Communication state switching method and apparatus, and terminal device

Abstract

The embodiment of the invention provides a communication state switching method and device and terminal equipment. The method comprises the steps that the terminal equipment switches a first communication device from a first communication state to a second communication state based on a first triggering condition or switches the first communication device from the second communication state to the first communication state based on a second triggering condition; wherein the terminal equipment can receive control information sent by network equipment through the second communication device and control the communication state of the first communication device based on the control information.

Description

Communication state switching method and device, and terminal equipment Technical Field

[0001] The embodiments of the present application relate to the field of mobile communication technology, and specifically to a method and apparatus for switching communication status, and a terminal device. Background Art

[0002] In order to achieve energy saving of the terminal device, the terminal device can switch from a communication state with higher power consumption to a communication state with lower power consumption. The terminal device has different operating behaviors in different communication states.

[0003] However, current technology is not perfect for how a terminal device switches to a higher power consumption communication state after switching to a lower power consumption communication state, and vice versa.

[0004] Summary of the Invention

[0005] Embodiments of the present application provide a method and apparatus for switching a communication state, a terminal device, a chip, a computer-readable storage medium, a computer program product, and a computer program.

[0006] The communication state switching method provided in the embodiment of the present application includes:

[0007] The terminal device switches the first communication device from the first communication state to the second communication state based on the first trigger condition or switches the first communication device from the second communication state to the first communication state based on the second trigger condition;

[0008] The terminal device is capable of receiving control information sent by the network device through the second communication device and controlling the communication state of the first communication device based on the control information.

[0009] The communication state switching device provided in an embodiment of the present application is applied to a terminal device, and the device includes:

[0010] a control unit, configured to switch the first communication device from the first communication state to the second communication state based on a first trigger condition or switch the first communication device from the second communication state to the first communication state based on a second trigger condition;

[0011] The terminal device is capable of receiving control information sent by the network device through the second communication device and controlling the communication state of the first communication device based on the control information.

[0012] The terminal device provided in an embodiment of the present application includes a processor and a memory. The memory is used to store a computer program, and the processor is used to call and run the computer program stored in the memory to perform the above-mentioned communication state switching method.

[0013] The chip provided in the embodiment of the present application is used to implement the above-mentioned communication state switching method.

[0014] Specifically, the chip includes: a processor, configured to call and run a computer program from a memory, so that a device equipped with the chip executes the above-mentioned method for switching the communication state.

[0015] The computer-readable storage medium provided in an embodiment of the present application is used to store a computer program, which enables a computer to execute the above-mentioned communication state switching method.

[0016] The computer program product provided in the embodiment of the present application includes computer program instructions, which enable a computer to execute the above-mentioned communication state switching method.

[0017] The computer program provided in the embodiment of the present application, when executed on a computer, enables the computer to execute the above-mentioned method for switching the communication state.

[0018] Through the above technical solution, the switching of the first communication device of the terminal device between the first communication state and the second communication state is realized, ensuring that the first communication device successfully switches to the second communication state based on the first trigger condition in the first communication state, and also ensuring that the first communication device successfully switches to the first communication state based on the second trigger condition in the second communication state, so that the switching of the communication state of the first communication device can be realized even in the case where the second communication device of the terminal device cannot successfully receive the control information of the network device. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0019] The drawings described herein are used to provide a further understanding of the present application and constitute a part of the present application. The illustrative embodiments of the present application and their descriptions are used to explain the present application and do not constitute an improper limitation on the present application. In the drawings:

[0020] FIG1 is a schematic diagram of an application scenario of an embodiment of the present application;

[0021] FIG2 is a schematic diagram of a DRX cycle provided in an embodiment of the present application;

[0022] FIG3 is a schematic diagram of an energy-saving signal indicating whether to monitor the PDCCH according to an embodiment of the present application;

[0023] FIG4 is a schematic diagram of the positions of PF and PO provided in an embodiment of the present application;

[0024] FIG5 is a schematic diagram of an energy-saving signal indicating whether to monitor the paging PDCCH according to an embodiment of the present application;

[0025] FIG6 is a schematic diagram of waking up a main receiver by waking up a receiver according to an embodiment of the present application;

[0026] 7 is a schematic flow chart of a method for switching a communication state according to an embodiment of the present application;

[0027] FIG8 is a first schematic diagram of a change in communication status according to an embodiment of the present application;

[0028] FIG9 is a second schematic diagram of a change in communication status provided in an embodiment of the present application;

[0029] FIG10 is a third schematic diagram of a change in communication status according to an embodiment of the present application;

[0030] FIG11 is a fourth schematic diagram of a change in communication status according to an embodiment of the present application;

[0031] FIG12 is a fifth schematic diagram of a change in communication status according to an embodiment of the present application;

[0032] 13 is a schematic diagram of the structure of a communication state switching device provided in an embodiment of the present application;

[0033] FIG14 is a schematic structural diagram of a communication device provided in an embodiment of the present application;

[0034] FIG15 is a schematic structural diagram of a chip according to an embodiment of the present application;

[0035] FIG16 is a schematic block diagram of a communication system provided in an embodiment of the present application. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0036] The following will describe the technical solutions in the embodiments of this application in conjunction with the drawings in the embodiments of this application. Obviously, the embodiments described are part of the embodiments of this application, not all of the embodiments. Based on the embodiments in this application, all other embodiments obtained by ordinary technicians in this field without making creative efforts are within the scope of protection of this application.

[0037] FIG1 is a schematic diagram of an application scenario of an embodiment of the present application.

[0038] As shown in Figure 1, a communication system 100 may include a terminal device 110 and a network device 120. The network device 120 may communicate with the terminal device 110 via an air interface. The terminal device 110 and the network device 120 support multi-service transmission.

[0039] It should be understood that the embodiments of the present application are only illustrative of the communication system 100, but the embodiments of the present application are not limited thereto. That is, the technical solutions of the embodiments of the present application can be applied to various communication systems, such as: Long Term Evolution (LTE) system, LTE Time Division Duplex (TDD), Universal Mobile Telecommunication System (UMTS), Internet of Things (IoT) system, Narrow Band Internet of Things (NB-IoT) system, enhanced Machine-Type Communications (eMTC) system, 5G communication system (also known as New Radio (NR) communication system), or future communication systems.

[0040] In the communication system 100 shown in Figure 1, the network device 120 may be an access network device that communicates with the terminal device 110. The access network device may provide communication coverage for a specific geographical area and may communicate with the terminal device 110 (eg, UE) located within the coverage area.

[0041] The network device 120 may be an evolved Node B (eNB or eNodeB) in a Long Term Evolution (LTE) system, or a Next Generation Radio Access Network (NG RAN) device, or a base station (gNB) in an NR system, or a wireless controller in a Cloud Radio Access Network (CRAN), or the network device 120 may be a relay station, an access point, an in-vehicle device, a wearable device, a hub, a switch, a bridge, a router, or a network device in a future evolved Public Land Mobile Network (PLMN), etc.

[0042] The terminal device 110 may be any terminal device, including but not limited to a terminal device connected to the network device 120 or other terminal devices by wire or wireless connection.

[0043] For example, the terminal device 110 may refer to an access terminal, user equipment (UE), a subscriber unit, a subscriber station, a mobile station, a mobile station, a remote station, a remote terminal, a mobile device, a user terminal, a terminal, a wireless communication device, a user agent, or a user apparatus. An access terminal may be a cellular phone, a cordless phone, a Session Initiation Protocol (SIP) phone, an IoT device, a satellite handheld terminal, a Wireless Local Loop (WLL) station, a Personal Digital Assistant (PDA), a handheld device with wireless communication capabilities, a computing device or other processing device connected to a wireless modem, an in-vehicle device, a wearable device, a terminal device in a 5G network, or a terminal device in a future evolution network, etc.

[0044] The terminal device 110 can be used for device-to-device (D2D) communication.

[0045] The wireless communication system 100 may further include a core network device 130 for communicating with the base station. The core network device 130 may be a 5G core network (5G Core, 5GC) device, such as an Access and Mobility Management Function (AMF), an Authentication Server Function (AUSF), a User Plane Function (UPF), or a Session Management Function (SMF). Optionally, the core network device 130 may also be an Evolved Packet Core (EPC) device of an LTE network, such as a Session Management Function + Core Packet Gateway (SMF+PGW-C) device. It should be understood that SMF+PGW-C can simultaneously implement the functions that can be implemented by SMF and PGW-C. During the network evolution process, the above-mentioned core network device may also be called other names, or a new network entity may be formed by dividing the functions of the core network, which is not limited in the embodiments of the present application.

