Method and apparatus for transmitting paging message

Abstract

The application provides a method and device for sending a paging message, which can reduce power consumption of a terminal device when paging, and the method comprises the following steps: determining configuration information of a paging message; receiving a first message sent by a network device before a first paging opportunity (PO), wherein the first message is used for indicating whether to receive a paging message corresponding to the first PO; when the first message indicates to receive the paging message corresponding to the first PO, receiving the paging message corresponding to the first PO according to the configuration information of the paging message.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This application relates to the field of communications, and more specifically, to a method and apparatus for sending paging messages. Background Technology

[0002] In the new radio (NR) architecture, user equipment (UE) exists in three states: radio resource control (RRC) idle (RRC_IDLE), RRC inactive (RRC_INACTIVE), and RRC connected (RRC_CONNECTED). When the network needs to send downlink data to a UE in the RRC_IDLE or RRC_INACTIVE state, the network must first page the UE through a paging procedure to notify it to establish or restore an RRC connection before data transmission can proceed.

[0003] UEs in RRC_IDLE or RRC_INACTIVE state support the use of discontinuous reception (DRX) to receive paging messages in order to reduce power consumption. UEs in RRC_IDLE or RRC_INACTIVE state attempt to receive a DCI scrambled with the paging radio network temporary identifier (P-RNTI) at a specific paging occasion (PO) within each paging cycle. After receiving a paging triggered by a core network or radio access network device, the base station sends a DCI to the UE for scheduling paging messages, and the UE receives the paging message based on this DCI.

[0004] If the UE does not receive P-RNTI scrambled DCI at a certain PO, listening at that PO will result in wasted power consumption. The NR system plans to introduce a first message, also known as paging early indication (PEI), which indicates whether one or more POs associated with the first message need to be listened to. When the UE determines that there are no paging requests at subsequent POs by detecting the first message, the UE can enter a sleep state; only when the UE determines that there are paging requests at subsequent POs by detecting the first message does the UE enter an active state, receive paging scheduling information at the PO, and then receive the paging message scheduled by that information.

[0005] When there is no paging, having a first message saves UE power consumption compared to not having a first message; however, when there is paging, having a first message increases network resource overhead and UE power consumption compared to not having a first message.

[0006] Application content

[0007] This application provides a method and apparatus for sending paging messages, which can reduce the power consumption of terminal devices when paging occurs.

[0008] In a first aspect, a method for sending a paging message is provided, the method comprising: determining configuration information of a paging message; receiving a first message sent by the network device before a first paging opportunity (PO), the first message indicating whether to receive a paging message corresponding to the first PO; and receiving the paging message corresponding to the first PO according to the configuration information of the paging message when the first message indicates that the paging message corresponding to the first PO is to be received.

[0009] Based on the above technical solution, the terminal device first determines the configuration information of the paging message. When the terminal device determines to receive the paging message, it only needs to receive the paging message according to the configuration information of the paging message. There is no need to listen for and receive the DCI carrying the scheduling information of the paging message at the PO, thereby reducing the power consumption of the terminal device when there is a paging.

[0010] In conjunction with the first aspect, in some implementations of the first aspect, the method further includes: receiving a first configuration message sent by the network device, the first configuration message including configuration information of the paging message. The first configuration message is sent semi-statically, and the first PO is within the configuration period of the first configuration message.

[0011] Based on the above technical solution, the terminal device can determine the configuration information of the paging message through the first configuration message. The number of bits indicating the configuration information of the paging message is relatively small compared to the total number of bits in the first configuration message. In the prior art, the terminal device also needs to receive the first configuration message to determine the configuration information of the first message and the first PO. Therefore, the terminal device receiving the configuration message of the paging message will not increase power consumption or add a new receiving process.

[0012] In conjunction with the first aspect, in some implementations of the first aspect, the configuration information of the paging message includes at least one of the following: frequency domain resource allocation indication information, time domain resource allocation indication information, virtual resource block (VRB) to physical resource block (PRB) mapping indication information, coding and modulation mechanism (MCS), time domain offset indication information, and transport block scaling indication information.

[0013] Based on the above technical solution, the terminal device can obtain the necessary information to receive the paging message through the paging message configuration information, thereby enabling the implementation of the first aspect of the method. That is, when the terminal device determines to receive the paging message, it only needs to receive the paging message according to the paging message configuration information, without having to listen for and receive the DCI carrying the paging message at the PO, thereby reducing the power consumption of the terminal device when there is a paging.

[0014] In conjunction with the first aspect, in some implementations of the first aspect, the configuration information of the paging message includes at least one of the following: frequency domain resource allocation indication information, time domain resource allocation indication information, virtual resource block (VRB) to physical resource block (PRB) mapping indication information, coding and modulation mechanism (MCS), and time domain offset indication information.

[0015] In conjunction with the first aspect, in some implementations of the first aspect, the first message carries transport block scaling indication information.

[0016] Considering that the number of paged UEs varies at different times, meaning the content of the paging message may differ, consistently transmitting with a fixed transport block size would require adding numerous padding bits to the paging message, resulting in low transmission efficiency and impacting paging message performance. Based on the aforementioned technical solution, the transport block scaling indication information is carried in the first message, while other essential information that doesn't change significantly over time is carried in the paging message's configuration information. The first message is sent more frequently than the paging message's configuration information, allowing the paging message's transport block size to be adjusted more dynamically via the first message. This avoids the aforementioned problems of low transmission efficiency and performance degradation in paging messages.

[0017] In conjunction with the first aspect, in some implementations of the first aspect, the time-domain offset indication information includes: an offset from the end position of the time slot where the first message is located, and / or an offset from the start position of the time slot where the first message is located, and / or an offset from the end position of the time slot where the first PO is located, and / or an offset from the start position of the time slot where the first PO is located.

[0018] Based on the above technical solution, the time-domain offset message corresponding to the paging message takes the position of the first PO or the first message as the reference point, and only some offset values ​​need to be configured. Compared with the method of configuring without a reference point, it can save signaling overhead.

[0019] Secondly, a method for sending paging messages is provided. This method is applied to a network device paging a terminal device that is in an idle or inactive state. The method includes: sending a first configuration message to the terminal device, the first configuration message including configuration information for paging messages; sending a first message to the terminal device before a first PO, the first message instructing the terminal device to receive a paging message corresponding to the first PO; and sending the paging message to the terminal device.

[0020] Based on the above technical solution, the network device can send the paging message configuration information through the first configuration message. When the network device paging the terminal device, the terminal device can receive the paging message according to the paging message configuration information. The network device no longer needs to send the DCI carrying the paging message scheduling information at the PO, thereby reducing the resource overhead of the network device when there is paging.

[0021] In conjunction with the second aspect, in some implementations of the second aspect, the first configuration message may further include: paging period, configuration information of the first message, and / or configuration information of the first PO.

[0022] Based on the above technical solution, the network device can send the paging message configuration information through the first configuration message. The number of bits indicating the paging message configuration information is relatively small compared to the total number of bits in the first configuration message. In the prior art, the network device also needs to send the first configuration message to the terminal device to carry the configuration information of the first message and the first PO. Therefore, the network device sending the paging message configuration message will not increase additional resource overhead or add a new sending process.

[0023] In conjunction with the second aspect, in some implementations of the second aspect, before sending the first message to the terminal device, the method further includes: receiving a second message sent by another network device, the second message being used to trigger the sending of the first message.

[0024] In conjunction with the second aspect, in some implementations of the second aspect, the configuration information of the paging message includes at least one of the following: frequency domain resource allocation indication information, time domain resource allocation indication information, virtual resource block (VRB) to physical resource block (PRB) mapping indication information, coding and modulation mechanism (MCS), time domain offset indication information, and transport block scaling indication information.

