A communication method and apparatus

Abstract

A communication method and apparatus, wherein the method includes: a network device determining first timeslot format combination information based on one or more of the following: a service type of a terminal device, capability information of the terminal device, and threshold information; the service type is associated with at least one timeslot format, the capability information of the terminal device indicates the number of timeslot formats supported by the terminal device, and the threshold information indicates at least one timeslot format that satisfies the threshold information; the network device sending first information to the terminal device, the first information indicating that the timeslot format of one or more timeslots is the timeslot format corresponding to the first timeslot format combination information.

Description

Technical Field

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

[0002] In new radio (NR) systems, for all terminal devices within a cell, the base station can configure time slot patterns 1 and 2 via radio resource control (RRC) common signaling. Taking pattern 1 as an example, the period of pattern 1, as well as the positions of downlink time slots, downlink symbols, uplink time slots, and uplink symbols in pattern 1, can be configured via RRC common signaling. Unconfigured symbols in pattern 1 are flexible (F) symbols. The base station can also configure F symbols as uplink or downlink symbols via RRC dedicated signaling.

[0003] To flexibly configure cell time slot formats and improve resource utilization, for time slots including the "F" symbol, the base station can dynamically indicate the symbol format configured as "F" in that time slot via downlink control information (DCI). The time slot formats are predefined in the protocol, with 256 formats currently defined. Since the base station indicates the index value of the time slot format via DCI, the terminal device needs to store all possible time slot formats to determine the corresponding time slot format based on the index value indicated by the DCI.

[0004] As protocols evolve, the number of timeslot formats may continue to increase. If terminal devices store all possible timeslot formats, the implementation complexity becomes quite high. This is especially true for low-capacity (REDCAP) terminal devices, as many timeslot formats are not suitable for them. Base stations will not configure timeslot formats that are unsuitable for REDCAP devices, so REDCAP devices do not need to store so many timeslot formats. For the base station, however, it needs to configure a suitable timeslot format for the terminal device from all possible formats, leading to significant complexity in timeslot format configuration. Summary of the Invention

[0005] The purpose of this application is to provide a communication method and apparatus to reduce the complexity of timeslot format configuration.

[0006] Firstly, embodiments of this application provide a communication method applicable to scenarios where a network device configures a timeslot format for a terminal device. The execution entity of this method is a network device or a module within a network device; here, the network device is used as the execution entity for example. The method includes: the network device determining first timeslot format combination information based on one or more of the terminal device's service type, terminal device capability information, and threshold information; the service type is associated with at least one timeslot format, the terminal device's capability information indicates the number of timeslot formats supported by the terminal device, and the threshold information indicates at least one timeslot format that satisfies the threshold information; the network device sending first information to the terminal device, the first information indicating that the timeslot format of one or more timeslots is the timeslot format corresponding to the first timeslot format combination information.

[0007] Using the methods described above, the network device determines the first time slot format combination information based on the service type, taking into account the different requirements of uplink and downlink time slots and uplink and downlink symbol counts for different service types. This approach is more suitable for the transmission needs of different service types of terminal devices, improving the spectrum utilization efficiency of terminal devices and increasing transmission throughput. The network device also determines the first time slot format combination information based on the terminal device's capability information, considering the processing capabilities of different terminal devices. This approach is more suitable for the processing capabilities and transmission needs of terminal devices, improving the spectrum utilization efficiency of terminal devices and increasing transmission throughput. Furthermore, the network device determines the first time slot format combination information based on threshold information, which can consider the transmission needs of different terminal devices, better meeting the transmission requirements of terminal devices and improving the spectrum utilization efficiency of terminal devices, thus increasing transmission throughput. The network device also determines the first time slot format combination information based on at least two of the terminal device's service type, the terminal device's capability information, and threshold information, achieving the same beneficial effects. Simultaneously, this method can configure time slot formats for terminal devices even when the number of time slot formats supported by the terminal device is less than the number of time slot formats specified in the standard, reducing the complexity of time slot format configuration.

[0008] In one possible implementation of the first aspect, the first time slot format combination information includes at least one of the following: the time slot format corresponding to the time slot format index, the maximum number of time slot formats, or the set of values ​​for the time slot format index.

[0009] In one possible implementation of the first aspect, the first information further indicates the configuration of the time slot format for one or more time slots. This method, by indicating the configuration of the time slot format for one or more time slots through the first information, facilitates the terminal device in obtaining the time slot format and performing uplink or downlink transmission.

[0010] In one possible implementation of the first aspect, the threshold information includes one or more of a first threshold, a second threshold, and a third threshold; any time slot format in at least one time slot format that satisfies the threshold information satisfies one or more of the following: the number of uplink symbols is greater than or equal to the first threshold; the number of downlink symbols is greater than or equal to the second threshold; and the number of flexible symbols is greater than or equal to the third threshold.

[0011] In this method, the first threshold indicates the minimum number of uplink symbols, which is more conducive to ensuring the transmission requirements of uplink services and improving uplink rate and throughput. The second threshold indicates the minimum number of downlink symbols, which is more conducive to ensuring the reception requirements of downlink services and improving downlink rate and spectrum utilization efficiency. The third threshold indicates the minimum number of flexible symbols, which can avoid affecting uplink transmission and downlink reception.

[0012] In one possible implementation of the first aspect, the threshold information is determined based on a first parameter; the first parameter includes at least one of the following: subcarrier spacing (SCS), radio frequency adjustment duration, timing advance (TA), or bandwidth portion (BWP) handover duration.

[0013] In this method, when the first parameter determines the switching time of the terminal device, the threshold information is used to indicate the minimum value of the flexible symbol number. In this way, no uplink transmission or downlink reception will be performed on the symbols indicated by the threshold information, thus avoiding any impact on uplink transmission and downlink reception.

[0014] Secondly, this application also provides a communication device that implements any of the methods provided in the first aspect. This 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 functions described above.

[0015] In one possible implementation, the communication device includes a processor configured to support the communication device in performing corresponding functions of the network device 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 devices such as terminal devices.

[0016] In one possible implementation, 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.

[0017] In one possible implementation, the communication device includes a processing module and a communication module, 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.

[0018] Thirdly, embodiments of this application provide a communication method applicable to scenarios where a network device configures a timeslot format for a terminal device. The execution subject of this method is a terminal device or a module within a terminal device; here, the terminal device is used as the execution subject for example. The method includes: the terminal device determining first timeslot format combination information based on one or more of the terminal device's service type, capability information, and threshold information; the service type is associated with at least one timeslot format, the terminal device's capability information indicates the number of timeslot formats supported by the terminal device, and the threshold information indicates at least one timeslot format that satisfies the threshold information; the terminal device receives first information from the network device, the first information indicating that the timeslot format of one or more timeslots is the timeslot format corresponding to the first timeslot format combination information.

[0019] In one possible implementation of the third aspect, the first time slot format combination information includes at least one of the following: the time slot format corresponding to the time slot format index, the maximum number of time slot formats, and the set of values ​​for the time slot format index.

[0020] In one possible implementation of the third aspect, the first information also indicates the configuration of the time slot format for one or more time slots.

[0021] In one possible implementation of the third aspect, the threshold information includes one or more of a first threshold, a second threshold, and a third threshold;

[0022] Any time slot format among at least one time slot format that satisfies the threshold information satisfies one or more of the following:

[0023] The number of uplink symbols is greater than or equal to the first threshold; the number of downlink symbols is greater than or equal to the second threshold; and the number of flexible symbols is greater than or equal to the third threshold.

[0024] In one possible implementation of the third aspect, the threshold information is determined based on a first parameter; the first parameter includes at least one of the following: subcarrier spacing (SCS), radio frequency adjustment duration, timing advance (TA), or bandwidth portion (BWP) handover duration.

[0025] Fourthly, this application also provides a communication device that implements any of the methods provided in the third aspect above. This 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 functions described above.

[0026] In one possible implementation, the communication device includes a processor configured to support the communication device in performing corresponding functions of the terminal device in the methods 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 devices such as network devices.

[0027] In one possible implementation, 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.

[0028] In one possible implementation, the communication device includes a processing module and a communication module, which can perform the corresponding functions in the above method examples, as described in the method provided in the third aspect, and will not be repeated here.

[0029] Fifthly, embodiments of this application provide a communication method applicable to scenarios where a network device configures a timeslot format for a terminal device. The method is executed by a terminal device or a module within a terminal device; here, the terminal device is used as the executing entity for example. The method includes: the terminal device receiving configuration information from a network device, the configuration information indicating a first timeslot format; and the terminal device determining at least one of a time unit and transmission direction switching information between two adjacent timeslots based on the first timeslot format, wherein the time unit is not used for uplink transmission or downlink reception.

[0030] This method allows the terminal device to receive configuration information from the network device and determine the first timeslot format. This facilitates the terminal device in determining the configuration of uplink symbols, downlink symbols, and flexible symbols within a timeslot. Based on the first timeslot format, the time unit between two adjacent timeslots can be determined. This time unit is not used for uplink transmission or downlink reception but is used to ensure that the terminal device can complete the conversion between uplink and downlink symbols. The transmission direction switching information can also be determined based on the first timeslot format. By constraining the transmission direction switching information, the implementation complexity of the REDCAP UE can be reduced, and the number of handovers between the transmitting and receiving sides can be decreased.

[0031] In one possible implementation of the fifth aspect, the duration of the time unit is greater than or equal to the RF adjustment duration of the terminal device, or the timing advance TA, or the bandwidth partial switching duration; or the duration of the time unit is greater than or equal to the sum of at least two of the RF adjustment duration, timing advance, and bandwidth partial switching duration of the terminal device.

[0032] This method can meet the requirements of different switching times in different scenarios.

[0033] In one possible implementation of the fifth aspect, the terminal device uses either the first or the second method to determine the positional relationship of the time unit in two adjacent time slots, as well as the duration of the time unit.

[0034] In one possible implementation of the fifth aspect, the first approach is as follows: when there is a first time slot and a second time slot following the first time slot between two adjacent time slots, and there is a downlink symbol to uplink symbol conversion between two adjacent time slots, the last M symbols of the first time slot are used as time units, where M is a positive integer.

[0035] In one possible implementation of the fifth aspect, the second approach is as follows: when there is a first time slot and a third time slot preceding the first time slot between two adjacent time slots, and there is an uplink to downlink conversion or a downlink to uplink conversion between two adjacent time slots, the first M symbols of the first time slot are used as time units, where M is a positive integer.

[0036] In one possible implementation of the fifth aspect, the transmission direction switching information indicates the number of uplink and downlink switching operations, and the transmission direction switching information is 0 or 1.

[0037] In one possible implementation of the fifth aspect, the transmission direction switching information includes: if the transmission symbols are in the same direction, the transmission direction switching information is 0 or 1; or, if the transmission symbols are in different directions, the transmission direction switching information is 0, where 0 is greater than or equal to 1.

[0038] Sixthly, this application also provides a communication device having any of the methods provided in the fifth aspect above. This 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 functions described above.

[0039] In one possible implementation, the communication device includes a processor configured to support the communication device in performing corresponding functions of the terminal device in the methods 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 devices such as network devices.

