Signal receiving method, signal sending method and device

Abstract

Provided in an embodiment of the present application are a signal receiving method, a signal transmitting method and devices, the signal receiving method comprising: a terminal device receiving downlink control information (DCI), the DCI indicating one or two transmission configuration indication (TCI) states (TCI states); and the terminal equipment receives a physical downlink control channel (PDCCH) associated with the one or two TCI states within the action time of the one or two TCI states. Therefore, when the terminal equipment receives the PDCCH within the action time of two TCI states, or receives the PDCCH reposition within the action time of one or two TCI states, an undefined equipment behavior can be avoided, so that the PDCCH receiving failure caused by the undefined equipment behavior can be avoided.

Description

Signal receiving method, signal sending method and device Technical Field

[0001] The embodiments of the present application relate to the field of communication technologies. Background Art

[0002] During the standardization process of Release 17 (Rel-17), the 3GPP standardization organization carried out standardization work on the unified transmission configuration indication (TCI). The unified TCI in Rel-17 is designed primarily for the sTRP (single transmission and reception point) scenario.

[0003] With the advancement of standardization, multiple transmission and reception point (mTRP) has become an important scenario in 5G NR systems. Through mTRP-based transmission, the goal of improving throughput and / or reliability can be achieved.

[0004] In previous standardization work, the transmission of the Physical Downlink Shared Channel (PDSCH) based on mTRP was standardized in Rel-16; and the transmission of the Physical Downlink Control Channel (PDCCH), Physical Uplink Shared Channel (PUSCH), and Physical Uplink Control Channel (PUCCH) based on mTRP were standardized in Rel-17. Among them, mTRP transmission includes mTRP transmission based on single Downlink Control Information (sDCI) (sDCI mTRP) and mTRP transmission based on multiple DCI (mDCI) (mDCI mTRP). For sDCI mTRP, one DCI schedules the uplink and downlink transmissions of two TRPs, which is more suitable for situations where backhaul between TRPs is ideal. For mDCI mTRP, two TRPs use two DCIs to schedule the uplink and downlink transmission of their respective TRPs respectively, which is more suitable for situations where the backhaul between TRPs is not ideal.

[0005] It should be noted that the above introduction to the technical background is only for the convenience of providing a clear and complete description of the technical solutions of this application and for the convenience of understanding by those skilled in the art. It cannot be considered that the above technical solutions are well known to those skilled in the art simply because these solutions are explained in the background technology part of this application.

[0006] Summary of the Invention

[0007] The inventors have discovered that when a terminal device receives a PDCCH based on unified TCI in an mTRP, the following situations may occur:

[0008] PDCCH reception needs to be based on a TCI state and there are two TCI states within the active time of PDCCH reception;

[0009] PDCCH reception needs to be based on two TCI states and one TCI state exists within the active time period of PDCCH reception; and

[0010] PDCCH reception needs to be based on two TCI states and two TCI states exist within the active time of PDCCH reception.

[0011] In the above situation, how to receive the PDCCH is an unresolved issue. If not resolved, the terminal device may fail to receive the PDCCH when encountering the above situation.

[0012] To address at least one of the above problems, embodiments of the present application provide a signal receiving method, a signal sending method, and a device.

[0013] According to one aspect of an embodiment of the present application, a signal receiving method is provided, the method comprising:

[0014] The terminal device receives DCI, where the DCI indicates one or two TCI states;

[0015] The terminal device receives a PDCCH associated with one or two TCI states within the effective time of the one or two TCI states.

[0016] According to another aspect of an embodiment of the present application, a signal transmission method is provided, the method comprising:

[0017] The network device sends a DCI, where the DCI indicates one or two TCI states;

[0018] The network device sends a PDCCH associated with one or two TCI states within the active time of the one or two TCI states.

[0019] According to another aspect of an embodiment of the present application, a signal receiving device is provided, the device comprising:

[0020] a first receiving unit configured to receive a DCI, wherein the DCI indicates one or two TCI states;

[0021] The second receiving unit is configured to receive a PDCCH associated with one or two TCI states within an active period of the one or two TCI states.

[0022] According to another aspect of an embodiment of the present application, a signal sending device is provided, configured in a network device, the device comprising:

[0023] A first sending unit, configured to send a DCI, where the DCI indicates one or two TCI states;

[0024] The second sending unit is configured to send a PDCCH associated with one or two TCI states within the action time of the one or two TCI states.

[0025] One of the beneficial effects of the embodiments of the present application is that: the terminal device receives the PDCCH associated with one or two TCI states within the effective time of one or two TCI states indicated by the DCI, thereby avoiding undefined device behavior when the terminal device receives the PDCCH within the effective time of two TCI states, or receives the PDCCH repetition within the effective time of one or two TCI states, thereby avoiding the resulting PDCCH reception failure.

[0026] With reference to the following description and accompanying drawings, specific embodiments of the present application are disclosed in detail, indicating the manner in which the principles of the present application can be employed. It should be understood that the embodiments of the present application are not limited in scope. Within the spirit and scope of the appended claims, the embodiments of the present application include many variations, modifications and equivalents.

[0027] Features described and / or illustrated with respect to one embodiment may be used in the same or similar manner in one or more other embodiments, combined with features in other embodiments, or substituted for features in other embodiments.

[0028] It should be emphasized that the term "include / comprising" when used herein refers to the presence of features, integers, steps or components, but does not exclude the presence or addition of one or more other features, integers, steps or components. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0029] The elements and features described in one figure or one embodiment of the present application can be combined with the elements and features shown in one or more other figures or embodiments. In addition, in the accompanying drawings, similar reference numerals represent corresponding parts in several figures and can be used to indicate corresponding parts used in more than one embodiment.

[0030] FIG1 is a schematic diagram of a communication system according to an embodiment of the present application;

[0031] FIG2 is a schematic diagram of the effect time of at least one DL TCI state indicated by the DL DCI for unified TCI;

[0032] FIG3 is a schematic diagram of a signal receiving method according to an embodiment of the present application;

[0033] FIG4 is a schematic diagram of an example of a terminal device receiving a PDCCH;

[0034] FIG5 is a schematic diagram of another example of a terminal device receiving a PDCCH;

[0035] FIG6 is a schematic diagram of another example of a terminal device receiving a PDCCH;

[0036] FIG7 is a schematic diagram of another example of a terminal device receiving a PDCCH;

[0037] FIG8 is a schematic diagram of another example of a terminal device receiving a PDCCH;

[0038] FIG9 is a schematic diagram of an example of a MAC CE;

[0039] FIG10 is a schematic diagram of an example of a CORESET configuration;

[0040] FIG11 is a schematic diagram of a signal sending method according to an embodiment of the present application;

[0041] FIG12 is a schematic diagram of a signal receiving device according to an embodiment of the present application;

[0042] FIG13 is a schematic diagram of a signal sending device according to an embodiment of the present application;

[0043] FIG14 is a schematic diagram of the structure of a terminal device according to an embodiment of the present application;

[0044] FIG15 is a schematic diagram of the structure of the network device according to an embodiment of the present application. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0045] The above and other features of the present application will become apparent through the following description with reference to the accompanying drawings. In the description and the accompanying drawings, specific embodiments of the present application are disclosed in detail, which illustrate some embodiments in which the principles of the present application can be adopted. It should be understood that the present application is not limited to the described embodiments. On the contrary, the present application includes all modifications, variations and equivalents that fall within the scope of the appended claims.

[0046] In the embodiments of the present application, the terms "first", "second", etc. are used to distinguish different elements from the name, but do not indicate the spatial arrangement or temporal order of these elements, and these elements should not be limited by these terms. The term "and / or" includes any one and all combinations of one or more of the associated listed terms. The terms "comprising", "including", "having", etc. refer to the presence of the stated features, elements, components or components, but do not exclude the presence or addition of one or more other features, elements, components or components.

[0047] In the embodiments of this application, the singular forms "a," "the," etc. include plural forms and should be broadly understood to mean "a" or "a type" rather than being limited to "one." Furthermore, the term "said" should be understood to include both singular and plural forms, unless the context clearly indicates otherwise. Furthermore, the term "according to" should be understood to mean "at least in part based on...", and the term "based on" should be understood to mean "at least in part based on...", unless the context clearly indicates otherwise.

[0048] In the embodiments of the present application, the term "communication network" or "wireless communication network" may refer to a network that complies with any of the following communication standards, such as Long Term Evolution (LTE), enhanced Long Term Evolution (LTE-A, LTE-Advanced), Wideband Code Division Multiple Access (WCDMA, Wideband Code Division Multiple Access), High-Speed ​​Packet Access (HSPA, High-Speed ​​Packet Access), 5G (5Generation) New Radio (NR, New Radio), etc.

[0049] Furthermore, communication between devices in the communication system may be carried out according to communication protocols of any stage, for example including but not limited to the following communication protocols: 1G, 2G, 2.5G, 2.75G, 3G, 4G, 4.5G and 5G new wireless, etc., and / or other communication protocols currently known or to be developed in the future.

[0050] In the embodiments of the present application, the term "network device" refers to, for example, a device in a communication system that connects a terminal device to the communication network and provides services to the terminal device. Network devices may include, but are not limited to, the following devices: base station (BS), access point (AP), transmission reception point (TRP), broadcast transmitter, mobile management entity (MME), gateway, server, radio network controller (RNC), base station controller (BSC), etc.

[0051] Base stations may include, but are not limited to, NodeB (NB), evolved NodeB (eNodeB or eNB), and 5G base stations (gNB), among others. They may also include remote radio heads (RRHs), remote radio units (RRUs), relays, or low-power nodes (e.g., femeto, pico, etc.). The term "base station" may include some or all of their functions, and each base station may provide communication coverage for a specific geographic area. The term "cell" may refer to a base station and / or its coverage area, depending on the context in which the term is used.

