Communication method and device

Abstract

The invention provides a communication method and device. The power consumption of terminal equipment can be reduced. The method comprises the following steps: determining a first time period, the first time period being in a continuous timer operation time period of a connected discontinuous reception (C-DRX) period or in a physical downlink control channel (PDCCH) non-skipping time period of a physical downlink control channel (PDCCH) skipping period, when the first time period is in the continuous timer operation time period of the connected discontinuous reception (C-DRX) period, the first time period being in the continuous timer operation time period of the C-DRX period or in the PDCCH non-skipping time period of the physical downlink control channel (PDCCH) skipping period, and the second time period being in the continuous timer operation time period of the C-DRX period; and when downlink control information (DCI) indicating the reception of a physical downlink shared channel (PDSCH) is received in the first time period, the PDSCH is not received, when the downlink control information (DCI) indicating the reception of the PDSCH is received in the first time period.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present application relates to the field of communications, and more specifically, to a communication method and device. Background Art

[0002] In the C-DRX mechanism, the terminal device turns on the receiver to enter the active state only when necessary to receive downlink data and signaling, and turns off the receiver to enter the dormant state at other times to stop receiving downlink data and signaling to save power consumption of the terminal device. A C-DRX cycle usually includes two time periods: active time and non-active time. The terminal device monitors PDCCH during the active time, and can be in dormant state during the non-active time and does not monitor PDCCH, thereby saving terminal power consumption.

[0003] The terminal device starts the onduration timer at the beginning of each new C-DRX cycle; the inactivity timer is started or restarted when the terminal device successfully demodulates the PDCCH indicating the first transmission data (new transmission data) of the terminal device within the activation time. The activation time includes the time the onduration timer runs and the time the terminal device monitors the PDCCH before the inactivity timer times out.

[0004] In the PDCCH skipping mechanism, the demodulation of some PDCCHs is skipped to save power. A PDCCH skipping cycle includes PDCCH skipping time and PDCCH non-skipping time. PDCCH non-skipping time is the time when the terminal device must monitor the PDCCH, and the terminal device must remain awake during this time period; PDCCH skipping time is the time when the terminal device does not need to monitor the PDCCH, and this time period can be sleep time.

[0005] During the continuous timer running period of the C-DRX cycle or the PDCCH non-skipping period of the PDCCH skipping period, the terminal device monitors the PDCCH. If the received DCI indicates receiving the physical downlink shared channel (PDSCH), the DCI is used to receive the PDSCH. In a scenario where there is no data transmission, if the terminal device monitors the PDCCH during the continuous timer running period or the PDCCH non-skipping period, the power consumption of the terminal device will increase. Summary of the invention

[0006] The present application provides a communication method and apparatus, which can reduce the power consumption of terminal equipment.

[0007] In a first aspect, a communication method is provided, which can be executed by a terminal device or a chip or chip system in the terminal device. The method includes: determining a first time period, the first time period being within the continuous timer running time period of a connected discontinuous reception C-DRX cycle or within the PDCCH non-skipping time period of a physical downlink control channel PDCCH skipping cycle; when downlink control information DCI indicating reception of a physical downlink shared channel PDSCH is received within the first time period, the PDSCH is not received.

[0008] Based on the above technical solution, when there is no data transmission demand in the first time period, the terminal device only receives PDCCH but not PDSCH in the first time period, and the terminal device only needs to monitor PDCCH symbols in each time slot in the first time period, and there is no need to monitor PDCCH all the time, thereby reducing the power consumption of the terminal device.

[0009] In combination with the first aspect, in certain implementations of the first aspect, the method further includes: when a DCI indicating reception of the PDSCH is received within a second time period, receiving the PDSCH using the DCI, the second time period being within the continuous timer running time period or the PDCCH non-skipping time period, and the second time period does not overlap with the first time period.

[0010] Based on the above scheme, when there is a demand for data transmission in the second time period, the terminal device adopts a lossless strategy to receive PDCCH and PDSCH in the second time period, which can avoid the terminal device from missing PDSCH and reduce the delay of data transmission; at the same time, it can avoid the network device / base station from rescheduling according to the new transmission data, thereby avoiding the extension of the wake-up time of the terminal device; in addition, it can also avoid the increase in the transmission power of the terminal device caused by the increase in the number of DTX times on the network device / base station side, which can further reduce the power consumption of the terminal device.

[0011] In conjunction with the first aspect, in some implementations of the first aspect, determining the first time period includes:

[0012] predicting the first time period according to a historical record of receiving the PDSCH; or,

[0013] determining the first time period according to a preset time parameter for not receiving the PDSCH; or,

[0014] The first time period is determined according to the number of the DCIs received indicating the reception of the PDSCH.

[0015] In combination with the first aspect, in some implementations of the first aspect, the method further includes:

[0016] predicting the second time period according to a historical record of receiving the PDSCH; or,

[0017] determining the second time period according to a preset time parameter for receiving the PDSCH; or,

[0018] The second time period is determined according to the number of the DCIs received indicating the reception of the PDSCH.

[0019] In combination with the first aspect, in certain implementations of the first aspect, the time interval between the start time slot of the second time period and the start time slot of the continuous timer started in the C-DRX cycle is T1, and the second time period occupies N time slots, where N is a positive integer; or, the time interval between the start time slot of the second time period and the start time slot of the PDCCH non-skip time period in the PDCCH skip cycle is T2, and the second time period occupies M time slots, where M is a positive integer.

[0020] In a second aspect, a communication device is provided, which can be applied to the terminal equipment described in the first aspect, and the device includes: a processing unit and a transceiver unit; the processing unit is used to determine a first time period, and the first time period is within the continuous timer running time period of the connected state discontinuous reception C-DRX cycle or the PDCCH non-skipping time period of the physical downlink control channel PDCCH skipping cycle; the processing unit is also used to, when the transceiver unit receives downlink control information DCI indicating the reception of the physical downlink shared channel PDSCH within the first time period, not receive the PDSCH.