[0046] The functional units in the communication system 100 may also establish connections and implement communication via next generation (NG) network interfaces.

[0047] For example, the terminal device establishes an air interface connection with the access network device through the NR interface for transmitting user plane data and control plane signaling; the terminal device can establish a control plane signaling connection with the AMF through the NG interface 1 (referred to as N1); the access network device, such as the next generation wireless access base station (gNB), can establish a user plane data connection with the UPF through the NG interface 3 (referred to as N3); the access network device can establish a control plane signaling connection with the AMF through the NG interface 2 (referred to as N2); the UPF can establish a control plane signaling connection with the SMF through the NG interface 4 (referred to as N4); the UPF can exchange user plane data with the data network through the NG interface 6 (referred to as N6); the AMF can establish a control plane signaling connection with the SMF through the NG interface 11 (referred to as N11); the SMF can establish a control plane signaling connection with the PCF through the NG interface 7 (referred to as N7).

[0048] Figure 1 exemplarily shows a base station, a core network device and two terminal devices. Optionally, the wireless communication system 100 may include multiple base station devices and each base station may include other numbers of terminal devices within its coverage area, which is not limited in this embodiment of the present application.

[0049] It should be noted that Figure 1 is merely an example of a system applicable to this application. Of course, the methods described in the embodiments of this application can also be applied to other systems. Furthermore, the terms "system" and "network" are often used interchangeably herein. The term "and / or" herein simply describes an association relationship between associated objects, indicating that three possible relationships exist. For example, "A and / or B" can represent: A exists alone, A and B exist simultaneously, or B exists alone. Furthermore, the character " / " generally indicates that the associated objects are in an "or" relationship. It should also be understood that the "indication" mentioned in the embodiments of this application can be a direct indication, an indirect indication, or an indication of an association relationship. For example, "A indicates B" can mean that A directly indicates B, for example, B can obtain information through A; it can also mean that A indirectly indicates B, for example, A indicates C, and B can obtain information through C; or it can mean that A and B have an association relationship. It should also be understood that the "correspondence" mentioned in the embodiments of this application can mean that there is a direct or indirect correspondence between two objects, or that there is an association relationship between the two objects, or a relationship between an indicator and the indicated, a configuration and the configured, and so on. It should also be understood that the “predefined” or “predefined rules” mentioned in the embodiments of the present application can be implemented by pre-saving corresponding codes, tables or other methods that can be used to indicate relevant information in a device (for example, including a terminal device and a network device), and the present application does not limit its specific implementation method. For example, predefined can refer to a definition in a protocol. It should also be understood that in the embodiments of the present application, the “protocol” can refer to a standard protocol in the field of communications, such as an LTE protocol, an NR protocol, and related protocols used in future communication systems, and the present application does not limit this.

[0050] To facilitate understanding of the technical solutions of the embodiments of the present application, the relevant technologies of the embodiments of the present application are described below. The following relevant technologies can be arbitrarily combined with the technical solutions of the embodiments of the present application as optional solutions, and they all fall within the protection scope of the embodiments of the present application.

[0051] Terminal energy saving based on PDCCH

[0052] In order to reduce the power consumption of terminal devices, the discontinuous reception (DRX) mechanism is introduced. When there is no data to be received, the terminal device does not need to keep the receiver turned on. Instead, it enters a discontinuous reception state, thereby achieving the purpose of power saving. In the DRX mechanism, a DRX cycle is configured for the terminal device in the RRC connected state. As shown in Figure 2, a DRX cycle consists of "On Duration (corresponding to DRX activation time)" and "Opportunity for DRX (corresponding to DRX inactivation time)". During the "On Duration" time, the terminal device monitors and receives downlink channels and signals including the Physical Downlink Control Channel (PDCCH); during the "Opportunity for DRX" time, the terminal device does not receive downlink channels and signals such as PDCCH to reduce power consumption. Terminal devices in the RRC idle state or RRC inactive state need to receive paging messages in a manner similar to the DRX mechanism. There is a paging occasion (PO) within a DRX cycle. The terminal device only monitors the paging PDCCH and paging messages within the PO, and does not monitor the paging PDCCH or receive paging messages outside the PO to achieve the purpose of power saving. During the PO period, the terminal device determines whether there is a paging message by detecting the paging PDCCH scrambled by the paging-radio network temporary identity (P-RNTI).

[0053] The evolution of 5G has placed higher demands on energy conservation in terminal devices. For example, with the existing DRX mechanism, during each On Duration, terminal devices need to continuously monitor the PDCCH to determine whether the base station has scheduled data transmission for them. However, for most terminal devices, there may be no need to receive data for a long period of time, but they still need to maintain a regular wake-up mechanism to monitor possible downlink transmissions. For these terminal devices, there is room for further energy conservation optimization. The situation is similar for terminal devices in the RRC Idle or RRC Inactive states receiving paging messages.

[0054] In order to optimize the energy saving of terminal devices, an energy saving signal is introduced. The energy saving signal is used in conjunction with the DRX mechanism, and the terminal device receives the energy saving signal before the On Duration. When the terminal device has data transmission in a DRX cycle, the energy saving signal "wakes up" the terminal device to monitor the PDCCH during the On Duration; otherwise, when the terminal device has no data transmission in a DRX cycle, the energy saving signal does not "wake up" the terminal device, and the terminal device does not need to monitor the PDCCH during the On Duration. Compared with the existing DRX mechanism, when the terminal device has no data transmission, the terminal device can omit PDCCH monitoring during the On Duration, thereby achieving energy saving. The time of the terminal device outside the On Duration is called the DRX inactive time, and the time during the On Duration is called the DRX active time. In an example, the process of indicating whether the terminal device monitors the PDCCH during the On Duration through the energy saving signal is shown in Figure 3. The energy saving signal can be carried by the newly defined DCI format 2_6. The network configures the terminal device to detect the search space set (search space set) of the PDCCH carrying DCI format 2_6.

[0055] Similar energy-saving signals are introduced for terminal devices receiving paging messages in RRC Idle or RRC Inactive states. The PF indicates the system frame number in which the paging message should appear, while the PO indicates the possible time of appearance. A PF may include one or more POs. During each DRX cycle or paging cycle, the terminal device only needs to monitor its own PO.

[0056] A system frame number (SFN) that satisfies the following formula can be used as a PF frame:

[0057] (SFN+PF_offset)mod T=(T div N)*(UE_ID mod N);

[0058] In PF, the index (index) of the PO corresponding to the terminal device, i.e., i_s, can be calculated according to the following formula.

[0059] i_s=floor(UE_ID / N)mod Ns.

[0060] Among them, T represents the DRX cycle of the terminal device. If the default DRX cycle indicated in the system message is recorded as T_sib, then if the DRX value T_ue of the terminal device has been configured, then T = min (T_ue, T_sib); if T_ue is not configured, the default value indicated in the system message is used, T = T_sib. UE_ID = (5G-S-TMSI mod 1024), 5G-S-TMSI is the terminal device identification information. N is the number of PFs in T. Ns is the number of POs in a PF. PF_offset is the frame offset used to determine the PF. As an example, the position of the PF in a DRX cycle and the position of the PO in the PF are shown in Figure 4.

[0061] A terminal device in an RRC idle state or an RRC inactive state periodically monitors the paging PDCCH on its corresponding PO. However, in actual situations, the probability of a terminal device being paged may not be high. The terminal device periodically monitors the paging PDCCH on the corresponding PO, but fails to monitor the paging PDCCH sent to itself, which results in a waste of power. Similar to the energy saving for terminal devices in an RRC connected state, the energy saving of receiving paging messages for terminal devices in an RRC idle state is optimized, and a similar energy saving signal is introduced to indicate whether the terminal device monitors the paging PDCCH on the PO before the target PO arrives. As shown in Figure 5, a energy saving signal indicates whether the terminal devices of one or more subgroups monitor the paging PDCCH on the corresponding PF or PO.

[0062] During the standard evolution process, energy saving for RRC connected terminal devices continues to be enhanced, with the introduction of an enhanced scheme for search space set group switching and a scheme for skipping PDCCH detection (ie, PDCCH skipping) when necessary to save power.