[0025] Based on the above technical solution, the terminal device can obtain the necessary information to receive the paging message through the paging message configuration information, thereby enabling the implementation of the second aspect of the method. That is, when the terminal device determines to receive the paging message, it only needs to receive the paging message according to the paging message configuration information. The network device no longer needs to send the DCI carrying the paging message scheduling information at the PO, thereby reducing the resource overhead of the network device when there is a paging.

[0026] In conjunction with the second aspect, in some implementations of the second aspect, the configuration information of the paging message includes at least one of the following: frequency domain resource allocation indication information, time domain resource allocation indication information, virtual resource block (VRB) to physical resource block (PRB) mapping indication information, coding and modulation mechanism (MCS), and time domain offset indication information.

[0027] In conjunction with the second aspect, in some implementations of the second aspect, the first message carries transport block scaling indication information.

[0028] Considering that the number of paged UEs varies at different times, meaning the content of the paging message may differ, consistently transmitting with a fixed transport block size would require adding numerous padding bits to the paging message, resulting in low transmission efficiency and impacting paging message performance. Based on the aforementioned technical solution, the transport block scaling indication information is carried in the first message, while other essential information that doesn't change significantly over time is carried in the paging message's configuration information. The first message is sent more frequently than the paging message's configuration information, allowing the paging message's transport block size to be adjusted more dynamically via the first message. This avoids the aforementioned problems of low transmission efficiency and performance degradation in paging messages.

[0029] In conjunction with the second aspect, in some implementations of the second aspect, the time-domain offset indication information includes: an offset from the end position of the time slot where the first message is located, and / or an offset from the start position of the time slot where the first message is located, and / or an offset from the end position of the time slot where the first PO is located, and / or an offset from the start position of the time slot where the first PO is located.

[0030] Based on the above technical solution, the time-domain offset message corresponding to the paging message takes the position of the first PO or the first message as the reference point, and only some offset values ​​need to be configured. Compared with the method of configuring without a reference point, it can save signaling overhead.

[0031] Thirdly, a method for sending a paging message is provided. The method includes: receiving a first message sent by the network device before a first paging opportunity (PO), the first message carrying first indication information and second indication information, the first indication information indicating whether to receive the paging message corresponding to the first PO, and the second indication information indicating the location information of the downlink control channel (PDCCH) corresponding to the first PO, the PDCCH carrying downlink control information (DCI) for scheduling the paging message; when the first indication information indicates that the paging message corresponding to the first PO is to be received, determining the location of the PDCCH according to the second indication information; listening to the DCI at the location of the PDCCH; and receiving the paging message corresponding to the first PO according to the DCI.

[0032] Based on the above technical solution, by indicating the time slot position, CCE aggregation level, and candidate PDCCH index of the DCI used for scheduling paging messages, the number of candidate PDCCHs corresponding to the DCI used for scheduling paging messages can be reduced by the indication information. This can reduce the energy consumption of the terminal device in blindly detecting PDCCHs, and thus reduce the power consumption of the terminal device when paging is active.

[0033] In conjunction with the third aspect, in some implementations of the third aspect, before receiving the first message sent by the network device before the first paging opportunity (PO), the method further includes: receiving a second configuration message sent by the network device, the second configuration message including configuration information of the first message and / or configuration information of the first PO. In conjunction with the third aspect, in some implementations of the third aspect, the second indication information includes at least one of the following: the time slot position of the PDCCH, the aggregation level of the Control Channel Element (CCE) corresponding to the PDCCH, the start position of the CCE corresponding to the PDCCH, and the index of the PDCCH in the candidate PDCCH corresponding to the PDCCH.

[0034] Fourthly, a method for sending paging messages is provided. This method is applied to a network device paging a terminal device in an idle or inactive state. The method includes: sending a first message to the terminal device before a first paging opportunity (PO), the first message carrying first indication information and second indication information. The first indication information instructs the terminal device to receive the paging message corresponding to the first PO, and the second indication information indicates the location information of the downlink control channel (PDCCH) corresponding to the first PO. The PDCCH carries downlink control information (DCI) for scheduling the paging message; sending the DCI to the terminal device on the PDCCH; and sending the paging message to the terminal device.

[0035] In conjunction with the fourth aspect, in some implementations of the fourth aspect, before sending the first message to the terminal device before the first paging opportunity (PO), the method further includes: sending a second configuration message to the terminal device, the second configuration message including the paging cycle, configuration information of the first message, and / or configuration information of the first PO.

[0036] In conjunction with the fourth aspect, in some implementations of the fourth aspect, the second indication information includes at least one of the following: the time slot position of the PDCCH, the aggregation level of the control channel element (CCE) corresponding to the PDCCH, the starting position of the CCE corresponding to the PDCCH, and the index of the PDCCH in the candidate PDCCH corresponding to the PDCCH.

[0037] Fifthly, a communication device is provided, comprising: a unit for implementing the methods of the first to fourth aspects or any possible implementations of the first to fourth aspects.

[0038] In a sixth aspect, a communication chip is provided, including a processor and a communication interface, the processor being configured to read instructions to execute methods as described in the first to fourth aspects or any possible implementation thereof.

[0039] In a seventh aspect, a communication device is provided, comprising: a processor and a transceiver, the transceiver being configured to receive computer code or instructions and transmit them to the processor, the processor executing the computer code or instructions, such as the methods in the first to fourth aspects or any possible implementations of the first to fourth aspects.

[0040] Eighthly, a computer-readable storage medium is provided, the computer-readable medium storing a computer program; when the computer program is run on a computer, it causes the computer to perform the methods of the first to fourth aspects or any possible implementations of the first to fourth aspects. Attached Figure Description

[0041] Figure 1 This is a schematic flowchart of the interaction process for paging UEs in the core network.

[0042] Figure 2 This is a schematic flowchart illustrating the interaction process of a base station paging a UE.

[0043] Figure 3 This is a schematic diagram of an air paging process.

[0044] Figure 4 This is a schematic diagram of a terminal device receiving a paging message.

[0045] Figure 5This is a schematic diagram of another type of terminal device receiving paging messages.

[0046] Figure 6 This is a diagram illustrating how a UE receives paging messages when there is / is not a first message.

[0047] Figure 7 This is a schematic diagram of a communication system architecture applicable to the embodiments of this application.

[0048] Figure 8 This is a schematic flowchart illustrating a method for sending paging messages according to an embodiment of this application.

[0049] Figure 9 This is a schematic diagram illustrating the method for determining the starting position of the paging message in an embodiment of this application.

[0050] Figure 10 This is a schematic flowchart illustrating another method for sending paging messages proposed in an embodiment of this application.

[0051] Figure 11 This is a schematic block diagram of a communication device according to an embodiment of this application.

[0052] Figure 12 This is a schematic block diagram of another communication device according to an embodiment of this application.

[0053] Figure 13 This is a schematic block diagram of another communication device according to an embodiment of this application.

[0054] Figure 14 This is a schematic block diagram of another communication device according to an embodiment of this application.

[0055] Figure 15 This is a schematic block diagram of a communication device according to an embodiment of this application. Detailed Implementation

[0056] The technical solutions in this application will now be described with reference to the accompanying drawings.

[0057] The technical solutions of this application embodiment can be applied to various communication systems, such as: Global System for Mobile Communication (GSM) system, Code Division Multiple Access (CDMA) system, Wideband Code Division Multiple Access (WCDMA) system, General Packet Radio Service (GPRS), Long Term Evolution (LTE) system, LTE Frequency Division Duplex (FDD) system, LTE Time Division Duplex (TDD) system, Universal Mobile Telecommunication System (UMTS), Worldwide Interoperability for Microwave Access (WiMAX) communication system, future 5th generation (5G) systems, or new radio (NR), etc.