[0052] In the embodiments of the present application, the term "user equipment" (UE) or "terminal equipment" (TE) refers to, for example, a device that accesses a communication network through a network device and receives network services. A terminal device can be fixed or mobile and may also be referred to as a mobile station (MS), a terminal, a subscriber station (SS), an access terminal (AT), a station, and so on.

[0053] Among them, terminal devices may include but are not limited to the following devices: cellular phones, personal digital assistants (PDAs), wireless modems, wireless communication devices, handheld devices, machine-type communication devices, laptop computers, cordless phones, smart phones, smart watches, digital cameras, etc.

[0054] For another example, in scenarios such as the Internet of Things (IoT), the terminal device can also be a machine or device for monitoring or measurement, including but not limited to: machine type communication (MTC) terminal, vehicle-mounted communication terminal, device-to-device (D2D) terminal, machine-to-machine (M2M) terminal, and so on.

[0055] In addition, the term "network side" or "network device side" refers to one side of the network, which can be a base station or one or more network devices as described above. The term "user side" or "terminal side" or "terminal device side" refers to the user or terminal side, which can be a UE or one or more terminal devices as described above. Unless otherwise specified herein, "device" can refer to either network equipment or terminal equipment.

[0056] The following describes the scenarios of the embodiments of the present application through examples, but the present application is not limited thereto.

[0057] Figure 1 is a schematic diagram of a communication system according to an embodiment of the present application, illustrating a situation using a terminal device and a network device as an example. As shown in Figure 1 , communication system 100 may include a first TRP 101, a second TRP 102, and a terminal device 103. The first TRP 101 and the second TRP 102 may be network devices. For simplicity, Figure 1 illustrates only two TRPs (network devices) and one terminal device as an example, but the embodiments of the present application are not limited thereto.

[0058] In the embodiment of the present application, existing services or future services can be transmitted between the first TRP 101, the second TRP 102, and the terminal device 103. For example, these services may include but are not limited to: enhanced mobile broadband (eMBB), massive machine type communication (mMTC), and ultra-reliable and low-latency communication (URLLC), etc.

[0059] In Rel-17, for unified TCI, in the sTRP scenario, the network device uses RRC signaling to configure M (M ≥ 1) TCI states (TCI state) for the terminal device, uses MAC CE (media access control control unit) to activate N (1 ≤ N ≤ M) TCI states in the M TCI states, and uses DCI to indicate L (1 ≤ L ≤ N) TCI states in the N TCI states. For example, the TCI field of DCI format 1_1 or DCI format 1_2 indicates one or more TCI states (TCI state). DCI format 1_1 or DCI format 1_2 can schedule downlink data, which is called DCI format 1_1 / 1_2 with DL assignment, or it can not schedule downlink data, which is called DCI format 1_1 / 1_2without DL assignment.

[0060] Among them, a TCI state (TCI for short) can include or correspond to one or two source reference signals (source RS, source Reference Signal). The source reference signal provides quasi co-location (QCL) information for downlink reception and is called a downlink source reference signal. The source reference signal provides a reference for the uplink transmit spatial filter (UL TX spatial filter, uplink transmission spatial filter) and is called an uplink source reference signal.

[0061] In addition, the source reference signal can provide beam information for the destination channel / signal. For example, the beam used by the terminal device to receive the destination channel / signal is the same as the beam used to receive the downlink source reference signal. For another example, the beam used by the terminal device to send the destination channel / signal is the same as the beam used to send the uplink source reference signal. For another example, the beam used by the terminal device to send the destination channel / signal and the beam used to receive the downlink source reference signal are reciprocal, that is, the beams are the same but in opposite directions. Therefore, the indication or update of the TCI status actually also includes the indication or update of the beam used by the terminal device.

[0062] In addition, TCI states include a joint DL / UL TCI state, a downlink TCI state (DL-only TCI state), and an uplink TCI state (UL-only TCI state). The source reference signal included in the downlink TCI state is a downlink source reference signal, the source reference signal included in the uplink TCI state is an uplink source reference signal, and the source reference signal included in the joint TCI state is both a downlink source reference signal and an uplink source reference signal.

[0063] The joint TCI state applies to both the downlink beam (receive beam) and the uplink beam (transmit beam). In other words, the downlink and uplink beams use the same beam, but in opposite directions, creating reciprocity between the downlink and uplink beams. The downlink TCI state applies only to the downlink beam. The uplink TCI state applies only to the uplink beam. The uplink beam is also called the uplink transmit spatial filter.

[0064] The TCI field can indicate a joint DL / UL TCI state, or a separate DL / UL TCI state, that is, a downlink TCI state and / or an uplink TCI state. Indicating a joint TCI state or indicating a separate TCI state can be configured through RRC signaling. For Rel-17 unified TCI, a TCI field indicates a joint TCI state (equivalent to indicating both a downlink TCI state and an uplink TCI state), or a downlink TCI state, or an uplink TCI state, or a downlink TCI state and an uplink TCI state.

[0065] Figure 2 is a schematic diagram illustrating the application time of at least one DL TCI state indicated by a DL DCI for unified TCI, wherein the DL TCI state may be a joint DL / UL TCI state or a separate DL / UL TCI state.

[0066] As shown in Figure 2, the terminal device receives DL DCI 1 indicating at least one DL TCI state, wherein the DL TCI state indicated by DL DCI 1 is different from the DL TCI state indicated by the previous DL DCI (for example, DL DCI 0, not shown in the figure) (including the number of DL TCI states is different). The terminal device sends an ACK (ACK 1) for DL ​​DCI 1 to the network device. DL DCI 1 can be a DCI format for scheduling PDSCH or a DCI format for not scheduling PDSCH (DCI format without DL assignment). The first time slot to which the DL TCI state indicated by DL DCI 1 is applied is the first time slot after Y symbols after the last symbol of ACK1, and the starting time of the time slot is recorded as t1. Assuming that DL DCI 2 is the first DL DCI after DL DCI 1 that indicates a DL TCI state different from the DL TCI state indicated by DL DCI 1, the same method can be used to determine the first time slot to which the DL TCI state indicated by DL DCI 2 is applied, and the starting time of the time slot is recorded as t2. The application time of the DL TCI state indicated by DL DCI 1 (application time 1) includes all time slots between t1 and t2. In other words, the DL TCI state effective during application time 1 is indicated by DL DCI 1. Similarly, the application time of the DL TCI state indicated by DL DCI 2 (application time 2) can be expressed as all time slots between t2 and t3, where t3 corresponds to the time slot in which the first DL TCI state different from the DL TCI state indicated by DL DCI 2 is applied. The different DL TCI state is indicated by DL DCI 3 (not shown in the figure) located after DL DCI 2. To avoid out-of-order conditions in downlink HARQ, for DL ​​DCI 2 located after DL DCI 1, its associated ACK 2 is located after ACK 1, and cannot be located before ACK 1.

[0067] The inventors noted that in Rel-17, unified TCI is only applicable to sTRP scenarios. Considering the importance of mTRP, it is necessary to design a corresponding unified TCI mechanism for the mTRP scenario. 3GPP will standardize the unified TCI of mTRP in Rel-18. Currently, the unified TCI of mTRP has been identified as one of the project contents of Rel-18, and the standardization work of Rel-18 has not yet started. Functionally speaking, the unified TCI of mTRP needs to be able to indicate the TCI status of two TRPs to support mTRP PDSCH transmission, and also be able to indicate the TCI status of one TRP to support sTRP PDSCH transmission.

[0068] In addition, Rel-17 standardizes PDCCH repetition and SFN (Single Frequency Network) PDCCH.

[0069] For PDCCH repetition, two associated PDCCH candidates come from two CORESETs (Control Resource Sets) and carry the same control information. Each CORESET is configured with a DL TCI state. The two PDCCH repetitions are sent using the two DL TCI states of the two CORESETs, for example, by two TRPs.

[0070] For SFN PDCCH, two TRPs transmit identical PDCCHs, including the same PDCCH DMRS, on the same time-frequency resources. The two PDCCHs come from one CORESET, which is configured with two DL TCI states. The two PDCCHs are transmitted using the two DL TCI states of the same CORESET.

[0071] In Rel-17, only the unified TCI of sTRP is standardized. Since PDCCH repetition and SFN PDCCH can be applied to mTRP scenarios and belong to mTRP PDCCH, neither PDCCH repetition nor SFN PDCCH in Rel-17 uses unified TCI.

[0072] In Rel-17, for the unified TCI of sTRP, the PDCCH is associated with a TCI state (i.e., the terminal device needs to receive the PDCCH based on a TCI state), and a TCI state exists within a certain period of time of the unified TCI. The terminal device will receive the PDCCH in the following situations:

[0073] Case 1: Terminal device: Receives a PDCCH associated with a TCI state within the validity period of a TCI state.

[0074] In Rel-18, unified TCI for mTRP needs to be standardized. For unified TCI for mTRP, the PDCCH is associated with one or two TCI states (for example, PDCCH repetition is associated with two TCI states, meaning the terminal device needs to receive PDCCH repetitions based on two TCI states), and one or two TCI states exist within a certain period of time for the unified TCI (the two TCI states are associated with two TRPs, respectively). The terminal device will receive the PDCCH in the following situations:

[0075] Case 1: The terminal device receives a PDCCH associated with a TCI state within the validity period of a TCI state;

[0076] Case 2: The terminal device receives a PDCCH associated with one TCI state within the validity period of two TCI states;

[0077] Case 3: The terminal device receives PDCCHs associated with two TCI states within the validity period of one TCI state;

[0078] Case 4: The terminal device receives PDCCHs associated with two TCI states within the validity period of the two TCI states.

[0079] In other words, compared to the unified TCI of Rel-17 sTRP, scenarios 2 through 4 are new to Rel-18. How a terminal device receives the PDCCH in these scenarios is a problem that needs to be addressed. If this is not addressed, the terminal device's PDCCH reception behavior will be uncertain, leading to PDCCH reception failures.