[0063] Terminal energy saving based on wake-up receiver

[0064] In previous solutions, the wake-up signal was received by the terminal device's main receiver. To further save power in the terminal device, a wake-up receiver (WUR) is being considered to receive the wake-up signal. The wake-up receiver features extremely low cost, low complexity, and extremely low power consumption. The wake-up signal received by the wake-up receiver can be the same or different from the wake-up signal received by the main receiver (modulation method, waveform, etc.). Generally, the wake-up signal received by the main receiver is carried on the PDCCH, while the wake-up signal received by the wake-up receiver is an envelope signal modulated by amplitude shift keying (ASK) on the carrier signal. The wake-up receiver can receive the wake-up signal using envelope detection. Since the demodulation of the envelope signal is primarily based on the energy provided by the wireless RF signal to drive a low-power circuit, the wake-up receiver can be passive. The wake-up receiver can also be powered by the terminal device. Regardless of the power supply method, the wake-up receiver significantly reduces power consumption compared to the main receiver. The wake-up receiver can be integrated with the terminal device as an additional module to the terminal device receiver, or it can be a standalone wake-up function module for the terminal device.

[0065] In one example, the receiver of a terminal device is shown in FIG6 , and includes a wake-up receiver and a main receiver. Generally, the wake-up receiver and the main receiver may share a set of RF antennas. The wake-up receiver receives a wake-up signal and, if the wake-up signal requires the terminal device to turn on the main receiver, instructs the terminal device to do so. Otherwise, the terminal device's main receiver may remain off.

[0066] The wake-up receiver does not need to be turned on and off to save power like the main receiver. Instead, it can be activated by the wake-up signal and receive the wake-up signal at any time. In some implementations, the wake-up signal can be obtained by ASK modulation of the carrier signal, which is an envelope signal. For example, the carrier signal can be modulated by on-off keying (OOK). The principle of OOK modulation is to modulate the amplitude of the carrier signal to non-zero and zero values, corresponding to On and Off, respectively, to represent information bits. OOK is also known as binary amplitude shift keying (2ASK).

[0067] Waking up the terminal device's main receiver through a wake-up receiver can further save power on the terminal device. However, it is not clear under what conditions the terminal device turns off the main receiver, and when the main receiver is off, under what conditions the terminal device turns on the main receiver, other than through a wake-up signal. If the main receiver is turned off for a long time, it will cause communication interruption. If the main receiver is turned on from time to time, it will increase power consumption. Therefore, a certain mechanism is needed to ensure that the terminal device minimizes the impact on communication performance while saving power. To this end, the following technical solutions are proposed in the embodiments of the present application.

[0068] To facilitate understanding of the technical solutions of the embodiments of the present application, the technical solutions of the present application are described in detail below through specific embodiments. The above related technologies can be combined arbitrarily with the technical solutions of the embodiments of the present application as optional solutions, and all of them fall within the scope of protection of the embodiments of the present application. The embodiments of the present application include at least part of the following contents.

[0069] FIG7 is a flow chart of a method for switching a communication state according to an embodiment of the present application. As shown in FIG7 , the method for switching a communication state includes the following steps:

[0070] Step 701: The terminal device switches the first communication device from the first communication state to the second communication state based on the first trigger condition or switches the first communication device from the second communication state to the first communication state based on the second trigger condition; wherein, the terminal device is capable of receiving control information sent by the network device through the second communication device and controlling the communication state of the first communication device based on the control information.

[0071] In the embodiment of the present application, the terminal device has a first communication device and a second communication device.

[0072] In some embodiments, the first communication device is a first receiver and the second communication device is a second receiver.

[0073] In some embodiments, the first communication device is a first transceiver, and the second communication device is a second transceiver. Here, the first transceiver includes a first receiver and a first transmitter, and the second transceiver includes a second receiver and a second transmitter.

[0074] It should be noted that the embodiments of the present application do not limit the names of the first communication device and the second communication device. For example, the first communication device can be called a primary communication device, and the second communication device can be called a secondary communication device. For another example, the first communication device can be called a primary receiver, and the second communication device can be called a secondary receiver or a wake-up receiver. For another example, the first communication device can be called a primary transceiver, and the second communication device can be called a secondary transceiver.

[0075] In some embodiments, the first communication device is primarily configured to transmit signals and / or channels, where transmission refers to receiving and / or sending. The second communication device is primarily configured to receive control information sent by a network device and control the communication state of the first communication device based on the control information. For example, the first communication device can be instructed by the second communication device to switch to the first communication state while in the second communication state, or vice versa.

[0076] In some embodiments, the power consumption of the second communication device is lower than the power consumption of the first communication device; and / or the power consumption corresponding to the first communication device in the first communication state is higher than the power consumption corresponding to the first communication device in the second communication state.

[0077] In the embodiment of the present application, the operations supported by the first communication device in the first communication state are different from the operations supported by the first communication device in the second communication state.

[0078] In some embodiments, the operations supported by the first communication device in the first communication state include at least one of the following: signal and / or channel transmission operations, where transmission refers to receiving and / or sending; and measurement operations.

[0079] In some embodiments, the operations supported by the first communication device in the second communication state include: measurement operations.

[0080] It should be noted that the embodiments of the present application do not limit the names of the first communication state and the second communication state. For example, the first communication state can be called the open state, the nearly open state, or the awake state, and the second communication state can be called the closed state, the nearly closed state, or the dormant state.

[0081] It should be noted that when the first communication device of the terminal device is in the first communication state, it can perform signal and / or channel transmission operations (for example, receiving and / or sending signals and / or channels), and can also perform measurement operations, such as Radio Resource Management (RRM) measurements, Radio Link Monitoring (RLM) measurements, measurements used in the beam management process, etc. When the first communication device of the terminal device is in the second communication state, although it cannot perform signal and / or channel transmission operations (for example, receiving and / or sending signals and / or channels), the terminal device still has some measurement requirements, such as RRM measurements, RLM measurements, measurements used in the beam management process, etc. Therefore, the terminal device can perform measurement operations. The measurement of the terminal device requires measuring the reference signal within a specific time window. Generally, the measurement time window is short. It should be pointed out that if the first communication device of the terminal device is in the second communication state and does not perform these related measurements, it will have a negative impact on mobility management, link monitoring and other processes. Therefore, when it is necessary to measure the reference signal, the terminal device can briefly turn on the first communication device to complete the measurement, but this does not mean that the first communication device is awakened and is in the first communication state, because at this time the first communication device still cannot perform signal and / or channel transmission operations.

[0082] In an embodiment of the present application, the terminal device can switch the communication state of the first communication device based on a trigger condition, which is explained below.

[0083] Solution 1: The first communication device switches from the first communication state to the second communication state

[0084] Solution 1-1)

[0085] In some embodiments, when the first communication device is in the first communication state, the terminal device switches the first communication device from the first communication state to the second communication state based on a first timer.

[0086] In specific implementation, the terminal device starts the first timer after the first communication device switches to the first communication state; if the terminal device receives a signal and / or channel through the first communication device during the operation of the first timer, the terminal device restarts the first timer; if the first timer times out, the terminal device switches the first communication device from the first communication state to the second communication state.

[0087] In some implementations, the duration of the first timer is configured by the network device; or, the duration of the first timer is predefined; or, the duration of the first timer is determined based on a reference duration. Optionally, the reference duration is the duration of a discontinuous reception (DRX) cycle. For example, the DRX cycle is a long DRX cycle.

[0088] The above solution is explained below with reference to specific application examples.

[0089] The first communication device of the terminal device can be used to receive signals and / or channels in the first communication state. When the terminal device does not need to receive channels and / or signals, the first communication device can be switched to the second communication state to save power. When the first communication device needs to receive signals and / or channels again, the second control information (which can be called a wake-up signal or wake-up information) sent by the network device can be received through the second communication device, thereby triggering the first communication device to switch to the first communication state.

[0090] The terminal device can switch the first communication device to the first communication state based on the second communication device and the second control information. Further, when the first communication device is in the first communication state, the first communication device can be switched to the second communication state in the following manner:

[0091] Taking into account that the DRX mechanism is a method of performing discontinuous reception based on the activity level of data reception in order to achieve the purpose of power saving, it is a reasonable method to determine how to switch the first communication device to the second communication state based on the reception status of the signal and / or channel. In the DRX mechanism, the first communication device of the terminal device periodically opens the PDCCH detection window, and determines the time to stop detection based on the detection result, thereby entering a state where the PDCCH is not received. Unlike the DRX mechanism, in the power saving mechanism of the terminal device based on the second communication device and the second control information, the switching of the communication state of the first communication device of the terminal device is not periodic, but is switched based on the triggering of the second control information. Accordingly, a timer (i.e., the above-mentioned first timer) is set, and when the first communication device enters the first communication state, the timer is started. During the operation of the timer, if the terminal device receives a PDCCH indicating uplink and / or downlink transmission, the timer is restarted. When the timer times out, the first communication device of the terminal device enters the second communication state.

[0092] As an implementation manner, the timer may be an independent timer for determining the time when the first communication device of the terminal device switches to the second communication state. The duration of the timer may be configured or predefined by the network device.