[0058] The terminal device in this application embodiment can refer to user equipment, access terminal, user unit, user station, mobile station, mobile station, remote station, remote terminal, mobile device, user terminal, terminal, wireless communication device, user agent, or user device. The terminal device can also be a cellular phone, cordless phone, Session Initiation Protocol (SIP) phone, wireless local loop (WLL) station, personal digital assistant (PDA), handheld device with wireless communication capabilities, computing device or other processing device connected to a wireless modem, vehicle-mounted device, wearable device, terminal device in future 5G networks, or terminal device in future evolved public land mobile networks (PLMNs), etc., but this application embodiment does not limit this.

[0059] The network device in this application embodiment can be a device for communicating with terminal devices. The network device can be a base station (BTS) in a global system of mobile communication (GSM) or code division multiple access (CDMA) system, a base station (NodeB, NB) in a wideband code division multiple access (WCDMA) system, an evolved NodeB (eNB or eNodeB) in an LTE system, a radio controller in a cloud radio access network (CRAN) scenario, or a relay station, access point, vehicle-mounted device, wearable device, or a network device in a future 5G network or a network device in a future evolved PLMN network, etc. The embodiments of this application are not limited.

[0060] In Radio Networking (NR), the user equipment (UE) exists in three states: Radio Resource Control (RRC) Idle (IDLE), RRC Inactive (RRC) Inactive (INACTIVE), and RRC Connected (RRC) Connected. In the RRC_IDLE state, the UE's air interface connection with the base station is disconnected, and it no longer saves context information; the UE can only receive broadcast information from the base station. In the RRC_INACTIVE state, the UE's air interface connection with the base station is disconnected, but it continues to save context information. When the UE transitions from the inactive state to the connected state, it can quickly return to the connected state based on the saved context information. In the RRC_CONNECTED state, the UE establishes an air interface connection with the network equipment and communicates with the network equipment based on this connection.

[0061] To facilitate understanding of the technical solution provided in the application, a brief description of the paging process and the receipt of paging messages is given.

[0062] A UE in RRC_IDLE state does not have an RRC connection with the network. For a UE in RRC_INACTIVE state, although an RRC connection is established with the network, this connection is suspended. When the network needs to send downlink data to a UE in RRC_IDLE or RRC_INACTIVE state, the network must first page the UE through a paging procedure to notify the UE to establish or restore the RRC connection before data transmission can occur. In other words, paging is initiated by the network. In NR, paging can be initiated by the core network (CN paging) or by the radio access network (RAN) (RAN paging).

[0063] When a UE is in RRC_IDLE state, there is no RRC connection between the UE and the base station (gNB), and no RRC context exists for the UE. In other words, the gNB is unaware of the UE's existence. From the core network's perspective, the UE is in a connection management idle (CM_IDLE) state, such as when the UE is in the access and mobility management function (AMF). There is no non-access stratum (NAS) connection between the UE and the core network, but the UE has been assigned a unique identifier within its tracking area (TA), is registered with the AMF, and has a context within the AMF. When the core network needs to send downlink data or downlink NAS signaling to a UE in CM_IDLE state, the AMF sends a paging message to all gNBs within all TAs registered to the UE. The gNBs then send a paging message over the air to page the UE. Upon receiving the paging message, the UE in RRC_IDLE state typically initiates an RRC connection establishment process to receive downlink data. Figure 1 As shown, a schematic flowchart of the core network paging UE is presented.

[0064] The AMF is primarily responsible for interfacing with the radio, receiving and sending NAS messages for communication with the UE, managing terminal registration, mobility, reachability, encryption authentication, etc., and transmitting NAS messages between the UE and the SMF.

[0065] In the RRC_INACTIVE state, although both the UE and gNB retain their RRC contexts, the RRC connection between the UE and gNB is suspended. However, the connection between the UE and the core network remains intact; from the core network's perspective, the UE is in the CM_CONNECTED state. When the network needs to send data to the UE in the RRC_INACTIVE state, for example, when downlink data arrives, the network needs to page the UE because the RRC connection is suspended. Since the core network considers the UE to be in the connected state, it will not initiate paging; instead, the RAN node, such as the base station (gNB), will initiate paging.

[0066] In the RRC_INACTIVE state, the last gNB serving the UE saves the UE context and maintains the connection with the core network. If the last gNB serving the UE receives downlink data or NAS signaling related to the UE from the core network while the UE is in the RRC_INACTIVE state, then that gNB will page the UE on all cells within the RAN-based notification area (RNA) to which the UE belongs. If the RNA includes cells on neighboring gNBs, then that gNB will send an Xn application protocol (Xn AP) RAN paging message to the neighboring gNBs to notify them to page the UE on the corresponding cells. After receiving the paging message, the UE in the RRC_INACTIVE state typically initiates an RRC connection establishment recovery procedure to receive downlink data. Here, the RAN notification area is the RAN-based notification area managed by the NG-RAN (e.g., gNB), and the NG-RAN knows the RNA to which the UE belongs. Figure 2 As shown, a schematic flowchart of the interaction process of a base station paging a UE is presented.

[0067] UEs in RRC_IDLE or RRC_INACTIVE states support the use of discontinuous reception (DRX) to receive paging messages in order to reduce power consumption. This DRX, also known as paging DRX, has a DRX cycle configured by the network device; the DRX cycle is also called the paging cycle. Using DRX, UEs in RRC_IDLE or RRC_INACTIVE states only "wake up" to receive paging messages during predefined time periods, while remaining in a "sleep" state and ceasing paging reception at other times. This reduces power consumption and increases UE battery life.

[0068] For paging DRX, UEs in RRC_IDLE or RRC_INACTIVE states will only attempt to receive PDCCH scrambled with the paging radionetwork temporary identifier (P-RNTI) on a specific paging occasion (PO) within each paging cycle. In NR systems, a PO is a monitoring occasion for a set of physical downlink control channels (PDCCHs). A PO can contain multiple time slots, such as subframes or orthogonal frequency division multiplexing (OFDM) symbols. Network devices can send downlink control information (DCI) for scheduling paging messages within the PO. Additionally, a paging frame (PF) is a radio frame that can contain one or more POs or the start point of a PO. When listening for POs, the terminal device first determines the location of the PF, and then determines the location of the PO associated with the PF. It should be noted that a PO associated with a PF can start within the PF or after the PF. The UE can determine the PO location it needs to listen to based on the paging configuration parameters and UE_ID. For details, please refer to the existing NR and LTE technologies. This is not related to the specific solution in this application and will not be described in detail here.

[0069] Figure 3 A schematic diagram of an air interface paging process is presented. When the gNB receives a paging triggered by the CN or RAN, it sends a paging DCI to the UE. The paging DCI includes the scheduling information of the paging message, and the UE receives the paging message based on the paging DCI. Before this, the gNB sends configuration information to the UE, which includes the DRX cycle, PF offset, PO start position, and the number of POs in a PF. How the UE determines the PO resource location based on these configurations can be found in the existing NR paging mechanism, and will not be described in detail here.

[0070] Figure 4 A schematic diagram illustrating a terminal device receiving a paging message is provided. In the diagram, the UE listens to the Point of Purchase (PO) according to the DRX cycle. At the first PO, the UE does not detect the P-RNTI scrambled DCI. The UE continues listening to the second PO, where it detects the P-RNTI scrambled DCI and receives the paging message scheduled by that DCI.

[0071] There was no paging from the UE in the first PO, but the UE was unaware of this and continued to listen. If the UE could know in advance that there was no paging in the first PO, the power consumption of this listening could be saved.