[0080] To address at least one of the above problems, the present invention provides a signal receiving method, a signal sending method, and a device. The present invention will be described below with reference to the accompanying drawings and specific implementation methods.

[0081] In the following description, unless otherwise specified, TCI state refers to DL TCI state. The DL TCI state can be either a DL-only TCI state or a joint TCI state. For PDCCH reception, "receive" is equivalent to "monitor" and "blind decode" and can be replaced with each other. "Receiving PDCCH based on TCI state" is equivalent to "receiving PDCCH using TCI state" and can be replaced with each other. "Using unified TCI" is equivalent to "following unified TCI" and can be replaced with each other. "Receiving PDCCH repetition", "monitoring two linked PDCCH candidates" and "receiving two PDCCH copies" are equivalent to each other and can be replaced with each other. For PDCCH repetition, "two linked PDCCH candidates" is equivalent to "two PDCCH copies" and can be replaced with each other. CORESET can be replaced by search space set. "Configuration" can be configured through RRC signaling or through MAC CE. "PDCCH associated with a TCI state" is equivalent to "sTRP" "PDCCH" and "PDCCH" are equivalent and can be replaced with each other; "PDCCH associated with two TCI states" and "PDCCH repetition" are equivalent and can be replaced with each other. In addition, the embodiments of the present application are applicable to sDCI mTRP scenarios as well as mDCI mTRP scenarios.

[0082] Embodiments of the first aspect

[0083] An embodiment of the present application provides a signal receiving method, which is applied on a terminal device side.

[0084] FIG3 is a schematic diagram of a signal receiving method according to an embodiment of the present application. As shown in FIG3 , the method includes:

[0085] 301. A terminal device receives DCI, where the DCI indicates one or two TCI states.

[0086] 302. The terminal device receives a PDCCH associated with one or two TCI states within the effective time of the one or two TCI states.

[0087] It is worth noting that FIG3 above is merely a schematic illustration of an embodiment of the present application, using a terminal device as an example, but the present application is not limited thereto. For example, the execution order of the various operations may be appropriately adjusted, other operations may be added or some operations may be reduced, and the objects of the aforementioned operations may be adjusted. Those skilled in the art may make appropriate modifications based on the above description, and are not limited to the description of FIG3 above.

[0088] In an embodiment of the present application, when the PDCCH uses unified TCI, if the terminal device receives the PDCCH within a certain active time, then the terminal device should receive the PDCCH based on the TCI state within the active time. However, it is possible that the number of TCI states required to receive the PDCCH is inconsistent with the number of TCI states within the active time (such as Cases 2 to 4 described above). In this case, how to receive the PDCCH based on the TCI state is unclear and undefined, which will lead to undefined device behavior and thus PDCCH reception failure.

[0089] According to an embodiment of the present application, for different combinations of PDCCH type (PDCCH or PDCCH repetition) and the number of TCI states within the active time (one or two), the terminal device receives some or all PDCCHs based on some or all TCI states. This avoids undefined device behavior when the terminal device receives a PDCCH within the active time of two TCI states, or receives a PDCCH repetition within the active time of one or two TCI states, thereby avoiding the resulting PDCCH reception failure.

[0090] The following describes the method of the embodiment of the present application using Cases 2 to 4 as examples.

[0091] Take situation 2 as an example:

[0092] For normal PDCCH (i.e., non-PDCCH repetition or non-SFN PDCCH), it is sufficient to receive the PDCCH based on one TCI state. When the PDCCH is within the effective time of two TCI states, the terminal device is unclear about how to receive the PDCCH based on the two TCI states. The uncertainty of the terminal device's receiving behavior may cause PDCCH reception failure. "PDCCH is non-PDCCH repetition or non-SFN PDCCH", "PDCCH is not PDCCH repetition or SFN PDCCH", "PDCCH is neither PDCCH repetition nor SFN PDCCH", "PDCCH is sTRP PDCCH", "the terminal device is not configured with PDCCH repetition or SFN PDCCH", "the terminal device is neither configured with PDCCH repetition nor SFN PDCCH" are equivalent and can be replaced with each other.

[0093] To address the above issue, if the terminal device is not configured with PDCCH repetition or SFN PDCCH, when the PDCCH is within the active time of two TCI states, the terminal device can receive the PDCCH based on the following embodiments.

[0094] In some embodiments, the terminal device receives the PDCCH based on one of two TCI states, where the TCI state may be a predefined TCI state or a TCI state configured for the CORESET where the PDCCH is located.

[0095] That is, in the above embodiment, if the PDCCH is non-PDCCH repetition or non-SFN PDCCH, and the PDCCH is within the action time of two TCI states, the terminal device receives the PDCCH based on one of the above two TCI states.

[0096] For example, as shown in Figure 4, the PDSCH originates from TRP1 and TRP2, i.e., the mTRP PDSCH, and the PDCCH originates from TRP1, i.e., the sTRP PDCCH. For the mTRP PDSCH, two TCI states exist during the active time, associated with each of the two TRPs. For the sTRP PDCCH, only one TCI state is required for PDCCH reception during the active time, and the terminal device determines one of the two TCI states.

[0097] The terminal device can determine a TCI state in a predefined manner, for example, using a predefined (default) TCI state, which is the first or second TCI state; or the terminal device can determine a TCI state by configuration, for example, configuring the CORESET to use the first or second TCI state. Here, the configuration is performed at the CORESET granularity. For each CORESET, it is configured to use the first or second TCI state when there are two TCI states. The configuration can also be performed at the search space set granularity, that is, the above-mentioned CORESET can be replaced by the search space set.

[0098] In some other embodiments, the terminal device receives the PDCCH in the manner of receiving the SFN PDCCH based on two TCI states.

[0099] That is, in the above embodiment, if the PDCCH is non-PDCCH repetition or non-SFN PDCCH, and the PDCCH is within the action time of two TCI states, the terminal device receives the PDCCH in the manner of receiving SFN PDCCH based on the above two TCI states.

[0100] For example, even though a terminal device is not configured with PDCCH repetition or SFN PDCCH, when the terminal device needs to receive PDCCH within the active time of two TCI states, the terminal device considers that it has been switched to SFN PDCCH reception. As a result, the terminal device receives the PDCCH in the same manner as SFN PDCCH. It should be noted that this switching is not explicitly configured by the network device, but is obtained implicitly, that is, based on the change in the number of TCI states.

[0101] In the above embodiments, in some implementations, when receiving the PDCCH in the manner of receiving the SFN PDCCH, the terminal device uses a predefined SFN PDCCH scheme.

[0102] For example, SFN PDCCH includes two schemes, sfnSchemeA and sfnSchemeB. Since the network device does not explicitly configure SFN PDCCH, the terminal device uses a predefined (default) scheme to receive SFN PDCCH, which is sfnSchemeA or sfnSchemeB.

[0103] Take case 3 as an example:

[0104] PDCCH repetition requires two TCI states, one for each linked PDCCH candidate. When two PDCCH candidates are within the active timeframe of a TCI state, the terminal device cannot clearly determine how to receive the PDCCH based on the TCI state. This uncertainty in the terminal device's reception behavior can lead to PDCCH reception failures.

[0105] To address the above problem, if the terminal device is configured with PDCCH repetition, when two PDCCH copies are within the effective time of a TCI state, the terminal device can receive the PDCCH based on the following embodiments.

[0106] In some embodiments, the terminal device receives two PDCCH repetitions in two CORESETs based on one TCI state.

[0107] That is, if the PDCCH includes two PDCCH copies, and the two PDCCH copies are within the effective time of a TCI state, the terminal device receives the two PDCCH copies in the two CORESETs associated with the two PDCCH copies based on the TCI state.

[0108] For example, as shown in Figure 5, the PDSCH comes from one TRP (TPR1 or TPR2), so there is one TCI state during the action time. For a terminal device configured with PDCCH repetition, although it expects to receive two PDCCH copies based on two TCI states, there is only one TCI state available during the action time. In this case, the terminal device uses one TCI state to receive two PDCCH copies. As shown in Figure 5, it is equivalent to the two PDCCH copies coming from the same TRP. If the terminal device previously received two PDCCH copies from two TRPs, it is equivalent to the PDCCH repetition of the previous two TRPs (mTRP) switching to the PDCCH repetition of the current one TRP (sTRP).

[0109] In some other embodiments, the terminal device receives a PDCCH repetition in a CORESET based on a TCI state.

[0110] That is, if the PDCCH includes two PDCCH copies, and the two PDCCH copies are within the effective time of a TCI state, the terminal device receives a PDCCH copy in one of the two CORESETs associated with the two PDCCH copies based on a TCI state.

[0111] For example, as shown in Figure 6, a terminal device uses a TCI state to receive a single PDCCH repetition in a single core set. This is equivalent to switching from PDCCH repetition to sTRP PDCCH (non-PDCCH repetition). The terminal device receives the PDCCH in only one of the two core sets. From the perspective of the network device, the time and frequency resources of the other core set are freed up for transmitting other channels or signals, improving resource utilization.

[0112] In the above embodiment, in some implementations, the above-mentioned one CORESET refers to one of the following:

[0113] The CORESET with the smaller ID among the two CORESETs above;

[0114] The CORESET with the earlier starting time among the two CORESETs mentioned above;

[0115] The CORESET with the lower starting frequency of the two CORESETs mentioned above.

[0116] For example, a terminal device receives a PDCCH replica in a CORESET based on a TCI state. The CORESET is the CORESET with the smaller ID, or the earlier start time, or the lower start frequency of the two CORESETs. Without loss of generality, the CORESET may also be the CORESET with the larger ID, or the later start time, or the higher start frequency of the two CORESETs.