[0093] As another implementation method, the duration of the timer can also be determined based on the duration of an existing timer. In the DRX mechanism, the DRX cycle (DRX cycle) can be configured as two types: a DRX short cycle and a DRX long cycle. When the terminal device is in the DRX short cycle state, it will start or restart the DRX short cycle timer (drx-ShortCycleTimer) according to the reception of data scheduling. When the drx-ShortCycleTimer times out or the terminal device receives a long DRX command MAC CE (Long DRX Command MAC CE), the terminal device enters the long DRX cycle state to further save power. As shown in Figure 8, when the terminal device is in the long DRX cycle state, when the terminal device receives a data transmission schedule, it starts or restarts the DRX deactivation timer (drx-InactivityTimer). When the drx-InactivityTimer times out, the terminal device enters the short DRX cycle state and starts the drx-ShortCycleTimer at the same time. When drx-ShortCycleTimer times out or the terminal device receives Long DRX Command MAC CE, the terminal device enters the long DRX cycle state. The duration of the timer (i.e., the above-mentioned first timer) used to determine the time when the first communication device of the terminal device switches to the second communication state can be set based on the duration of the long DRX cycle, such as being equal to K times the long DRX cycle (K is a positive integer). When the terminal device enters the long DRX cycle state, the timer is started. When the terminal device passes through K long DRX cycles in the long DRX cycle state, the timer times out, and the first communication device of the terminal device switches to the second communication state. As shown in Figure 9, when the terminal device enters the long DRX cycle state, the timer RxOffTimer (i.e., the above-mentioned first timer) is started, and the duration set for RxOffTimer is 2 long DRX cycles (i.e., K=2). When RxOffTimer times out, the first communication device of the terminal device switches to the second communication state. In the above scheme, since the terminal device has not received the data transmission scheduling from the network, the terminal device has been in a long DRX cycle state. When the long DRX cycle state meets a certain duration (i.e., the duration of the timer RxOffTimer), that is, the terminal device still has not received the data transmission scheduling from the network within a certain duration, the first communication device of the terminal device switches to the second communication state to further save power.

[0094] Plan 1-2)

[0095] In some embodiments, when the first communication device is in the first communication state, if the terminal device receives first control information, the terminal device switches the first communication device from the first communication state to the second communication state, and the first control information is used to instruct the first communication device to switch from the first communication state to the second communication state.

[0096] Here, after receiving the first control information, the terminal device switches the first communication device from the first communication state to the second communication state at a first time, and the first time is a time after the time of receiving the first control information.

[0097] In some implementations, the first time is configured or predefined by the network device.

[0098] In some embodiments, the first time is determined based on a second time and a second duration, where the second time is the time at which the first control information is received, and the second duration is configured or predefined by the network device. Optionally, the first time is the second time plus the second duration. Here, the time at which the first control information is received may be the last symbol of a time unit for receiving the first control information.

[0099] In the above solution, the first time or the second duration is associated with the first processing capability of the terminal device, where the first processing capability refers to the processing capability of the terminal device from the time it receives the first control information to the time it is ready to switch the first communication device from the first communication state to the second communication state. The duration between the first time and the second time, or the second duration, must be greater than or equal to the duration corresponding to the first processing capability of the terminal device.

[0100] In the above solution, the terminal device may receive the first control information in the following manners, but is not limited to:

[0101] Method 1: receiving first control information sent by a network device through the first communication device. Optionally, the first control information is carried in a Media Access Control Control Element (MAC CE) and / or a PDCCH.

[0102] Method 2: Receiving first control information sent by the network device via the second communication device. Optionally, the first control information is carried in a PDCCH. Upon receiving the first control information sent by the network device via the second communication device, the second communication device instructs the first communication device to switch from the first communication state to the second communication state.

[0103] The above solution is explained below with reference to specific application examples.

[0104] The first communication device of the terminal device can be used to receive signals and / or channels in the first communication state. When the terminal device does not need to receive channels and / or signals, the first communication device can be switched to the second communication state to save power. When the first communication device needs to receive signals and / or channels again, the second control information (which can be called a wake-up signal or wake-up information) sent by the network device can be received through the second communication device, thereby triggering the first communication device to switch to the first communication state.

[0105] The terminal device can switch the first communication device to the first communication state based on the second communication device and the second control information. Further, when the first communication device is in the first communication state, the first communication device can be switched to the second communication state in the following manner:

[0106] The network device may actively send first control information (also referred to as a sleep signal or sleep information) to the terminal device to trigger the first communication device of the terminal device to switch to the second communication state.

[0107] As an implementation method, the terminal device can receive the first control information through the first communication device, and switch the first communication device to the second communication state at the corresponding effective time (i.e., the above-mentioned first time). Here, the first control information can be carried by MAC CE. Alternatively, the first control information can also be carried by PDCCH; for example, the first control information is carried by the PDCCH that carries the scheduling information, and while the network schedules the terminal device to transmit through the PDCCH, the terminal device can switch the first communication device to the second communication state after the transmission is completed through the PDCCH; for example, the first control information is carried by a common or group common PDCCH; for example, the first control information is carried by a PDCCH order. After receiving the first control information, the terminal device turns off the first communication device at the effective time (i.e., the above-mentioned first time).

[0108] As another implementation, the terminal device may receive the first control information via the second communication device and trigger the first communication device to switch to the second communication state at the corresponding effective time (ie, the first time mentioned above). Here, the first control information may be carried by the PDCCH.

[0109] Solution 2: The first communication device switches from the second communication state to the first communication state

[0110] Solution 2-1)

[0111] In some embodiments, when the first communication device is in the second communication state, the terminal device switches the first communication device from the second communication state to the first communication state based on a second timer.

[0112] In specific implementation, the terminal device starts a second timer after the first communication device switches to the second communication state; if the terminal device receives second control information during the operation of the second timer, the terminal device switches the first communication device from the second communication state to the first communication state and stops the second timer; if the second timer times out, the terminal device switches the first communication device from the second communication state to the first communication state; wherein the second control information is used to instruct the first communication device to switch from the second communication state to the first communication state.

[0113] In the above solution, the terminal device may receive the second control information in the following manners, but is not limited to:

[0114] Method 1: The second control information sent by the network device is received by the first communication device. Here, optionally, the second control information is carried in a MAC CE and / or a PDCCH.

[0115] Method 2: Receiving second control information sent by the network device via the second communication device. Optionally, the second control information is carried in a PDCCH. Upon receiving the second control information sent by the network device via the second communication device, the second communication device instructs the first communication device to switch from the second communication state to the first communication state.

[0116] In some embodiments, if the terminal device receives first control information during the running of the second timer, the terminal device restarts the second timer; the first control information is used to instruct the first communication device to switch from the first communication state to the second communication state. In this way, the first control information can be used to extend the time that the first communication device remains in the second communication state.

[0117] In some implementations, the duration of the second timer is configured by the network device; or, the duration of the second timer is predefined.

[0118] In the above solution, the terminal device may receive the first control information in the following manners, but is not limited to:

[0119] Method 1: The first control information sent by the network device is received by the first communication device. Here, optionally, the first control information is carried in a MAC CE and / or a PDCCH.

[0120] Method 2: Receiving first control information sent by the network device through the second communication device. Here, optionally, the first control information is carried in the PDCCH. Here, after receiving the first control information sent by the network device through the second communication device, the terminal device restarts the second timer. In this way, the time during which the first communication device is in the second communication state can be extended through the first control information.

[0121] The above solution is explained below with reference to specific application examples.

[0122] The terminal device can switch the first communication device to the first communication state based on the second communication device and the second control information (which can be called a wake-up signal or wake-up information). However, if the first communication device of the terminal device is in the second communication state, if the second control information has not been received, it is necessary to consider whether the terminal device has always maintained the first communication device in the second communication state. When the terminal device does not receive the second control information, one possibility is that the network device did not send the second control information, and another possibility is that the network device sent the second control information but the second communication device of the terminal device did not receive the second control information. The latter is because the coverage of the second control information is poor. In order to avoid this situation, a mechanism is needed to prevent the first communication device of the terminal device from being in the second communication state for a long time and unable to switch to the first communication state.

[0123] In order to enable the first communication device of the terminal device to switch to the first communication state, a timer (i.e. the above-mentioned second timer) is set, and when the first communication device of the terminal device enters the second communication state, the timer is started. When the timer times out, the first communication device of the terminal device enters the first communication state. During the operation of the timer, if the terminal device receives the second control information, the timer stops running and is reset. Through the setting of the timer, if the first communication device of the terminal device is in the second communication state for a certain period of time and is still not awakened by the network to enter the first communication state, the terminal device can trigger the first communication device to enter the first communication state according to the timer. Furthermore, the network can choose to convert the RRC state of the terminal device to the RRC inactive state or the RRC idle state through RRC signaling. If the terminal device cannot normally wake up the first communication device to enter the first communication state due to link failure, the terminal device can also perform measurements and / or initiate a link recovery process after waking up the first communication device to enter the first communication state.