[0021] In combination with the second aspect, in certain implementations of the second aspect, the processing unit is also used to, when the transceiver unit receives a DCI indicating reception of the PDSCH within a second time period, use the DCI to receive the PDSCH, and the second time period is within the continuous timer running time period or the PDCCH non-skip time period, and the second time period does not overlap with the first time period.

[0022] In conjunction with the second aspect, in some implementations of the second aspect, the processing unit is specifically configured to:

[0023] predicting the first time period according to a historical record of receiving the PDSCH; or,

[0024] determining the first time period according to a preset time parameter for not receiving the PDSCH; or,

[0025] The first time period is determined according to the number of the DCIs received indicating the reception of the PDSCH.

[0026] In conjunction with the second aspect, in some implementations of the second aspect, the processing unit is further configured to:

[0027] predicting the second time period according to a historical record of receiving the PDSCH; or,

[0028] determining the second time period according to a preset time parameter for receiving the PDSCH; or,

[0029] The second time period is determined according to the number of the DCIs received indicating the reception of the PDSCH.

[0030] In combination with the second aspect, in certain implementations of the second aspect, the time interval between the start time slot of the second time period and the start time slot of the continuous timer started in the C-DRX cycle is T1, and the second time period occupies N time slots, where N is a positive integer; or, the time interval between the start time slot of the second time period and the start time slot of the PDCCH non-skip time period in the PDCCH skip cycle is T2, and the second time period occupies M time slots, where M is a positive integer.

[0031] In a third aspect, a communication device is provided, comprising: a processor and a memory, wherein the memory is used to store a computer program, and the processor is used to execute the computer program stored in the memory, so that the communication device executes the method in the above-mentioned first aspect or any possible implementation of the first aspect.

[0032] In a fourth aspect, a communication device is provided, comprising: an input-output interface and a logic circuit, wherein the input-output interface is used to obtain input information and / or output information; the logic circuit is used to execute the method described in the first aspect or any possible implementation method of the first aspect, and process and / or generate output information based on the input information.

[0033] In a fifth aspect, a computer-readable storage medium is provided, wherein the computer-readable medium stores a computer program; when the computer program runs on a computer, the computer executes the method in the above-mentioned first aspect or any possible implementation manner of the first aspect.

[0034] According to a sixth aspect, a computer program product comprising instructions is provided, wherein when the instructions are executed by a computer, a communication device implements the method in the first aspect or any possible implementation manner of the first aspect.

[0035] The solutions provided in the second to sixth aspects are used to implement or cooperate with the method provided in the first aspect, and therefore can achieve the same or corresponding beneficial effects as the first aspect, and will not be repeated here. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0036] Figure 1 This is a schematic diagram of the CU-DU architecture.

[0037] Figure 2 It is a schematic diagram of a network architecture applicable to an embodiment of the present application.

[0038] Figure 3 This is a schematic diagram of the framework for applying AI in NR based on the preliminary definition of 3GPP.

[0039] Figure 4 It is a schematic flowchart of contention-based random access in an LTE system and a 5G NR system.

[0040] Figure 5 It is a schematic diagram of random access configuration information exchanged between base stations.

[0041] Figure 6 It is another schematic diagram of exchanging random access configuration information between base stations.

[0042] Figure 7 It is a schematic diagram of the interaction between the base station and the terminal equipment through the Uu port.

[0043] Figure 8 It is a schematic flow chart of the method for determining configuration information according to an embodiment of the present application.

[0044] Fig. 9 It is a schematic flow chart of an example of a method for determining configuration information according to an embodiment of the present application.

[0045] Fig.10 It is a schematic block diagram of a communication device according to an embodiment of the present application.

[0046] Fig.11 It is a schematic block diagram of another communication device according to an embodiment of the present application.

[0047] Fig.12 It is a schematic block diagram of another communication device according to an embodiment of the present application. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0048] The technical solution in this application will be described below in conjunction with the accompanying drawings.

[0049] The embodiments of the present application can be applied to various communication systems, such as wireless local area network (WLAN), narrowband Internet of Things (NB-IoT), global system for mobile communications (GSM), enhanced data rate for GSM evolution (EDGE), wideband code division multiple access (WCDMA), code division multiple access 2000 (CDMA2000), time division-synchronization code division multiple access (TD-SCDMA), LTE system, satellite communication, fifth-generation 5G communication system, sixth-generation (6G) communication system or new communication systems that will appear in the future.

[0050] The terminal device involved in the embodiments of the present application is a device with wireless transceiver function, and the terminal device can be deployed on land, including indoors or outdoors, handheld or vehicle-mounted; it can also be deployed on the water surface, such as a ship; it can also be deployed in the air, such as an airplane, a balloon, and a satellite. The terminal device can be a mobile phone, a tablet computer, a computer with wireless transceiver function, a virtual reality (VR) terminal device, an augmented reality (AR) terminal device, a wireless terminal device in industrial control, a wireless terminal device in self-driving, a wireless terminal device in remote medical, a wireless terminal device in smart grid, a wireless terminal in transportation safety, a wireless terminal device in smart city, a wireless terminal in smart home, and can also include user equipment (UE), etc.

[0051] The network devices involved in the embodiments of the present application are devices in a wireless network, such as radio access network (RAN) nodes that connect terminal devices to a wireless network. At present, some examples of RAN nodes are: gNB, transmission reception point (TRP), evolved NodeB (eNB), radio network controller (RNC), NodeB (NB), base station controller (BSC), base transceiver station (BTS), home NodeB (HNB), base band unit (BBU), or wireless fidelity (Wifi) access point (AP), integrated access and backhaul (IAB), etc. In a network structure, the network device may also refer to a centralized unit (CU) or a distributed unit (DU), or the network device may also be composed of a CU and a DU. CU and DU can be understood as the division of base stations from a logical function perspective. Among them, CU and DU can be physically separated or deployed together, and the embodiments of the present application do not specifically limit this. A CU can be connected to a DU, or multiple DUs can share a CU, which can save costs and facilitate network expansion. The division of CU and DU can be divided according to the protocol stack. One possible way is to deploy the radio resource control (RRC), service data adaptation protocol stack (SDAP) and packet data convergence protocol (PDCP) layer in the CU, and the remaining radio link control (RLC) layer, media access control (MAC) layer and physical layer in the DU. The above-mentioned protocol stack division method is not fully limited in the embodiments of the present application, and there may be other division methods.