[0040] In one possible implementation, 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.

[0041] In one possible implementation, the communication device includes a processing module and a communication module, which can perform the corresponding functions in the above method examples, as described in the method provided in the fifth aspect, and will not be repeated here.

[0042] Seventhly, embodiments of this application provide a communication method applicable to scenarios where a network device configures a timeslot format for a terminal device. The execution subject of this method is a network device or a module within a network device; here, the network device is used as the execution subject for example. The method includes: the network device determining configuration information, the configuration information indicating a first timeslot format; the first timeslot format can determine at least one of a time unit and transmission direction switching information between two adjacent timeslots, the time unit not being used for uplink transmission or downlink reception; and the network device sending the configuration information to the terminal device.

[0043] In one possible implementation of the seventh aspect, the duration of the time unit is greater than or equal to the radio frequency adjustment duration of the terminal device, or the timing advance TA, or the bandwidth partial switching duration; or the duration of the time unit is greater than or equal to the sum of at least two of the radio frequency adjustment duration, timing advance, and bandwidth partial switching duration of the terminal device.

[0044] In one possible implementation of the seventh aspect, the duration of the time unit is determined according to either the first or the second approach.

[0045] In one possible implementation of the seventh aspect, the first approach is as follows: when there is a first time slot and a second time slot following the first time slot between two adjacent time slots, and there is a downlink symbol to uplink symbol conversion between two adjacent time slots, the last M symbols of the first time slot are used as time units, where M is a positive integer.

[0046] In one possible implementation of the seventh aspect, the second approach is as follows: when there is a first time slot and a third time slot preceding the first time slot between two adjacent time slots, and there is an uplink to downlink conversion or a downlink to uplink conversion between two adjacent time slots, the first M symbols of the first time slot are used as time units, where M is a positive integer.

[0047] In one possible implementation of the seventh aspect, the transmission direction switching information indicates the number of uplink and downlink switching operations, and the transmission direction switching information is 0 or 1.

[0048] Eighthly, this application also provides a communication device having any of the methods provided in the seventh aspect above. This 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 functions described above.

[0049] In one possible implementation, the communication device includes a processor configured to support the communication device in performing corresponding functions of the network device 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 devices such as terminal devices.

[0050] In one possible implementation, 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 implementation, the communication device includes a processing module and a communication module, which can perform the corresponding functions in the above method examples, as described in the method provided in aspect seven, and will not be repeated here.

[0052] A ninth aspect provides a communication device 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 in any possible implementation of the first aspect or any other aspect by means of logic circuits or execution code instructions.

[0053] In a tenth 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 functional modules of the methods in the aforementioned third aspect and any possible implementation of the third aspect through logic circuits or execution code instructions.

[0054] Eleventhly, a communication device is provided, including a processor and an interface circuit. The interface circuit is used 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 used to implement the functional modules of the methods in the aforementioned fifth aspect and any possible implementation of the fifth aspect through logic circuits or execution code instructions.

[0055] In a twelfth 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 functional modules of the methods in any possible implementation of the seventh aspect or the seventh aspect through logic circuits or execution code instructions.

[0056] In a thirteenth 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, third, fifth, or seventh aspects, and any possible implementation thereof.

[0057] In a fourteenth aspect, a computer program product comprising instructions is provided that, when executed by a processor, implements the methods of any one of the first, third, fifth, or seventh aspects, and any possible implementation thereof.

[0058] In a fifteenth aspect, a chip system is provided, comprising a processor and potentially a memory, for implementing the methods of any one of the first, third, fifth, or seventh aspects, and any possible implementation thereof. The chip system may be composed of chips or may include chips and other discrete devices.

[0059] In a sixteenth aspect, a communication system is provided, the system comprising the apparatus of the second aspect (such as a network device) and the apparatus of the fourth aspect (such as a terminal device).

[0060] In a seventeenth aspect, a communication system is provided, the system comprising the apparatus of the sixth aspect (such as a terminal device) and the apparatus of the eighth aspect (such as a network device). Attached Figure Description

[0061] Figure 1 This is a schematic diagram of the network architecture applicable to the embodiments of this application;

[0062] Figure 2 A schematic diagram of a pattern provided for an embodiment of this application;

[0063] Figure 3 This is a schematic flowchart of a communication method provided in an embodiment of this application;

[0064] Figure 4 This is a schematic diagram of a transmission direction switching provided in an embodiment of this application;

[0065] Figure 5This is a schematic diagram of a transmission direction switching provided in an embodiment of this application;

[0066] Figure 6 This is a schematic flowchart of a communication method provided in an embodiment of this application;

[0067] Figure 7 A schematic diagram of a time slot structure provided in an embodiment of this application;

[0068] Figure 8 A schematic diagram of a time slot structure provided in an embodiment of this application;

[0069] Figure 9 A schematic diagram of a time slot structure provided in an embodiment of this application;

[0070] Figure 10 This is a schematic diagram of a transmission direction switching provided in an embodiment of this application;

[0071] Figure 11 This is a schematic diagram of a transmission direction switching provided in an embodiment of this application;

[0072] Figure 12 This is a schematic diagram of a transmission direction switching provided in an embodiment of this application;

[0073] Figure 13 This is a schematic diagram of a communication device structure provided in an embodiment of this application;

[0074] Figure 14 This is a schematic diagram of a communication device structure provided in an embodiment of this application. Detailed Implementation

[0075] The embodiments of this application will now be described in further detail with reference to the accompanying drawings.

[0076] The technical solutions of this application can be applied to various communication systems, such as Long Term Evolution (LTE) systems, LTE Frequency Division Duplex (FDD) systems, LTE Time Division Duplex (TDD) systems, NR systems, etc., and are not limited thereto. The methods in this application are not only applicable to TDD systems, but also to half-duplex-frequency division duplex (HD-FDD) systems, enabling HD-FDD to operate according to the time slot configuration method of this application.

[0077] In this application embodiment, the terminal device can be a device with wireless transceiver function or a chip that can be set in any device. It can also be referred to as user equipment (UE), access terminal, user unit, remote terminal, mobile device, user terminal, wireless communication device, user agent, or user device. The terminal device in this application embodiment can be a mobile phone, tablet computer, virtual reality (VR) terminal, augmented reality (AR) terminal, wireless terminal in industrial control, wireless terminal in self-driving, wireless terminal in remote medical care, wireless terminal in smart grid, wireless terminal in transportation safety, etc.

[0078] In this embodiment, the terminal device can be a REDCAP terminal device in an NR system, or a terminal device with traditional capabilities. A REDCAP terminal device can also be referred to as a low-capability terminal device, a reduced-capability terminal device, a REDCAPUE, a Reduced Capacity UE, or an mMTC UE. A terminal device with traditional capabilities, normal capabilities, or high capabilities can also be referred to as a legacy terminal device or a normal terminal device. Compared to a traditional terminal device, a low-capability terminal device differs from a traditional terminal device in one or more of the following characteristic parameters:

[0079] Bandwidth (channel bandwidth), also known as the bandwidth supported or configured by the terminal device, may differ between low-capability terminal devices and traditional terminal devices in this application. For example, the bandwidth of a low-capability terminal device may be 20 Mbps, while that of a traditional terminal device may be 100 Mbps.

[0080] The number of resource units supported or configured differs. For example, low-capability terminal devices support 48 RBs, while traditional terminal devices support 96 RBs.

[0081] The number of transmit antenna ports and / or receive antenna ports differ. For example, a low-capability terminal device has 1 transmit antenna port and 2 receive antenna ports, while a traditional terminal device has 2 transmit antenna ports and 4 receive antenna ports.

[0082] The number of radio frequency channels differs. For example, low-capability terminal devices have one radio frequency channel, while traditional terminal devices have two.

[0083] The number of HARQ processes differs. For example, low-capability terminal devices have 8 HARQ processes, while traditional terminal devices have 16.

[0084] The supported peak rates differ. For example, low-capability terminal devices support a maximum peak rate of 100Mbps, while traditional terminal devices support a peak rate of 200Mbps.

[0085] The application scenarios differ. For example, low-capability terminal devices are used in industrial wireless sensing, video surveillance, and wearable devices, while traditional terminal devices are used in mobile communications and video internet access.

[0086] The latency requirements differ. For example, low-capacity terminal devices require a latency of 500 milliseconds, while traditional terminal devices require a latency of 100 milliseconds.

[0087] The processing capabilities differ. For example, low-capacity terminal devices do not support complex calculations (complex calculations include artificial intelligence (AI) and virtual reality (VR) rendering), while traditional terminal devices support complex calculations; thus, the processing power of low-capacity terminal devices is lower than that of traditional terminal devices.

[0088] The protocol versions differ. For example, low-capability terminal devices support Release 17, while traditional terminal devices support Release 15.

[0089] The duplex modes (half-duplex and full-duplex) are different. For example, low-capacity terminal devices operate in half-duplex mode, while traditional terminal devices operate in full-duplex mode.

[0090] The services (IoT applications such as video surveillance, MBB, etc.) differ. For example, low-capability terminal devices support real-time video surveillance, while traditional terminal devices support MBB.

[0091] Network equipment is primarily responsible for providing wireless connectivity to terminal devices and ensuring reliable uplink and downlink data transmission. Network equipment can be a next-generation node B (gNB) in an NR system or an evolved node B (eNB) in an LTE system. When the network equipment is a gNB, it can consist of a centralized unit (CU) and a distributed unit (DU).

[0092] For example, the method provided in the embodiments of this application can be applied to Figure 1In the communication system shown, the network device and three terminal devices (represented by UE1 to UE3) constitute a single-cell communication system. UE1 to UE3 can send uplink data to the network device individually or simultaneously, and the network device can send downlink data to UE1 to UE3 individually or simultaneously. It should be understood that... Figure 1 This is merely an illustrative example and does not specifically limit the number of terminal devices or network devices included in the communication system, or the number of cells covered by the network devices.

[0093] by Figure 1 The communication system shown is an NR TDD system. Before the terminal device communicates with the network device, the network device can configure a time slot pattern for all terminal devices in the cell via RRC public signaling. Currently, the network device can configure two patterns: Pattern 1 and Pattern 2. The configuration rules for these two patterns are the same. Taking Pattern 1 as an example, the configuration rules are as follows:

[0094] • Determine the transmission period of pattern 1. The transmission period P1 can be 0.5ms, 0.625ms, 1ms, 1.25ms, 2ms, 2.5ms, 5ms, or 10ms, etc., depending on the actual situation.

[0095] • Configure x consecutive time slots starting from Pattern 1 as downlink time slots, where x is a positive integer and the specific value is determined according to the actual situation;

[0096] • Configure y consecutive symbols starting from the end position of x downlink time slots as downlink symbols, where y is a positive integer and the specific value is determined according to the actual situation;

[0097] Configure x consecutive time slots preceding the end position of Pattern 1 as uplink time slots;

[0098] • Configure y consecutive symbols preceding the starting position of x uplink time slots as uplink symbols;

[0099] • Configure the remaining symbols in pattern 1 as F symbols.