[0124] As an implementation method, the timer can be an independent timer used to determine the time when the first communication device of the terminal device switches to the first communication state, and the duration of the timer can be configured or predefined by the network. In the case where the duration of the timer is configured by the network, the network can indicate the duration of the timer in the first control information (also referred to as the sleep signal or sleep information) sent to the terminal device, and the first control information can be carried by MAC CE or PDCCH.

[0125] As shown in Figure 10, when the first communication device of the terminal device enters the second communication state, the terminal device starts the timer RxOnTimer (ie, the second timer mentioned above). When RxOnTimer times out or the terminal device receives the second control information, the first communication device of the terminal device switches to the first communication state.

[0126] Furthermore, when the first communication device of the terminal device is in the second communication state, the first control information (also referred to as a sleep signal or sleep information) can be received through the second communication device. When the terminal device receives the first control information, the terminal device restarts the RxOnTimer. In this way, if the network does not want the first communication device of the terminal device to switch to the first communication state, the first control information can be continuously sent to keep the first communication device of the terminal device in the second communication state, as shown in Figure 11.

[0127] Solution 2-2)

[0128] In some embodiments, when the first communication device is in the second communication state, if uplink transmission is triggered, the terminal device switches the first communication device from the second communication state to the first communication state.

[0129] In some embodiments, the uplink transmission includes at least one of the following: Scheduling Request (SR) transmission, Physical Random Access Channel (PRACH) transmission, Physical Uplink Control Channel (PUCCH) transmission, Configured Grant Physical Uplink Shared Channel (CG PUSCH) transmission, and Sounding Reference Signal (SRS) transmission.

[0130] The above solution is explained below with reference to specific application examples.

[0131] The terminal device can switch the first communication device to the first communication state based on the second communication device and the second control information (which can be called a wake-up signal or wake-up information). However, if the first communication device of the terminal device is in the second communication state, if the second control information has not been received, it is necessary to consider whether the terminal device has always maintained the first communication device in the second communication state. When the terminal device does not receive the second control information, one possibility is that the network device did not send the second control information, and another possibility is that the network device sent the second control information but the second communication device of the terminal device did not receive the second control information. The latter is because the coverage of the second control information is poor. In order to avoid this situation, a mechanism is needed to prevent the first communication device of the terminal device from being in the second communication state for a long time and unable to switch to the first communication state.

[0132] The network wakes up the first communication device of the terminal device through the second control information mainly based on the transmission needs of the downlink data. For uplink transmission, when the first communication device of the terminal device is in the second communication state, when the terminal device needs to perform uplink transmission, the terminal device can actively switch the first communication device to the first communication state, thereby performing uplink transmission through the first communication device. Here, uplink transmission can be SR transmission or PRACH transmission or PUCCH transmission or CG PUSCH transmission or SRS transmission. When the network monitors the uplink transmission sent by the terminal device, it also updates the state of the first communication device of the terminal device it maintains to the first communication state. As shown in Figure 12, when the terminal device triggers the uplink transmission, it actively switches the first communication device to the first communication state, thereby performing uplink transmission through the first communication device.

[0133] In an embodiment of the present application, when the first communication device is in the second communication state, the terminal device can further save energy in at least one of the following dimensions: the working bandwidth part (BandWidth Part, BWP) (that is, activated BWP), the status of the secondary cell, which are explained below.

[0134] Energy saving from the perspective of BWP

[0135] In some embodiments, when the first communication device is in the second communication state, the terminal device switches the active BWP of the terminal device from the first BWP to the second BWP at a second moment.

[0136] Here, the activated BWP of the terminal device refers to the BWP of the terminal device, that is, the BWP of the first communication device. The first BWP refers to the currently activated BWP of the terminal device.

[0137] Here, the power consumption of the terminal device when operating on the second BWP is lower than the power consumption of the terminal device when operating on the first BWP.

[0138] In some embodiments, the second BWP is a default BWP, an initial BWP, or a dormant BWP.

[0139] In some implementations, the second moment is the moment when the first communication device switches to the second communication state.

[0140] In some embodiments, the second moment is the moment when the third timer times out. Here, the terminal device starts or restarts the third timer after the first communication device switches to the second communication state; or, the terminal device maintains the third timer running after the first communication device switches to the second communication state. As an example, the third timer can be an existing timer, such as a BWP deactivation timer (bwp-InactivityTimer). Alternatively, the third timer can be a newly defined timer.

[0141] In some embodiments, after the first communication device switches from the second communication state to the first communication state, the terminal device maintains the active BWP as the second BWP, or switches the active BWP from the second BWP to the first BWP or the first active BWP (first active BWP).

[0142] The above solution is explained below with reference to specific application examples.

[0143] For a serving cell, if bwp-InactivityTimer is configured, on the currently activated BWP, if there is uplink or downlink transmission, the terminal device will restart bwp-InactivityTimer. If there is no uplink or downlink transmission during the bwp-InactivityTimer, when bwp-InactivityTimer times out, the terminal device will activate the BWP and switch it to the default BWP. Here, the default BWP is configured by the network through defaultDownlinkBWP-Id. If the network does not configure defaultDownlinkBWP-Id, the terminal device will activate the BWP and switch it to the initial BWP. It can be seen that the default BWP or initial BWP is the BWP where the terminal device is located when there is no uplink or downlink transmission. When the first communication device of a terminal device enters the second communication state under the currently active BWP, if the currently active BWP is not the default BWP, the terminal device may immediately switch the active BWP to the default BWP or initial BWP, or the terminal device may switch the active BWP to the default BWP or initial BWP after a timer (i.e., the third timer described above) expires. This timer may be an independent timer that the terminal device starts when the first communication device enters the second communication state; or, this timer may be an existing timer, such as bwp-InactivityTimer, that the terminal device starts or maintains when the first communication device enters the second communication state. It should be noted that after the terminal device switches to the default BWP or initial BWP while the first communication device is in the second communication state, the terminal device cannot transmit on the default BWP or initial BWP. Furthermore, after the first communication device switches from the second communication state to the first communication state, the terminal device's active BWP may remain unchanged at the default BWP or initial BWP, or the terminal device's active BWP may automatically switch to the previous BWP or the first activated BWP.

[0144] In carrier aggregation scenarios, power can be saved by putting the secondary cell into hibernation. By switching the active BWP of the secondary cell to the dormant BWP, the entire carrier is put into hibernation. The terminal device does not perform PDCCH detection on the dormant BWP. The dormant BWP is configured using the dormantBWP-Id signaling. When the first communication device of a terminal device enters the second communication state under the current active BWP, if the current active BWP is not the dormant BWP, the terminal device can immediately switch the active BWP to the dormant BWP, or the terminal device can switch the active BWP to the dormant BWP after a timer (i.e., the third timer described above) expires. This timer can be a separate timer that the terminal device starts when the first communication device enters the second communication state. It should be noted that after the terminal device switches to the dormant BWP while the first communication device is in the second communication state, the terminal device cannot transmit on the dormant BWP. Furthermore, after the first communication device switches from the second communication state to the first communication state, the terminal device's active BWP can remain at the dormant BWP, or the terminal device's active BWP can automatically switch to the previous BWP or the first active BWP.

[0145] Energy saving from the perspective of cell status

[0146] In some embodiments, when the first communication device is in the second communication state, the terminal device switches the secondary cell of the terminal device from the first state to the second state at a third moment.

[0147] Here, the secondary cell of the terminal device refers to the secondary cell in which the terminal device operates, that is, the secondary cell in which the first communication device operates. The first state refers to the current state of the secondary cell.

[0148] Here, the power consumption of the secondary cell when the terminal device operates in the second state is lower than the power consumption of the secondary cell when the terminal device operates in the first state.

[0149] In some embodiments, the first state is an activated state, and the second state is a deactivated state.

[0150] In some embodiments, the first state is an active state with non-dormancy behavior, and the second state is an active state with dormancy behavior.

[0151] In some embodiments, the first state is an activated state with a dormant behavior, and the second state is a deactivated state.

[0152] In some implementations, the third moment is the moment when the first communication device switches to the second communication state.