[0117] Take situation 4 as an example:

[0118] For PDCCH repetition, it requires two TCI states, corresponding to two linked PDCCH candidates. When the two PDCCH candidates are within the effective time of the two TCI states, the terminal device receives PDCCH repetition based on the two TCI states. However, how the two CORESETs are associated with the two TCI states is not defined. More specifically, the terminal device is not clear in which CORESET to receive the PDCCH based on the first TCI state, and in which CORESET to receive the PDCCH based on the second TCI state. The uncertainty of the terminal device's reception behavior may cause PDCCH reception failure.

[0119] To address the above problem, if the terminal device is configured with PDCCH repetition, when two PDCCH copies are within the effective time of two TCI states, the terminal device can receive the PDCCH based on the following embodiments.

[0120] In some embodiments, the terminal device receives a first PDCCH repetition in a first CORESET based on a first TCI state, and receives a second PDCCH repetition in a second CORESET based on a second TCI state.

[0121] That is, if the PDCCH includes two PDCCH copies, and the two PDCCH copies are within the effective time of two TCI states, the terminal device receives a PDCCH copy in the first CORESET based on one TCI state of the two TCI states (referred to as the first TCI state), and receives another PDCCH copy in the second CORESET based on the other TCI state of the two TCI states (referred to as the second TCI state).

[0122] in,

[0123] The first coreset is one of the following:

[0124] The CORESET with the smaller ID of the two CORESETs;

[0125] The CORESET with the earlier starting time of the two CORESETs;

[0126] The CORESET with the lower starting frequency of the two CORESETs;

[0127] The second coreset is one of the following:

[0128] The CORESET with the larger ID of the two CORESETs;

[0129] The CORESET with the later starting time of the two CORESETs;

[0130] The CORESET with the higher starting frequency of the two CORESETs.

[0131] For example, as shown in Figure 7, the PDSCH comes from TRP1 and TPR2, and there are two TCI states within the action time, which are associated with two TRPs respectively. For the PDCCH repetition within the action time, the two PDCCH copies come from two TRPs, and the terminal device receives the PDCCH repetition based on the two TCI states within the action time. The two PDCCH copies come from two CORESETs. The terminal device can receive the first PDCCH copy in the CORESET with a smaller ID based on the first TCI state, and receive the second PDCCH copy in the CORESET with a larger ID based on the second TCI state. And vice versa. Similarly, "smaller or larger ID" can be replaced by "earlier or later starting time", or, it can be replaced by "lower or higher starting frequency".

[0132] The above is just an example. In other implementations, the first CORESET may also be the CORESET with a larger ID, a later start time, or a higher start frequency among the two CORESETs. Correspondingly, the second CORESET is the CORESET with a smaller ID, an earlier start time, or a lower start frequency among the two CORESETs.

[0133] In some further embodiments, the terminal device receives a first PDCCH copy in a first CORESET based on a first TCI state, and receives a second PDCCH copy in a second CORESET based on a second TCI state, wherein the first CORESET is configured to be associated with the first TCI state and the second CORESET is configured to be associated with the second TCI state.

[0134] That is, if the PDCCH includes two PDCCH copies, and the two PDCCH copies are within the effective time of two TCI states, the terminal device receives a PDCCH copy in the first CORESET based on the first TCI state of the above two TCI states, and receives another PDCCH copy in the second CORESET based on the second TCI state of the two TCI states.

[0135] For example, the network device configures each CORESET with which TCI state the CORESET is associated, so that two CORESETs can be associated with two TCI states respectively, so that the terminal device can know in which CORESET the PDCCH copy should be received based on a TCI state.

[0136] In some further embodiments, the terminal device receives two PDCCH copies in two CORESETs based on a TCI state, wherein the TCI state is a predefined TCI state or a TCI state configured for the CORESET where the PDCCH is located.

[0137] That is, if the PDCCH includes two PDCCH copies, and these two PDCCH copies are within the effective time of two TCI states, the terminal device receives these two PDCCH copies in the two CORESETs associated with the above two PDCCH copies based on one of the two TCI states (for example, a predefined TCI state, or a TCI state configured for the CORESET where the PDCCH is located).

[0138] For example, as shown in Figure 8, the PDSCH comes from TRP1 and TPR2, and there are two TCI states during the action time, which are associated with the two TRPs respectively, that is, the PDSCH is sent and received in mTRP mode. However, the PDCCH repetition is sent and received in sTRP mode, that is, the two PDCCH copies come from the same TRP. The terminal device receives the PDCCH repetition based on one of the two TCI states. The terminal device can use the same method as for Case 2 to determine a TCI state in the two TCI states, which will not be repeated here. Although the PDSCH can switch between mTRP and sTRP modes, the PDCCH repetition always uses the sTRP mode, which is beneficial to ensure the robustness of the control channel.

[0139] In the aforementioned embodiments, the terminal device has at least two TCI states activated by the MAC CE, and the above-mentioned DCI indicates two of the TCI states. The first TCI state may be a TCI state with a smaller field ID or TCI state ID in the MAC CE, and the second TCI state may be a TCI state with a larger field ID or TCI state ID in the MAC CE.

[0140] For example, FIG9 shows an example MAC CE, illustrating only the portion related to the TCI state. A MAC CE field includes 8 bits, with field IDs as shown in FIG9 as Oct 1, Oct 2, ..., Oct N+X, and TCI state IDs as shown in FIG9 as TCI state ID 1, TCI state ID 2, ..., TCI state ID M. If the DCI indicates two TCI states, they indicate two TCI states from Oct N to Oct N+X (i.e., TCI state ID 1 to TCI state ID M, M=X+1) in FIG9 . The first TCI state is the TCI state with the smaller field ID, and the second TCI state is the TCI state with the larger field ID. Alternatively, the first TCI state is the TCI state with the smaller TCI state ID, and the second TCI state is the TCI state with the larger TCI state ID.

[0141] The above embodiments are merely examples, and the present application is not limited thereto. The first TCI state may also be a TCI state with a larger field ID or TCI state ID in the MAC CE, and the corresponding second TCI state may be a TCI state with a smaller field ID or TCI state ID in the MAC CE.

[0142] In the aforementioned embodiments, a CORESET can be configured to use unified TCI. If a terminal device is configured with PDCCH repetition, whether the two associated CORESETs use unified TCI needs to meet certain restrictions.

[0143] In some implementations, if the terminal device is configured with PDCCH repetition, both associated CORESETs use unified TCI, or neither CORESET uses unified TCI.

[0144] For example, two CORESETs used for PDCCH repetition are each configured to use unified TCI, but both CORESETs are either configured to use unified TCI or not.

[0145] For another example, among two CORESETs used for PDCCH repetition, only one CORESET is configured whether to use unified TCI, and the other CORESET is not explicitly configured but is considered to have the same configuration as its associated CORESET.

[0146] In the aforementioned embodiments, the network device may further configure the terminal device to use which method to receive the PDCCH through CORESET configuration. For example, the network device may configure, in a CORESET configured for the terminal device, a first CORESET to receive the PDCCH using a first method and a second CORESET to receive the PDCCH using a second method, where the first method and the second method are any of the methods for Cases 2 to 4.

[0147] That is, the terminal device receives a PDCCH associated with one or two TCI states in the first CORESET or CORESET pair according to the configuration of the first CORESET or CORESET pair; and receives a PDCCH associated with one or two TCI states in the second CORESET or CORESET pair according to the configuration of the second CORESET or CORESET pair.

[0148] For example, a CORESET (or a CORESET pair) is not simply configured as "not using unified TCI" or "using unified TCI." When a CORESET is configured to receive PDCCH using unified TCI, it is also configured to receive PDCCH using one of the methods described in Cases 2 to 4 above. A CORESET pair refers to two CORESETs associated with two PDCCH repetitions in a PDCCH repetition.

[0149] Figure 10 is a schematic diagram of CORESET configuration. As shown in Figure 10, a CORESET can be configured to any of the six results in Figure 10. Assuming that the first CORESET is configured to use the first method and the second CORESET is configured to use the second method, the terminal device can dynamically switch between the first method and the second method by blindly detecting the PDCCH in the two CORESETs. This provides a higher degree of freedom for PDCCH transmission on the network device side, and the network device can dynamically select the PDCCH transmission method that is suitable for the current channel to transmit PDCCH.

[0150] FIG10 is only an example, and this application does not limit this. The first method and the second method may also be other combinations.

[0151] The above embodiments are merely exemplary of the present invention, but the present invention is not limited thereto. Appropriate modifications may be made based on the above embodiments. For example, the above embodiments may be used alone, or one or more of the above embodiments may be combined.

[0152] As can be seen from the above embodiment, for different combinations of PDCCH type (PDCCH or PDCCH repetition) and the number of TCI states within the active time (one or two), the terminal device receives some or all PDCCHs based on some or all TCI states. This avoids undefined device behavior when the terminal device receives PDCCH within the active time of two TCI states, or receives PDCCH repetition within the active time of one or two TCI states, thereby avoiding the resulting PDCCH reception failure.

[0153] Embodiments of the second aspect

[0154] An embodiment of the present application provides a signal sending method, which is applied to the network device side and is a processing on the network device side corresponding to the method of the embodiment of the first aspect, wherein the contents that are the same as those of the embodiment of the first aspect are not repeated.

[0155] FIG11 is a schematic diagram of a signal transmission method according to an embodiment of the present application. As shown in FIG14 , the method includes:

[0156] 1101, a network device sends a DCI, where the DCI indicates one or two TCI states;

[0157] 1102. The network device sends a PDCCH associated with one or two TCI states within the effective time of the one or two TCI states.

[0158] It is worth noting that FIG11 above is merely a schematic illustration of an embodiment of the present application, and the present application is not limited thereto. For example, the execution order of the various operations may be appropriately adjusted, and other operations may be added or some operations may be reduced. Those skilled in the art may make appropriate modifications based on the above description, and are not limited to the description of FIG11 above.

