not described in detail can be implemented by referring to the manner shown in Figures 2, 3, 5, 6 and 8 above. For the sake of brevity, they will not be repeated here.

[0284] The communication unit 901 can also be called a transceiver, transceiver, or transceiver device. The processing unit can also be called a processor, processing board, processing module, or processing device. Optionally, the device in the communication unit 901 used to implement the receiving function can be considered a receiving unit, and the device in the communication unit 901 used to implement the transmitting function can be considered a transmitting unit; that is, the communication unit 901 includes both a receiving unit and a transmitting unit. The communication unit can sometimes also be called a transceiver, transceiver circuit, or transceiver unit. The receiving unit can sometimes be called a receiver, receiver, or receiving circuit. The transmitting unit can sometimes be called a transmitter, transmitter, or transmitting circuit.

[0285] When the communication device 900 is applied to the first device in the process shown in Figure 2 of the above embodiment: the communication unit 901 is used to receive first information, which includes indication information; the processing unit 902 is used to determine the number of control information to be received by the first device based on the indication information.

[0286] In one possible design, the number of control information to be received is the number of control information to be received by the first device within one transmission time interval.

[0287] In one possible design, the first information is control information, and the indication information is an index of the number of control information to be received, the index indicating an element in the set of control information numbers; the communication unit 901 is further configured to: receive second information, the second information including the set of control information numbers;

[0288] When the processing unit 902 determines the number of control information to be received by the first device based on the indication information, it can specifically be used to: determine the number of control information to be received based on the set of control information quantities and the index.

[0289] In one possible design, the second information is high-level information.

[0290] In one possible design, the first information is control information, and the number of control information to be received is the number of control information sent by the second device to the first device within a transmission time interval.

[0291] In one possible design, the first information is high-level information; the communication unit 901 is further used for:

[0292] Based on the quantity of control information to be received, receive control information.

[0293] In one possible design, the control information includes third information, which is used to indicate the frequency domain resources that the second device schedules for the first device within a transmission time interval.

[0294] In one possible design, the information of the frequency domain resources includes identification information of a first carrier and identification information of a first subcarrier group, wherein the identification information of the first subcarrier group is used to indicate at least one subcarrier group in the first carrier.

[0295] In one possible design, the frequency domain resources include some or all subcarriers of each of a plurality of carriers.

[0296] In one possible design, the frequency domain resource information includes identification information of the plurality of carriers and identification information of subcarrier groups corresponding to each of the plurality of carriers, wherein the identification information of the subcarrier groups corresponding to each carrier is used to indicate the position of at least one subcarrier group in the carrier; or, the frequency domain resource information includes identification information of the plurality of carriers and indication information of subcarrier groups corresponding to each of the plurality of carriers, wherein the indication information of subcarrier groups corresponding to each carrier is used to indicate whether each subcarrier group in the carrier is valid.

[0297] In one possible design, the information of the frequency domain resource is the identification information of the second subcarrier group, which is used to indicate the position of the second subcarrier group in the total subcarrier group; the second subcarrier group includes multiple subcarriers, and the multiple subcarriers belong to the multiple carriers.

[0298] In one possible design, the information of the total subcarrier group is indicated by higher-layer information.

[0299] When the communication device 900 is applied to the second device in the process shown in Figure 2 of the above embodiment: the processing unit 902 is used to determine the number of control information to be received by the first device; the communication unit 901 is used to send first information, which includes indication information, and the indication information is used to indicate the number of control information to be received.

[0300] In one possible design, the number of control information to be received is the number of control information to be received by the first device within one transmission time interval.

[0301] In one possible design, the first information is control information, and the indication information is an index of the number of control information to be received, the index indicating an element in the set of control information numbers; the communication unit 901 is further configured to: send second information to the first device, the second information including the set of control information numbers.

[0302] In one possible design, the second information is high-level information.

[0303] In one possible design, the first information is control information, and the number of control information to be received is the number of control information sent by the second device to the first device within a transmission time interval.

[0304] In one possible design, the first information is high-level information; the communication unit 901 is further configured to: send control information to the first device based on the number of control information to be received.

[0305] In one possible design, the control information includes third information, which is used to indicate the frequency domain resources that the second device schedules for the first device within a transmission time interval.

[0306] In one possible design, the information of the frequency domain resources includes identification information of a first carrier and identification information of a first subcarrier group, wherein the identification information of the first subcarrier group is used to indicate at least one subcarrier group in the first carrier.

[0307] In one possible design, the frequency domain resources include some or all subcarriers of each of a plurality of carriers.