[0153] In some embodiments, the third moment is the moment when the fourth timer times out. Here, the terminal device starts or restarts the fourth timer after the first communication device switches to the second communication state; or, the terminal device maintains the fourth timer running after the first communication device switches to the second communication state. As an example, the fourth timer can be an existing timer, or the fourth timer can be a newly defined timer.

[0154] In some embodiments, after the first communication device switches from the second communication state to the first communication state, the terminal device switches the secondary cell of the terminal device from the second state to the first state.

[0155] The above solution is explained below with reference to specific application examples.

[0156] In the scenario of carrier aggregation, the secondary cell can enter the deactivated state based on a timer, namely the secondary cell deactivation timer (sCellDeactivationTimer). When the sCellDeactivationTimer times out, the secondary cell is automatically deactivated. If there is uplink and downlink transmission on the secondary cell, the terminal device will restart the sCellDeactivationTimer. If there is no uplink and downlink transmission on the secondary cell during the running of the sCellDeactivationTimer, the secondary cell is automatically deactivated when the sCellDeactivationTimer times out. When the first communication device of the terminal device enters the second communication state in the currently activated secondary cell, the terminal device can immediately switch the secondary cell to the deactivated state, or the terminal device can switch the secondary cell to the deactivated state after a timer (i.e., the above-mentioned fourth timer) times out. The timer can be an independent timer, and the terminal device starts the timer when the first communication device enters the second communication state; or, the timer can be an existing timer, such as the sCellDeactivationTimer, and the terminal device starts the timer or keeps the timer running after the first communication device enters the second communication state. Furthermore, when the first communication device is in the second communication state, if the terminal device receives second control information (which can be called a wake-up signal or wake-up information) sent by the network, the terminal device can also activate the secondary cell when switching the first communication device to the first communication state. The activated BWP of the activated secondary cell is the first activated BWP configured by the network.

[0157] The technical solution of the embodiment of the present application realizes the switching of the first communication device of the terminal device between the first communication state and the second communication state, ensures that the first communication device successfully switches to the second communication state based on the first trigger condition in the first communication state, and also ensures that the first communication device successfully switches to the first communication state based on the second trigger condition in the second communication state, thereby enabling the switching of the communication state of the first communication device to be realized even in the case where the second communication device of the terminal device cannot successfully receive the control information of the network device. In addition, triggering the switching of the communication state by triggering conditions can reduce the overhead of control signaling.

[0158] The preferred embodiments of the present application are described in detail above in conjunction with the accompanying drawings. However, the present application is not limited to the specific details in the above embodiments. Within the technical concept of the present application, the technical solution of the present application can be subjected to a variety of simple modifications, and these simple modifications all fall within the scope of protection of the present application. For example, the various specific technical features described in the above specific embodiments can be combined in any suitable manner without contradiction. In order to avoid unnecessary repetition, the present application will no longer describe the various possible combinations separately. For another example, the various different embodiments of the present application can also be arbitrarily combined, as long as they do not violate the idea of ​​the present application, they should also be regarded as the contents disclosed in the present application. For another example, under the premise of no conflict, the various embodiments and / or the technical features in each embodiment described in the present application can be arbitrarily combined with the prior art, and the technical solution obtained after the combination should also fall within the scope of protection of the present application.

[0159] It should also be understood that in the various method embodiments of the present application, the sequence numbers of the above-mentioned processes do not imply a precedence in the order of execution. The execution order of each process should be determined by its function and internal logic, and should not constitute any limitation on the implementation process of the embodiments of the present application. In addition, in the embodiments of the present application, the terms "downlink," "uplink," and "sidelink" are used to indicate the transmission direction of signals or data, where "downlink" is used to indicate the first direction of transmission of signals or data from a site to a user equipment in a cell, "uplink" is used to indicate the second direction of transmission of signals or data from a user equipment in a cell to a site, and "sidelink" is used to indicate the third direction of transmission of signals or data from user equipment 1 to user equipment 2. For example, "downlink signal" indicates that the transmission direction of the signal is the first direction. In addition, in the embodiments of the present application, the term "and / or" is merely a description of the association relationship between associated objects, indicating that three relationships can exist. Specifically, A and / or B can represent three situations: A exists alone, A and B exist simultaneously, and B exists alone. In addition, the character " / " in this document generally indicates that the associated objects are in an "or" relationship.

[0160] FIG13 is a schematic diagram of the structure of a communication state switching device provided in an embodiment of the present application, which is applied to a terminal device. As shown in FIG13 , the communication state switching device includes:

[0161] The control unit 1301 is configured to switch the first communication device from the first communication state to the second communication state based on the first trigger condition or switch the first communication device from the second communication state to the first communication state based on the second trigger condition;

[0162] The terminal device is capable of receiving control information sent by the network device through the second communication device and controlling the communication state of the first communication device based on the control information.

[0163] In some embodiments, the power consumption of the second communication device is lower than the power consumption of the first communication device; and / or the power consumption corresponding to the first communication device in the first communication state is higher than the power consumption corresponding to the first communication device in the second communication state.

[0164] In some embodiments, operations supported by the first communication device in the first communication state are different from operations supported by the first communication device in the second communication state.

[0165] In some embodiments, the operations supported by the first communication device in the first communication state include at least one of the following:

[0166] signal and / or channel transmission operations;

[0167] Measurement operation.

[0168] In some embodiments, the operations supported by the first communication device in the second communication state include: measurement operations.

[0169] In some embodiments, the control unit 1301 is configured to, when the first communication device is in the first communication state, switch the first communication device from the first communication state to the second communication state based on a first timer.

[0170] In some embodiments, the control unit 1301 is configured to start a first timer after the first communication device switches to the first communication state; if the first communication device receives a signal and / or channel during the operation of the first timer, restart the first timer; if the first timer times out, switch the first communication device from the first communication state to the second communication state.

[0171] In some implementations, the duration of the first timer is configured by the network device; or, the duration of the first timer is predefined; or, the duration of the first timer is determined based on a reference duration.

[0172] In some implementations, the reference duration is the duration of a DRX cycle.

[0173] In some embodiments, the control unit 1301 is used to switch the first communication device from the first communication state to the second communication state if first control information is received when the first communication device is in the first communication state, and the first control information is used to instruct the first communication device to switch from the first communication state to the second communication state.

[0174] In some embodiments, the control unit 1301 is configured to switch the first communication device from the first communication state to the second communication state at a first time, where the first time is a time after a time when the first control information is received.

[0175] In some implementations, the first time is configured or predefined by the network device.

[0176] In some implementations, the first time is determined based on a second time and a second duration, where the second time is a time when the first control information is received, and the second duration is configured or predefined by the network device.

[0177] In some embodiments, the first time is associated with a first processing capability of the terminal device, where the first processing capability refers to a processing capability of the terminal device from receiving the first control information to preparing to switch the first communication device from the first communication state to the second communication state.

[0178] In some embodiments, the control unit 1301 is configured to, when the first communication device is in the second communication state, switch the first communication device from the second communication state to the first communication state based on a second timer.

[0179] In some embodiments, the control unit 1301 is configured to start a second timer after the first communication device switches to the second communication state; if second control information is received during the running of the second timer, switch the first communication device from the second communication state to the first communication state and stop the second timer; if the second timer times out, switch the first communication device from the second communication state to the first communication state;

[0180] The second control information is used to instruct the first communication device to switch from the second communication state to the first communication state.

[0181] In some embodiments, the control unit 1301 is used to restart the second timer if the terminal device receives first control information during the operation of the second timer; the first control information is used to instruct the first communication device to switch from the first communication state to the second communication state.

[0182] In some implementations, the duration of the second timer is configured by the network device; or, the duration of the second timer is predefined.

[0183] In some implementations, the apparatus further includes: a communication unit 1302 configured to receive first control information sent by a network device through the first communication device.

[0184] In some implementations, the first control information is carried in a MAC CE and / or a PDCCH.

[0185] In some implementations, the apparatus further includes: a communication unit 1302, configured to receive first control information sent by the network device through the second communication device.

[0186] In some implementations, the first control information is carried in a PDCCH.

[0187] In some implementations, the apparatus further includes: a communication unit 1302, configured to receive second control information sent by a network device through the first communication device.

[0188] In some implementations, the second control information is carried in a MAC CE and / or a PDCCH.

[0189] In some implementations, the apparatus further includes: a communication unit 1302, configured to receive second control information sent by the network device through the second communication device.

[0190] In some implementations, the second control information is carried in a PDCCH.

[0191] In some embodiments, the control unit 1301 is configured to, when the first communication device is in the second communication state, switch the first communication device from the second communication state to the first communication state if uplink transmission is triggered.

[0192] In some embodiments, the uplink transmission includes at least one of the following: SR transmission, PRACH transmission, PUCCH transmission, CG PUSCH transmission, and SRS transmission.