[0052] Figure 1 The diagram is a schematic diagram of the CU-DU architecture. The CU and DU are connected via the F1 interface. The CU represents the gNB and is connected to the core network via the Ng interface.

[0053] The network device in the embodiment of the present application may also refer to a centralized unit control plane (CU-CP) node or a centralized unit user plane (CU-UP) node, or the network device may also be a CU-CP and a CU-UP. The CU-CP is responsible for the control plane functions, mainly including radio resource control (RRC) and packet data convergence protocol (PDCP)-C. PDCP-C is mainly responsible for encryption and decryption, integrity protection, data transmission, etc. of the control plane data. CU-UP is responsible for user plane functions, mainly including service data adaptation protocol (SDAP) and PDCP-U. SDAP is mainly responsible for processing the data of the core network and mapping the flow to the bearer. PDCP-U is mainly responsible for encryption and decryption, integrity protection, header compression, sequence number maintenance, data transmission, etc. of the data plane. The CU-CP and CU-UP are connected through the E1 interface. CU-CP represents the gNB and is connected to the core network through the Ng interface. Connected through F1-C (control plane) and DU. CU-UP is connected to DU through F1-U (user plane). Of course, another possible implementation is that PDCP-C is also in CU-UP.

[0054] The access network device mentioned in the embodiments of the present application may be a device including a CU, or a DU, or a device including a CU and a DU, or a device including a control plane CU node (CU-CP node) and a user plane CU node (CU-UP node) and a DU node.

[0055] The access network equipment and terminal equipment can be deployed on land, including indoors or outdoors, handheld or vehicle-mounted; they can also be deployed on the water surface; they can also be deployed on airplanes, balloons and satellites in the air. The embodiments of the present application do not limit the application scenarios of the access network equipment and terminal equipment.

[0056] The embodiments of the present application may be applicable to downlink signal transmission, uplink signal transmission, and device-to-device (D2D) signal transmission. For downlink signal transmission, the sending device is an access network device, and the corresponding receiving device is a terminal device. For uplink signal transmission, the sending device is a terminal device, and the corresponding receiving device is an access network device. For D2D signal transmission, the sending device is a terminal device, and the corresponding receiving device is also a terminal device. The embodiments of the present application do not limit the transmission direction of the signal.

[0057] The access network device and the terminal device, as well as the terminal device and the terminal device, can communicate through the licensed spectrum (licensed spectrum), can also communicate through the unlicensed spectrum (unlicensed spectrum), or can communicate through the licensed spectrum and the unlicensed spectrum at the same time. The access network device and the terminal device, as well as the terminal device and the terminal device, can communicate through the spectrum below 6 gigahertz (GHz), can also communicate through the spectrum above 6G, and can also communicate using the spectrum below 6G and the spectrum above 6G at the same time. The embodiments of the present application do not limit the spectrum resources used between the access network device and the terminal device.

[0058] Figure 2 Schematic diagram of a network architecture applicable to an embodiment of the present application. The network architecture includes network devices and terminal devices. The network device can transmit data or control information to the terminal device, and the terminal device can also transmit data or control information to the network device. The network device in the embodiment of the present application can be an access network device / base station.

[0059] In order to facilitate the understanding of the embodiments of the present application, the technical solutions related to the embodiments of the present application are briefly introduced below.

[0060] 1. C-DRX Mechanism

[0061] C-DRX refers to the DRX mechanism in the connected state, so it can also be abbreviated as DRX in the connected state. The DRX configuration information is configured by the RRC layer, and the DRX function is implemented by the MAC entity. DRX means that the terminal device only turns on the receiver to enter the active state when necessary to receive downlink data and signaling, and turns off the receiver to enter the dormant state at other times to stop receiving downlink data and signaling to save power consumption of the terminal device.

[0062] 1. DRX’s benefits

[0063] In the DRX working mode, the terminal device does not need to continuously monitor the PDCCH, and the terminal device enters a sleep state, which can achieve the purpose of power saving.

[0064] The DRX state is an intermediate state between the continuous reception and RRC idle (RRC_idle) states. The existence of the DRX state reduces the probability of transitioning from the RRC connected state to the RRC idle state, thereby reducing the signaling overhead of the entire network. This benefit is more obvious in networks with a high proportion of smartphone usage.

[0065] 2. DRX cycle

[0066] In the DRX mechanism, the terminal device will wake up for a period of time in each cycle to listen for data from the terminal device. There are two types of DRX cycles: long DRX cycle and short DRX cycle, and the long cycle is an integer multiple of the short cycle. A DRX cycle usually includes two time periods: active time and non-active time. The terminal device monitors PDCCH during the active time, and can be in sleep mode during the non-active time and does not monitor PDCCH, thereby saving terminal power consumption. The longer the non-active time, the less power the terminal device consumes, but the delay in service transmission increases accordingly. Figure 3 FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram of a DRX cycle. The activation time may be referred to as an activation period; and the inactivation time may be referred to as an inactivation period.

[0067] 3. Timers related to DRX

[0068] (1) Duration timer

[0069] The on duration timer indicates the number of consecutive subframes during which the terminal device needs to continuously monitor the PDCCH. The terminal device starts the on duration timer at the beginning of each new DRX cycle. The DRX cycle includes the time the on duration timer runs.

[0070] If both short DRX cycle and long DRX cycle are configured for the UE, the onDurationTimer running time in the two DRX cycles is the same. Figure 4 Schematic diagram of short DRX cycle and long DRX cycle.

