Communication method and device

Abstract

The invention discloses a communication method and device, relates to the technical field of wireless communication, and is used for realizing network energy conservation. The method comprises the following steps: network equipment receives an uplink wake-up signal from a terminal in a first cell, wherein the terminal is an idle-state or inactive-state terminal; and the network equipment determines whether the terminal satisfies a cell reselection condition according to the uplink wake-up signal, and if it is determined that the terminal satisfies the cell reselection condition, downlink indication information is sent in a first cell, and the downlink indication information indicates the terminal to perform cell reselection.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The embodiments of the present application relate to the field of wireless communication technology, and in particular, to a communication method and device. Background Art

[0002] Cell reselection is a cell selection mechanism for idle and inactive terminals. After an idle / inactive terminal resides in a cell, it periodically measures the downlink reference signals of the serving cell and neighboring cells. When the downlink reference signal strength of the serving cell is lower than the threshold, the terminal can select a cell with higher priority or better signal quality as the serving cell.

[0003] Currently, during the cell reselection process, the network side needs to send downlink reference signals in multiple cells so that the idle / inactive terminal can measure the downlink reference signals of multiple cells, which is not conducive to network energy saving. Summary of the invention

[0004] The embodiments of the present application provide a communication method and device for achieving network energy saving.

[0005] In a first aspect, a communication method is provided, which can be applied to a network device, or to a device (such as a chip) located inside the network device, and can also be applied to a unit or module with corresponding functions that constitutes the network device. The following description is taken as an example of a network device. The method includes: the network device receives an uplink wake-up signal from a terminal in a first cell, and the terminal is an idle or inactive terminal; the network device determines whether the terminal meets the cell reselection condition based on the uplink wake-up signal; if it is determined that the terminal meets the cell reselection condition, downlink indication information is sent in the first cell, and the downlink indication information instructs the terminal to perform cell reselection.

[0006] The idle / inactive terminal can send an uplink wake-up signal, so that the network device can determine whether the terminal meets the cell reselection condition based on the measurement of the uplink wake-up signal, and instruct the terminal to reselect the cell when the cell reselection condition is met. Since the network device makes a cell reselection decision based on the measurement of the uplink wake-up signal in the above implementation, network energy saving can be achieved compared to the related art in which the network device periodically sends a downlink reference signal for the terminal to measure.

[0007] In a possible implementation, the first downlink reference signal further includes: the first downlink reference signal includes resource configuration information, and the first downlink reference signal is sent periodically. Optionally, the resource configuration information indicates a resource of the first uplink wake-up signal.

[0008] In a possible implementation, the resource configuration information is at a cell level, for example, the resource configuration information includes first configuration information, and the first configuration information indicates First Resource , the first resource is a resource used to send the uplink wake-up signal in the first cell.

[0009] In one possible implementation, the resource configuration information is at the cell group level, for example, the resource configuration information includes first configuration information, the first configuration information indicates a first resource, the first resource is a resource used by a cell in a first cell group to send an uplink wake-up signal, and the first cell group includes the first cell.

[0010] In one possible implementation, the resource configuration information includes M configuration information, the M configuration information includes first configuration information, the first configuration information indicates a first resource, the first resource is a resource used to send the uplink wake-up signal in the first cell, and M is an integer greater than 1.

[0011] Optionally, the M configuration information also includes second configuration information, and the second configuration information indicates Second capital source , the second resource is a resource used to send an uplink wake-up signal in the second cell. Based on the above implementation, the terminal can send an uplink wake-up signal in multiple cells, so that the network device can measure the uplink wake-up signals received in multiple cells to make a cell reselection decision.

[0012] In a possible implementation, the resource configuration information includes N candidate configuration information, the N candidate configuration information indicates N candidate resources used to send the uplink wake-up signal in the first cell, and the N candidate configuration information is associated with K terminal identifiers, and N and K are both integers greater than or equal to 1. Accordingly, after the first cell receives an uplink wake-up signal from a terminal, it also includes: determining first configuration information corresponding to the resource of the uplink wake-up signal, the first configuration information being one of the N candidate configuration information; and determining the terminal that sends the uplink wake-up signal according to the terminal identifier associated with the first configuration information.