[0308] In one possible design, the frequency domain resource information includes identification information of the plurality of carriers and identification information of subcarrier groups corresponding to each of the plurality of carriers, wherein the identification information of the subcarrier groups corresponding to each carrier is used to indicate the position of at least one subcarrier group in the carrier; or, the frequency domain resource information includes identification information of the plurality of carriers and indication information of subcarrier groups corresponding to each of the plurality of carriers, wherein the indication information of subcarrier groups corresponding to each carrier is used to indicate whether each subcarrier group in the carrier is valid.

[0309] In one possible design, the information of the frequency domain resource is the identification information of the second subcarrier group, which is used to indicate the position of the second subcarrier group in the total subcarrier group; the second subcarrier group includes multiple subcarriers, and the multiple subcarriers belong to the multiple carriers.

[0310] In one possible design, the information of the total subcarrier group is indicated by higher-layer information.

[0311] The above are just examples. The processing unit 902 and the communication unit 901 can also perform other functions. For a more detailed description, please refer to the relevant descriptions in the method embodiments shown in Figures 2, 3, 5, 6 and 8 above. They will not be repeated here.

[0312] Figure 10 shows a communication device 1000 provided in an embodiment of this application. The communication device shown in Figure 10 can be a hardware circuit implementation of the communication device shown in Figure 9. This communication device 1000 can be applied to the flowcharts shown above to perform the functions of the first device or the second device in the above method embodiments. For ease of explanation, Figure 10 only shows the main components of the communication device.

[0313] As shown in Figure 10, the communication device 1000 includes a communication interface 1001 and a processor 1002. The communication interface 1001 and the processor 1002 are coupled to each other. It is understood that the communication interface 1001 can be a transceiver or an input / output interface, or an interface circuit such as a transceiver circuit. Optionally, the communication device 1000 may further include a memory 1003 for storing instructions executed by the processor 1002, or storing input data required by the processor 1002 to execute instructions, or storing data generated after the processor 1002 executes instructions.

[0314] When the communication device 1000 is used to implement the methods shown in Figures 2, 3, 5, 6 and 8, the communication interface 1001 is used to implement the functions of the communication unit 901, and the processor 1002 is used to implement the functions of the processing unit 902.

[0315] This embodiment does not limit the specific connection medium between the communication interface 1001, processor 1002, and memory 1003. In Figure 10, the memory 1003, processor 1002, and communication interface 1001 are connected via a communication bus 1004, which is represented by a thick line. The connection methods between other components are merely illustrative and not intended to be limiting. The communication bus 1004 can be divided into an address bus, data bus, control bus, etc. For ease of illustration, only one thick line is used in Figure 10, but this does not indicate that there is only one bus or one type of bus.

[0316] When the aforementioned communication device is a chip, Figure 11 shows a simplified schematic diagram of the chip's device structure. The chip 1100 includes an interface circuit 1101 and one or more processors 1102. Optionally, the chip 1100 may also include a bus. Wherein:

[0317] Processor 1102 may be an integrated circuit chip with signal processing capabilities. In implementation, each step of the method for determining the service node information described above can be completed by the integrated logic circuitry in the hardware of processor 1102 or by instructions in software form. Processor 1102 may be a general-purpose processor, a digital signal processor (DSP), an application-specific integrated circuit (ASIC), a field-programmable gate array (FPGA), or other programmable logic devices, discrete gate or transistor logic devices, or discrete hardware components. It can implement or execute the methods and steps disclosed in the embodiments of this application. The general-purpose processor may be a microprocessor or any conventional processor.

[0318] The interface circuit 1101 can be used to send or receive data, instructions or information. The processor 1102 can use the data, instructions or other information received by the interface circuit 1101 to process the data, instructions or other information, and can send the processed information out through the interface circuit 1101.

[0319] Optionally, chip 1100 also includes memory 1103, which may include read-only memory and random access memory, and provides operation instructions and data to the processor. A portion of memory 1103 may also include non-volatile random access memory (NVRAM).

[0320] Optionally, the memory stores executable software modules or data structures, and the processor can execute corresponding operations by calling the operation instructions stored in the memory (which may be stored in the operating system).

[0321] Optionally, the chip can be used in the first or second device involved in the embodiments of this application. Optionally, the interface circuit 1101 can be used to output the execution result of the processor 1102. For the communication methods provided by one or more embodiments of this application, please refer to the foregoing embodiments, which will not be repeated here.

[0322] It should be noted that the functions of the interface circuit 1101 and the processor 1102 can be implemented through hardware design, software design, or a combination of hardware and software; no restrictions are imposed here.

[0323] This application also provides a computer-readable storage medium storing computer instructions for implementing the methods executed by the first device or the second device in the above method embodiments.

[0324] For example, when the computer program is executed by a computer, it enables the computer to implement the method performed by the first device or the second device in the above method embodiments.