[0193] In some embodiments, the control unit 1301 is configured to switch the active BWP of the terminal device from the first BWP to the second BWP at a second moment when the first communication device is in the second communication state.

[0194] In some embodiments, the second BWP is a default BWP, an initial BWP, or a dormant BWP.

[0195] In some implementations, the second moment is the moment when the first communication device switches to the second communication state; or, the second moment is the moment when a third timer times out.

[0196] In some embodiments, the control unit 1301 is configured to start or restart the third timer after the first communication device switches to the second communication state; or, to maintain the third timer running after the first communication device switches to the second communication state.

[0197] In some embodiments, the control unit 1301 is configured to maintain the activated BWP as the second BWP after the first communication device switches from the second communication state to the first communication state, or switch the activated BWP from the second BWP to the first BWP or the first activated BWP.

[0198] In some embodiments, the control unit 1301 is configured to switch the secondary cell of the terminal device from the first state to the second state at a third moment when the first communication device is in the second communication state.

[0199] In some embodiments, the first state is an activated state and the second state is a deactivated state; or, the first state is an activated state with non-sleep behavior and the second state is an activated state with sleep behavior; or, the first state is an activated state with sleep behavior and the second state is a deactivated state.

[0200] In some implementations, the third moment is the moment when the first communication device switches to the second communication state; or, the third moment is the moment when a fourth timer times out.

[0201] In some embodiments, the control unit 1301 is configured to start or restart the fourth timer after the first communication device switches to the second communication state; or, to maintain the fourth timer running after the first communication device switches to the second communication state.

[0202] In some embodiments, the control unit 1301 is configured to switch the secondary cell of the terminal device from the second state to the first state after the first communication device switches from the second communication state to the first communication state.

[0203] Those skilled in the art should understand that the relevant description of the above-mentioned communication status switching device in the embodiment of the present application can be understood with reference to the relevant description of the communication status switching method in the embodiment of the present application.

[0204] FIG14 is a schematic structural diagram of a communication device 1400 provided in an embodiment of the present application. The communication device can be a terminal device. The communication device 1400 shown in FIG14 includes a processor 1410, which can call and execute a computer program from a memory to implement the method in the embodiment of the present application.

[0205] Optionally, as shown in FIG14 , the communication device 1400 may further include a memory 1420. The processor 1410 may call and execute a computer program from the memory 1420 to implement the method in the embodiment of the present application.

[0206] The memory 1420 may be a separate device independent of the processor 1410 , or may be integrated into the processor 1410 .

[0207] Optionally, as shown in FIG14 , the communication device 1400 may further include a transceiver 1430 , and the processor 1410 may control the transceiver 1430 to communicate with other devices, specifically, to send information or data to other devices, or to receive information or data sent by other devices.

[0208] The transceiver 1430 may include a transmitter and a receiver. The transceiver 1430 may further include an antenna, and the number of antennas may be one or more.

[0209] Optionally, the communication device 1400 may specifically be a terminal device of an embodiment of the present application, and the communication device 1400 may implement the corresponding processes implemented by the terminal device in each method of the embodiment of the present application. For the sake of brevity, they will not be repeated here.

[0210] Figure 15 is a schematic structural diagram of a chip according to an embodiment of the present application. The chip 1500 shown in Figure 15 includes a processor 1510, which can call and run a computer program from a memory to implement the method according to the embodiment of the present application.

[0211] Optionally, as shown in FIG15 , the chip 1500 may further include a memory 1520. The processor 1510 may call and execute a computer program from the memory 1520 to implement the method in the embodiment of the present application.

[0212] The memory 1520 may be a separate device independent of the processor 1510 , or may be integrated into the processor 1510 .

[0213] Optionally, the chip 1500 may further include an input interface 1530. The processor 1510 may control the input interface 1530 to communicate with other devices or chips, and specifically, may obtain information or data sent by other devices or chips.

[0214] Optionally, the chip 1500 may further include an output interface 1540. The processor 1510 may control the output interface 1540 to communicate with other devices or chips, and specifically, may output information or data to other devices or chips.

[0215] The chip can be applied to the terminal device in the embodiments of the present application, and the chip can implement the corresponding processes implemented by the terminal device in the various methods of the embodiments of the present application. For the sake of brevity, they will not be repeated here.

[0216] It should be understood that the chip mentioned in the embodiments of the present application can also be called a system-level chip, a system chip, a chip system or a system-on-chip chip, etc.

[0217] FIG16 is a schematic block diagram of a communication system 1600 provided in an embodiment of the present application. As shown in FIG16 , the communication system 1600 includes a terminal device 1610 and a network device 1620 .

[0218] Among them, the terminal device 1610 can be used to implement the corresponding functions implemented by the terminal device in the above method, and the network device 1620 can be used to implement the corresponding functions implemented by the network device in the above method. For the sake of brevity, they are not repeated here.

[0219] It should be understood that the processor of the embodiments of the present application may be an integrated circuit chip with signal processing capabilities. During implementation, each step of the above method embodiment can be completed by hardware integrated logic circuits in the processor or software instructions. The above processor can 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. The various methods, steps, and logic block diagrams disclosed in the embodiments of the present application can be implemented or executed. The general-purpose processor can be a microprocessor or any conventional processor. 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 can be executed by a combination of hardware and software modules in the decoding processor. The software module can be located in a storage medium mature in the art, such as random access memory, flash memory, read-only memory, programmable read-only memory, electrically erasable programmable memory, registers, etc. The storage medium is located in the memory, and the processor reads the information in the memory and completes the steps of the above method in combination with its hardware.

[0220] It is understood that the memory in the embodiments of the present application may be a volatile memory or a non-volatile memory, or may include both volatile and non-volatile memories. Among them, the non-volatile memory may be a read-only memory (ROM), a programmable read-only memory (PROM), an erasable programmable read-only memory (EPROM), an electrically erasable programmable read-only memory (EEPROM), or a flash memory. The volatile memory may be a random access memory (RAM), which is used as an external cache. By way of example and not limitation, many forms of RAM are available, such as static random access memory (SRAM), dynamic random access memory (DRAM), synchronous dynamic random access memory (SDRAM), double data rate synchronous dynamic random access memory (DDR SDRAM), enhanced synchronous dynamic random access memory (ESDRAM), synchronous link dynamic random access memory (SLDRAM), and direct RAM bus random access memory (DR RAM). It should be noted that the memory of the systems and methods described herein is intended to include, but is not limited to, these and any other suitable types of memory.

[0221] It should be understood that the above-mentioned memories are exemplary but not restrictive. For example, the memories in the embodiments of the present application may also be static random access memory (SRAM), dynamic random access memory (DRAM), synchronous dynamic random access memory (SDRAM), double data rate synchronous dynamic random access memory (DDR SDRAM), enhanced synchronous dynamic random access memory (ESDRAM), synchronous link dynamic random access memory (SLDRAM), and direct RAM RAM (DR RAM), etc. In other words, the memories in the embodiments of the present application are intended to include, but are not limited to, these and any other suitable types of memories.

[0222] The present application also provides a computer-readable storage medium for storing a computer program. This computer-readable storage medium can be applied to a terminal device in the present application, and the computer program causes a computer to execute the corresponding processes implemented by the terminal device in each method of the present application. For the sake of brevity, these are not further described here.

[0223] The present application also provides a computer program product including computer program instructions. The computer program product can be applied to a terminal device in the present application, and the computer program instructions cause a computer to execute the corresponding processes implemented by the terminal device in each method of the present application. For the sake of brevity, these instructions are not further described here.

[0224] The present application also provides a computer program. This computer program can be applied to the terminal device in the present application embodiment. When the computer program is executed on a computer, it causes the computer to execute the corresponding process implemented by the terminal device in each method of the present application embodiment. For the sake of brevity, it is not further described here.

[0225] Those skilled 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. Professional and technical personnel 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.

[0226] Those skilled in the art will 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.

[0227] In the several embodiments provided in this 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 merely schematic. For example, the division of the units is merely a logical function division. In actual implementation, there may be other division methods, 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.

[0228] The units described as separate components may or may not be physically separate, and 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 these units may be selected to achieve the purpose of this embodiment according to actual needs.

[0229] 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.

[0230] 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, or the part that contributes to the prior art, or the part of the technical solution, can be embodied in the form of a software product. The computer software product is stored in a storage medium and includes several instructions for enabling a computer device (which can be a personal computer, a server, or a network device, etc.) to execute all or part of the steps of the method described in each embodiment of the present application. The aforementioned storage medium includes various media that can store program codes, such as a USB flash drive, a mobile hard disk, a read-only memory (ROM), a random access memory (RAM), a magnetic disk, or an optical disk.