[0072] Currently, to achieve this goal, a first message is planned to be introduced in the NR system for UEs in RRC_IDLE or RRC_INACTIVE states. This first message can be called a paging early indication (PEI). The specific form of the first message is currently undetermined, but it may be a DCI, or a sequence similar to a secondary synchronization signal (SSS), tracking reference signal (TRS), or channel state information reference signal (CSI-RS). For the DCI format, the first message may use one or more fields to indicate whether one or more POs associated with the first message need to listen. For a sequence similar to SSS, TRS, or CSI-RS, the first message may use a transmission sequence and a non-transmission sequence to indicate whether one or more POs associated with the first message need to listen, or the first message may use different sequences to indicate whether one or more POs associated with the first message need to listen. These are just some possible forms listed here, and it should be understood that this application does not impose any particular limitations on them.

[0073] With the introduction of the first message, the air interface paging reception process has undergone some changes, such as... Figure 5 The diagram illustrates another method for a terminal device to receive paging messages. Before listening to the PO and receiving the paging DCI, the UE needs to detect the first message and determine the PO associated with the first message before performing subsequent actions such as listening to the PO, receiving the paging DCI, and paging messages.

[0074] like Figure 6 The diagram illustrates how a UE receives paging messages with and without a first message. If the gNB enables the first message feature, the corresponding... Figure 6In cases where a first message is present, the gNB will send the first message before the PO (Paging Point). The UE determines whether there is a paging request at the subsequent PO by detecting the first message. When the UE determines that there is no paging request at the subsequent PO by detecting the first message, the UE can enter a sleep state. Only when the UE determines that there is a paging request at the subsequent PO by detecting the first message does the UE enter an active state, receive paging scheduling information from the PO, and then receive the paging message scheduled by that scheduling information. The presence of a first message indicates that the gNB has enabled the first message feature; the absence of a first message indicates that the gNB has not enabled the first message feature or does not support the first message feature. Since the first message carries relatively little information, the UE's detection time for the first message is relatively short. Therefore, the first message can reduce unnecessary listening, thereby saving UE power.

[0075] like Figure 6 As shown, when there is no paging, having a first message saves UE power consumption compared to not having a first message; however, when there is paging, having a first message has some negative effects compared to not having a first message, see... Figure 6 The area highlighted in black indicates that having a first message increases network resource overhead and UE power consumption compared to not having one.

[0076] Therefore, this application proposes a method for sending paging messages, which can reduce the power consumption of the terminal device when paging occurs.

[0077] This application is primarily applied to fourth-generation (4G) and 5G mobile communication systems. However, it can also be applied to other communication systems, as long as there are entities within that system capable of sending and receiving information. Figure 7 The diagram illustrates a communication system architecture applicable to embodiments of this application. A base station and terminal devices 1 to 6 form a communication system in which the base station sends information to one or more of terminal devices 1 to 6. Furthermore, terminal devices 4 to 6 also form a communication system in which terminal device 5 can send information to one or more of terminal devices 4 and 6.

[0078] The network elements involved in this application include network equipment and terminal equipment. Network equipment: used to receive uplink signals from terminal equipment or send downlink signals to terminal equipment; it can be LTE and / or NR network equipment, specifically a base station (NodeB), an evolved NodeB (eNodeB), a base station in a 5G mobile communication system, a next-generation Node B (gNB), a base station in a future mobile communication system, or an access node in a Wi-Fi system, etc. Terminal equipment: a terminal equipment is an entity on the user side used to receive or transmit signals, used to send uplink signals to network equipment or receive downlink signals from network equipment; it mainly includes mobile phones, vehicles, tablets, as well as sensors such as smart speakers, train detectors, and gas stations. Its main functions include collecting data, receiving control information and downlink data from network equipment, and sending electromagnetic waves to transmit uplink data to network equipment.

[0079] like Figure 8 The diagram illustrates a schematic flowchart of a paging message sending method according to an embodiment of this application. This method is applied to network devices paging terminal devices that are in an idle or inactive state.

[0080] In this method, the terminal device determines the resource location of the paging message. This resource location is agreed upon by both parties or configured by the network device. When the first message indicates a paging, the terminal device receives the paging message at the determined resource location, without needing to receive the paging message via DCI. The specific process includes:

[0081] 810. The network device sends a first configuration message to the terminal device, which includes paging message configuration information. The network device can send paging message configuration information through the first configuration message. When the network device paging the terminal device, the terminal device can receive the paging message according to the paging message configuration information. The network device no longer needs to send DCI carrying paging message scheduling information at the PO, thereby reducing the resource overhead of the network device when paging occurs.

[0082] 820, The terminal device determines the configuration information for the paging message.

[0083] Specifically, optionally, the terminal device receives a first configuration message sent by the network device and determines the paging message configuration information based on the received first configuration message. This first configuration message includes not only the paging message configuration information but also the configuration information of the first message and the paging cycle. The first message is used to indicate whether the terminal device should receive the paging message. The first message can be called a paging early indication (PEI), an early paging indication (EPI), a power-saving signal, or a wake-up signal; the name of the first message is not limited here.

[0084] It should be understood that the configuration information of the first message can be determined based on the configuration information of the PO (Paging Request Object) for the first paging event. Therefore, the first configuration message may also include the configuration information of the first PO associated with the first message. The configuration information of the first message is used by the terminal device to receive the first message sent by the network device, and the configuration information of the paging message is used by the terminal device to receive the paging message sent by the network device. Therefore, the terminal device can determine the configuration information of the paging message through the first configuration message. The number of bits indicating the configuration information of the paging message is relatively small compared to the total number of bits in the first configuration message. In the prior art, the terminal device also needs to receive the first configuration message to determine the configuration information of the first message and the first PO. Therefore, receiving the configuration message of the paging message by the terminal device does not increase power consumption or add a new receiving process.

[0085] Optionally, the configuration information for paging messages can be agreed upon in advance by the terminal device and the network device, without needing to be sent via configuration messages.

[0086] 830, the network device sends a first message to the terminal device before the first paging opportunity PO, the first message being used to indicate whether the terminal device should receive the paging message.

[0087] Optionally, the first message can be in the form of DCI, using one or more fields to indicate whether the terminal device receives the paging message corresponding to the first PO.

[0088] Optionally, the first message can be a sequence similar to SSS, TRS, or CSI-RS. A send sequence and a no-send sequence can be used to indicate whether the terminal device receives the paging message. For example, a send sequence indicates that the terminal device receives the paging message, and a no-send sequence indicates that the terminal device does not receive the paging message. Different sequences can also be used to indicate whether the terminal device receives the paging message. This application does not limit this in any way.

[0089] Optionally, the network device receives a second message from another network device, such as a core network device or a radio access network device, which triggers the network device to send a first message. The network device sends the first message based on the received second message.

[0090] 840. The terminal device receives a first message sent by the network device before the first PO. Specifically, the terminal device receives the first message sent by the network device according to the configuration information of the first message; or, the terminal device determines the configuration information of the first message according to the configuration information of the PO associated with the first message, and then receives the first message sent by the network device according to the configuration information of the first message.

[0091] The terminal device determines whether to receive the paging message based on the first message. If it is determined from the first message that the network device will not send a paging message, the terminal device will not receive the paging message associated with the first message according to the paging message configuration information; if it is determined from the first message that the network device will send a paging message, the terminal device will receive the paging message associated with the first message according to the paging message configuration information.

[0092] 850. If the network device sends a first message to the terminal device indicating that it will receive the paging message associated with the first message, then the network device sends the paging message associated with the first message to the terminal device. If the network device sends a first message to the terminal device indicating that it will not receive the paging message associated with the first message, then the network device will not send the paging message associated with the first message to the terminal device.