[0100] Based on the above description, the configuration result of Pattern 1 can be referenced. Figure 2 As shown, Figure 2 In this context, D represents the downlink time slot or downlink symbol, U represents the uplink time slot or uplink symbol, and F represents the F symbol, which can also be called the flexible symbol.

[0101] Building upon RRC public signaling, network devices can further configure F symbols as uplink or downlink symbols using RRC dedicated signaling. Furthermore, if F symbols still exist after configuration using both RRC public and dedicated signaling, the network device can also indicate the symbol format configured as F symbols via DCI. For example, DCI does not directly indicate the symbol format of the F symbol, but rather the time slot format including the time slot containing the F symbol. Each time slot format specifies the number and position of uplink symbols and the number and position of downlink symbols within a time slot.

[0102] There are currently 256 timeslot formats. When network devices use DCI to indicate, they need to select the appropriate timeslot format from these 256 formats to indicate to the terminal device, which is quite complex. Therefore, this application provides a method to reduce the complexity of configuring timeslot formats, which will be described in detail below.

[0103] The 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 network architecture and the emergence of new business scenarios, the technical solutions provided in the embodiments of this application are also applicable to similar technical problems.

[0104] In this embodiment, the interaction between a terminal device and a network device is used as an example for illustration. The method provided in this embodiment can also be applied to the interaction between other execution entities, such as the interaction between a terminal device chip or module and a chip or module in a network device. When the execution entity is a chip or module, the description in this embodiment can be referred to, and will not be repeated here.

[0105] Example 1:

[0106] Based on the preceding description, such as Figure 3 The diagram shown is a schematic flowchart of a communication method provided in an embodiment of this application. See also... Figure 3 The method includes:

[0107] Step 301: The network device determines the first time slot format combination information based on one or more of the terminal device's service type, the terminal device's capability information, and threshold information.

[0108] The service type is associated with at least one time slot format, the terminal device's capability information indicates the number of time slot formats supported by the terminal device, and the threshold information indicates at least one time slot format that satisfies the threshold information;

[0109] Step 302: The network device sends first information to the terminal device, wherein the first information indicates that the time slot format of one or more time slots is the time slot format corresponding to the first time slot format combination information.

[0110] In this embodiment of the application, the network device may send the first information via DCI or other means, and this application is not limited to that.

[0111] Step 303: The terminal device determines the first time slot format combination information based on one or more of the terminal device's service type, the terminal device's capability information, and threshold information.

[0112] The service type is associated with at least one time slot format, the terminal device's capability information indicates the number of time slot formats supported by the terminal device, and the threshold information indicates at least one time slot format that satisfies the threshold information.

[0113] Step 304: The terminal device receives first information from the network device, the first information indicating that the time slot format of one or more time slots is the time slot format corresponding to the first time slot format combination information.

[0114] Among the one or more time slots, there are no time slots with the same time slot format, that is, each time slot has a different time slot format; or among the one or more time slots, there may be time slots with the same time slot format, that is, there are at least two time slots with the same time slot format.

[0115] In this embodiment of the application, the first time slot format combination information may include at least one of the following:

[0116] The time slot format index corresponds to the complete set of time slot formats supported by the terminal device. For example, a time slot format can indicate one or more of the following information within a time slot: downlink symbol count and position, flexible symbol count and position, and uplink symbol count and position. For instance, a time slot may have 14 symbols, numbered 0-13. Assuming the time slot format is format A, format A can indicate that symbols 0-3 are downlink symbols, 4-5 are flexible symbols, and 5-13 are uplink symbols. The time slot format index corresponds to a subset of the 256 time slot formats defined in the existing standard, or a portion of the 256 time slot formats defined in the existing standard. The number of time slot formats corresponding to the time slot format index is less than 256; the specific number is determined based on the actual situation.

[0117] The maximum number of slot formats: The maximum number of slot formats can be included in the first slot format parameter, such as the RRC parameter `slotFormats`. For example, the maximum number of slot formats is the RRC parameter `maxNrofSlotFormatsPerCombination`, and the maximum number of slot formats is less than 256. For example, it can be N1 = 2n, where n is a positive integer greater than 1, and N1 can take the values ​​8, 16, 32, 64, or 128. In another possible case, the length of the `slotFormats` sequence (slotFormats sequence size) and the slot format corresponding to each element in the sequence are determined based on the maximum number of slot formats. The slot format of each element in the sequence is the slot format corresponding to the slot format index.

[0118] The set of values ​​for the slot format index: The set of values ​​for the slot format index can be included in the first slot format parameter, such as the RRC parameter `slotFormats`. The set of values ​​for the slot format index is represented as (0,…,N2), where N2=2. n -1, where n is a positive integer greater than 1, and the value of N2 is less than 255. For example, N2 can be 7, 15, 31, 63, or 127. The number of the largest slot format and the set of values ​​for the slot format index can be related, for example, N2 = N1 - 1.

[0119] In this embodiment, an association between service type and first time slot format combination information can be established, and a service type can be associated with at least one time slot format. The time slot format associated with a service type can be determined according to the data transmission requirements of that service type. For example, if the service type needs to transmit more uplink data and less downlink data, the number of uplink symbols in the time slot format associated with the service type is greater than the number of downlink symbols. If the service type needs to transmit more downlink data and less uplink data, the number of downlink symbols in the time slot format associated with the service type is greater than the number of uplink symbols. If the service type needs to transmit more uplink data and more downlink data, the number of uplink symbols and the number of downlink symbols in the time slot format associated with the service type are equal or similar, and both are greater than a preset value, for example, both are greater than 3. If the service type needs to transmit less uplink data and less downlink data, the number of uplink symbols and the number of downlink symbols in the time slot format associated with the service type are equal or similar. The symbols can refer to symbols such as orthogonal frequency division multiplexing (OFDM) symbols.

[0120] For example, taking industrial wireless sensor network (IWSN) services, video surveillance services, and wearable services as examples, the data transmission requirements for these services can be seen in Table 1.

[0121] Table 1

[0122]

[0123] Referring to Table 1, IWSN services require the transmission of a large amount of downlink data and a relatively small amount of uplink data. Therefore, the number of downlink symbols included in the timeslot format associated with IWSN services is relatively large. For example, the timeslot formats associated with IWSN services can be one or more of those in Table 2. When associating multiple timeslot formats, it can include all timeslot formats in Table 2.

[0124] Table 2

[0125] 0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 0 D D D D D D D D D D D D D D 1 D D D D D D D D D D D D D F 2 D D D D D D D D D D D D F F 3 D D D D D D D D D D D F F F 4 D D D D D D D D D D F F F F 5 D D D D D D D D D F F F U U 6 D D D D D D D D F F U U U U 7 D D D D D D F F U U U U U U

[0126] In Table 2, D represents downlink symbols, U represents uplink symbols, and F represents flexible symbols. The first row of Table 2 represents the symbol index within a time slot, and the first column represents the time slot format index. A time slot includes 14 symbols. Except for the first row, each row represents a time slot format. Each time slot format indicates the distribution of uplink, downlink, and flexible symbols within a time slot, i.e., the number of symbols and their positions. For example, the time slot format in the second row indicates that all symbols in a time slot are downlink symbols; the time slot format in the ninth row indicates that symbols 0 to 5 are downlink symbols, symbols 6 to 7 are flexible symbols, and symbols 8 to 13 are uplink symbols.

[0127] For another example, video surveillance services require less downlink data transmission and more uplink data transmission. Therefore, the timeslot format associated with a video surveillance service needs to include a large number of uplink symbols. For instance, the timeslot format associated with a video surveillance service can be one or more of the formats listed in Table 3. When associating with multiple formats, it can include associating with all timeslot formats in Table 3.

[0128] Table 3

[0129] 0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 0 U U U U U U U U U U U U U U 1 F U U U U U U U U U U U U U 2 F F U U U U U U U U U U U U 3 F F F U U U U U U U U U U U 4 F F F F U U U U U U U U U U 5 D D F F U U U U U U U U U U 6 D D D F F U U U U U U U U U 7 D D D D F F U U U U U U U U

[0130] In Table 3, D represents downlink symbols, U represents uplink symbols, and F represents flexible symbols. The first row represents the symbol index in a time slot, and the first column represents the index of the time slot format.

[0131] For another example, wearable services require the transmission of a large amount of both uplink and downlink data. Therefore, the number of uplink and downlink symbols that need to be included in the timeslot format associated with wearable services should be similar. For instance, the timeslot format associated with wearable services can be one or more of the formats listed in Table 4. When associating with multiple formats, it can include all the timeslot formats in Table 4.

[0132] Table 4

[0133] 0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 0 D D D D D D D F U U U U U U 1 D D D D D D F F U U U U U U 2 D D D D D D D F F U U U U U 3 D D D D D D F F F U U U U U 4 D D D D D F U U U U U U U U

[0134] In Table 4, D represents the downlink symbol, U represents the uplink symbol, and F represents the flexible symbol.

[0135] It should be noted that the number of time slot formats associated with different service types can be the same or different. For example, wearable services can be associated with 8 time slot formats, while video surveillance services can be associated with 16 time slot formats. The number of time slot formats associated with different service types can be predefined or determined in other ways, and this application embodiment does not limit this. Furthermore, at least one time slot format associated with a service type can be determined by the terminal device and reported to the network device, or it can be predefined, or it can be configured by the network device.

[0136] It should be noted that when the first time slot format combination information includes the set of values ​​for the time slot format index, taking Table 2 as an example, the maximum value of the index in the first column of Table 2 can be N² = 2. n -1 (2 to the power of n - 1), where n is a positive integer greater than 1, and the maximum value of the index is less than 255. For example, the maximum value of the index is 7, 15, 31, 63, or 127. Tables 3 and 4 are also applicable and will not be repeated here. When the first time slot format combination information includes the time slot format corresponding to the time slot format index, taking Table 2 as an example, the time slot format corresponding to the time slot format index corresponds to the time slot format of each row in Table 2.

[0137] In this embodiment, the terminal device can also report capability information to the network device, which may indicate the number of timeslot formats supported by the terminal device. This capability information may also indicate one or more timeslot formats supported by the terminal device. When the network device obtains this capability information, it configures the number of timeslot formats for the terminal device, wherein the number of timeslot formats is less than or equal to the maximum number of timeslot formats supported by the terminal device.

[0138] In one possible implementation, the number of timeslot formats can be the maximum number of timeslot formats supported by the terminal device. For example, the maximum number of timeslot formats supported by the terminal device is equal to N1, where N1 = 2n, n is a positive integer greater than 1, and N1 can be 8, 16, 32, 64, or 128.