[0159] In an embodiment of the present application, when the PDCCH uses unified TCI, if the network device sends the PDCCH within a certain active time, then the network device should send the PDCCH based on the TCI state within the active time. However, it is possible that the number of TCI states required to send the PDCCH is inconsistent with the number of TCI states within the active time (such as Cases 2 to 4 described above). In this case, how to send the PDCCH based on the TCI state is unclear and undefined, which will lead to undefined device behavior and thus cause PDCCH transmission failure.

[0160] According to an embodiment of the present application, for different combinations of PDCCH type (PDCCH or PDCCH repetition) and the number of TCI states within the active time (one or two), the network device transmits some or all PDCCHs based on some or all TCI states. This avoids undefined device behavior when the network device transmits a PDCCH within the active time of two TCI states, or transmits a PDCCH repetition within the active time of one or two TCI states, thereby avoiding the resulting PDCCH transmission failure.

[0161] In some embodiments, the PDCCH is a non-PDCCH repetition or non-SFN PDCCH, and the PDCCH is within the active time of two TCI states. The network device sends the PDCCH based on one of the two TCI states.

[0162] In the above embodiment, the TCI state may be a predefined TCI state, or a TCI state configured for the CORESET where the PDCCH is located.

[0163] In other embodiments, the PDCCH is a non-PDCCH repetition or a non-SFN PDCCH, and the PDCCH is within the effective time of two TCI states. The network device sends the PDCCH in the manner of sending an SFN PDCCH based on the two TCI states.

[0164] In the above embodiment, the network device may use a predefined SFN PDCCH scheme to send the PDCCH.

[0165] In some further embodiments, the PDCCH includes two PDCCH copies. The network device sends the two PDCCH copies in two CORESETs associated with the two PDCCH copies based on a TCI state within the effective time of the two PDCCH copies.

[0166] In some further embodiments, the PDCCH includes two PDCCH copies. Within the effective time of a TCI state, the network device sends one PDCCH copy in one of the two CORESETs associated with the two PDCCH copies based on a TCI state.

[0167] In the above embodiment, the above-mentioned one CORESET may refer to one of the following:

[0168] The CORESET with the smaller ID among the two CORESETs above;

[0169] The CORESET with the earlier starting time among the two CORESETs mentioned above;

[0170] The CORESET with the lower starting frequency of the two CORESETs mentioned above.

[0171] In some further embodiments, the PDCCH includes two PDCCH copies. Within the effective time of two TCI states, the network device sends one PDCCH copy in the first CORESET based on the first TCI state of the two TCI states, and sends another PDCCH copy in the second CORESET based on the second TCI state of the two TCI states, wherein:

[0172] The first coreset is one of the following:

[0173] The CORESET with the smaller ID of the two CORESETs;

[0174] The CORESET with the earlier starting time of the two CORESETs;

[0175] The CORESET with the lower starting frequency of the two CORESETs;

[0176] The second coreset is one of the following:

[0177] The CORESET with the larger ID of the two CORESETs;

[0178] The CORESET with the later starting time of the two CORESETs;

[0179] The CORESET with the higher starting frequency of the two CORESETs.

[0180] In some further embodiments, the PDCCH includes two PDCCH copies, and within the effective time of two TCI states, the network device sends one PDCCH copy in the first CORESET based on the first TCI state of the two TCI states, and sends another PDCCH copy in the second CORESET based on the second TCI state of the two TCI states, wherein,

[0181] The first CORESET is configured to be associated with the first TCI state;

[0182] The second CORESET is configured to be associated with the second TCI state.

[0183] In the aforementioned embodiments, the first TCI state is a TCI state with a smaller field ID or TCI state ID in the MAC CE, and the second TCI state is a TCI state with a larger field ID or TCI state ID in the MAC CE. The present application is not limited thereto.

[0184] In some further embodiments, the PDCCH includes two PDCCH copies, and the network device sends the two PDCCH copies in two CORESETs associated with the two PDCCH copies based on one of the two TCI states during the effective time of the two TCI states.

[0185] In the above embodiment, the above TCI state may be a predefined TCI state, or a TCI state configured for the CORESET where the PDCCH is located.

[0186] In the aforementioned embodiments, the two CORESETs associated with the two PDCCH repetitions may both use a unified TCI, or may not use a unified TCI, which may be configured by a network device, such as the explicit configuration or implicit configuration mentioned in the embodiment of the first aspect.

[0187] In an embodiment of the present application, the network device may further transmit a PDCCH associated with one or two TCI states within the first CORESET or CORESET pair based on the configuration of the first CORESET or CORESET pair; and transmit a PDCCH associated with one or two TCI states within the second CORESET or CORESET pair based on the configuration of the second CORESET or CORESET pair. Specifically, the network device may transmit the PDCCH using the methods of the aforementioned embodiments, the contents of which are incorporated herein and are not further described.

[0188] The above embodiments are merely exemplary of the present invention, but the present invention is not limited thereto. Appropriate modifications may be made based on the above embodiments. For example, the above embodiments may be used alone, or one or more of the above embodiments may be combined.

[0189] As can be seen from the above embodiment, for different combinations of PDCCH type (PDCCH or PDCCH repetition) and the number of TCI states within the active time (one or two), the network device transmits some or all PDCCHs based on some or all TCI states. This avoids undefined device behavior when the network device transmits PDCCHs within the active time of two TCI states, or transmits PDCCH repetitions within the active time of one or two TCI states, thereby avoiding the resulting PDCCH transmission failure.

[0190] Embodiments of the third aspect

[0191] The embodiment of the present application provides a signal receiving device, which may be, for example, a terminal device, or one or more components or assemblies configured in the terminal device, and the same contents as those in the first and second aspects of the embodiment will not be repeated.

[0192] FIG12 is a schematic diagram of a signal receiving device according to an embodiment of the present application. As shown in FIG12 , the signal receiving device 1200 according to an embodiment of the present application includes:

[0193] A first receiving unit 1201 is configured to receive DCI, where the DCI indicates one or two TCI states; and

[0194] The second receiving unit 1202 receives a PDCCH associated with one or two TCI states within the active time of the one or two TCI states.

[0195] In some embodiments, the PDCCH is a non-PDCCH repetition or non-SFN PDCCH, and the PDCCH is within the active time of two TCI states. The second receiving unit 1202 receives the PDCCH based on one of the two TCI states.

[0196] In the above embodiment, the TCI state is a predefined TCI state, or a TCI state configured for the CORESET where the PDCCH is located.

[0197] In some embodiments, the PDCCH is a non-PDCCH repetition or a non-SFN PDCCH, and the PDCCH is within the active time of two TCI states. The second receiving unit 1202 receives the PDCCH in a manner of receiving an SFN PDCCH based on the two TCI states.

[0198] In the above embodiment, the second receiving unit 1202 may receive the PDCCH using a predefined SFN PDCCH scheme.

[0199] In some embodiments, the PDCCH includes two PDCCH copies. Within the effective time of a TCI state, the second receiving unit 1202 receives the two PDCCH copies in two CORESETs associated with the two PDCCH copies based on the one TCI state.

[0200] In some embodiments, the PDCCH includes two PDCCH copies. Within the effective time of a TCI state, the second receiving unit 1202 receives a PDCCH copy in one of the two CORESETs associated with the two PDCCH copies based on the TCI state.

[0201] In the above embodiment, the above-mentioned one CORESET may refer to one of the following:

[0202] The CORESET with the smaller ID among the two CORESETs above;

[0203] The CORESET with the earlier starting time among the two CORESETs mentioned above;

[0204] The CORESET with the lower starting frequency of the two CORESETs mentioned above.

[0205] In some embodiments, the PDCCH includes two PDCCH copies. During the effective time of two TCI states, the second receiving unit 1202 receives one PDCCH copy in the first CORESET based on one TCI state (the first TCI state) of the two TCI states, and receives another PDCCH copy in the second CORESET based on the other TCI state (the second TCI state) of the two TCI states, wherein:

[0206] The first coreset is one of the following:

[0207] The CORESET with the smaller ID of the two CORESETs;

[0208] The CORESET with the earlier starting time of the two CORESETs;

[0209] The CORESET with the lower starting frequency of the two CORESETs;

[0210] The second coreset is one of the following:

[0211] The CORESET with the larger ID of the two CORESETs;

[0212] The CORESET with the later starting time of the two CORESETs;

[0213] The CORESET with the higher starting frequency of the two CORESETs.

[0214] In some embodiments, the PDCCH includes two PDCCH copies. Within the effective time of two TCI states, the second receiving unit 1202 receives one PDCCH copy in the first CORESET based on the first TCI state of the two TCI states, and receives another PDCCH copy in the second CORESET based on the second TCI state of the two TCI states, wherein:

[0215] The first CORESET is configured to be associated with the first TCI state;

[0216] The second CORESET is configured to be associated with the second TCI state.

[0217] In the aforementioned embodiments, the first TCI state is a TCI state with a smaller field ID or TCI state ID in the MAC CE, and the second TCI state is a TCI state with a larger field ID or TCI state ID in the MAC CE. The present application is not limited thereto.

[0218] In some embodiments, the PDCCH includes two PDCCH copies. During the effective time of two TCI states, the second receiving unit 1202 receives the two PDCCH copies in the two CORESETs associated with the two PDCCH copies based on one of the two TCI states.

[0219] In the above embodiment, the TCI state may be a predefined TCI state, or a TCI state configured for the CORESET where the PDCCH is located.

[0220] In the aforementioned embodiments, the two CORESETs associated with the two PDCCH repetitions both use a unified TCI, or neither uses a unified TCI.

[0221] In some embodiments, the second receiving unit 1202 receives a PDCCH associated with one or two TCI states within the first CORESET or CORESET pair based on the configuration of the first CORESET or CORESET pair; and receives a PDCCH associated with one or two TCI states within the second CORESET or CORESET pair based on the configuration of the second CORESET or CORESET pair. Specifically, the second receiving unit 1202 may receive the PDCCH using the methods of the aforementioned embodiments, which will not be further described here.