[0093] 860. If the terminal device determines, based on the first message, that it will receive a paging message sent by the network device, then the terminal device will receive the paging message associated with the first message according to the configuration information of the determined paging message. It should be understood that the terminal device will not receive scheduling information for paging messages from the first PO based on the configuration information of the first PO.

[0094] If it is determined from the first message that a paging message sent by a network device will not be received, then the terminal device will not receive the paging message associated with that first message.

[0095] The paging message configuration information may include at least one of the following:

[0096] (1) Frequency domain resource allocation indication information, which is used to indicate the location of the starting resource block (RB) of the paging message and the number of RBs occupied starting from the starting RB;

[0097] (2) Time-domain resource allocation indication information, which indicates the number of time units occupied by the paging message. The time unit can be an orthogonal frequency division multiplexing (OFDM) symbol, a single-carrier frequency division multiple access (SC-FDMA) symbol, a slot, a mini-slot, a subframe, or a frame, etc.;

[0098] (3) Virtual resource block (VRB) to physical resource block (PRB) mapping indication information. This indication information is used to indicate whether the mapping method is interleaved or non-interleaved. For example, this indication information corresponds to 1 bit. When this bit is set to 0, it means that the VRB to PRB mapping is non-interleaved, and when this bit is set to 1, it means that the VRB to PRB mapping is interleaved.

[0099] (4) Modulation and Coding Scheme (MCS): MCS is used to determine the modulation order and target code rate.

[0100] (5) Time-domain offset indication information.

[0101] like Figure 9 The diagram illustrates how the starting position of a paging message is determined. The time-domain offset indication information may include at least one of the following:

[0102] 1) The offset of the end position of the time slot where the PO associated with the paging message is located; this indicates the offset of the paging message start position relative to the end position of the slot where the PO is located. The UE can determine the start position of the paging message based on the PO position and this indication information. It should be understood that the UE needs to determine the PO position. How to determine the PO position can be referred to in existing NR technology, which will not be described in detail here.

[0103] 2) Offset of the starting position of the time slot where the PO associated with the paging message is located; This indicates the offset of the starting position of the paging message relative to the starting position of the slot where the PO is located. The UE can determine the starting position of the paging message based on the PO position and this indication information.

[0104] 3) The offset of the end position of the time slot where the first message associated with the paging message is located; it indicates the offset of the start position of the paging message relative to the end position of the slot where the first message is located. The UE can determine the start position of the paging message based on the position of the first message and this indication information.

[0105] 4) Offset of the starting position of the time slot where the first message associated with the paging message is located; This indicates the offset of the starting position of the paging message relative to the starting position of the slot where the first message is located. The UE can determine the starting position of the paging message based on the position of the first message and this indication information.

[0106] The time-domain offset message corresponding to the paging message uses the position of the first PO or the first message as a reference point. Only some offset values ​​need to be configured, which can save signaling overhead compared to configuring without a reference point.

[0107] (6) Transport block scaling indication information. The transport block scaling indication information is used to determine the scaling factor, which is used to determine the final transport block size of the paging message. The method of determining the transport block based on the scaling factor can be referred to in existing NR technology, and will not be described in detail here. As shown in Table 1, an example of transport block scaling indication information is presented.

[0108] Table 1. An example of a transport block scaling indication information.

[0109] Transport block scaling indicator word field Scaling factor S 00 1 01 0.5 10 0.25

[0110] Terminal devices can obtain the necessary information to receive paging messages through the paging message configuration information, thereby enabling the implementation of the first aspect of the method. That is, when the terminal device determines to receive a paging message, it only needs to receive the paging message according to the paging message configuration information, without having to listen for and receive the DCI carrying the paging message at the PO, thereby reducing the power consumption of the terminal device when there is a paging.

[0111] Given that NR supports multiple beam transmissions, paging messages will be sent in multiple beam directions. Therefore, the resource configuration of paging messages may include multiple configurations, each corresponding to a beam direction.

[0112] In multi-beam transmission, in order to reduce signaling overhead, only the time-domain offset information mentioned above needs to be configured separately for each beam. Other parameters are the same for each beam and only need to be configured once.

[0113] A gNB can page multiple UEs with a single paging message. The paging message at the RRC layer contains a list of paged UEs, and its content is as follows: one UE corresponds to one paging record. Here, maxNrofPageRec represents the maximum value of the paging records contained in a paging message. maxNrofPageRec = 32, which means that a paging message can page a maximum of 32 UEs.

[0114] Considering that the number of UEs being paged varies at different times, meaning the content of the paging message may differ, if a fixed transmission block is always used for transmission, a lot of padding bits need to be added to the paging message, resulting in low transmission efficiency and affecting the performance of the paging message.

[0115] Configuration messages for paging typically use system messages, resulting in static or semi-static resource configurations for paging messages with long change cycles. Furthermore, a first message precedes each PO (Paging Message), and dynamically adjusting the transport block size (TB) of the paging message via this first message is a relatively effective method. Specifically, the first message can include a TB scaling indication, in which case the first configuration message may not carry this information. Considering that the number of paging UEs varies at different times, meaning the content of the paging message may differ, consistently transmitting with a fixed TB size would require adding numerous padding bits, leading to low transmission efficiency and impacting paging message performance. Based on this technical solution, the TB scaling indication is carried in the first message, while other essential information that doesn't change significantly over time is carried in the paging message's configuration information. The first message is sent more frequently than the configuration information, allowing the TB size to be adjusted more dynamically, thus avoiding the aforementioned problems of low transmission efficiency and performance degradation.

[0116] In the technical solution provided in this application embodiment, the terminal device first determines the configuration information of the paging message. When the terminal device determines to receive the paging message, it only needs to receive the paging message according to the configuration information of the paging message. There is no need to listen for and receive the DCI carrying the scheduling information of the paging message at the PO, thereby reducing the power consumption of the terminal device when there is a paging.

[0117] like Figure 10 The diagram illustrates a schematic flowchart of another paging message sending method proposed in this application. This method is applied to network devices paging terminal devices that are in an idle or inactive state, and the specific process includes:

[0118] 1010. The network device sends a first message to the terminal device before the first paging event (PO). The first message carries first indication information and second indication information. The first indication information is used to instruct the terminal device to receive the paging message corresponding to the first PO. The second indication information is used to indicate the location information of the physical downlink control channel (PDCCH) corresponding to the first PO. The PDCCH is used to carry downlink control information (DCI) for scheduling the paging message corresponding to the first PO.

[0119] The first indication information can be called Paging Advance Indication (PEI), Early Paging Indication (EPI), Energy Saving Signal, or Wake-up Signal; the name of the first indication information is not limited here. Optionally, the form of the first indication information can be DCI, using one or more fields to indicate whether the terminal device receives the paging message associated with the first message. Optionally, the form of the first indication information can be a sequence similar to SSS, TRS, or CSI-RS, using a sending sequence and a non-sending sequence to indicate whether the terminal device receives the paging message. For example, a sending sequence indicates that the terminal device receives the paging message, and a non-sending sequence indicates that the terminal device does not receive the paging message. Different sequences can also be used to indicate whether the terminal device receives the paging message. This application embodiment does not limit this. It should be understood that the first message can be a PEI, and the PEI can include second indication information; this application does not limit this.

[0120] The second indication information includes at least one of the following: the time slot position of the PDCCH, the aggregation level of the control channel element (CCE) corresponding to the PDCCH, the starting position of the CCE corresponding to the PDCCH, and the index of the PDCCH in the candidate PDCCH corresponding to the PDCCH.

[0121] There are two ways to schedule the search space corresponding to the DCI for paging messages: the first way is to reuse the search space of SIB1, in which case the search space ID is 0, and the search space is configured by the master information block (MIB); the second way is to use a dedicated search space for paging, in which case the search space ID is not 0.