[0139] In another possible implementation, the number of time slot formats can directly indicate the time slot format corresponding to the time slot format index. For example, if the service executed by the terminal device is video surveillance, the time slot format corresponding to the time slot format index associated with the video surveillance service can be reported to the network device through capability information. As another example, the terminal device can use capability information to indicate the time slot formats corresponding to the time slot format index it supports. For instance, if there are currently 256 time slot formats, and the terminal device supports a subset of them, such as the 20 time slot formats shown in Table 5, the capability information can indicate all or part of these 20 time slot formats. For example, M time slot formats can be divided into different sets using a predefined method. It should be understood that the M time slot formats can be any number of time slot formats, such as the existing 256 time slot formats. The M time slot formats can be divided into M1 sets (M is greater than M1). The division method can be based on consecutive indices or according to predefined rules. The indices can be non-consecutive, and the format can be divided into sets 0, ..., M1-1. Terminal devices can report one or more sets (sets 0, ..., M1-1) through capability information.

[0140] Table 5

[0141] 0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 0 D D D D D D D D D D D D D D 1 D D D D D D D D D D D D D F 2 D D D D D D D D D D D D F F 3 D D D D D D D D D D D F F F 4 D D D D D D D D D D F F F F 5 D D D D D D D D D F F F U U 6 D D D D D D D D F F U U U U 7 D D D D D D F F U U U U U U 8 U U U U U U U U U U U U U U 9 F U U U U U U U U U U U U U 10 F F U U U U U U U U U U U U 11 F F F U U U U U U U U U U U 12 F F F F U U U U U U U U U U 13 D D F F U U U U U U U U U U 14 D D D F F U U U U U U U U U 15 D D D D F F U U U U U U U U 16 D D D D D D D F U U U U U U 17 D D D D D D F F U U U U U U 18 D D D D D D D F F U U U U U 19 D D D D D D F F F U U U U U 20 D D D D D F U U U U U U U U

[0142] In another possible implementation, the capability information can indirectly indicate at least one time slot format. For example, the capability information can be at least one of the following: a time slot format in which the terminal device supports a number of uplink symbols greater than a first threshold; a time slot format in which the terminal device supports a number of downlink symbols greater than a second threshold; and a time slot format in which the terminal device supports a number of flexible symbols greater than a third threshold. The first, second, and third thresholds can be determined based on actual conditions. For example, capability information indicating a number of uplink symbols greater than 5 indicates that the terminal device supports a time slot format in which the number of uplink symbols is greater than 5, and the network device does not consider time slot formats in which the number of uplink symbols is less than or equal to 5 when configuring the time slot format. For example, capability information indicating a number of uplink symbols greater than 5 and a number of downlink symbols greater than 3 indicates that the terminal device supports a time slot format in which the number of uplink symbols is greater than 5 and the number of downlink symbols is greater than 3.

[0143] In this embodiment, at least one time slot format can also be indicated by threshold information. The threshold information can be reported by the terminal device to the network device, configured by the network device, or predefined by the protocol; this embodiment is not limited thereto.

[0144] The threshold information may include one or more of a first threshold, a second threshold, and a third threshold. The first threshold represents the minimum number of uplink symbols included in the time slot format supported by the terminal device; the second threshold represents the minimum number of downlink symbols included in the time slot format supported by the terminal device; and the third threshold represents the minimum number of flexible symbols included in the time slot format supported by the terminal device.

[0145] In this case, the threshold information indicates that any of the at least one time slot format (or at least one time slot format that satisfies the threshold information) satisfies one or more of the following:

[0146] The number of uplink symbols is greater than or equal to the first threshold; the number of downlink symbols is greater than or equal to the second threshold; and the number of flexible symbols is greater than or equal to the third threshold.

[0147] For example, if the first threshold is 6, then the threshold information indicates that any of the at least one time slot formats includes an uplink symbol count greater than or equal to 6. If the first threshold is 6 and the second threshold is 4, then the threshold information indicates that any of the at least one time slot formats includes an uplink symbol count greater than or equal to 6 and a downlink symbol count greater than or equal to 4.

[0148] In this embodiment, the first threshold and the second threshold can be determined based on the service type. For example, if the service type requires a large amount of uplink data to be transmitted, the value of the first threshold can be greater than 5. Similarly, if the service type requires a large amount of downlink data to be transmitted, the value of the second threshold can be greater than 5. Of course, the above are just examples, and the first and second thresholds may be determined in other ways, which will not be elaborated here.

[0149] In this embodiment of the application, the third threshold can be determined based on the first parameter, which may include one or more of the following:

[0150] Subcarrier spacing (SCS); radio frequency adjustment time; timing advance (TA); bandwidth switching delay. Radio frequency adjustment time is the time required for the terminal device's radio frequency transmission channel to adjust accordingly when switching from uplink to downlink, or vice versa. Since uplink and downlink transmissions occupy different bandwidths, the terminal device also needs to perform bandwidth switching; the time required for this switching is called bandwidth switching delay.

[0151] For example, when the SCS is 15kHz, the RF adjustment time is 13 microseconds. If the switching delay of the TA and bandwidth is not considered, the second threshold can be set to 1 symbol. If the bandwidth switching delay is considered, and if the bandwidth switching delay is 140 microseconds, then the duration corresponding to the second threshold should be greater than 13 + 140 = 153 microseconds, that is, the second threshold can be set to 3 symbols (when the SCS is 15kHz, the length of 1 symbol is 77 microseconds).

[0152] Based on the preceding descriptions, the following sections describe how network devices determine the first timeslot format combination information.

[0153] Implementation method 1:

[0154] When a network device determines the time slot format of one or more time slots based on the service type of a terminal device, the network device can select at least one time slot format from the one or more time slot formats associated with that service type as the time slot format included in the first time slot format combination information. The network device can configure the at least one time slot format to the one or more time slots. The specific configuration method is not limited in this embodiment. Different time slots can choose the same time slot format or different time slot formats.

[0155] For example, in the case of an IWSN service, the network device needs to determine the time slot format for P time slots, where P is a positive integer. Assuming that no time slots among the P time slots have the same format, the network device can determine any P time slot formats from at least one time slot format associated with the IWSN service as the time slot format for those P time slots. The correspondence between each time slot format and the time slot can be determined according to the actual situation, and this embodiment is not limited. Taking Table 2 as an example, if P = 2, the time slot formats indexed 1 and 3 in Table 2 can be configured for these two time slots. As another example, assuming that time slots among the P time slots have the same format, taking Table 2 as an example, if P = 2, the time slot format indexed 5 in Table 2 can be configured for these two time slots. Other cases can be deduced similarly, and will not be elaborated further here.

[0156] Implementation Method Two:

[0157] When a network device determines the time slot format of one or more time slots based on the capability information of a terminal device, the network device can select the one or more time slot formats indicated by the capability information as the time slot formats included in the first time slot format combination information. The network device can then configure the at least one time slot format to the one or more time slots.

[0158] For example, suppose there are three time slots: time slot 1, time slot 2, and time slot 3. Referring to Table 5, the three time slot formats in Table 5 can be assigned to these three time slots. For instance, the time slot formats with indices 1, 3, and 5 can be assigned to these three time slots. As another example, the time slot format with index 5 in Table 5 can be assigned to time slots 1 and 3, and the time slot format with index 8 in Table 5 can be assigned to time slot 2. Other cases can be deduced similarly, and will not be elaborated further here.

[0159] Implementation method three:

[0160] When a network device determines the time slot format of one or more time slots based on threshold information, the network device can select the one or more time slot formats indicated by the threshold information as the time slot formats included in the first time slot format combination information. The network device can then configure the at least one time slot format to the one or more time slots.

[0161] For example, the threshold information includes a first threshold of 6, and the threshold information indicates a time slot format that includes a number of uplink symbols greater than or equal to 6. The network device can configure at least one time slot format that includes a number of uplink symbols greater than or equal to 6 to the one or more time slots.

[0162] For example, the threshold information includes a first threshold of 6 and a third threshold of 2. The threshold information indicates a time slot format that includes an uplink symbol count greater than or equal to 6 and a flexible symbol count greater than or equal to 2. The network device can configure at least one time slot format that includes an uplink symbol count greater than or equal to 6 and a flexible symbol count greater than or equal to 2 to the one or more time slots.

[0163] The threshold information indicates that any time slot format in at least one time slot format includes a number of uplink symbols greater than or equal to 6. If the first threshold is 6 and the second threshold is 4, then the threshold information indicates that any time slot format in at least one time slot format includes a number of uplink symbols greater than or equal to 6 and a number of downlink symbols greater than or equal to 4.

[0164] Implementation Method 4:

[0165] The network device determines the time slot format of the one or more time slots based on at least two of the following: service type, capability information, and threshold information. Specifically, the network device can determine the time slot format included in the first time slot format combination information based on at least two of the following: service type, capability information, and threshold information.

[0166] The time slot format included in the first time slot format combination information can be the intersection of at least two of the following:

[0167] At least one time slot format associated with the service type; at least one time slot format indicating capability information; at least one time slot format indicating threshold information.

[0168] For example, for an IWSN service, the associated at least one timeslot format can be as shown in Table 2. The at least one timeslot format indicated by the capability information can be a timeslot format from Table 5. The threshold information includes a first threshold of 7 and a third threshold of 1. The network device determines the first timeslot format combination information based on the service type and capability information. The first timeslot format combination information can include at least one of the following: the timeslot format corresponding to the timeslot format index, the maximum number of timeslot formats, and the set of values ​​for the timeslot format index. That is, the network device determines one or more of the following based on the service type and capability information: the timeslot format corresponding to the timeslot format index, the maximum number of timeslot formats, and the set of values ​​for the timeslot format index, as shown in Table 6.

[0169] Table 6

[0170] 0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 0 D D D D D D D D D D D D D D 1 D D D D D D D D D D D D D F 2 D D D D D D D D D D D D F F 3 D D D D D D D D D D D F F F 4 D D D D D D D D D D F F F F 5 D D D D D D D D D F F F U U 6 D D D D D D D D F F U U U U

[0171] As shown in Table 6, the set of values ​​for the time slot format shown in Table 6 that simultaneously satisfies the business type and capability information is the intersection of the first 6 rows in Table 2 and Table 5.

[0172] The network device determines the first time slot format combination information based on the service type and threshold information. The first time slot format combination information may include the time slot format corresponding to the time slot format index, the maximum number of time slot formats, and one or more of the values ​​of the time slot format index. That is, the network device determines one or more of the time slot format corresponding to the time slot format index, the maximum number of time slot formats, and the values ​​of the time slot format index based on the service type and threshold information, as shown in Table 7.

[0173] Table 7

[0174] 0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 1 D D D D D D D D D D D D D F 2 D D D D D D D D D D D D F F 3 D D D D D D D D D D D F F F 4 D D D D D D D D D D F F F F 5 D D D D D D D D D F F F U U 6 D D D D D D D D F F U U U U

[0175] The network device determines the first time slot format combination information based on the capability information and threshold information. The first time slot format combination information may include the time slot format corresponding to the time slot format index, the maximum number of time slot formats, and one or more of the values ​​of the time slot format index. That is, the network device determines the time slot format corresponding to the time slot format index, the maximum number of time slot formats, and one or more of the values ​​of the time slot format index based on the capability information and threshold information, as shown in Table 8.