[0222] The above embodiments are merely exemplary of the present invention, but the present invention is not limited thereto. Appropriate modifications may be made based on the above embodiments. For example, the above embodiments may be used alone, or one or more of the above embodiments may be combined.

[0223] It is worth noting that the above description only describes the components or modules related to the present application, but the present application is not limited thereto. The signal receiving device 1200 may also include other components or modules. For details of these components or modules, reference may be made to related technologies.

[0224] In addition, for the sake of simplicity, FIG12 only illustrates the connection relationship or signal direction between various components or modules. However, it should be clear to those skilled in the art that various related technologies such as bus connection can be used. The above-mentioned components or modules can be implemented by hardware facilities such as processors, memories, transmitters, and receivers; the implementation of this application is not limited to this.

[0225] As can be seen from the above embodiment, for different combinations of PDCCH type (PDCCH or PDCCH repetition) and the number of TCI states within the active time (one or two), the terminal device receives some or all PDCCHs based on some or all TCI states. This avoids undefined device behavior when the terminal device receives PDCCH within the active time of two TCI states, or receives PDCCH repetition within the active time of one or two TCI states, thereby avoiding the resulting PDCCH reception failure.

[0226] Embodiments of the fourth aspect

[0227] The embodiment of the present application provides a signal sending device, which may be, for example, a network device, or one or more components or assemblies configured in the network device, and the same contents as those in the first to third aspects of the embodiment will not be repeated.

[0228] FIG13 is a schematic diagram of a signal transmitting device according to an embodiment of the present application. As shown in FIG13 , a signal transmitting device 1300 according to an embodiment of the present application includes:

[0229] A first sending unit 1301 is configured to send DCI, where the DCI indicates one or two TCI states; and

[0230] The second sending unit 1302 sends a PDCCH associated with one or two TCI states within the action time of the one or two TCI states.

[0231] In some embodiments, the PDCCH is a non-PDCCH repetition or a non-SFN PDCCH, and the PDCCH is within the active time of two TCI states. The second sending unit 1302 sends the PDCCH based on one of the two TCI states.

[0232] In the above embodiment, the TCI state is a predefined TCI state, or a TCI state configured for the CORESET where the PDCCH is located.

[0233] In some embodiments, the PDCCH is a non-PDCCH repetition or a non-SFN PDCCH, and the PDCCH is within the active time of two TCI states. The second sending unit 1302 sends the PDCCH in the manner of sending an SFN PDCCH based on the two TCI states.

[0234] In the above embodiment, the second transmitting unit 1302 transmits the PDCCH using a predefined SFN PDCCH scheme.

[0235] In some embodiments, the PDCCH includes two PDCCH copies. Within the effective time of a TCI state, the second sending unit 1302 sends the two PDCCH copies in the two CORESETs associated with the two PDCCH copies based on the above-mentioned TCI state.

[0236] In some embodiments, the PDCCH includes two PDCCH copies. Within the effective time of a TCI state, the second sending unit 1302 sends a PDCCH copy in one of the two CORESETs associated with the two PDCCH copies based on the above-mentioned TCI state.

[0237] In the above embodiment, the above-mentioned one CORESET may refer to one of the following:

[0238] The CORESET with the smaller ID among the two CORESETs above;

[0239] The CORESET with the earlier starting time among the two CORESETs mentioned above;

[0240] The CORESET with the lower starting frequency of the two CORESETs mentioned above.

[0241] In some embodiments, the PDCCH includes two PDCCH copies. Within the effective time of two TCI states, the second sending unit 1302 sends one PDCCH copy in the first CORESET based on one TCI state (the first TCI state) of the two TCI states, and sends another PDCCH copy in the second CORESET based on the other TCI state (the second TCI state) of the two TCI states, wherein:

[0242] The first coreset is one of the following:

[0243] The CORESET with the smaller ID of the two CORESETs;

[0244] The CORESET with the earlier starting time of the two CORESETs;

[0245] The CORESET with the lower starting frequency of the two CORESETs;

[0246] The second coreset is one of the following:

[0247] The CORESET with the larger ID of the two CORESETs;

[0248] The CORESET with the later starting time of the two CORESETs;

[0249] The CORESET with the higher starting frequency of the two CORESETs.

[0250] In some embodiments, the PDCCH includes two PDCCH copies. Within the effective time of two TCI states, the second sending unit 1302 sends one PDCCH copy in the first CORESET based on the first TCI state of the two TCI states, and sends another PDCCH copy in the second CORESET based on the second TCI state of the two TCI states, wherein:

[0251] A first CORESET is configured to be associated with the first TCI state;

[0252] The second CORESET is configured to be associated with the second TCI state.

[0253] In the aforementioned embodiments, the first TCI state is a TCI state with a smaller field ID or TCI state ID in the MAC CE, and the second TCI state is a TCI state with a larger field ID or TCI state ID in the MAC CE. The present application is not limited thereto.

[0254] In some embodiments, the PDCCH includes two PDCCH copies. During the effective time of two TCI states, the second sending unit 1302 sends the two PDCCH copies in two CORESETs associated with the two PDCCH copies based on one of the two TCI states.

[0255] In the above embodiment, a TCI state may be a predefined TCI state, or a TCI state configured for the CORESET where the PDCCH is located.

[0256] In the aforementioned embodiments, the two CORESETs associated with the two PDCCH repetitions may both use a unified TCI, or neither of them may use a unified TCI.

[0257] In some embodiments, the second transmitting unit 1302 transmits a PDCCH associated with one or two TCI states within the first CORESET or CORESET pair based on the configuration of the first CORESET or CORESET pair; and transmits a PDCCH associated with one or two TCI states within the second CORESET or CORESET pair based on the configuration of the second CORESET or CORESET pair. Specifically, the second transmitting unit 1302 may transmit the PDCCH using the methods of the aforementioned embodiments, which will not be further described here.

[0258] The above embodiments are merely exemplary of the present invention, but the present invention is not limited thereto. Appropriate modifications may be made based on the above embodiments. For example, the above embodiments may be used alone, or one or more of the above embodiments may be combined.

[0259] It is worth noting that the above description only describes the components or modules related to the present application, but the present application is not limited thereto. The signal transmitting device 1300 may also include other components or modules. For details of these components or modules, reference may be made to related technologies.

[0260] In addition, for the sake of simplicity, FIG13 only illustrates the connection relationship or signal direction between various components or modules. However, it should be clear to those skilled in the art that various related technologies such as bus connection can be used. The above-mentioned components or modules can be implemented by hardware facilities such as processors, memories, transmitters, and receivers; the implementation of this application is not limited to this.

[0261] As can be seen from the above embodiment, for different combinations of PDCCH type (PDCCH or PDCCH repetition) and the number of TCI states within the active time (one or two), the network device transmits some or all PDCCHs based on some or all TCI states. This avoids undefined device behavior when the network device transmits PDCCHs within the active time of two TCI states, or transmits PDCCH repetitions within the active time of one or two TCI states, thereby avoiding the resulting PDCCH transmission failure.

[0262] Embodiments of the fifth aspect

[0263] An embodiment of the present application also provides a communication system, and reference may be made to FIG1 . The contents that are the same as those in the embodiments of the first to fourth aspects will not be repeated.

[0264] In some embodiments, the communication system 100 may include at least a network device and a terminal device, wherein the network device may send a DCI indicating one or two TCI states, and in addition, the network device may also send a PDCCH associated with one or two TCI states within the effective time of the above-mentioned one or two TCI states; the terminal device receives the DCI and receives the PDCCH associated with one or two TCI states within the effective time of the above-mentioned one or two TCI states.

[0265] The contents regarding the network device and the terminal device have been described in detail in the embodiments of the first to fourth aspects, and their contents are incorporated herein and will not be repeated here.

[0266] The embodiment of the present application also provides a terminal device, but the present application is not limited thereto and may also be other devices.

[0267] Figure 14 is a schematic diagram of a terminal device according to an embodiment of the present application. As shown in Figure 14 , terminal device 1400 may include a processor 1410 and a memory 1420. Memory 1420 stores data and programs and is coupled to processor 1410. It should be noted that this diagram is exemplary; other types of structures may be used to supplement or replace this structure to implement telecommunication or other functions.

[0268] For example, the processor 1410 may be configured to execute a program to implement the method according to the embodiment of the first aspect. For example, the processor 1410 may be configured to perform the following control: receiving DCI, where the DCI indicates one or two TCI states; and receiving a PDCCH associated with the one or two TCI states within the active period of the one or two TCI states.

[0269] As shown in Figure 14 , the terminal device 1400 may further include: a communication module 1430, an input unit 1440, a display 1450, and a power supply 1460. The functions of these components are similar to those in the prior art and are not described in detail here. It is worth noting that the terminal device 1400 does not necessarily include all of the components shown in Figure 14 , and these components are not essential. Furthermore, the terminal device 1400 may also include components not shown in Figure 14 , for which reference may be made to the prior art.

[0270] An embodiment of the present application further provides a network device, which may be, for example, a base station, but the present application is not limited thereto and may also be other network devices.

[0271] Figure 15 is a schematic diagram illustrating the structure of a network device according to an embodiment of the present application. As shown in Figure 15 , network device 1500 may include a processor 1510 (e.g., a central processing unit (CPU)) and a memory 1520; memory 1520 is coupled to processor 1510. Memory 1520 may store various data and may also store an information processing program 1530, which is executed under the control of processor 1510.

[0272] For example, the processor 1510 may be configured to execute a program to implement the method according to the embodiment of the second aspect. For example, the processor 1510 may be configured to perform the following control: sending DCI, where the DCI indicates one or two TCI states; and sending a PDCCH associated with one or two TCI states during the active period of the one or two TCI states.

[0273] In addition, as shown in FIG15 , network device 1500 may further include: a transceiver 1540 and an antenna 1550, etc.; wherein, the functions of the above components are similar to those in the prior art and are not described in detail here. It is worth noting that network device 1500 does not necessarily include all the components shown in FIG15 ; in addition, network device 1500 may also include components not shown in FIG15 , and reference may be made to the prior art for details.