[0071] (2)DRX inactivity timer

[0072] The inactive timer indicates a time period during which the terminal device needs to continuously monitor the PDCCH. The time period is based on downlink subframes. The timer is started or restarted when the terminal device successfully demodulates the PDCCH indicating the first transmission data (new transmission data) of the terminal device within the active time. Figure 5 A timing diagram of opening a persistence timer and an inactivity timer in DRX.

[0073] After receiving the PDCCH indicating the first transmission of data again within the activation time, the inactivity timer is restarted; when the inactivity timer times out, the terminal device enters a sleep state.

[0074] 4. Activation time

[0075] The activation time is the total duration that the terminal device monitors the PDCCH. The activation time includes the time the on duration timer runs and the time the terminal device monitors the PDCCH before the inactivity timer times out.

[0076] 2. PDCCH skipping mechanism

[0077] The purpose of PDCCH skipping is to save power by skipping demodulation of some PDCCHs. The network tells the terminal device the length of time to skip PDCCH demodulation through RRC configuration.

[0078] Figure 6 The figure is a schematic diagram of a PDCCH skipping cycle. A PDCCH skipping cycle includes a PDCCH skipping duration and a PDCCH non-skipping time. The PDCCH non-skipping duration is the time during which the terminal device must monitor the PDCCH, and the terminal device must remain awake during this time period. The PDCCH skipping duration is the time during which the terminal device does not have to monitor the PDCCH, and this time period can be a sleep time. The longer the sleep time of the terminal device, the less power the terminal device consumes, but accordingly, the delay in service transmission also increases.

[0079] 3. Burst Data Transmission Scenario

[0080] When the network configuration DRX takes effect, under the common DRX parameter configuration, the long DRX cycle is 160ms / 320ms, the onduration timer runs for 10ms, and during the DRX cycle, when the downlink data transmission demand on the network side appears with approximately equal probability in time, the data transmission demand during the inactive period accounts for 94% to 97%. During the DRX period, the downlink data transmission demand during the inactive period must wait until the active period to be scheduled. Therefore, the data transmission demand during the inactive period of the previous DRX cycle will be postponed and compressed to be scheduled during the onduration timer of the next DRX cycle, and the base station will most likely send scheduling instructions to the terminal device in the first few time slots of the onduration timer of the next DRX cycle.

[0081] When the network configuration PDCCH skipping takes effect, the downlink data transmission demand in the skipping time period within the PDCCH skipping cycle must wait until the non-skipping time period to be scheduled. Therefore, the downlink data transmission demand in the skipping time period of the previous PDCCH skipping cycle will be postponed and compressed to be scheduled in the non-skipping time period of the next skipping cycle, and the base station will most likely send scheduling instructions to the terminal device in the first few time slots of the non-skipping time period.

[0082] 4. Terminal Equipment Power Consumption Control Strategy

[0083] In long term evolution (LTE) or new radio (NR), terminal devices usually adopt some power consumption control strategies to reduce power consumption. For example: under certain conditions, the terminal device will turn off the multiple input multiple output (MIMO) receive diversity; or, the terminal device only receives PDCCH symbols and does not receive PDSCH. The power consumption control strategy will cause the loss of information carried by PDSCH, which is called a lossy strategy. The corresponding to the lossy strategy is the lossless strategy. During the period when the lossless strategy is in effect, the terminal device receives PDCCH and PDSCH, which will not cause the loss of information carried by PDSCH.

[0084] At present, in order to save power consumption of terminal equipment, the terminal equipment adopts a lossy strategy to only receive PDCCH during the continuous timer running time period of the C-DRX cycle or the PDCCH non-skipping time period of the PDCCH skipping cycle. During the period when the lossy strategy is effective, if the base station transmits burst downlink data, even if the terminal equipment detects that the DCI encrypted by the cell radio network temporary identifier (CRNTI) indicates that there is PDSCH, the terminal equipment will also perform lossy discarding of the PDSCH, resulting in missed detection of PDSCH. In the case where the terminal equipment misses the PDSCH, the base station cannot receive the (acknowledgement, ACK) / negative acknowledgment (negative acknowledgment, NACK) message fed back by the terminal equipment for the PDSCH, and the base station will process it according to discontinuous transmission (discontinuous transmission, DTX). For the data that needs to be transmitted by the PDSCH this time, the base station will reschedule according to the newly transmitted data. When the terminal device detects that the CRNTI-encrypted DCI indicates a PDSCH during the period when the lossy strategy is in effect, it will not receive the PDSCH. In the next time slot, the terminal device will switch to the lossless strategy and receive PDCCH and PDSCH. When the terminal device demodulates the PDCCH indicating the new transmission data of the terminal device within the activation time, the inactive timer is started; when the inactive timer times out, the terminal device can enter the sleep state, which will extend the wake-up time of the terminal device and increase the delay of data transmission. In addition, due to the missed detection of PDSCH, the number of DTX times on the base station side will also increase. After the DTX count exceeds a certain threshold, the base station will instruct the terminal device to increase the transmit power, resulting in an increase in the transmit power of the terminal device, which further causes power consumption loss to the terminal device.

[0085] A communication method proposed in an embodiment of the present application can reduce the power consumption of a terminal device by adopting a lossy strategy to only receive PDCCH and not PDSCH in a first time period when there is no data transmission demand; and by adopting a lossless strategy to only receive PDCCH and PDSCH in a second time period when there is a data transmission demand, thereby avoiding missed detection of PDSCH and reducing the delay of data transmission; in addition, it can also avoid rescheduling of network equipment / base station according to new transmission data, thereby avoiding the extension of the wake-up time of the terminal device, and further reducing the power consumption of the terminal device. The continuous timer running time period of the C-DRX cycle or the PDCCH non-skipping time period of the PDCCH skipping cycle includes a first time period and a second time period.

[0086] Figure 7This is a schematic flow chart of a communication method 700 proposed in an embodiment of the present application. The embodiment of the present application can be applicable to burst data transmission scenarios.