[0176] Table 8

[0177]

[0178]

[0179] The network device determines the first time slot format combination information based on the service type, capability information, and threshold information. The first time slot format combination information may include the time slot format corresponding to the time slot format index, the maximum number of time slot formats, and one or more of the value set of the time slot format index. That is, the network device determines one or more of the time slot format corresponding to the time slot format index, the maximum number of time slot formats, and the value set of the time slot format index based on the service type, capability information, and threshold information, as shown in Table 9.

[0180] Table 9

[0181] 0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 1 D D D D D D D D D D D D D F 2 D D D D D D D D D D D D F F 3 D D D D D D D D D D D F F F 4 D D D D D D D D D D F F F F 5 D D D D D D D D D F F F U U 6 D D D D D D D D F F U U U U

[0182] The above are just examples; other situations can be deduced by analogy, and will not be explained one by one.

[0183] This application can also be applied to pattern configuration. For ease of description, the pattern will be referred to as a time-division multiplexing uplink / downlink configuration below. The time-division multiplexing uplink / downlink configuration includes the configuration of the RRC parameter TDD-UL-DL-ConfigCommon or the RRC parameter TDD-UL-DL-ConfigDedicated. For example, it may include at least one of the following: the number and location of uplink time slots; the number and location of uplink symbols; the number and location of downlink time slots; the number and location of downlink symbols; the number and location of flexible time slots; and the number and location of flexible symbols. The parameters in the time-division multiplexing uplink / downlink configuration include at least one of the following: the number of uplink time slots, the location of uplink time slots, the number of uplink symbols, the location of uplink symbols, the number of flexible symbols, the location of flexible symbols, and the period of the time-division multiplexing uplink / downlink configuration. Among them, the number of uplink time slots is the number of uplink time slots in this configuration; the uplink time slot position is the start position or end position of the uplink time slot or the position determined according to a certain rule; the number of downlink time slots is the number of downlink time slots in this configuration; the downlink time slot position is the start position or end position of the downlink time slot or the position determined according to a certain rule; the period of the time division multiplexing uplink and downlink configuration is the duration of this configuration, that is, the UE will work according to the time division multiplexing uplink and downlink configuration during the duration of this configuration.

[0184] For example, the TDD uplink / downlink configuration corresponds to the RRC parameter TDD-UL-DL-ConfigCommon or the RRC parameter TDD-UL-DL-ConfigDedicated. Examples include the number and location of uplink time slots, and / or the number and location of uplink symbols, and / or the number and location of downlink time slots, and / or the number and location of downlink symbols, and / or the number and location of flexible time slots, and / or the number and location of flexible symbols, and / or the period of the TDD uplink / downlink configuration. Furthermore, to simplify processing by the terminal device, the TDD uplink / downlink configuration may include only one period, or for specific service types, only one period, and this period value is an integer multiple of 5 milliseconds (ms), such as 5ms, 10ms, or 20ms. The period value configuration is related to the service type of the terminal device; for example, for IWSN services, since the channel environment and the amount of data to be transmitted are relatively stable, the configured period value is a larger value.

[0185] In this embodiment of the application, the parameters in the time-division multiplexing uplink and downlink configuration can be determined based on one or more of the service type of the terminal device, the capability information of the terminal device, and the threshold information.

[0186] Specifically, the service type is associated with parameters in the time-division multiplexing uplink / downlink configuration. The terminal device's capability information indicates the parameters in the time-division multiplexing uplink / downlink configuration supported by the terminal device, and the threshold information indicates the parameters in the time-division multiplexing uplink / downlink configuration that satisfy the threshold information. Regarding the association between the service type and the parameters in the time-division multiplexing uplink / downlink configuration: if the service type requires a large amount of uplink data to be transmitted and a small amount of downlink data to be transmitted, then the number of uplink time slots in the time slot format associated with the service type is greater than the number of downlink time slots. If the service type requires a large amount of downlink data to be transmitted and a small amount of uplink data to be transmitted, then the number of downlink time slots in the time slot format associated with the service type is greater than the number of uplink time slots. If the service type requires a large amount of uplink data to be transmitted and also a large amount of downlink data to be transmitted, then the number of uplink time slots and the number of downlink time slots in the time slot format associated with the service type are equal to or similar, and both are greater than a preset value, for example, both greater than 3. If a service type requires a small amount of uplink data and a small amount of downlink data, the number of uplink symbols in the associated time slot format is equal to or close to the number of downlink symbols. A time slot can be replaced by any of the following: subframe, radio frame, mini-time slot, or symbol. The service type can be associated with the period of the time-division multiplexing uplink and downlink configuration. For example, if a service type requires a large amount of uplink data and a small amount of downlink data, the number of associated uplink time slots is greater than the number of associated downlink time slots. For example, if the service type is video surveillance, the associated number of uplink time slots is 5, and the number of associated downlink time slots is 2. If a service type requires a large amount of downlink data and a small amount of uplink data, the number of associated uplink time slots is less than the number of associated downlink time slots. For example, if the service type is IWSN, the associated number of associated uplink time slots is 1, and the number of associated downlink time slots is 6.

[0187] The capability information of the terminal device indicates the parameters in the time-division multiplexing uplink and downlink configuration supported by the terminal device. In one possible implementation, the capability information of the terminal device is reported by the terminal device to the network device, and the terminal device reports at least one of the following:

[0188] 1) The cycle of time-division multiplexing uplink and downlink configuration.

[0189] 2) The terminal device's capability information reporting supports at least one of the following: number of uplink time slots, number of uplink symbols, number of downlink time slots, number of downlink symbols, number of flexible time slots, and number of flexible symbols.

[0190] 3) The terminal device's capability information reporting supports a ratio between at least one of the following: number of uplink time slots, number of uplink symbols, number of downlink time slots, number of downlink symbols, number of flexible time slots, and number of flexible symbols. For example, the ratio of uplink time slots to downlink time slots is 2 to 1.

[0191] 4) The terminal device reports the index of the supported time-division multiplexing uplink and downlink configurations. At this time, it is assumed that there are multiple predefined time-division multiplexing uplink and downlink configurations, and the terminal device reports the index of one of them.

[0192] The threshold information includes a first threshold, and / or a second threshold, and / or a third threshold, wherein the first threshold represents the minimum number of uplink time slots or uplink symbols in the time-division multiplexing uplink-downlink configuration, the second threshold represents the minimum number of downlink time slots or downlink symbols in the time-division multiplexing uplink-downlink configuration, and the third threshold represents the minimum number of flexible time slots or flexible symbols in the time-division multiplexing uplink-downlink configuration.

[0193] Specifically, the parameters in the time-division multiplexing uplink and downlink configuration can be determined based on at least two of the following: the service type of the terminal device, the capability information of the terminal device, and the threshold information.

[0194] Example 2:

[0195] Currently, in TDD, terminal devices need to switch transmission directions. In this application, the transmission direction switching includes uplink to downlink and downlink to uplink. This is described below with reference to the accompanying drawings. Figures 4 to 5 In this context, D represents the downlink symbol, U represents the uplink symbol, and F represents the flexible symbol. For example... Figure 4 As shown in (a), if two consecutive symbols are an uplink symbol and a downlink symbol, then the terminal device needs to switch from uplink to downlink. At least one flexible symbol can also be included between the uplink and downlink symbols, for example, such as... Figure 4 As shown in (b) in the diagram, this is a schematic diagram of another transmission direction switching.

[0196] like Figure 5 As shown in (a), if two consecutive symbols are a downlink symbol and an uplink symbol, then the terminal device needs to switch from downlink to uplink. At least one flexible symbol may also be included between the downlink and uplink symbols, for example, such as... Figure 5 As shown in (b) above, this is a schematic diagram of another transmission direction switching method. This application provides a method to reduce the number of transmission direction switching operations and improve transmission efficiency, which will be described below.

[0197] Based on the preceding description, such as Figure 6 The diagram shown is a schematic flowchart of a communication method provided in an embodiment of this application. See also... Figure 6 The method includes:

[0198] Step 601: The network device determines the format of the first timeslot;

[0199] The method for determining the format of the first time slot can be as follows: Figure 3 The method in the illustrated process determines the first time slot format by selecting one or more of the following: the service type of the terminal device, the capability information of the terminal device, and threshold information. This can also be understood as the network device being able to... Figure 3 The first information in the illustrated process indicates the first time slot format.

[0200] Step 602: The network device sends configuration information to the terminal device, the configuration information indicating the first timeslot format.

[0201] Step 603: The terminal device receives configuration information from the network device.

[0202] Step 604: The terminal device determines at least one of the time unit and transmission direction switching information between two adjacent time slots according to the first time slot format indicated by the configuration information.

[0203] The time unit is not used for uplink transmission or downlink reception.

[0204] The first time slot format is a time slot format for one time slot. In step 601, the network device can determine the first time slot format combination information based on one or more of the terminal device's service type, terminal device capability information, and threshold information. The first time slot format is the time slot format corresponding to one time slot in the first time slot format combination information.

[0205] Here, two adjacent time slots refer to the first time slot and the second time slot that follows the first time slot, or the first time slot and the third time slot that precedes the first time slot.

[0206] Transmission direction switching includes switching from uplink symbols to downlink symbols, switching from uplink symbols to downlink symbols, switching from uplink transmission to downlink transmission, and switching from downlink transmission to uplink transmission, or any one or more of these. Transmission direction switching information can indicate the number of transmission direction switches, and the transmission direction switching information can be any of the following:

[0207] 1. If all symbols in a time slot are uplink symbols, then the transmission direction switching information is 0;

[0208] 2. If all symbols in a time slot are downlink symbols, then the transmission direction switching information is 0;

[0209] 3. If a time slot includes both uplink symbols and flexible symbols, then the transmission direction switching information is 0;

[0210] 4. If a time slot includes both downlink symbols and flexible symbols, then the transmission direction switching information is 0;

[0211] 5. If a time slot includes both uplink and downlink symbols, then the transmission direction switching information is 1;

[0212] 6. If a time slot includes uplink symbols, flexible symbols, and downlink symbols, then the transmission direction switching information is 1;

[0213] 7. A time slot includes the configuration of downlink symbols, flexible symbols, and uplink symbols, and includes N configurations. For example, if the direction of 14 symbols in a time slot is DDDFUUUDDDFUUU in sequence, then the transmission direction switching information is 2 or 3; in this case, flexible symbols may not be configured; where D represents downlink symbols, F represents flexible symbols, and U represents uplink symbols.

[0214] 8. If the symbol in the first time slot is an uplink symbol, or an uplink symbol and a flexible symbol, and the symbol in the second time slot is a downlink symbol, or a downlink symbol and a flexible symbol, then the transmission direction switching information is 1;

[0215] 9. If the symbol in the first time slot is an uplink symbol, or an uplink symbol and a flexible symbol, and the symbol in the third time slot is a downlink symbol, or a downlink symbol and a flexible symbol, then the transmission direction switching information is 1;

[0216] The positional relationship of a time unit within two adjacent time slots can be as follows: the unit of a time unit can be any of the following: subframe, radio frame, time slot, mini-time slot, or symbol. The following description uses the positional relationship between two time slots as an example; two time slots can be replaced by two adjacent symbols within a single time slot.