[0274] An embodiment of the present application further provides a computer program, wherein when the program is executed in a terminal device, the program causes the terminal device to execute the method described in the embodiment of the first aspect.

[0275] An embodiment of the present application further provides a storage medium storing a computer program, wherein the computer program enables a terminal device to execute the method described in the embodiment of the first aspect.

[0276] An embodiment of the present application further provides a computer program, wherein when the program is executed in a network device, the program causes the network device to execute the method described in the embodiment of the second aspect.

[0277] An embodiment of the present application further provides a storage medium storing a computer program, wherein the computer program enables a network device to execute the method described in the embodiment of the second aspect.

[0278] The above devices and methods of the present application can be implemented by hardware or by a combination of hardware and software. The present application relates to such a computer-readable program that, when executed by a logic component, enables the logic component to implement the devices or components described above, or enables the logic component to implement the various methods or steps described above. The present application also relates to a storage medium for storing the above program, such as a hard disk, a magnetic disk, an optical disk, a DVD, a flash memory, etc.

[0279] The method / device described in conjunction with the embodiments of the present application can be directly embodied as hardware, a software module executed by a processor, or a combination of the two. For example, one or more of the functional block diagrams shown in the figure and / or one or more combinations of functional block diagrams can correspond to various software modules of the computer program flow or to various hardware modules. These software modules can respectively correspond to the various steps shown in the figure. These hardware modules can be implemented by solidifying these software modules, for example, using a field programmable gate array (FPGA).

[0280] The software module may be located in RAM memory, flash memory, ROM memory, EPROM memory, EEPROM memory, registers, a hard disk, a removable disk, a CD-ROM, or any other form of storage medium known in the art. A storage medium may be coupled to a processor so that the processor can read information from the storage medium and write information to the storage medium; or the storage medium may be an integral part of the processor. The processor and the storage medium may be located in an ASIC. The software module may be stored in the memory of the mobile terminal or in a memory card that can be inserted into the mobile terminal. For example, if the device (such as a mobile terminal) uses a large-capacity MEGA-SIM card or a large-capacity flash memory device, the software module may be stored in the MEGA-SIM card or the large-capacity flash memory device.

[0281] One or more of the functional blocks and / or one or more combinations of functional blocks described in the accompanying drawings may be implemented as 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 device, a discrete gate or transistor logic device, a discrete hardware component, or any appropriate combination thereof for performing the functions described in this application. One or more of the functional blocks and / or one or more combinations of functional blocks described in the accompanying drawings may also be implemented as a combination of computing devices, such as a combination of a DSP and a microprocessor, multiple microprocessors, one or more microprocessors in communication with a DSP, or any other such configuration.

[0282] The present application has been described above in conjunction with specific embodiments. However, those skilled in the art should understand that these descriptions are merely illustrative and are not intended to limit the scope of protection of the present application. Those skilled in the art may make various modifications and variations to the present application based on the spirit and principles of the present application, and such modifications and variations are also within the scope of the present application.

[0283] Regarding the implementation methods including the above embodiments, the following additional notes are also disclosed:

[0284] 1. A signal receiving method, wherein the method comprises:

[0285] The terminal device receives DCI, where the DCI indicates one or two TCI states;

[0286] The terminal device receives a PDCCH associated with one or two TCI states within the effective time of the one or two TCI states.

[0287] 2. The method according to Supplementary Note 1, wherein the method comprises:

[0288] The terminal device receives, in accordance with a configuration of the first CORESET or CORESET pair, a PDCCH associated with one or two TCI states within the first CORESET or CORESET pair;

[0289] The terminal device receives a PDCCH associated with one or two TCI states in the second CORESET or CORESET pair according to the configuration of the second CORESET or CORESET pair.

[0290] 3. The method according to Note 1 or 2, wherein the PDCCH is a non-PDCCH repetition or a non-SFN PDCCH, the PDCCH is within the action time of two TCI states, and the terminal device receives the PDCCH based on one of the two TCI states.

[0291] 4. The method according to Supplement 3, wherein:

[0292] The TCI state is a predefined TCI state, or a TCI state configured for the CORESET where the PDCCH is located.

[0293] 5. The method according to Note 1 or 2, wherein the PDCCH is a non-PDCCH repetition or a non-SFN PDCCH, and the PDCCH is within the action time of two TCI states, and the terminal device receives the PDCCH in the manner of receiving SFN PDCCH based on the two TCI states.

[0294] 6. The method according to Note 5, wherein the terminal device receives the PDCCH using a predefined SFN PDCCH scheme.

[0295] 7. The method according to Note 1 or 2, wherein the PDCCH includes two PDCCH copies, and the two PDCCH copies receive two PDCCH copies in two CORESETs associated with the two PDCCH copies based on the one TCI state within the effective time of the two PDCCH copies.

[0296] 8. The method according to Note 1 or 2, wherein the PDCCH includes two PDCCH copies, and the two PDCCH copies receive a PDCCH copy in one of the two CORESETs associated with the two PDCCH copies based on the TCI state within the effective time of the two PDCCH copies.

[0297] 9. The method according to Supplementary Note 8, wherein the one CORESET is one of the following:

[0298] The CORESET with the smaller ID among the two CORESETs;

[0299] The CORESET with the earlier starting time among the two CORESETs;

[0300] The CORESET with the lower starting frequency among the two CORESETs.

[0301] 10. The method according to Note 1 or 2, wherein the PDCCH includes two PDCCH copies, and within the effective time of two TCI states, the terminal device receives one of the PDCCH copies in the first CORESET based on the first TCI state of the two TCI states, and receives the other PDCCH copy in the second CORESET based on the second TCI state of the two TCI states, wherein,

[0302] The first coreset is one of the following:

[0303] The CORESET with the smaller ID of the two CORESETs;

[0304] The CORESET with the earlier starting time of the two CORESETs;

[0305] The CORESET with the lower starting frequency of the two CORESETs;

[0306] The second coreset is one of the following:

[0307] The CORESET with the larger ID of the two CORESETs;

[0308] The CORESET with the later starting time of the two CORESETs;

[0309] The CORESET with the higher starting frequency of the two CORESETs.

[0310] 11. The method according to Note 1 or 2, wherein the PDCCH includes two PDCCH copies, and within the effective time of two TCI states, the terminal device receives one of the PDCCH copies in the first CORESET based on the first TCI state of the two TCI states, and receives the other PDCCH copy in the second CORESET based on the second TCI state of the two TCI states, wherein,

[0311] The first CORESET is configured to be associated with the first TCI state;

[0312] The second CORESET is configured to be associated with the second TCI state.

[0313] 12. The method according to Supplement 10 or 11, wherein:

[0314] The first TCI state is a TCI state with a smaller field ID or TCI state ID in the MAC CE;

[0315] The second TCI state is a TCI state with a larger field ID or TCI state ID in the MAC CE.

[0316] 13. The method according to Note 1 or 2, wherein the PDCCH includes two PDCCH copies, and the two PDCCH copies are received by the terminal device in two CORESETs associated with the two PDCCH copies based on one TCI state in the two TCI states during the effective time of the two TCI states.

[0317] 14. The method according to Supplement 13, wherein:

[0318] The TCI state is a predefined TCI state, or a TCI state configured for the CORESET where the PDCCH is located.

[0319] 15. The method according to Note 1 or 2, wherein the PDCCH includes two PDCCH copies, and the two CORESETs associated with the two PDCCH copies both use a unified TCI, or neither uses a unified TCI.

[0320] 16. A signal transmission method, wherein the method comprises:

[0321] The network device sends a DCI, where the DCI indicates one or two TCI states;

[0322] The network device sends a PDCCH associated with one or two TCI states within the active time of the one or two TCI states.

[0323] 17. The method according to Supplement 16, wherein the method comprises:

[0324] The network device sends, in accordance with a configuration of the first CORESET or CORESET pair, a PDCCH associated with one or two TCI states within the first CORESET or CORESET pair;

[0325] The network device sends a PDCCH associated with one or two TCI states in the second CORESET or CORESET pair according to the configuration of the second CORESET or CORESET pair.

[0326] 18. The method according to Note 16 or 17, wherein the PDCCH is a non-PDCCH repetition or a non-SFN PDCCH, the PDCCH is within the action time of two TCI states, and the network device sends the PDCCH based on one of the two TCI states.

[0327] 19. The method according to Supplement 18, wherein:

[0328] The TCI state is a predefined TCI state, or a TCI state configured for the CORESET where the PDCCH is located.

[0329] 20. The method according to Note 16 or 17, wherein the PDCCH is a non-PDCCH repetition or a non-SFN PDCCH, the PDCCH is within the action time of two TCI states, and the network device sends the PDCCH in the manner of sending an SFN PDCCH based on the two TCI states.

[0330] 21. The method according to Note 20, wherein the network device sends the PDCCH using a predefined SFN PDCCH scheme.

[0331] 22. The method according to Note 16 or 17, wherein the PDCCH includes two PDCCH copies, and the two PDCCH copies are sent by the network device in the two CORESETs associated with the two PDCCH copies based on the one TCI state within the effective time of the two PDCCH copies.

[0332] 23. A method according to Note 16 or 17, wherein the PDCCH includes two PDCCH copies, and the two PDCCH copies send a PDCCH copy in one of the two CORESETs associated with the two PDCCH copies based on the TCI state within the effective time of the two PDCCH copies.

[0333] 24. The method according to Supplementary Note 23, wherein the one CORESET is one of the following:

[0334] The CORESET with the smaller ID among the two CORESETs;

[0335] The CORESET with the earlier starting time among the two CORESETs;

[0336] The CORESET with the lower starting frequency among the two CORESETs.