[0087] 710, the terminal device determines a first time period, the first time period is within a duration time period of a C-DRX cycle or a PDCCH non-skip time period of a PDCCH skip cycle. The duration of the first time period is less than the duration of the duration timer in a C-DRX cycle, or the duration of the first time period is less than the duration of a PDCCH non-skip time period in a PDCCH skip cycle.

[0088] 720. When the terminal device receives a DCI indicating reception of a PDSCH within a first time period, the PDSCH is not received. The time slot where the PDSCH scheduled by the DCI is located is within the first time period. Exemplarily, the time slot where the terminal device receives the DCI indicating reception of the PDSCH is the same as the time slot where the PDSCH scheduled by the DCI is located.

[0089] When the terminal device adopts the C-DRX mechanism, the terminal device only receives PDCCH and does not receive PDSCH in the first time period within the continuous timer running time period of the C-DRX cycle. When the terminal device adopts the PDCCH skipping mechanism, the terminal device only receives PDCCH and does not receive PDSCH in the first time period within the PDCCH non-skipping time period of the PDCCH skipping cycle. Based on this technical solution, if there is no data transmission demand in the first time period, the terminal device only receives PDCCH and does not receive PDSCH in the first time period, and the terminal device only needs to monitor PDCCH in the PDCCH symbol of each time slot in the first time period, and there is no need to monitor PDCCH all the time, which can reduce the power consumption of the terminal device.

[0090] The specific implementation method for determining the first time period is introduced below.

[0091] In a possible implementation, the terminal device predicts the first time period when the PDSCH is not received based on the historical records of receiving the PDSCH. Exemplarily, a prediction module may be added to the terminal device, which predicts the first time period for adopting the lossy strategy based on the historical records of receiving the PDSCH.

[0092] In another possible implementation, the terminal device determines the first time period based on the time parameter for not receiving PDSCH. For example, the time parameter for not receiving PDSCH indicates that PDSCH is not received in the last two time slots of the continuous timer running time period of the C-DRX cycle, and the first time period includes the last two time slots of the continuous timer running time period of the C-DRX cycle. For another example, the time parameter for not receiving PDSCH indicates that PDSCH is not received in the last time slot of the PDCCH non-skipping time period of the PDCCH skipping period, and the first time period includes the last time slot of the PDCCH non-skipping time period of the PDCCH skipping period. Among them, the time parameter for not receiving PDSCH can be indicated to the terminal device by the network device / base station, or it can be predefined, and the embodiments of the present application do not limit this.

[0093] In another possible implementation, the terminal device determines the first time period according to the number of received DCIs indicating the reception of PDSCH. The more DCIs the terminal device receives indicating the reception of PDSCH, the shorter the first time period is; the fewer DCIs the terminal device receives indicating the reception of PDSCH, the longer the first time period is.

[0094] Exemplarily, if the number of DCIs indicating the reception of PDSCH received by the terminal device in the first time slot of the continuous timer operation time period of the C-DRX cycle is greater than or equal to the first preset threshold and less than the second preset threshold, the terminal device determines that the number of time slots occupied by the first time period is a first value, wherein the second preset threshold is greater than the first preset threshold; if the number of DCIs indicating the reception of PDSCH received by the terminal device in the first time slot of the continuous timer operation time period of the C-DRX cycle is greater than or equal to the second preset threshold and less than the third preset threshold, the terminal device determines that the number of time slots occupied by the first time period is a second value, wherein the third preset threshold is greater than the second preset threshold, and the second value is less than the first value; if the number of DCIs indicating the reception of PDSCH received by the terminal device in the first time slot of the continuous timer operation time period of the C-DRX cycle is greater than or equal to the third preset threshold, the terminal device determines that the number of time slots occupied by the first time period is a third value, and the third value is less than the second value. The first value, the second value, the third value, the first preset threshold, the second preset threshold, and the third preset threshold can be determined by the terminal device itself.

[0095] Exemplarily, if the number of DCIs indicating the reception of PDSCH received by the terminal device in the first time slot of the PDCCH non-skipped time period of the PDCCH skipping cycle is greater than or equal to the first preset threshold and less than the second preset threshold, the terminal device determines that the number of time slots occupied by the first time period is a first value, wherein the second preset threshold is greater than the first preset threshold; if the number of DCIs indicating the reception of PDSCH received by the terminal device in the first time slot of the PDCCH non-skipped time period of the PDCCH skipping cycle is greater than or equal to the second preset threshold and less than the third preset threshold, the terminal device determines that the number of time slots occupied by the first time period is a second value, wherein the third preset threshold is greater than the second preset threshold, and the second value is less than the first value; if the number of DCIs indicating the reception of PDSCH received by the terminal device in the first time slot of the PDCCH non-skipped time period of the PDCCH skipping cycle is greater than or equal to the third preset threshold, the terminal device determines that the number of time slots occupied by the first time period is a third value, and the third value is less than the second value.

[0096] Optionally, when the terminal device receives a DCI indicating reception of a PDSCH within a second time period, the PDSCH is received using the DCI, and the second time period is within a continuous timer running time period of a C-DRX cycle or a PDCCH non-skipping time period of a PDCCH skipping cycle, and the second time period does not overlap with the first time period. Exemplarily, the second time period is a time period other than the first time period within a continuous timer running time period or a PDCCH non-skipping time period.

[0097] When the terminal device adopts the C-DRX mechanism, the terminal device only receives PDCCH and does not receive PDSCH in the first time period of the continuous timer running time period of the C-DRX cycle; the terminal device receives PDCCH and PDSCH in the second time period of the continuous timer running time period. When the terminal device adopts the PDCCH skipping mechanism, the terminal device only receives PDCCH and does not receive PDSCH in the first time period of the PDCCH non-skipping time period of the PDCCH skipping cycle; the terminal device receives PDCCH and PDSCH in the second time period of the PDCCH non-skipping time period. Figure 8 This is a schematic diagram of the first time period and the second time period of the terminal device within the activation time.