[0217] 1) If a time slot includes both uplink and downlink symbols, then the positional relationship of a time unit in two adjacent time slots is within one time slot, i.e., the time of adjacent symbols; or it can be understood that if a transmission direction switch is required between adjacent symbols in a time slot, then the positional relationship of a time unit in two adjacent time slots is the positional relationship between adjacent uplink and downlink symbols in a time slot, and the transmission direction switch occurs at that position.

[0218] 2) If a time slot includes only uplink symbols, or only downlink symbols, or includes both uplink and flexible symbols, or includes both downlink and flexible symbols, then the position of a time unit in two adjacent time slots is between adjacent time slots, i.e., the end of a time slot or the beginning of a time slot.

[0219] 3) The positional relationship of a time unit in two adjacent time slots can be replaced by the positional relationship of a time unit within a single time slot. Furthermore, within this single time slot, a switch occurs between uplink and downlink symbols, or between downlink and uplink symbols, or between uplink and downlink transmissions.

[0220] The duration of a time unit can be understood as one or more of the following: the duration of a time unit is greater than or equal to the RF adjustment duration of the terminal device; the duration of a time unit is greater than or equal to the timing advance (TA) of the terminal device; the duration of a time unit is greater than or equal to the bandwidth switching duration of the terminal device; the duration of a time unit is greater than or equal to the sum of at least two of the RF adjustment duration, timing advance, and bandwidth switching duration of the terminal device; and the duration of a time unit is greater than or equal to the maximum value of the RF adjustment duration, timing advance, and bandwidth switching duration of the terminal device.

[0221] In this embodiment, the terminal device can determine the positional relationship of a time unit in two adjacent time slots and the duration of the time unit using a first method or a second method. The duration of the time unit is greater than or equal to the terminal device's RF adjustment duration, timing advance (TA), or bandwidth partial switching (BWP) duration; or the duration of the time unit is greater than or equal to the sum of at least two of the terminal device's RF adjustment duration, timing advance, and bandwidth partial switching duration. The RF adjustment duration can be understood as the time for the terminal device to adjust the RF (RF retuning), the time required for the terminal device to switch from the transmitting end to the receiving end, the time required for the terminal device to switch from the receiving end to the transmitting end, or the time for the terminal device's hardware adjustment.

[0222] The first method is as follows: when there is a downlink to uplink transition between two adjacent time slots, including the first time slot and the second time slot following the first time slot, the last M symbols of the first time slot are used as a time unit. M is a positive integer. A time unit can occupy all the symbols of the first time slot.

[0223] The second approach is as follows: When there is a transition between two adjacent time slots, including the first time slot and the third time slot preceding the first time slot, and there is an uplink-to-downlink or downlink-to-uplink transition between the two adjacent time slots, the first M symbols of the first time slot are used as the time unit. M is a positive integer. The time unit can occupy all the symbols of the first time slot.

[0224] Among them, the transmission direction switching information is less than 2. By limiting the transmission direction switching information, it is beneficial to reduce the implementation complexity of terminal equipment, reduce the number of switching between the sending and receiving sides, and improve communication efficiency.

[0225] When the transmission direction switching information is 0, the symbols included in the first time slot are all uplink or downlink symbols. Taking a time slot containing 14 symbols as an example, the first time slot can be as follows: Figure 7 As shown.

[0226] When the transmission direction switching information is 1, in one scenario, the first time slot includes uplink and downlink symbols, and the first time slot can be as follows: Figure 8 As shown.

[0227] In another case, such as Figure 9 The two time slot configurations shown either include downlink symbols and flexible symbols in the first time slot, or uplink symbols and flexible symbols in the first time slot. In this case, if the first time slot is configuration 1, and the time slot / symbol preceding or following the first time slot is the uplink primary time slot / uplink symbol, the transmission direction switching information is recorded as 1; otherwise, it is recorded as 0. If the first time slot is configuration 2, and the time slot / symbol preceding or following the first time slot is the downlink primary time slot / downlink symbol, the transmission direction switching information is recorded as 1; otherwise, it is recorded as 0.

[0228] In this embodiment of the application, the network device may indicate the transmission direction switching information through signaling, or it may not indicate the transmission direction switching information.

[0229] In this embodiment of the application, in order to avoid collisions between downlink and uplink transmissions at the point of transmission direction switching, a first mode or a second mode can be determined based on the transmission direction switching information. That is, the terminal device determines the transmission direction switching information and determines whether to adopt the first mode or the second mode, which will be described below.

[0230] For example, when the transmission direction switching information is 0, the positional relationship of the time unit in two adjacent time slots, as well as the duration of the time unit, can be determined according to the first method. Specifically, the first method can be defined as follows: Figure 10 As shown, Figure 10 In this context, when two consecutive time slots are a downlink time slot and an uplink time slot respectively, the downlink and uplink time slots overlap. The time unit is located within the downlink time slot and can include the last M symbols of the downlink time slot. In this case, the terminal device does not perform downlink reception at the transition point, i.e., during the last M symbols of the downlink time slot, i.e., it drops M symbols. These M symbols include the region in the downlink time slot that overlaps with the uplink time slot. M is a positive integer and can be determined based on at least one of the following: SCS, RF adjustment duration, TA, and bandwidth portion switching duration.

[0231] For example, when the SCS is 15kHz, the length of one symbol is 77 microseconds, and the RF adjustment time is 13 microseconds. If we disregard the switching delay of the TA and bandwidth portion, the required switching time is at least 13 microseconds, which requires reserving one symbol, i.e., M equals 1. If the bandwidth portion switching time is 100 microseconds, the required switching time is at least 13 + 100 = 113 microseconds, which requires reserving two symbols, i.e., M equals 2.

[0232] The value of M can also be determined in other ways, which will not be elaborated here.

[0233] For example, when the transmission direction switching information is 1, such as Figure 11 As shown in (a), when the terminal device switches from downlink to uplink in the first time slot, the terminal device does not perform uplink transmission for a first duration after the end position of the downlink symbol, but starts uplink transmission at a position a first duration away from the end position of the downlink symbol. The first duration may be greater than or equal to the TA, the bandwidth partial switching duration, or the RF adjustment duration; or the first duration may be greater than or equal to the sum of at least two of the TA, the bandwidth partial switching duration, and the RF adjustment duration.

[0234] like Figure 11 As shown in (b), when the terminal device switches from uplink to downlink in the first timeslot, the terminal device does not perform downlink reception for a second duration after the end of the uplink symbol, but instead begins downlink reception at a position two durations away from the end of the uplink symbol. The second duration may be greater than or equal to the TA, the bandwidth partial switching duration, or the RF adjustment duration; or the second duration may be greater than or equal to the sum of at least two of the TA, the bandwidth partial switching duration, and the RF adjustment duration.

[0235] It should be noted that network devices can instruct terminal devices to use either the first or second mode via physical layer signaling, radio resource control (RRC) signaling, medium access control (MAC) control element (CE) signaling, or downlink control information (DCI). Network devices may also choose not to provide such instruction. If the network device does not provide instruction, it determines the first or second mode using a predefined method: if the transmission direction switching information is 0, the terminal device uses the first mode; if the transmission direction switching information is 1, the terminal device uses the second mode. Alternatively, the terminal device can report support for either the first or second mode based on at least one of the following: service type, terminal device capability information, or threshold information. For example, if the terminal device has a high volume of uplink transmissions (i.e., its service type is primarily uplink-based), downlink transmission opportunities may be fewer. Therefore, downlink transmissions are prioritized, and the time unit is located in the uplink time slot or N consecutive uplink symbols. For example, if the terminal device has a lot of downlink transmissions, that is, the terminal device's service type is mainly downlink, then there may be relatively few uplink transmission opportunities. Therefore, the uplink transmission is prioritized, and the time unit is located in the downlink time slot or N consecutive downlink symbols.

[0236] Optionally, in this embodiment of the application, when the transmission direction switching information is 0, a third method can also be used to determine the positional relationship of the time unit in two adjacent time slots, as well as the duration of the time unit. In the third method, the position of the terminal device in performing the transmission direction switching is fixed, and the duration required for the transmission direction switching is the first Q symbols of a time slot, or the last Q symbols of a time slot. Q is a number greater than 0.

[0237] Q can be determined based on at least one of SCS, RF adjustment duration, TA, and bandwidth portion switching delay.

[0238] For example, when the SCS is 15kHz, the length of one symbol is 77 microseconds, and the RF adjustment time is 13 microseconds. If we disregard the switching delay of the TA and bandwidth portion, the required switching time is at least 13 microseconds, which requires reserving one symbol, i.e., Q equals 1. If the bandwidth portion switching delay is 100 microseconds, the required switching time is at least 13 + 100 = 113 microseconds, which requires reserving two symbols, i.e., Q equals 2.

[0239] For example, such as Figure 12 As shown, the first time slot precedes the second time slot, and all symbols in the first time slot are downlink symbols, meaning the number of transitions in the first time slot is 0. All symbols in the second time slot are uplink symbols. The first time slot can be called the downlink time slot, and the second time slot can be called the uplink time slot. Of course, the second time slot can also contain downlink symbols or flexible symbols. Figure 12 The examples provided are merely illustrations; other situations will not be elaborated upon.

[0240] Because the last symbol of the first time slot and the first symbol of the second time slot are of different types, the terminal device needs to switch from downlink to uplink. In one scenario, such as... Figure 12 As shown in (a), the transmission direction switching position is located in the first time slot, and the transmission direction switching duration is the last Q symbols of the first time slot. In this case, the last Q symbols of the first time slot are not used for downlink transmission.

[0241] In another case, such as Figure 12 As shown in (b), the transmission direction switching position is located in the second time slot, and the transmission direction switching duration is the first Q symbols of the second time slot. In this case, the last Q symbols of the second time slot are not used for uplink transmission.

[0242] It should be noted that when the transmission direction switching mode is the third mode, the network device can send third indication information, which can indicate the time slot where the position relationship is located. For example, the third indication information includes 1 bit. When the state of this bit is 1, it indicates that the transmission direction switching position is located in the first Q symbols of the uplink time slot; when the state of this bit is 0, it indicates that the transmission direction switching position is located in the last Q symbols of the downlink time slot. In this way, the network device can determine the time slot where the transmission direction switching position is located, thereby facilitating subsequent scheduling. The third indication information can also be more than 1 bit, such as 2 bits. When the state of this bit is 00, it indicates that the transmission direction switching position is located in the first Q symbols of the uplink time slot; when the state of this bit is 01, it indicates that the transmission direction switching position is located in the last Q symbols of the downlink time slot; when the state of this bit is 10, it indicates that the transmission direction switching position is located in the middle Q symbols of a time slot.

[0243] Step 604: The terminal device determines at least one of the time unit and transmission direction switching information between two adjacent time slots according to the first time slot format indicated by the configuration information. The time unit is not used for uplink transmission or downlink reception. Alternatively, the following steps can be used:

[0244] The terminal device determines at least one of the time unit and transmission direction switching information within the first time slot according to the first time slot format indicated by the configuration information. The time unit is not used for uplink transmission or downlink reception. The transmission direction switching information within this first time slot is not 0, and the method is the same as described above, so it will not be repeated here.