[0325] This application also provides a computer program product containing instructions that, when executed by a computer, cause the computer to perform the method described in the above method embodiments, executed by the first device or the second device.

[0326] This application embodiment also provides a chip, including a processor, for calling computer programs or computer instructions stored in the memory, so that the processor executes the communication method of the implementation shown in Figures 2, 3, 5, 6 and 8 above.

[0327] In one possible implementation, the input of the chip corresponds to the receiving operation in the implementations shown in Figures 2, 3, 5, 6 and 8 above, and the output of the chip corresponds to the transmitting operation in the implementations shown in Figures 2, 3, 5, 6 and 8 above.

[0328] Optionally, the processor is coupled to the memory via an interface.

[0329] Optionally, the chip also includes a memory that stores computer programs or computer instructions.

[0330] The processor mentioned above can be a general-purpose central processing unit, a microprocessor, an application-specific integrated circuit (ASIC), or one or more integrated circuits used to control the execution of a program through a communication method that controls the implementation shown in Figures 2, 3, 5, 6, and 8. The memory mentioned above can be read-only memory (ROM) or other types of static storage devices capable of storing static information and instructions, such as random access memory (RAM).

[0331] It should be noted that, for the sake of convenience and brevity, the explanations and beneficial effects of the relevant content in any of the communication devices provided above can be referred to the corresponding service node information determination method embodiments provided above, and will not be repeated here.

[0332] The module division in this embodiment is illustrative and represents only one logical functional division. In actual implementation, other division methods may be used. Furthermore, the functional modules in each embodiment of this application can be integrated into a single processor, exist as separate physical entities, or be integrated into a single module. The integrated modules described above can be implemented in hardware or as software functional modules.

[0333] Through the above description of the embodiments, those skilled in the art will clearly understand that the embodiments of this application can be implemented in hardware, firmware, or a combination thereof. When implemented in software, the above functions can be stored in a computer-readable medium or transmitted as one or more instructions or code on a computer-readable medium. Computer-readable media include computer storage media and communication media, wherein communication media include any medium that facilitates the transfer of a computer program from one place to another. Storage media can be any available medium accessible to a computer. For example, but not limited to, computer-readable media can include RAM, ROM, electrically erasable programmable read-only memory (EEPROM), compact disc read-only memory (CD-ROM) or other optical disc storage, magnetic disk storage media, or other magnetic storage devices, or any other medium capable of carrying or storing desired program code in the form of instructions or data structures and accessible to a computer. Furthermore, any connection can suitably be a computer-readable medium. For example, if the software is transmitted from a website, server, or other remote source using coaxial cable, fiber optic cable, twisted pair, digital subscriber line (DSL), or wireless technologies such as infrared, radio, and microwave, then coaxial cable, fiber optic cable, twisted pair, DSL, or wireless technologies such as infrared, radio, and microwave are included in the definition of the medium. As used in embodiments of this application, disks and discs include compact discs (CDs), laser discs, optical discs, digital video discs (DVDs), floppy disks, and Blu-ray discs, wherein disks typically magnetically copy data, while discs optically copy data using lasers. The combinations above should also be included within the scope of protection for computer-readable media.

[0334] In summary, the above descriptions are merely embodiments of this application and are not intended to limit the scope of protection of this application. Any modifications, equivalent substitutions, improvements, etc., made based on the disclosure of this application should be included within the scope of protection of this application.

Claims

1. A communication method, characterized in that, Applied to the first device, including: Receive first information, which includes indication information; Based on the indication information, the number of control information to be received by the first device is determined.

2. The method according to claim 1, characterized in that, The number of control information to be received is the number of control information to be received by the first device within one transmission time interval.

3. The method according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that, The first information is control information, and the indication information is an index of the number of control information to be received, wherein the index indicates an element in the set of control information numbers; the method further includes: Receive second information, the second information including the set of the number of control information; Determining the number of control messages to be received by the first device based on the indication information includes: The number of control information to be received is determined based on the set of control information quantities and the index.

4. The method according to claim 3, characterized in that, The second piece of information is high-level information.

5. The method according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that, The first information is control information, and the number of control information to be received is the number of control information sent by the second device to the first device within a transmission time interval.

6. The method of claim 1 or 2, wherein, The first piece of information is high-level information; The method further includes: Based on the quantity of control information to be received, receive control information.

7. The method according to any one of claims 3-6, characterized in that, The control information includes third information, which is used to indicate the frequency domain resources that the second device schedules for the first device within a transmission time interval.

8. The method of claim 7, wherein, The information of the frequency domain resources includes the identification information of the first carrier and the identification information of the first subcarrier group. The identification information of the first subcarrier group is used to indicate at least one subcarrier group in the first carrier.