[0098] The specific implementation method for determining the second time period is introduced below.

[0099] In a possible implementation, the terminal device predicts the second time period for receiving PDSCH according to the historical record of receiving PDSCH. Exemplarily, a prediction module may be added to the terminal device, which predicts the second time period for adopting the lossless strategy according to the historical record of receiving PDSCH.

[0100] In another possible implementation, the terminal device determines the second time period based on the time parameter for receiving the PDSCH. For example, if the time parameter for receiving the PDSCH indicates that the PDSCH is received in the first two time slots of the continuous timer running time period of the C-DRX cycle, then the second time period includes the first two time slots of the continuous timer running time period of the C-DRX cycle. For another example, if the time parameter for receiving the PDSCH indicates that the PDSCH is received in the first two time slots of the PDCCH non-skip time period of the PDCCH skip cycle, then the second time period includes the first two time slots of the PDCCH non-skip time period of the PDCCH skip cycle. Among them, the time parameter for receiving the PDSCH can be indicated to the terminal device by the network device / base station, or it can be predefined, and the embodiments of the present application do not limit this.

[0101] In another possible implementation, the terminal device determines the second time period according to the number of received DCIs indicating the reception of PDSCH. The more DCIs the terminal device receives indicating the reception of PDSCH, the longer the second time period occupies; the fewer DCIs the terminal device receives indicating the reception of PDSCH, the shorter the second time period occupies.

[0102] Exemplarily, if the number of DCIs indicating the reception of PDSCH received by the terminal device in the first time slot of the continuous timer operation time period of the C-DRX cycle is greater than or equal to the fourth preset threshold and less than the fifth preset threshold, the terminal device determines that the number of time slots occupied by the second time period is a fourth value, wherein the fifth preset threshold is greater than the fourth preset threshold; if the number of DCIs indicating the reception of PDSCH received by the terminal device in the first time slot of the continuous timer operation time period of the C-DRX cycle is greater than or equal to the fifth preset threshold and less than the sixth preset threshold, the terminal device determines that the number of time slots occupied by the second time period is a fifth value, wherein the sixth preset threshold is greater than the fifth preset threshold, and the fifth value is greater than the fourth value; if the number of DCIs indicating the reception of PDSCH received by the terminal device in the first time slot of the continuous timer operation time period of the C-DRX cycle is greater than or equal to the sixth preset threshold, the terminal device determines that the number of time slots occupied by the second time period is a sixth value, and the sixth value is greater than the fifth value. The fourth value, the fifth value, the sixth value, the fourth preset threshold, the fifth preset threshold, and the sixth preset threshold can be determined by the terminal device itself.

[0103] Exemplarily, if the number of DCIs indicating the reception of PDSCH received by the terminal device in the first time slot of the PDCCH non-skipped time period of the PDCCH skipping cycle is greater than or equal to the fourth preset threshold and less than the fifth preset threshold, the terminal device determines that the number of time slots occupied by the second time period is a fourth value; if the number of DCIs indicating the reception of PDSCH received by the terminal device in the first time slot of the PDCCH non-skipped time period of the PDCCH skipping cycle is greater than or equal to the fifth preset threshold and less than the sixth preset threshold, the terminal device determines that the number of time slots occupied by the second time period is a fifth value; if the number of DCIs indicating the reception of PDSCH received by the terminal device in the first time slot of the PDCCH non-skipped time period of the PDCCH skipping cycle is greater than or equal to the sixth preset threshold, the terminal device determines that the number of time slots occupied by the second time period is a sixth value.

[0104] Based on this technical solution, when there is a demand for data transmission in the second time period, the terminal device adopts a lossless strategy to receive PDCCH and PDSCH in the second time period, which can avoid the terminal device from missing PDSCH and reduce the delay of data transmission; at the same time, it can avoid the network device / base station from rescheduling according to the new transmission data, thereby avoiding the extension of the wake-up time of the terminal device; in addition, it can also avoid the increase in the transmission power of the terminal device caused by the increase in the number of DTX times on the network device / base station side, which can further reduce the power consumption of the terminal device.

[0105] Exemplarily, the time interval between the start time of the second time period and the start time slot of the continuous timer in the C-DRX cycle is T1, and the second time period occupies N time slots, where N is a positive integer; for example, T1=0, N=3. Exemplarily, the time interval between the start time slot of the second time period and the start time slot of the PDCCH non-skipping time period in the PDCCH skipping cycle is T2, and the second time period occupies M time slots, where M is a positive integer; for example, T2=0, M=2.

[0106] Fig. 9 A flow chart of a terminal device adopting a lossless strategy in the second time period within the continuous timer running time period of a C-DRX cycle, wherein the timer corresponding to the lossless strategy runs for the length of N time slots. First, determine (T1, N); when the time interval between moment T and the start time slot of the continuous timer in the C-DRX cycle is T1, start the timer corresponding to the lossless strategy, wherein moment T is within the running time of the continuous timer; during the running time of the timer corresponding to the lossless strategy, the terminal device monitors the CRNTI-encrypted DCI, and if the DCI indicates the presence of PDSCH or indicates the reception of PDSCH, the terminal device receives PDSCH according to the DCI.

[0107] Fig.10 A flow chart of a terminal device adopting a lossless strategy in a second time period within a PDCCH non-skipping time period of a PDCCH skipping cycle, wherein the duration of the operation of the timer corresponding to the lossless strategy is the duration of M time slots. First, determine (T2, M); when the time interval between time T and the start time slot of the PDCCH non-skipping time period within the PDCCH skipping cycle is T2, start the timer corresponding to the lossless strategy, wherein time T is within the running time of the continuous timer; during the running time of the timer corresponding to the lossless strategy, the terminal device monitors the DCI encrypted by CRNTI, and if the DCI indicates the existence of PDSCH or indicates the reception of PDSCH, the terminal device receives PDSCH according to the DCI.

[0108] The above introduces the communication method provided in the embodiment of the present application, and the execution subject used to execute the above communication method will be introduced below.