[0245] In the embodiments provided above, the methods provided by the embodiments of this application have been described from the perspective of interaction between various devices. To implement the functions of the methods provided in the embodiments of this application, network devices or terminal devices 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.

[0246] 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 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.

[0247] Similar to the above concept, such as Figure 13As shown, this application embodiment also provides an apparatus 1300 for implementing the functions of the network device or terminal device in the above method. For example, the apparatus can be a software module or a chip system. In this application embodiment, the chip system can be composed of chips or may include chips and other discrete devices. The apparatus 1300 may include: a processing module 1301 and a communication module 1302.

[0248] In this embodiment, the communication module can also be called a transceiver unit, which may include a sending unit and / or a receiving unit, respectively used to perform the sending and receiving steps of the network device or terminal device in the above method embodiment.

[0249] The following, combined with Figures 13 to 14 This application provides a detailed description of the communication device provided in its embodiments. It should be understood that the descriptions of the device embodiments correspond to the descriptions of the method embodiments; therefore, any content not described in detail here will be referred to the method embodiments above, and for the sake of brevity, will not be repeated here.

[0250] A communication module can also be called a transceiver, transceiver unit, or transceiver device. A processing module can also be called a processor, processing board, processing module, or processing device. Optionally, the device in communication module 1302 that implements the receiving function can be considered a receiving unit, and the device in communication module 1302 that implements the transmitting function can be considered a transmitting unit; that is, communication module 1302 includes a receiving unit and a transmitting unit. A communication module can sometimes also be called a transceiver, transceiver unit, or transceiver circuit. A receiving unit can sometimes be called a receiver, receiver, or receiving circuit. A transmitting unit can sometimes be called a transmitter, transmitter, or transmitting circuit.

[0251] Communication device 1300 performs the above embodiment Figure 3 The functions of the network devices in the illustrated process are as follows:

[0252] The processing module is configured to determine first time slot format combination information based on one or more of the following: the service type of the terminal device, the capability information of the terminal device, and threshold information; wherein the service type is associated with at least one time slot format, the capability information of the terminal device indicates the number of time slot formats supported by the terminal device, and the threshold information indicates at least one time slot format that satisfies the threshold information.

[0253] The transceiver module is used to send the first information determined by the processing module to the terminal device, wherein the first information indicates that the time slot format of one or more time slots is the time slot format corresponding to the first time slot format combination information.

[0254] In one possible implementation, the first time slot format combination information includes at least one of the following: the time slot format corresponding to the time slot format index, the maximum number of time slot formats, and the set of values ​​for the time slot format index.

[0255] In one possible implementation, the first information further indicates the configuration of the time slot format of the one or more time slots.

[0256] In one possible implementation, the threshold information includes one or more of a first threshold, a second threshold, and a third threshold;

[0257] The time slot format among at least one time slot format that satisfies the threshold information satisfies one or more of the following:

[0258] The number of uplink symbols is greater than or equal to the first threshold; the number of downlink symbols is greater than or equal to the second threshold; and the number of flexible symbols is greater than or equal to the third threshold.

[0259] In one possible implementation, the threshold information is determined based on a first parameter;

[0260] The first parameter includes at least one of the following:

[0261] Subcarrier spacing (SCS), radio frequency adjustment duration, timing advance TA, or bandwidth portion BWP handover duration.

[0262] Communication device 1300 performs the above embodiment Figure 3 The functions of the terminal device in the process shown are as follows:

[0263] The processing module is configured to determine first time slot format combination information based on one or more of the service type of the terminal device, the capability information of the terminal device, and threshold information; wherein the service type is associated with at least one time slot format, the capability information of the terminal device indicates the number of time slot formats supported by the terminal device, and the threshold information indicates at least one time slot format that satisfies the threshold information;

[0264] The transceiver module is used to receive first information from the network device, wherein the first information indicates that the time slot format of one or more time slots is the time slot format corresponding to the first time slot format combination information determined by the processing module.

[0265] In one possible implementation, the first time slot format combination information includes at least one of the following: the time slot format corresponding to the time slot format index, the maximum number of time slot formats, and the set of values ​​for the time slot format index.

[0266] In one possible implementation, the first information further indicates the configuration of the time slot format of the one or more time slots.

[0267] In one possible implementation, the threshold information includes one or more of a first threshold, a second threshold, and a third threshold;

[0268] The time slot format among at least one time slot format that satisfies the threshold information satisfies one or more of the following:

[0269] The number of uplink symbols is greater than or equal to the first threshold; the number of downlink symbols is greater than or equal to the second threshold; and the number of flexible symbols is greater than or equal to the third threshold.

[0270] Communication device 1300 performs the above embodiment Figure 6 The functions of the terminal device in the process shown are as follows:

[0271] The transceiver module is used to receive configuration information from network devices, wherein the configuration information indicates a first timeslot format;

[0272] The processing module is configured to determine at least one of the time unit and transmission direction switching information between two adjacent time slots based on the first time slot format received by the transceiver module, wherein the time unit is not used for uplink transmission or downlink reception.

[0273] In one possible implementation, the duration of the time unit is greater than or equal to the radio frequency adjustment duration of the terminal device, or the timing advance of TA, or the bandwidth partial switching duration;

[0274] Alternatively, the duration of the time unit is greater than or equal to the sum of at least two of the following: the RF adjustment duration, the timing advance duration, and the bandwidth switching duration of the terminal device.

[0275] In one possible implementation, the processing module is specifically used to determine the positional relationship of the time unit in the two adjacent time slots and the duration of the time unit using a first method or a second method.

[0276] In one possible implementation, the first method is as follows: when the two adjacent time slots include the first time slot and the second time slot located after the first time slot, and there is a downlink symbol to uplink symbol conversion between the two adjacent time slots, the last M symbols of the first time slot are used as the time unit, where M is a positive integer;

[0277] The second method is as follows: when the two adjacent time slots include the first time slot and the third time slot located before the first time slot, and there is an uplink to downlink conversion or a downlink to uplink conversion between the two adjacent time slots, the first M symbols of the first time slot are used as the time unit, where M is a positive integer.

[0278] In one possible implementation, the transmission direction switching information includes:

[0279] If the transmission symbols are in the same direction, the transmission direction switching information is 0 or 1; or, if the transmission symbols are in different directions, the transmission direction switching information is 0, where 0 is greater than or equal to 1.

[0280] Communication device 1300 performs the above embodiment Figure 6 The functions of the network devices in the illustrated process are as follows:

[0281] The processing module is used to determine configuration information, which indicates the first time slot format. The first time slot format can determine at least one of the time unit and transmission direction switching information between two adjacent time slots. The time unit is not used for uplink transmission or downlink reception. The communication module is used to send the configuration information to the terminal device.

[0282] In one possible implementation, the duration of the time unit is greater than or equal to the radio frequency adjustment duration of the terminal device, or the timing advance TA, or the bandwidth partial switching duration; or the duration of the time unit is greater than or equal to the sum of at least two of the radio frequency adjustment duration, timing advance, and bandwidth partial switching duration of the terminal device.

[0283] In one possible implementation, the duration of the time unit is determined according to either the first or the second method.

[0284] In one possible implementation, the first approach is as follows: when there is a first time slot and a second time slot following the first time slot between two adjacent time slots, and there is a downlink symbol to uplink symbol conversion between two adjacent time slots, the last M symbols of the first time slot are used as time units, where M is a positive integer.

[0285] In one possible implementation, the second approach is as follows: when there is a first time slot and a third time slot preceding the first time slot between two adjacent time slots, and there is an uplink to downlink conversion or a downlink to uplink conversion between two adjacent time slots, the first M symbols of the first time slot are used as time units, where M is a positive integer.

[0286] In one possible implementation, the transmission direction switching information indicates the number of uplink and downlink switching operations, and the transmission direction switching information is 0 or 1.

[0287] like Figure 14 The image shown is of the apparatus 1400 provided in an embodiment of this application. Figure 14 The device shown can be Figure 13 The illustrated device represents one hardware circuit implementation. This communication device can be applied to the flowchart shown above to perform the functions of the terminal device or network device in the method embodiments described. For ease of explanation, Figure 14 Only the main components of the communication device are shown.

[0288] like Figure 14 As shown, the communication device 1400 includes a processor 1410 and an interface circuit 1420. The processor 1410 and the interface circuit 1420 are coupled to each other. It is understood that the interface circuit 1420 can be a transceiver or an input / output interface. Optionally, the communication device 1400 may also include a memory 1430 for storing instructions executed by the processor 1410, or storing input data required by the processor 1410 to execute instructions, or storing data generated after the processor 1410 executes instructions.

[0289] When the communication device 1400 is used to implement Figures 3 to 6 In the method shown, processor 1410 is used to implement the functions of the processing module 1301, and interface circuit 1420 is used to implement the functions of the communication module 1302.

[0290] When the aforementioned communication device is a chip applied to a terminal device, the terminal device chip implements the functions of the terminal device in the above method embodiments. The terminal device chip receives information from other modules (such as an RF module or antenna) in the terminal device, the information being sent to the terminal device by the network device; or, the terminal device chip sends information to other modules (such as an RF module or antenna) in the terminal device, the information being sent to the network device by the terminal device.

[0291] When the aforementioned communication device is a chip applied to a network device, the network device chip implements the functions of the network device in the above method embodiments. The network device chip receives information from other modules (such as radio frequency modules or antennas) in the network device, which is information sent from the terminal device to the network device; or, the network device chip sends information to other modules (such as radio frequency modules or antennas) in the network device, which is information sent from the network device to the terminal device.

[0292] It is understood that the processor in the embodiments of this application can be a central processing unit (CPU), or other general-purpose processors, digital signal processors (DSPs), application-specific integrated circuits (ASICs), field-programmable gate arrays (FPGAs), or other programmable logic devices, transistor logic devices, hardware components, or any combination thereof. A general-purpose processor can be a microprocessor or any conventional processor.

[0293] In embodiments of this application, the processor may be a random access memory (RAM), flash memory, read-only memory (ROM), programmable read-only memory (PROM), erasable programmable read-only memory (EPROM), electrically erasable programmable read-only memory (EEPROM), register, hard disk, portable hard disk, CD-ROM, or any other form of storage medium known in the art. An exemplary storage medium is coupled to the processor, enabling the processor to read information from and write information to the storage medium. Of course, the storage medium may also be a component of the processor. The processor and storage medium may reside in an ASIC. Additionally, the ASIC may reside in a network device or terminal device. Alternatively, the processor and storage medium may exist as discrete components in the network device or terminal device.

[0294] Those skilled in the art will understand that embodiments of this application can be provided as methods, systems, or computer program products. Therefore, this application can take the form of a completely hardware embodiment, a completely software embodiment, or an embodiment combining software and hardware aspects. Furthermore, this application can take the form of a computer program product embodied on one or more computer-usable storage media (including, but not limited to, disk storage, optical storage, etc.) containing computer-usable program code.