9. The method according to claim 7, characterized in that, The frequency domain resources include some or all subcarriers of each of the multiple carriers.

10. The method according to claim 9, characterized in that, The frequency domain resource information includes identification information of the plurality of carriers and identification information of subcarrier groups corresponding to each of the plurality of carriers, wherein the identification information of the subcarrier groups corresponding to each carrier is used to indicate the position of at least one subcarrier group within the carrier; or... The frequency domain resource information includes the identification information of the plurality of carriers and the indication information of the subcarrier group corresponding to each of the plurality of carriers. The indication information of the subcarrier group corresponding to each carrier is used to indicate whether each subcarrier group in the carrier is valid.

11. The method according to claim 9, characterized in that, The information of the frequency domain resources is the identification information of the second subcarrier group, which is used to indicate the position of the second subcarrier group in the total subcarrier group; The second subcarrier group includes multiple subcarriers, and the multiple subcarriers belong to the multiple carriers.

12. The method according to claim 11, characterized in that, The information for the total subcarrier group is indicated by higher-layer information.

13. A communication method characterized by comprising: Applied to a second device, including: Determine the quantity of control information to be received by the first device; Send a first message, which includes indication information, the indication information being used to indicate the number of control messages to be received.

14. The method of claim 13, wherein, The number of control information to be received is the number of control information to be received by the first device within one transmission time interval.

15. The method according to claim 13 or 14, characterized in that, The first information is control information, and the indication information is an index of the number of control information to be received, wherein the index indicates an element in the set of control information numbers; the method further includes: Send a second message to the first device, the second message including the set of control information quantities.

16. The method of claim 15, wherein, The second piece of information is high-level information.

17. The method of claim 13 or 14, wherein, The first information is control information, and the number of control information to be received is the number of control information sent by the second device to the first device within a transmission time interval.

18. The method according to claim 13 or 14, characterized in that, The first piece of information is high-level information; The method further includes: Based on the number of control messages to be received, control messages are sent to the first device.

19. The method according to any one of claims 15-18, characterized in that, The control information includes third information, which is used to indicate the frequency domain resources that the second device schedules for the first device within a transmission time interval.

20. The method according to claim 19, characterized in that, The information of the frequency domain resources includes the identification information of the first carrier and the identification information of the first subcarrier group. The identification information of the first subcarrier group is used to indicate at least one subcarrier group in the first carrier.

21. The method according to claim 19, characterized in that, The frequency domain resources include some or all subcarriers of each of the multiple carriers.

22. The method according to claim 21, characterized in that, The frequency domain resource information includes identification information of the plurality of carriers and identification information of subcarrier groups corresponding to each of the plurality of carriers, wherein the identification information of the subcarrier groups corresponding to each carrier is used to indicate the position of at least one subcarrier group within the carrier; or... The frequency domain resource information includes the identification information of the plurality of carriers and the indication information of the subcarrier group corresponding to each of the plurality of carriers. The indication information of the subcarrier group corresponding to each carrier is used to indicate whether each subcarrier group in the carrier is valid.

23. The method according to claim 21, characterized in that, The information of the frequency domain resources is the identification information of the second subcarrier group, which is used to indicate the position of the second subcarrier group in the total subcarrier group; The second subcarrier group includes multiple subcarriers, and the multiple subcarriers belong to the multiple carriers.

24. The method according to claim 23, characterized in that, The information for the total subcarrier group is indicated by higher-layer information.

25. A communication device, characterized in that, It includes units or modules for performing the method as described in any one of claims 1 to 12, or units or modules for performing the method as described in any one of claims 13 to 24.

26. A communications device, characterized by It includes a processor and a memory, the memory being used to store program instructions, the processor executing the program instructions causing the method as described in any one of claims 1 to 12 to be performed, or causing the method as described in any one of claims 13 to 24 to be performed.

27. A computer-readable storage medium, characterized in that, The computer-readable storage medium stores a computer-readable program or instructions that, when executed on a communication device, cause the method as described in any one of claims 1 to 12 to be performed, or cause the method as described in any one of claims 13 to 24 to be performed.

28. A computer program product, characterized in that, The computer program product includes a computer program or instructions that, when executed on a computer, cause the computer to perform the method as claimed in any one of claims 1 to 12, or the method as claimed in any one of claims 13 to 24.

29. A chip, characterized in that, The chip is used to read and execute computer programs or instructions in a memory to implement the method as described in any one of claims 1 to 12, or the method as described in any one of claims 13 to 24.

30. A communication system, characterized in that, It includes a first device and a second device; the first device is used to implement the method as described in any one of claims 1 to 12, and the second device is used to implement the method as described in any one of claims 13 to 24.

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