[0109] Fig.11 1 is a schematic block diagram of a communication device 1100 according to an embodiment of the present application. The device can be applied to a terminal device according to an embodiment of the present application. The communication device 1100 includes: a processing unit 1110 and a transceiver unit 1120;

[0110] The processing unit 1110 is configured to determine a first time period, where the first time period is within a time period of a continuous timer running in a connected discontinuous reception C-DRX cycle or a PDCCH non-skipping time period in a physical downlink control channel PDCCH skipping cycle;

[0111] The processing unit 1110 is also used for not receiving the physical downlink shared channel PDSCH when the transceiver unit 1120 receives downlink control information DCI indicating receiving the physical downlink shared channel PDSCH in the first time period. The processing unit 1110 can implement the function of the prediction module in the above method embodiment. Optionally, the transceiver unit 1120 is used for receiving DCI / PDCCH in the first time period. The transceiver unit in the embodiment of the present application may only include a receiving unit.

[0112] Optionally, the processing unit 1110 is further configured to, when the transceiver unit receives a DCI indicating reception of the PDSCH within a second time period, receive the PDSCH using the DCI, wherein the second time period is within the duration timer operation time period or the PDCCH non-skip time period, and the second time period does not overlap with the first time period. Optionally, the transceiver unit 1120 is further configured to receive DCI / PDCCH and PDSCH within the second time period.

[0113] Optionally, the processing unit 1110 is specifically configured to:

[0114] predicting the first time period according to a historical record of receiving the PDSCH; or,

[0115] determining the first time period according to a preset time parameter for not receiving the PDSCH; or,

[0116] The first time period is determined according to the number of the DCIs received indicating the reception of the PDSCH.

[0117] Optionally, the processing unit 1110 is further configured to:

[0118] predicting the second time period according to a historical record of receiving the PDSCH; or,

[0119] determining the second time period according to a preset time parameter for receiving the PDSCH; or,

[0120] The second time period is determined according to the number of the DCIs received indicating the reception of the PDSCH.

[0121] Optionally, the time interval between the start time slot of the second time period and the start time slot of the continuous timer started in the C-DRX cycle is T1, and the second time period occupies N time slots, where N is a positive integer; or, the time interval between the start time slot of the second time period and the start time slot of the PDCCH non-skip time period in the PDCCH skip cycle is T2, and the second time period occupies M time slots, where M is a positive integer.

[0122] Fig.12 This is a schematic block diagram of a communication device 1200 according to an embodiment of the present application. The communication device 1200 includes: a processor 1210, a memory 1220, and a communication interface 1230;

[0123] The memory 1220 is used to store executable instructions;

[0124] The processor 1210 is coupled to the memory 1220 via the communication interface 1230, and the processor 1210 is used to call and run the executable instructions in the memory 1220 to implement the method in the embodiment of the present application. The communication device can be applied to the terminal device in the embodiment of the present application. Optionally, the processor 1210 and the memory 1220 are integrated together.

[0125] The processor 1210 described above may be an integrated circuit chip with signal processing capabilities. In the implementation process, each step of the above method embodiment can be completed by an integrated logic circuit of hardware in the processor or an instruction in the form of software. The above 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 gates or transistor logic devices, discrete hardware components. The methods, steps and logic block diagrams disclosed in the embodiments of the present application can be implemented or executed. The general-purpose processor may be a microprocessor or the processor may also be any conventional processor, etc. The steps of the method disclosed in the embodiments of the present application can be directly embodied as being executed by a hardware decoding processor, or executed by a combination of hardware and software modules in a decoding processor. The software module may be located in a mature storage medium in the field such as a random access memory, a flash memory, a read-only memory, a programmable read-only memory or an electrically erasable programmable memory, a register, etc. The storage medium is located in a memory, and the processor reads the information in the memory and completes the steps of the above method in combination with its hardware.

[0126] Optionally, an embodiment of the present application also provides a communication device, which includes an input and output interface and a logic circuit, wherein the input and output interface is used to obtain input information and / or output information; the logic circuit is used to execute the method in any of the above method embodiments, and process and / or generate output information based on the input information.

[0127] An embodiment of the present application also provides a communication system, including a terminal device in any of the above method embodiments, and a network device, where the network device may be a base station.

[0128] The present application also provides a computer-readable storage medium on which a computer program for implementing the method in the above method embodiment is stored. When the computer program is run on a computer, the computer can implement the method in the above method embodiment.

[0129] An embodiment of the present application further provides a computer program product, which includes a computer program code. When the computer program code runs on a computer, the method in the above method embodiment is executed.

[0130] An embodiment of the present application also provides a chip, including a processor, wherein the processor is connected to a memory, the memory is used to store a computer program, and the processor is used to execute the computer program stored in the memory, so that the chip executes the method in the above method embodiment.

[0131] It should be understood that in the embodiments of the present application, the numbers "first", "second"... are only for distinguishing different objects, such as distinguishing different time periods, and do not constitute a limitation on the scope of the embodiments of the present application, and the embodiments of the present application are not limited to this.

[0132] In addition, the term "and / or" in this application is only a description of the association relationship of associated objects, indicating that there may be three relationships. For example, A and / or B can represent three situations: A exists alone, A and B exist at the same time, and B exists alone. In addition, the character " / " in this article generally indicates that the objects associated before and after are in an "or" relationship; the term "at least one" in this application can mean "one" and "two or more". For example, A, B and C can represent seven situations: A exists alone, B exists alone, C exists alone, A and B exist at the same time, A and C exist at the same time, C and B exist at the same time, and A, B and C exist at the same time.

[0133] Those of ordinary skill in the art will appreciate that the units and algorithm steps of each example 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 performed in hardware or software depends on the specific application and design constraints of the technical solution. Those skilled in the art may use different methods to implement the described functions for each specific application, but such implementation should not be considered to be beyond the scope of this application.