[0122] Taking the case where search space ID is 0 as an example, the indication method of the second indication information is explained in detail. When the multiplexing method of SSB and CORESET 0 is pattern1, pattern1 means that SSB and CORESET 0 do not overlap in the time domain, but overlap in the frequency domain, and the transmission bandwidth of SSB and the initial downlink BWP corresponding to CORESET 0 overlap in the frequency domain. At this time, the candidate PDCCH corresponding to search space 0 can be realized in two consecutive time slots. At this time, the first message can use 1 bit to indicate the time slot position of the DCI of the scheduling paging message. Table 2 shows the CCE aggregation level and the number of candidate PDCCHs under each CCE aggregation level.

[0123] Table 2. CCE aggregation levels and the number of candidate PDCCHs at each CCE aggregation level

[0124] CCE Convergence Level Number of candidate PDCCH 4 4 8 2 16 1

[0125] The first message can use a 3-bit combined indicator to indicate the CCE aggregation level and the candidate PDCCH index, as shown in Table 3.

[0126] Table 3. Examples of Joint Indicators of CCE Aggregation Level and Candidate PDCCH Indexes

[0127]

[0128]

[0129] The first message uses 1 bit to indicate the time slot location of the DCI for scheduling paging messages, and 3 bits to jointly indicate the CCE aggregation level corresponding to the DCI for scheduling paging messages, as well as the candidate PDCCH index under that CCE aggregation level. In this way, the resource location of the DCI for scheduling paging messages is uniquely determined, and the UE does not need to perform blind detection. Analogous to existing technologies, when a paging is determined through the first message, there is no relevant signaling in the first message to inform the UE, and the UE needs to blindly detect PDCCHs at different aggregation levels. This embodiment, through the indication method of the first message, can reduce or even eliminate the energy consumption corresponding to blind detection of PDCCHs. Depending on the granularity of the first message indication, if the first message uniquely specifies the candidate PDCCH location of the DCI for scheduling paging messages, the UE can eliminate the energy consumption corresponding to blind detection of PDCCHs. If the first message indication reduces the number of candidate PDCCH locations of the DCI for scheduling paging messages by half compared to existing technologies, the UE can reduce the energy consumption corresponding to blind detection of PDCCHs.

[0130] Similarly, when the search space ID is not 0, the first message indicates the DCI slot location, CCE aggregation level, and candidate PDCCH index for listening to the paging message. These three parameters can be indicated independently or jointly.

[0131] Optionally, the network device receives a second message from another network device, such as a core network device or a radio access network device, which triggers the network device to send a first message. The network device sends the first message based on the received second message.

[0132] 1020, the terminal device receives the first message sent by the network device before the first paging event (PO). Specifically, the terminal device receives the first message according to the configuration information of the first message.

[0133] Optionally, before sending the first message to the terminal device, the network device also sends a second configuration message to the terminal device. The second configuration message includes the paging cycle and the configuration information of the first message. It should be understood that the configuration information of the first message can be determined based on the configuration information of the PO (Point of Purchase) associated with the first paging opportunity. Therefore, the second configuration message may also include the configuration information of the first PO associated with the first message.

[0134] Optionally, the configuration information for the first message can also be agreed upon in advance by the terminal device and the network device, without needing to be sent via a configuration message.

[0135] The terminal device determines whether to receive the paging message based on the first instruction information.

[0136] 1030, when the first indication information indicates that the paging message corresponding to the first PO is received, the terminal device determines the location information of the downlink control channel PDCCH corresponding to the first PO according to the second indication information. The PDCCH is used to carry downlink control information (DCI) for scheduling paging messages.

[0137] 1040. If the network device instructs the terminal device to receive the paging message through the first indication information, that is, the network device sends the paging message to the terminal device, then the network device sends the DCI for scheduling the paging message to the terminal device on the PDCCH corresponding to the first PO; if the network device instructs the terminal device not to receive the paging message through the first indication information, that is, the network device does not send the paging message to the terminal device, then the network device does not send the DCI for scheduling the paging message to the terminal device.

[0138] 1050. If the network device instructs the terminal device to receive the paging message through the first indication information, the terminal device listens for the DCI used to schedule the paging message at the PDCCH position corresponding to the first PO; if the network device instructs the terminal device not to receive the paging message through the first indication information, the terminal device does not need to listen for the DCI used to schedule the paging message at the first PO.

[0139] 1060. If the network device instructs the terminal device to receive the paging message through the first instruction information, the network device sends the paging message associated with the first instruction information to the terminal device; if the network device instructs the terminal device not to receive the paging message through the first instruction information, the network device does not send the paging message associated with the first instruction information to the terminal device.

[0140] 1070. If the network device instructs the terminal device to receive the paging message through the first instruction information, the terminal device receives the paging message associated with the first instruction information according to the monitored DCI; if the network device instructs the terminal device not to receive the paging message through the first instruction information, the terminal device will not monitor the DCI, nor will it receive the paging message according to the DCI.

[0141] In the technical solution provided in the embodiments of this application, by indicating the time slot position, CCE aggregation level, and candidate PDCCH index of the DCI used for scheduling paging messages by the first message, the number of candidate PDCCHs corresponding to the DCI used for scheduling paging messages by the terminal device can be reduced, thereby reducing the energy consumption of the terminal device in blindly detecting PDCCHs. Therefore, the power consumption of the terminal device can be reduced when there is paging.

[0142] This application provides a communication device 1100, which can be applied to... Figure 8 The terminal device in the method embodiment can also be an implementation Figure 8 Components of the method in the embodiments, such as a chip. Figure 11 The diagram shown illustrates a schematic block diagram of a communication device 1100 according to an embodiment of this application. The communication device 1100 includes:

[0143] Processing unit 1110 is used to determine the configuration information of the paging message;

[0144] Transceiver unit 1120 is configured to receive a first message sent by the network device before the first paging opportunity (PO), the first message being used to indicate whether to receive the paging message corresponding to the first PO;

[0145] The transceiver unit 1120 is further configured to receive the paging message corresponding to the first PO according to the configuration information of the paging message when the first message indicates that the paging message corresponding to the first PO is received.

[0146] Optionally, the transceiver unit 1120 is further configured to receive a first configuration message sent by the network device, wherein the first configuration message includes configuration information of the paging message.

[0147] Optionally, the paging message configuration information includes at least one of the following: frequency domain resource allocation indication information, time domain resource allocation indication information, virtual resource block (VRB) to physical resource block (PRB) mapping indication information, coding and modulation mechanism (MCS), time domain offset indication information, and transport block scaling indication information.

[0148] Optionally, the paging message configuration information includes at least one of the following: frequency domain resource allocation indication information, time domain resource allocation indication information, virtual resource block (VRB) to physical resource block (PRB) mapping indication information, coding and modulation mechanism (MCS), and time domain offset indication information.

[0149] Optionally, the first message carries transport block scaling indication information.

[0150] Optionally, the time-domain offset indication information includes: an offset from the end position of the time slot where the first message is located, and / or an offset from the start position of the time slot where the first message is located, and / or an offset from the end position of the time slot where the first PO is located, and / or an offset from the start position of the time slot where the first PO is located.

[0151] This application provides a communication device 1200, which can be applied to... Figure 8 The network device in the method embodiment can also be an implementation Figure 8 Components of the method in the embodiments, such as a chip. Figure 12 The diagram shown illustrates a schematic block diagram of a communication device 1200 according to an embodiment of this application. The communication device 1200 includes:

[0152] The transceiver unit 1210 is used to send a first configuration message to the terminal device, wherein the first configuration message includes configuration information for paging messages;

[0153] The transceiver unit 1210 is further configured to send a first message to the terminal device before the first PO, the first message instructing the terminal device to receive the paging message corresponding to the first PO;

[0154] The transceiver unit 1210 is further configured to send the paging message to the terminal device.