[0231] The above description is merely a specific embodiment of the present application, but the scope of protection of the present application is not limited thereto. Any changes or substitutions that can be easily conceived by a person skilled in the art within the technical scope disclosed in the present application should be included in the scope of protection of the present application. Therefore, the scope of protection of the present application should be based on the scope of protection of the claims.

Claims

1. A method for switching a communication state, the method comprising: The terminal device switches the first communication device from the first communication state to the second communication state based on the first trigger condition or switches the first communication device from the second communication state to the first communication state based on the second trigger condition; The terminal device is capable of receiving control information sent by the network device through the second communication device and controlling the communication state of the first communication device based on the control information.

2. The method according to claim 1, wherein The power consumption of the second communication device is lower than the power consumption of the first communication device; and / or, The power consumption of the first communication device in the first communication state is higher than the power consumption of the first communication device in the second communication state.

3. The method according to claim 1 or 2, wherein: An operation supported by the first communication device in the first communication state is different from an operation supported by the first communication device in the second communication state.

4. The method according to claim 3, wherein: The operations supported by the first communication device in the first communication state include at least one of the following: signal and / or channel transmission operations; Measurement operation.

5. The method according to claim 3, wherein The operations supported by the first communication device in the second communication state include: measurement operations.

6. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 5, wherein The terminal device switches the first communication device from the first communication state to the second communication state based on the first trigger condition, including: When the first communication device is in the first communication state, the terminal device switches the first communication device from the first communication state to a second communication state based on a first timer.

7. The method according to claim 6, wherein: The terminal device switches the first communication device from the first communication state to the second communication state based on a first timer when the first communication device is in the first communication state, including: After the first communication device switches to the first communication state, the terminal device starts a first timer; If the terminal device receives a signal and / or channel through the first communication device during the operation of the first timer, the terminal device restarts the first timer; if the first timer times out, the terminal device switches the first communication device from the first communication state to the second communication state.

8. The method according to claim 6 or 7, wherein: The duration of the first timer is configured by the network device; or, The duration of the first timer is predefined; or, The duration of the first timer is determined based on a reference duration.

9. The method according to claim 8, wherein The reference duration is the duration of the discontinuous reception DRX cycle.

10. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 5, wherein The terminal device switches the first communication device from the first communication state to the second communication state based on the first trigger condition, including: When the first communication device is in the first communication state, if the terminal device receives first control information, it switches the first communication device from the first communication state to the second communication state, and the first control information is used to instruct the first communication device to switch from the first communication state to the second communication state.

11. The method according to claim 10, wherein: The switching the first communication device from the first communication state to the second communication state includes: The first communication device is switched from the first communication state to the second communication state at a first time, where the first time is a time after a time when the first control information is received.

12. The method according to claim 11, wherein The first time is configured or predefined by the network device.

13. The method according to claim 11, wherein The first time is determined based on a second time and a second duration, where the second time is a time when the first control information is received, and the second duration is configured or predefined by the network device.

14. The method according to any one of claims 11 to 13, wherein The first time is associated with a first processing capability of the terminal device, where the first processing capability refers to a processing capability of the terminal device from receiving the first control information to preparing to switch the first communication device from the first communication state to the second communication state.

15. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 5, wherein The terminal device switches the first communication device from the second communication state to the first communication state based on the second trigger condition, including: When the first communication device is in the second communication state, the terminal apparatus switches the first communication device from the second communication state to the first communication state based on a second timer.

16. The method according to claim 15, wherein The terminal device switches the first communication device from the second communication state to the first communication state based on a second timer when the first communication device is in the second communication state, including: After the first communication device switches to the second communication state, the terminal device starts a second timer; If the terminal device receives second control information during the running of the second timer, the terminal device switches the first communication device from the second communication state to the first communication state and stops the second timer; if the second timer times out, the terminal device switches the first communication device from the second communication state to the first communication state; The second control information is used to instruct the first communication device to switch from the second communication state to the first communication state.

17. The method according to claim 16, wherein The method further comprises: If the terminal device receives first control information during the operation of the second timer, the terminal device restarts the second timer; the first control information is used to instruct the first communication device to switch from the first communication state to the second communication state.

18. The method according to claim 16 or 17, wherein The duration of the second timer is configured by the network device; or, The duration of the second timer is predefined.

19. The method according to any one of claims 10 to 14 and 17, wherein: The receiving of the first control information includes: First control information sent by a network device is received through the first communication device.

20. The method according to claim 19, wherein The first control information is carried in a media access control element MAC CE and / or a physical downlink control channel PDCCH.

21. The method according to any one of claims 10 to 14 and 17, wherein: The receiving of the first control information includes: The first control information sent by the network device is received through the second communication device.

22. The method according to claim 21, wherein The first control information is carried in the PDCCH.

23. The method according to any one of claims 16 to 18, wherein The receiving of the second control information includes: Second control information sent by the network device is received through the first communication device.

24. The method according to claim 23, wherein The second control information is carried in MAC CE and / or PDCCH.

25. The method according to any one of claims 16 to 18, wherein The receiving of the second control information includes: The second control information sent by the network device is received through the second communication device.

26. The method according to claim 25, wherein The second control information is carried in the PDCCH.

27. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 5, wherein The terminal device switches the first communication device from the second communication state to the first communication state based on the second trigger condition, including: When the first communication device is in the second communication state, if uplink transmission is triggered, the terminal device switches the first communication device from the second communication state to the first communication state.

28. The method according to claim 27, wherein The uplink transmission includes at least one of the following: scheduling request SR transmission, physical random access channel PRACH transmission, physical uplink control channel PUCCH transmission, configuration authorized physical uplink shared channel CG PUSCH transmission, and sounding reference signal SRS transmission.

29. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 28, wherein The method further comprises: The terminal device switches the active bandwidth part BWP of the terminal device from the first BWP to the second BWP at a second moment when the first communication means is in the second communication state.

30. The method according to claim 29, wherein The second BWP is a default BWP, an initial BWP, or a dormant BWP.

31. The method according to claim 29 or 30, wherein The second moment is the moment when the first communication device switches to the second communication state; or, The second moment is the moment when the third timer times out.

32. The method according to claim 31, wherein The method further comprises: The terminal device starts or restarts the third timer after the first communication device switches to the second communication state; or After the first communication device switches to the second communication state, the terminal device maintains the third timer to continue running.

33. The method according to any one of claims 29 to 32, wherein The method further comprises: After the first communication device switches from the second communication state to the first communication state, the terminal device maintains the activated BWP as the second BWP, or switches the activated BWP from the second BWP to the first BWP or the first activated BWP.

34. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 33, wherein The method further comprises: When the first communication device is in the second communication state, the terminal device switches the secondary cell of the terminal device from the first state to the second state at a third moment.

35. The method according to claim 34, wherein The first state is an activated state, and the second state is a deactivated state; or, The first state is an active state with a non-sleep behavior, and the second state is an active state with a sleep behavior; or The first state is an activated state with a dormant behavior, and the second state is a deactivated state.

36. The method according to claim 34 or 35, wherein The third moment is the moment when the first communication device switches to the second communication state; or, The third moment is the moment when the fourth timer times out.

37. The method according to claim 36, wherein The method further comprises: The terminal device starts or restarts the fourth timer after the first communication device switches to the second communication state; or After the first communication device switches to the second communication state, the terminal device maintains the fourth timer to continue running.

38. The method according to any one of claims 34 to 37, wherein The method further comprises: The terminal device switches the secondary cell of the terminal device from the second state to the first state after the first communication device switches from the second communication state to the first communication state.

39. A communication state switching device, applied to a terminal device, comprising: a control unit, configured to switch the first communication device from the first communication state to the second communication state based on a first trigger condition or switch the first communication device from the second communication state to the first communication state based on a second trigger condition; The terminal device is capable of receiving control information sent by the network device through the second communication device and controlling the communication state of the first communication device based on the control information.

40. A terminal device comprising: A processor and a memory, the memory being used to store a computer program, the processor being used to call and run the computer program stored in the memory to execute the method according to any one of claims 1 to 38.

41. A chip, comprising: A processor, configured to call and execute a computer program from a memory, so that a device equipped with the chip executes a method as claimed in any one of claims 1 to 38.

42. A computer-readable storage medium for storing a computer program, wherein the computer program causes a computer to execute the method according to any one of claims 1 to 38.

43. A computer program product comprising computer program instructions for causing a computer to perform the method of any one of claims 1 to 38.

44. A computer program causing a computer to perform the method of any one of claims 1 to 38.

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