[0134] Those skilled in the art can clearly understand that, for the convenience and brevity of description, the specific working processes of the systems, devices and units described above can refer to the corresponding processes in the aforementioned method embodiments and will not be repeated here.

[0135] In the several embodiments provided in the present application, it should be understood that the disclosed systems, devices and methods can be implemented in other ways. For example, the device embodiments described above are only schematic. For example, the division of the units is only a logical function division. There may be other division methods in actual implementation, such as multiple units or components can be combined or integrated into another system, or some features can be ignored or not executed. Another point is that the mutual coupling or direct coupling or communication connection shown or discussed can be through some interfaces, indirect coupling or communication connection of devices or units, which can be electrical, mechanical or other forms.

[0136] The units described as separate components may or may not be physically separated, and the components shown as units may or may not be physical units, that is, they may be located in one place or distributed on multiple network units. Some or all of the units may be selected according to actual needs to achieve the purpose of the solution of this embodiment.

[0137] In addition, each functional unit in each embodiment of the present application may be integrated into one processing unit, or each unit may exist physically separately, or two or more units may be integrated into one unit.

[0138] If the functions are implemented in the form of 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 the present application can be essentially or partly embodied in the form of a software product that contributes to the prior art. The computer software product is stored in a storage medium and includes several instructions for a computer device (which can be a personal computer, a server, or a network device, etc.) to perform all or part of the steps of the methods described in the various embodiments of the present application. The aforementioned storage media include: various media that can store program codes, such as USB flash drives, mobile hard disks, read-only memories (ROM), random access memories (RAM), magnetic disks or optical disks.

[0139] The above is only a specific implementation of the present application, but the protection scope of the present application is not limited thereto. Any person skilled in the art who is familiar with the present technical field can easily think of changes or substitutions within the technical scope disclosed in the present application, which should be included in the protection scope of the present application. Therefore, the protection scope of the present application should be based on the protection scope of the claims.

Claims

1. A communication method, characterized in that: include: Determine a first time period, where the first time period is within a duration timer running time period of a connected discontinuous reception C-DRX cycle or a PDCCH non-skipping time period of a physical downlink control channel PDCCH skipping cycle; When downlink control information DCI indicating reception of a physical downlink shared channel PDSCH is received within the first time period, the PDSCH is not received.

2. The method according to claim 1, characterized in that The method further comprises: When a DCI indicating reception of the PDSCH is received within a second time period, the PDSCH is received using the DCI, wherein the second time period is within the duration timer running time period or the PDCCH non-skipping time period, and the second time period does not overlap with the first time period.

3. The method according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that: The determining of the first time period includes: predicting the first time period according to a historical record of receiving the PDSCH; or, determining the first time period according to a preset time parameter for not receiving the PDSCH; or, The first time period is determined according to the number of the DCIs received indicating the reception of the PDSCH.

4. The method according to claim 2 or 3, characterized in that: The method further comprises: predicting the second time period according to a historical record of receiving the PDSCH; or, determining the second time period according to a preset time parameter for receiving the PDSCH; or, The second time period is determined according to the number of the DCIs received indicating the reception of the PDSCH.

5. The method according to any one of claims 2 to 4, characterized in that The time interval between the start time slot of the second time period and the start time slot of the continuous timer in the C-DRX cycle is T1, and the second time period occupies N time slots, where N is a positive integer; or, The time interval between the starting time slot of the second time period and the starting time slot of the PDCCH non-skipping time period in the PDCCH skipping cycle is T2, and the second time period occupies M time slots, where M is a positive integer.

6. A communication device, characterized in that: include: Processing unit and transceiver unit; The processing unit is used to determine a first time period, where the first time period is within a duration timer running time period of a connected discontinuous reception C-DRX cycle or a PDCCH non-skipping time period of a physical downlink control channel PDCCH skipping cycle; The processing unit is further configured to, when the transceiver unit receives downlink control information DCI indicating reception of a physical downlink shared channel PDSCH within the first time period, not receive the PDSCH.

7. The device according to claim 6, characterized in that The processing unit is also used to receive the PDSCH using the DCI when the transceiver unit receives a DCI indicating reception of the PDSCH within a second time period, and the second time period is within the duration time period or the PDCCH non-skip time period, and the second time period does not overlap with the first time period.

8. The device according to claim 6 or 7, characterized in that The processing unit is specifically used for: predicting the first time period according to a historical record of receiving the PDSCH; or, determining the first time period according to a preset time parameter for not receiving the PDSCH; or, The first time period is determined according to the number of the DCIs received indicating the reception of the PDSCH.

9. The device according to claim 7 or 8, characterized in that The processing unit is also used for: predicting the second time period according to a historical record of receiving the PDSCH; or, determining the second time period according to a preset time parameter for receiving the PDSCH; or, The second time period is determined according to the number of the DCIs received indicating the reception of the PDSCH.

10. The device according to any one of claims 7 to 9, characterized in that The time interval between the start time slot of the second time period and the start time slot of the continuous timer in the C-DRX cycle is T1, and the second time period occupies N time slots, where N is a positive integer; or, The time interval between the starting time slot of the second time period and the starting time slot of the PDCCH non-skipping time period in the PDCCH skipping cycle is T2, and the second time period occupies M time slots, where M is a positive integer.

11. A communication device, characterized in that: include: A processor and a memory, the memory being used to store a computer program, and the processor being used to execute the computer program stored in the memory, so that the communication device executes the method according to any one of claims 1 to 5.

12. A communication device, characterized in that: include: Input-output interfaces and logic circuits; The input and output interface is used to obtain input information and / or output information; The logic circuit is used to execute the method according to any one of claims 1 to 5, and to process and / or generate the output information according to the input information.

13. A computer-readable storage medium, characterized in that: include: The computer readable medium stores a computer program; When the computer program is executed on a computer, the computer is caused to execute the method according to any one of claims 1 to 5.

14. A computer program product, characterized in that The invention comprises a computer program which, when executed, enables the method according to any one of claims 1 to 5 to be implemented.

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