[0155] Optionally, the first configuration message may further include: paging cycle, configuration information of the first message, and / or configuration information of the first PO.

[0156] Optionally, the transceiver unit 1210 is further configured to receive a second message sent by another network device, the second message being used to trigger the sending of the first message.

[0157] Optionally, the paging message configuration information includes at least one of the following: frequency domain resource allocation indication information, time domain resource allocation indication information, virtual resource block (VRB) to physical resource block (PRB) mapping indication information, coding and modulation mechanism (MCS), time domain offset indication information, and transport block scaling indication information.

[0158] Optionally, the paging message configuration information includes at least one of the following: frequency domain resource allocation indication information, time domain resource allocation indication information, virtual resource block (VRB) to physical resource block (PRB) mapping indication information, coding and modulation mechanism (MCS), and time domain offset indication information.

[0159] Optionally, the first message carries transport block scaling indication information.

[0160] Optionally, the time-domain offset indication information includes: an offset from the end position of the time slot where the first message is located, and / or an offset from the start position of the time slot where the first message is located, and / or an offset from the end position of the time slot where the first PO is located, and / or an offset from the start position of the time slot where the first PO is located.

[0161] This application provides a communication device 1300, which can be applied to... Figure 10 The terminal device in the method embodiment can also be an implementation Figure 10 Components of the method in the embodiments, such as a chip. Figure 13 The diagram shown illustrates a schematic block diagram of a communication device 1300 according to an embodiment of this application. The communication device 1300 includes:

[0162] Transceiver unit 1310 is configured to receive a first message sent by the network device before the first paging opportunity (PO). The first message carries first indication information and second indication information. The first indication information is used to indicate whether to receive the paging message corresponding to the first PO. The second indication information is used to indicate the location information of the downlink control channel (PDCCH) corresponding to the first PO. The PDCCH is used to carry downlink control information (DCI) for scheduling the paging message.

[0163] The processing unit 1320 is further configured to, when the first indication information indicates that a paging message corresponding to the first PO is received, determine the location of the PDCCH according to the second indication information;

[0164] The transceiver unit 1310 is also configured to listen to the DCI at the location of the PDCCH;

[0165] The transceiver unit 1310 is further configured to receive the paging message according to the DCI.

[0166] Optionally, the transceiver unit 1310 is further configured to receive a second configuration message sent by the network device, the second configuration message including the configuration information of the first message and / or the configuration information of the first PO.

[0167] Optionally, the second indication information includes at least one of the following: the time slot position of the PDCCH, the aggregation level of the control channel element (CCE) corresponding to the PDCCH, the starting position of the CCE corresponding to the PDCCH, and the index of the PDCCH in the candidate PDCCH corresponding to the PDCCH.

[0168] This application provides a communication device 1400, which can be applied to... Figure 10 The network device in the method embodiment can also be an implementation Figure 10 Components of the method in the embodiments, such as a chip. Figure 14 The diagram shown illustrates a schematic block diagram of a communication device 1400 according to an embodiment of this application. The communication device 1400 includes:

[0169] The transceiver unit 1410 is configured to send a first message to the terminal device before the first paging opportunity (PO). The first message carries first indication information and second indication information. The first indication information indicates that the terminal device receives the paging message corresponding to the first PO. The second indication information is used to indicate the location information of the downlink control channel (PDCCH) corresponding to the first PO. The PDCCH is used to carry downlink control information (DCI) for scheduling the paging message.

[0170] The transceiver unit 1410 is further configured to send the DCI to the terminal device on the PDCCH;

[0171] The transceiver unit 1410 is further configured to send the paging message to the terminal device.

[0172] Optionally, the transceiver unit 1410 is further configured to send a second configuration message to the terminal device, the second configuration message including a paging cycle, configuration information of the first message and / or configuration information of the first PO.

[0173] Optionally, the second indication information includes at least one of the following: the time slot position of the PDCCH, the aggregation level of the control channel element (CCE) corresponding to the PDCCH, the starting position of the CCE corresponding to the PDCCH, and the index of the PDCCH in the candidate PDCCH corresponding to the PDCCH.

[0174] This application provides a communication device 1500, such as... Figure 15 As shown, Figure 15 A schematic block diagram of a communication device 1500 according to an embodiment of this application is shown. The communication device 1500 includes:

[0175] The processor 1510 and transceiver 1520 are configured to receive computer code or instructions and transmit them to the processor, and the processor 1510 executes the computer code or instructions to implement the method in the embodiments of this application.

[0176] The aforementioned processor may be an integrated circuit chip with signal processing capabilities. In implementation, each step of the above method embodiments can be completed by integrated logic circuits in the processor's hardware or by instructions in software form. The aforementioned processor may be a general-purpose processor, a digital signal processor (DSP), an application-specific integrated circuit (ASIC), a field-programmable gate array (FPGA), or other programmable logic devices, discrete gate or transistor logic devices, or discrete hardware components. It can implement or execute the methods, steps, and logic block diagrams disclosed in the embodiments of this application. The general-purpose processor may be a microprocessor or any conventional processor. The steps of the methods disclosed in the embodiments of this application can be directly embodied in the execution of a hardware decoding processor, or executed by a combination of hardware and software modules in the decoding processor. The software modules may reside in random access memory, flash memory, read-only memory, programmable read-only memory, electrically erasable programmable memory, registers, or other mature storage media in the art. This storage medium is located in memory; the processor reads messages from the memory and, in conjunction with its hardware, completes the steps of the above method.

[0177] This application also provides a computer-readable storage medium storing a computer program for implementing the methods in the above-described method embodiments. When the computer program is run on a computer, the computer can implement the methods in the above-described method embodiments.

[0178] Furthermore, the term "and / or" in this application is merely a description of the relationship between related objects, indicating that three relationships can exist. For example, A and / or B can represent: A existing alone, A and B existing simultaneously, and B existing alone. Additionally, the character " / " in this document generally indicates that the preceding and following related objects have an "or" relationship. The term "at least one" in this application can represent "one" and "two or more." For example, at least one of A, B, and C can represent: A existing alone, B existing alone, C existing alone, A and B existing simultaneously, A and C existing simultaneously, C and B existing simultaneously, and A, B, and C existing simultaneously.

[0179] Those skilled in the art will recognize that the units and algorithm steps of the various examples described in conjunction with the embodiments disclosed herein can be implemented in electronic hardware, or a combination of computer software and electronic hardware. Whether these functions are implemented in hardware or software depends on the specific application and design constraints of the technical solution. Those skilled in the art can use different methods to implement the described functions for each specific application, but such implementation should not be considered beyond the scope of this application.

[0180] Those skilled in the art will understand that, for the sake of convenience and brevity, the specific working processes of the systems, devices, and units described above can be referred to the corresponding processes in the foregoing method embodiments, and will not be repeated here.

[0181] In the several embodiments provided in this application, it should be understood that the disclosed systems, apparatuses, and methods can be implemented in other ways. For example, the apparatus embodiments described above are merely illustrative; for instance, the division of units is only a logical functional division, and in actual implementation, there may be other division methods. For example, multiple units or components may be combined or integrated into another system, or some features may be ignored or not executed. Furthermore, the coupling or direct coupling or communication connection shown or discussed may be through some interfaces; the indirect coupling or communication connection between apparatuses or units may be electrical, mechanical, or other forms.

[0182] The units described as separate components may or may not be physically separate. The components shown as units may or may not be physical units; that is, they may be located in one place or distributed across multiple network units. Some or all of the units can be selected to achieve the purpose of this embodiment according to actual needs.

[0183] In addition, the functional units in the various embodiments of this application can be integrated into one processing unit, or each unit can exist physically separately, or two or more units can be integrated into one unit.