[0337] 25. The method according to Note 16 or 17, wherein the PDCCH includes two PDCCH copies, and within the effective time of two TCI states, the network device sends one PDCCH copy in the first CORESET based on the first TCI state of the two TCI states, and sends the other PDCCH copy in the second CORESET based on the second TCI state of the two TCI states, wherein

[0338] The first coreset is one of the following:

[0339] The CORESET with the smaller ID of the two CORESETs;

[0340] The CORESET with the earlier starting time of the two CORESETs;

[0341] The CORESET with the lower starting frequency of the two CORESETs;

[0342] The second coreset is one of the following:

[0343] The CORESET with the larger ID of the two CORESETs;

[0344] The CORESET with the later starting time of the two CORESETs;

[0345] The CORESET with the higher starting frequency of the two CORESETs.

[0346] 26. The method according to Note 16 or 17, wherein the PDCCH includes two PDCCH copies, and within the effective time of two TCI states, the network device sends one PDCCH copy in the first CORESET based on the first TCI state of the two TCI states, and sends the other PDCCH copy in the second CORESET based on the second TCI state of the two TCI states, wherein

[0347] The first CORESET is configured to be associated with the first TCI state;

[0348] The second CORESET is configured to be associated with the second TCI state.

[0349] 27. The method according to Supplement 25 or 26, wherein:

[0350] The first TCI state is a TCI state with a smaller field ID or TCI state ID in the MAC CE;

[0351] The second TCI state is a TCI state with a larger field ID or TCI state ID in the MAC CE.

[0352] 28. The method according to Note 16 or 17, wherein the PDCCH includes two PDCCH copies, and the two PDCCH copies are sent by the network device in two CORESETs associated with the two PDCCH copies based on one TCI state in the two TCI states within the effective time of two TCI states.

[0353] 29. The method according to Supplementary Note 28, wherein:

[0354] The TCI state is a predefined TCI state, or a TCI state configured for the CORESET where the PDCCH is located.

[0355] 30. The method according to Note 16 or 17, wherein the PDCCH includes two PDCCH copies, and the two CORESETs associated with the two PDCCH copies both use a unified TCI, or neither uses a unified TCI.

[0356] 31. A terminal device comprising a memory and a processor, wherein the memory stores a computer program, and the processor is configured to execute the computer program to implement the method as described in any one of Notes 1 to 15.

[0357] 32. A network device comprising a memory and a processor, wherein the memory stores a computer program, and the processor is configured to execute the computer program to implement the method as described in any one of Notes 16 to 30.

[0358] 33. A communication system comprising a network device and a terminal device, wherein:

[0359] The network device is configured to send a DCI, and send a PDCCH associated with one or two TCI states within the effective time of one or two TCI states indicated by the DCI;

[0360] The terminal device is configured to receive the DCI and receive a PDCCH associated with one or two TCI states within the effective time of the one or two TCI states indicated by the DCI.

Claims

1. A signal receiving device, configured in a terminal device, wherein: The device comprises: a first receiving unit configured to receive downlink control information, wherein the downlink control information indicates one or two transmission configuration indication states; The second receiving unit receives a physical downlink control channel associated with one or two transmission configuration indication states within the effective time of the one or two transmission configuration indication states.

2. The device according to claim 1, wherein The physical downlink control channel is a non-PDCCH repetition or a non-SFN PDCCH, and the physical downlink control channel is within the effective time of two transmission configuration indication states. The second receiving unit receives the physical downlink control channel based on one of the two transmission configuration indication states.

3. The device according to claim 2, wherein The transmission configuration indication state is a predefined transmission configuration indication state, or a transmission configuration indication state configured for a control resource set where the physical downlink control channel is located.

4. The device according to claim 1, wherein The physical downlink control channel includes two physical downlink control channel copies. The two physical downlink control channel copies are received by the second receiving unit in two control resource sets associated with the two physical downlink control channel copies based on the one transmission configuration indication state within the effective time of the two physical downlink control channel copies.

5. The device according to claim 1, wherein The physical downlink control channel includes two physical downlink control channel copies. During the effective time of two transmission configuration indication states, the second receiving unit receives one of the physical downlink control channel copies in the first control resource set based on the first transmission configuration indication state of the two transmission configuration indication states, and receives the other of the physical downlink control channel copies in the second control resource set based on the second transmission configuration indication state of the two transmission configuration indication states, wherein: The first control resource set is one of the following: The control resource set with the smaller ID among the two control resource sets; The control resource set with the earlier start time of the two control resource sets; The control resource set with the lower starting frequency among the two control resource sets; The second control resource set is one of the following: The control resource set with the larger ID of the two control resource sets; The control resource set with the later start time of the two control resource sets; The control resource set with the higher starting frequency of the two control resource sets.

6. The device according to claim 5, wherein The first transmission configuration indication state is a transmission configuration indication state with a smaller field ID or transmission configuration indication state ID in the media access control control unit; The second transmission configuration indication state is a transmission configuration indication state with a larger field ID or transmission configuration indication state ID in the media access control control unit.

7. The device according to claim 1, wherein The physical downlink control channel includes two physical downlink control channel copies, and two control resource sets associated with the two physical downlink control channel copies both use a unified transmission configuration indication, or neither uses a unified transmission configuration indication.

8. The device according to claim 1, wherein The physical downlink control channel includes two physical downlink control channel copies. During the effective time of two transmission configuration indication states, the second receiving unit receives one of the physical downlink control channel copies in the first control resource set based on the first transmission configuration indication state of the two transmission configuration indication states, and receives the other of the physical downlink control channel copies in the second control resource set based on the second transmission configuration indication state of the two transmission configuration indication states, wherein: The first set of control resources is configured to be associated with the first transmission configuration indication state; The second set of control resources is configured to be associated with the second transmission configuration indication state.

9. The device according to claim 8, wherein The first transmission configuration indication state is a transmission configuration indication state with a smaller field ID or transmission configuration indication state ID in the media access control control unit; The second transmission configuration indication state is a transmission configuration indication state with a larger field ID or transmission configuration indication state ID in the media access control control unit.

10. The device according to claim 1, wherein The second receiving unit receives, according to the configuration of the first control resource set or the control resource set pair, a physical downlink control channel associated with one or two transmission configuration indication states in the first control resource set or the control resource set pair; The second receiving unit receives a physical downlink control channel associated with one or two transmission configuration indication states in the second control resource set or the control resource set pair according to the configuration of the second control resource set or the control resource set pair.

11. A signal sending device, configured in a network device, wherein: The device comprises: a first sending unit, configured to send downlink control information, where the downlink control information indicates one or two transmission configuration indication states; The second sending unit is configured to send a physical downlink control channel associated with one or two transmission configuration indication states within the effective time of the one or two transmission configuration indication states.

12. The device according to claim 11, wherein The physical downlink control channel is a non-PDCCH repetition or a non-SFN PDCCH, the physical downlink control channel is within the effective time of two transmission configuration indication states, and the second sending unit sends the physical downlink control channel based on one of the two transmission configuration indication states.

13. The device according to claim 12, wherein The transmission configuration indication state is a predefined transmission configuration indication state, or a transmission configuration indication state configured for a control resource set where the physical downlink control channel is located.

14. The device according to claim 11, wherein The physical downlink control channel includes two physical downlink control channel copies. The two physical downlink control channel copies are sent by the second sending unit in two control resource sets associated with the two physical downlink control channel copies based on the one transmission configuration indication state within the effective time of the two physical downlink control channel copies.

15. The device according to claim 11, wherein The physical downlink control channel includes two physical downlink control channel copies. Within the effective time of two transmission configuration indication states, the second sending unit sends one of the physical downlink control channel copies in a first control resource set based on a first transmission configuration indication state of the two transmission configuration indication states, and sends another of the physical downlink control channel copies in a second control resource set based on a second transmission configuration indication state of the two transmission configuration indication states, wherein: The first control resource set is one of the following: The control resource set with the smaller ID among the two control resource sets; The control resource set with the earlier start time of the two control resource sets; The control resource set with the lower starting frequency among the two control resource sets; The second control resource set is one of the following: The control resource set with the larger ID of the two control resource sets; The control resource set with the later start time of the two control resource sets; The control resource set with the higher starting frequency of the two control resource sets.

16. The device according to claim 15, wherein The first transmission configuration indication state is a transmission configuration indication state with a smaller field ID or transmission configuration indication state ID in the media access control control unit; The second transmission configuration indication state is a transmission configuration indication state with a larger field ID or transmission configuration indication state ID in the media access control control unit.

17. The device according to claim 11, wherein The physical downlink control channel includes two physical downlink control channel copies, and two control resource sets associated with the two physical downlink control channel copies both use a unified transmission configuration indication, or neither uses a unified transmission configuration indication.

18. The device according to claim 11, wherein The physical downlink control channel includes two physical downlink control channel copies. Within the effective time of two transmission configuration indication states, the second sending unit sends one of the physical downlink control channel copies in a first control resource set based on a first transmission configuration indication state of the two transmission configuration indication states, and sends another of the physical downlink control channel copies in a second control resource set based on a second transmission configuration indication state of the two transmission configuration indication states, wherein: The first set of control resources is configured to be associated with the first transmission configuration indication state; The second set of control resources is configured to be associated with the second transmission configuration indication state.

19. The device according to claim 11, wherein The second sending unit sends a physical downlink control channel associated with one or two transmission configuration indication states in the first control resource set or the control resource set pair according to the configuration of the first control resource set or the control resource set pair; The second sending unit sends a physical downlink control channel associated with one or two transmission configuration indication states in the second control resource set or the control resource set pair according to the configuration of the second control resource set or the control resource set pair.

20. A communication system comprising a network device and a terminal device, wherein: The network device is configured to send downlink control information, and send a physical downlink control channel associated with one or two transmission configuration indication states within the effective time of one or two transmission configuration indication states indicated by the downlink control information; The terminal device is configured to receive the downlink control information, and receive a physical downlink control channel associated with one or two transmission configuration indication states within the effective time of one or two transmission configuration indication states indicated by the downlink control information.

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