[0295] This application is described with reference to flowchart illustrations and / or block diagrams of methods, apparatus (systems), and computer program products according to this application. It should be understood that each block of the flowchart illustrations and / or block diagrams, and combinations of blocks in the flowchart illustrations and / or block diagrams, can be implemented by computer program instructions. These computer program instructions can be provided to a processor of a general-purpose computer, special-purpose computer, embedded processor, or other programmable data processing apparatus to produce a machine, such that the instructions, which execute via the processor of the computer or other programmable data processing apparatus, generate instructions for implementing the flowchart illustrations. Figure 1 One or more processes and / or boxes Figure 1 A device that provides the functions specified in one or more boxes.

[0296] These computer program instructions may also be stored in a computer-readable storage medium that can direct a computer or other programmable data processing device to function in a particular manner, such that the instructions stored in the computer-readable storage medium produce an article of manufacture including instruction means, which are implemented in a process Figure 1 One or more processes and / or boxes Figure 1 The function specified in one or more boxes.

[0297] Obviously, those skilled in the art can make various modifications and variations to this application without departing from the scope of this application. Therefore, if such modifications and variations fall within the scope of the claims of this application and their equivalents, this application also intends to include such modifications and variations.

Claims

1. A communication method, characterized in that, include: The network device determines a first time slot format combination information based on one or more of the following: the service type of the terminal device, the capability information of the terminal device, and threshold information; the service type is associated with at least one time slot format, the capability information of the terminal device indicates the number of time slot formats supported by the terminal device, and the threshold information indicates at least one time slot format that satisfies the threshold information. The network device sends first information to the terminal device, the first information indicating that the time slot format of one or more time slots is the time slot format corresponding to the first time slot format combination information.

2. The method according to claim 1, characterized in that, The first time slot format combination information includes at least one of the following: the time slot format corresponding to the time slot format index, the maximum number of time slot formats, and the set of values ​​for the time slot format index.

3. The method according to claim 1, characterized in that, The first information also indicates the configuration of the time slot format for the one or more time slots.

4. The method according to any one of claims 1-3, characterized in that, The threshold information includes one or more of a first threshold, a second threshold, and a third threshold; The time slot format among at least one time slot format that satisfies the threshold information satisfies one or more of the following: The number of uplink symbols is greater than or equal to the first threshold; the number of downlink symbols is greater than or equal to the second threshold; and the number of flexible symbols is greater than or equal to the third threshold.

5. The method according to claim 4, characterized in that, The threshold information is determined based on the first parameter; The first parameter includes at least one of the following: Subcarrier spacing (SCS), radio frequency adjustment duration, timing advance TA, or bandwidth portion BWP handover duration.

6. A communication method, characterized in that, include: The terminal device determines a first time slot format combination information based on one or more of the terminal device's service type, the terminal device's capability information, and threshold information; the service type is associated with at least one time slot format, the terminal device's capability information indicates the number of time slot formats supported by the terminal device, and the threshold information indicates at least one time slot format that satisfies the threshold information; The terminal device receives first information from the network device, the first information indicating that the time slot format of one or more time slots is the time slot format corresponding to the first time slot format combination information.

7. The method according to claim 6, characterized in that, The first time slot format combination information includes at least one of the following: the time slot format corresponding to the time slot format index, the maximum number of time slot formats, and the set of values ​​for the time slot format index.

8. The method according to claim 6, characterized in that, The first information also indicates the configuration of the time slot format for the one or more time slots.

9. The method according to any one of claims 6-8, characterized in that, The threshold information includes one or more of a first threshold, a second threshold, and a third threshold; The time slot format among at least one time slot format that satisfies the threshold information satisfies one or more of the following: The number of uplink symbols is greater than or equal to the first threshold; the number of downlink symbols is greater than or equal to the second threshold; and the number of flexible symbols is greater than or equal to the third threshold.

10. The method according to claim 9, characterized in that, The threshold information is determined based on the first parameter; The first parameter includes at least one of the following: Subcarrier spacing (SCS), radio frequency adjustment duration, timing advance TA, or bandwidth portion BWP handover duration.

11. A communication method, characterized in that, include: The terminal device receives configuration information from the network device, the configuration information indicating a first timeslot format; The terminal device determines at least one of the time unit and transmission direction switching information between two adjacent time slots according to the first time slot format, wherein the time unit is not used for uplink transmission or downlink reception. The terminal device determines the time unit between two adjacent time slots, including: The terminal device determines the positional relationship of the time unit in the two adjacent time slots.

12. The method according to claim 11, characterized in that, The duration of the time unit is greater than or equal to the radio frequency adjustment duration of the terminal device, or the timing advance TA, or the bandwidth partial switching duration; Alternatively, the duration of the time unit is greater than or equal to the sum of at least two of the following: the RF adjustment duration, the timing advance duration, and the bandwidth switching duration of the terminal device.

13. The method according to claim 11, characterized in that, The terminal device uses a first method or a second method to determine the positional relationship of the time unit in the two adjacent time slots, as well as the duration of the time unit.

14. The method according to claim 13, characterized in that, The first method is: When the two adjacent time slots include the first time slot and the second time slot located after the first time slot, and there is a downlink symbol conversion to uplink symbol between the two adjacent time slots, the last M symbols of the first time slot are used as the time unit, where M is a positive integer.

15. The method according to claim 13, characterized in that, The second method is as follows: when the two adjacent time slots include the first time slot and the third time slot located before the first time slot, and there is an uplink to downlink conversion or a downlink to uplink conversion between the two adjacent time slots, the first M symbols of the first time slot are used as the time unit, where M is a positive integer.

16. The method according to any one of claims 11 to 15, characterized in that, The transmission direction switching information includes: If the transmission symbols are in the same direction, the transmission direction switching information is 0 or 1; or, The direction of transmission is different, and the information for switching the transmission direction is 0, where 0 is greater than or equal to 1.

17. A communication device, characterized in that, include: The processing module is configured to determine first time slot format combination information based on one or more of the following: the service type of the terminal device, the capability information of the terminal device, and threshold information; wherein the service type is associated with at least one time slot format, the capability information of the terminal device indicates the number of time slot formats supported by the terminal device, and the threshold information indicates at least one time slot format that satisfies the threshold information. The transceiver module is used to send the first information determined by the processing module to the terminal device, wherein the first information indicates that the time slot format of one or more time slots is the time slot format corresponding to the first time slot format combination information.

18. The apparatus according to claim 17, characterized in that, The first time slot format combination information includes at least one of the following: the time slot format corresponding to the time slot format index, the maximum number of time slot formats, and the set of values ​​for the time slot format index.

19. The apparatus according to claim 17, characterized in that, The first information also indicates the configuration of the time slot format for the one or more time slots.

20. The apparatus according to any one of claims 17-19, characterized in that, The threshold information includes one or more of a first threshold, a second threshold, and a third threshold; The time slot format among at least one time slot format that satisfies the threshold information satisfies one or more of the following: The number of uplink symbols is greater than or equal to the first threshold; the number of downlink symbols is greater than or equal to the second threshold; and the number of flexible symbols is greater than or equal to the third threshold.

21. The apparatus according to claim 20, characterized in that, The threshold information is determined based on the first parameter; The first parameter includes at least one of the following: Subcarrier spacing (SCS), radio frequency adjustment duration, timing advance TA, or bandwidth portion BWP handover duration.

22. A communication device, characterized in that, include: The processing module is configured to determine first time slot format combination information based on one or more of the following: the service type of the terminal device, the capability information of the terminal device, and threshold information; wherein the service type is associated with at least one time slot format, the capability information of the terminal device indicates the number of time slot formats supported by the terminal device, and the threshold information indicates at least one time slot format that satisfies the threshold information. The transceiver module is used to receive first information from the network device, wherein the first information indicates that the time slot format of one or more time slots is the time slot format corresponding to the first time slot format combination information determined by the processing module.

23. The apparatus according to claim 22, characterized in that, The first time slot format combination information includes at least one of the following: the time slot format corresponding to the time slot format index, the maximum number of time slot formats, and the set of values ​​for the time slot format index.

24. The apparatus according to claim 22, characterized in that, The first information also indicates the configuration of the time slot format for the one or more time slots.

25. The apparatus according to any one of claims 22-24, characterized in that, The threshold information includes one or more of a first threshold, a second threshold, and a third threshold; The time slot format among at least one time slot format that satisfies the threshold information satisfies one or more of the following: The number of uplink symbols is greater than or equal to the first threshold; the number of downlink symbols is greater than or equal to the second threshold; and the number of flexible symbols is greater than or equal to the third threshold.

26. A communication device, characterized in that, include: The transceiver module is used to receive configuration information from network devices, wherein the configuration information indicates a first timeslot format; The processing module is configured to determine at least one of the time unit and transmission direction switching information between two adjacent time slots based on the first time slot format received by the transceiver module, wherein the time unit is not used for uplink transmission or downlink reception. The processing module is specifically used to: determine the positional relationship of the time unit in the two adjacent time slots.

27. The apparatus according to claim 26, characterized in that, The duration of the time unit is greater than or equal to the radio frequency adjustment duration of the terminal device, or the timing advance TA, or the bandwidth part switching duration; Alternatively, the duration of the time unit is greater than or equal to the sum of at least two of the following: the RF adjustment duration, the timing advance duration, and the bandwidth switching duration of the terminal device.

28. The apparatus according to claim 26, characterized in that, The processing module is specifically used to determine the positional relationship of the time unit in the two adjacent time slots and the duration of the time unit using a first method or a second method.

29. The apparatus according to claim 28, characterized in that, The first method is as follows: when the two adjacent time slots include the first time slot and the second time slot located after the first time slot, and there is a downlink symbol conversion to uplink symbol between the two adjacent time slots, the last M symbols of the first time slot are used as the time unit, where M is a positive integer; The second method is as follows: when the two adjacent time slots include the first time slot and the third time slot located before the first time slot, and there is an uplink to downlink conversion or a downlink to uplink conversion between the two adjacent time slots, the first M symbols of the first time slot are used as the time unit, where M is a positive integer.

30. The apparatus according to any one of claims 26 to 29, characterized in that, The transmission direction switching information includes: If the transmission symbols are in the same direction, the transmission direction switching information is 0 or 1; or, The direction of transmission is different, and the information for switching the transmission direction is 0, where 0 is greater than or equal to 1.

31. A communication device, characterized in that, Including processor and memory: The processor is configured to execute a computer program or instructions stored in the memory, wherein when the processor executes the computer program or instructions, the method described in any one of claims 1 to 5, 6 to 10, or 11 to 16 is performed.

32. A readable storage medium, characterized in that, It includes a computer program or instructions, and when the communication device executes the computer program or instructions, the method described in any one of claims 1 to 5, 6 to 10, or 11 to 16 is performed.

33. A chip, characterized in that, The method includes a processor coupled to a memory for executing a computer program or instructions stored in the memory, wherein when the processor executes the computer program or instructions, the method described in any one of claims 1 to 5, 6 to 10, or 11 to 16 is performed.

34. A computer program product, characterized in that, Includes computer-readable instructions, which, when read and executed by the communication device, cause the communication device to perform the method as described in any one of claims 1 to 5, 6 to 10, or 11 to 16.

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