[0184] If the aforementioned functions are implemented as software functional units and sold or used as independent products, they can be stored in a computer-readable storage medium. Based on this understanding, the technical solution of this application, in essence, or the part that contributes to the prior art, or a portion of the technical solution, can be embodied in the form of a software product. This computer software product is stored in a storage medium and includes several instructions to cause a computer device (which may be a personal computer, server, or network device, etc.) to execute all or part of the steps of the methods described in the various embodiments of this application. The aforementioned storage medium includes various media capable of storing program code, such as USB flash drives, portable hard drives, read-only memory (ROM), random access memory (RAM), magnetic disks, or optical disks.

[0185] The above description is merely a specific embodiment of this application, but the scope of protection of this application is not limited thereto. Any variations or substitutions that can be easily conceived by those skilled in the art within the scope of the technology disclosed in this application should be included within the scope of protection of this application. Therefore, the scope of protection of this application should be determined by the scope of the claims.

Claims

1. A method for sending paging messages, characterized in that, The method includes: Determine the configuration information for the paging message; Before the first paging opportunity (PO), a first message is received from the network device, the first message indicating whether to receive the paging message corresponding to the first PO; When the first message indicates that a paging message corresponding to the first PO is to be received, the paging message corresponding to the first PO is received according to the configuration information of the paging message, wherein the configuration information of the paging message is determined before the first message is received.

2. The method according to claim 1, characterized in that, The method further includes: The system receives a first configuration message sent by the network device, the first configuration message including the configuration information of the paging message.

3. The method according to claim 2, characterized in that, The first configuration message also includes configuration information of the first PO associated with the first message; The configuration information of the first message is determined based on the configuration information of the first PO associated with the first message; The first message sent by the receiving network device includes: The network device sends the first message according to the configuration information of the first message.

4. The method according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that, The configuration information of the paging message includes at least one of the following: Frequency domain resource allocation indication information, time domain resource allocation indication information, virtual resource block (VRB) to physical resource block (PRB) mapping indication information, coding and modulation mechanism (MCS), time domain offset indication information, and transport block scaling indication information.

5. The method according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that, The configuration information of the paging message includes at least one of the following: Frequency domain resource allocation indication information, time domain resource allocation indication information, virtual resource block (VRB) to physical resource block (PRB) mapping indication information, coding and modulation mechanism (MCS), and time domain offset indication information.

6. The method according to claim 5, characterized in that, The first message carries transport block scaling indication information.

7. The method according to claim 4, characterized in that, The time-domain offset indication information includes: The offset from the end position of the time slot where the first message is located, and / or, The offset from the start position of the time slot where the first message is located, and / or, The offset from the end position of the time slot where the first PO is located, and / or, The offset from the starting position of the time slot where the first PO is located.

8. A method for sending paging messages, characterized in that, Applications for paging terminal devices in an idle or inactive state using network devices, including: Send a first configuration message to the terminal device, the first configuration message including paging message configuration information; A first message is sent to the terminal device before the first PO, the first message instructing the terminal device to receive the paging message corresponding to the first PO, wherein the configuration information of the paging message is sent before the first message is sent; Send the paging message to the terminal device.

9. The method according to claim 8, characterized in that, The first configuration message also includes configuration information of the first PO associated with the first message; Wherein, the configuration information of the first PO associated with the first message is used by the terminal device to determine the configuration information of the first message; The configuration information of the first message is used by the terminal device to receive the first message sent by the network device.

10. The method according to claim 9, characterized in that, The first configuration message also includes: The paging cycle, the configuration information of the first message, and / or the configuration information of the first PO.

11. The method according to claim 9 or 10, characterized in that, Before sending the first message to the terminal device, the method further includes: Receive a second message sent by another network device, the second message being used to trigger the sending of the first message.

12. The method according to claim 9 or 10, characterized in that, The configuration information of the paging message includes at least one of the following: Frequency domain resource allocation indication information, time domain resource allocation indication information, virtual resource block (VRB) to physical resource block (PRB) mapping indication information, coding and modulation mechanism (MCS), time domain offset indication information, and transport block scaling indication information.

13. The method according to claim 9 or 10, characterized in that, The configuration information of the paging message includes at least one of the following: Frequency domain resource allocation indication information, time domain resource allocation indication information, virtual resource block (VRB) to physical resource block (PRB) mapping indication information, coding and modulation mechanism (MCS), and time domain offset indication information.

14. The method according to claim 13, characterized in that, The first message carries transport block scaling indication information.

15. The method according to claim 12, characterized in that, The time-domain offset indication information includes: The offset from the end position of the time slot where the first message is located, and / or, The offset from the start position of the time slot where the first message is located, and / or, The offset from the end position of the time slot where the first PO is located, and / or, The offset from the starting position of the time slot where the first PO is located.

16. A method for sending paging messages, characterized in that, The method includes: Before the first paging opportunity (PO), a first message sent by a network device is received. The first message carries first indication information and second indication information. The first indication information is used to indicate whether to receive the paging message corresponding to the first PO. The second indication information is used to indicate the location information of the downlink control channel (PDCCH) corresponding to the first PO. The PDCCH is used to carry downlink control information (DCI) for scheduling the paging message. When the first indication information indicates that a paging message corresponding to the first PO has been received, the location of the PDCCH is determined according to the second indication information; Listen to the DCI at the location of the PDCCH; The paging message is received according to the DCI.

17. The method according to claim 16, characterized in that, Before receiving the first message sent by the network device before the first paging opportunity (PO), the method further includes: Receive a second configuration message sent by the network device, the second configuration message including the configuration information of the first message and / or the configuration information of the first PO.

18. The method according to claim 16 or 17, characterized in that, The second indication information includes at least one of the following: The time slot position of the PDCCH, the aggregation level of the control channel element (CCE) corresponding to the PDCCH, the starting position of the CCE corresponding to the PDCCH, and the index of the PDCCH in the candidate PDCCH corresponding to the PDCCH.

19. A method for sending paging messages, characterized in that, The method, applicable to paging terminal devices in an idle or inactive state using network devices, includes: A first message is sent to the terminal device before the first paging opportunity (PO). The first message carries first indication information and second indication information. The first indication information instructs the terminal device to receive the paging message corresponding to the first PO. The second indication information is used to indicate the location information of the downlink control channel (PDCCH) corresponding to the first PO. The PDCCH is used to carry downlink control information (DCI) for scheduling the paging message. The DCI is sent to the terminal device on the PDCCH; Send the paging message to the terminal device.

20. The method according to claim 19, characterized in that, Before sending the first message to the terminal device before the first paging opportunity (PO), the method further includes: A second configuration message is sent to the terminal device, the second configuration message including the paging cycle, the configuration information of the first message and / or the configuration information of the first PO.

21. The method according to claim 19 or 20, characterized in that, The second indication information includes at least one of the following: The time slot position of the PDCCH, the aggregation level of the control channel element (CCE) corresponding to the PDCCH, the starting position of the CCE corresponding to the PDCCH, and the index of the PDCCH in the candidate PDCCH corresponding to the PDCCH.

22. A communication device, characterized in that, Includes units for implementing the function of the method as described in any one of claims 1 to 21.

23. A communication device, characterized in that, include: A processor and a transceiver, the transceiver being configured to receive computer code or instructions and transmit them to the processor, the processor executing the computer code or instructions, as described in any one of claims 1 to 21.

24. A computer-readable storage medium, characterized in that, include: The computer-readable storage medium stores a computer program; When the computer program is run on a computer, it causes the computer to perform the method as described in any one of claims 1 to 21.

25. A computer program product, characterized in that, The computer program product includes instructions that, when executed, cause the method as described in any one of claims 1 to 21 to be implemented.

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