[0013] In a possible implementation, the resource configuration information includes one or more of the following information: a sending period of the uplink wake-up signal, a time domain offset of the uplink wake-up signal, an absolute position of a time domain symbol of the uplink wake-up signal, a frequency domain offset of the uplink wake-up signal, an absolute position of a frequency domain carrier of the uplink wake-up signal, a root sequence of the uplink wake-up signal, a zero correlation domain of the sequence of the uplink wake-up signal, a target receiving strength of the uplink wake-up signal, a maximum number of power ramping times of the uplink wake-up signal, and a power ramping step size of the uplink wake-up signal; wherein the time domain offset indicates an offset of a time domain where the uplink wake-up signal is located relative to a time domain where the first downlink reference signal is located, and the frequency domain offset indicates an offset of a frequency domain where the uplink wake-up signal is located relative to a frequency domain where the first downlink reference signal is located.

[0014] In one possible implementation, the first downlink reference signal also includes an initial access signal block, or includes an initial access signal block and system information; wherein the initial access signal block includes one or more of the following information: a synchronization signal, an SSB, or partial information in a synchronization signal or MIB.

[0015] In a possible implementation, it is further included: determining that there is no connected terminal in the first cell, and that no uplink wake-up signal with a signal strength exceeding a set threshold is received on an uplink signal resource within a set time, and stopping sending the first downlink reference signal in the first cell, wherein the uplink signal resource includes a resource indicated by the resource configuration information for sending an uplink wake-up signal in the first cell. This implementation can achieve network energy saving.

[0016] In one possible implementation, the determination that the first cell satisfies the first condition includes: determining that there are no connected terminals in the first cell, and that no uplink wake-up signal with a signal strength exceeding a set threshold is received on the uplink signal resource within a set time period; wherein the uplink signal resource includes the resources used to send the uplink wake-up signal in the first cell indicated by the resource configuration information.

[0017] Optionally, the receiving of an uplink wake-up signal from a terminal in the first cell includes: receiving the uplink wake-up signal periodically sent from the terminal in the first cell. That is to say, the prerequisite for this implementation is that an idle or inactive terminal periodically sends the uplink wake-up signal in the first cell, so that once the network device does not receive any uplink wake-up signal sent by an idle or inactive terminal for a period of time, or even if an uplink wake-up signal is received but the signal strength is weak, it can be determined that there are no longer idle or inactive terminals in the first cell, and the first cell can be put to sleep to achieve network energy saving.

[0018] In a possible implementation, it also includes: if an uplink signal with a signal strength exceeding a set threshold is not received on an uplink signal resource within a set duration, a second downlink reference signal is sent in the first cell, and the second downlink reference signal is used to trigger idle and inactive terminals that receive the second downlink reference signal to send an uplink response signal in the first cell; wherein the uplink signal resources include resources used to send the uplink wake-up signal in the first cell as indicated by the resource configuration information, and / or resources used to send the uplink response signal in the first cell. Determining that the first cell satisfies the first condition includes: determining that there is no connected terminal in the first cell, and that the uplink response signal with a signal strength exceeding a set threshold is not received on the resources used by the uplink response signal within a set duration.

[0019] Optionally, the uplink wake-up signal is sent by the terminal when it is determined that the signal strength of the received first downlink signal is lower than a set threshold. That is to say, the prerequisite of this implementation method is that when the signal strength of the first downlink signal received by the idle or inactive terminal in the first cell is low (indicating that cell reselection may be required), the uplink wake-up signal is sent in the first cell, so that the network device determines whether to instruct the terminal to reselect the cell based on the signal strength of the uplink wake-up signal. Since the uplink wake-up signal is not sent unconditionally and periodically, the network device cannot determine whether there are still idle and inactive terminals in the first cell based on the uplink wake-up signal alone. In order to determine whether there are idle and inactive terminals in the first cell, the network device can send a second downlink reference signal in the first cell when it does not receive an uplink wake-up signal and / or an uplink response signal with a sufficiently strong signal strength within a period of time, so as to trigger the idle and inactive terminals to send corresponding uplink response signals, so that the network device can determine whether there are still idle and inactive terminals in the first cell based on whether it can receive an uplink response signal with a sufficiently strong signal.

[0020] In one possible implementation, the downlink indication information includes first information, the first information indicates the format of first configuration information, the first configuration information indicates a first resource, the first resource is a resource used to send the uplink wake-up signal in the first cell, and the first configuration information is associated with at least one terminal identifier.

[0021] In a possible implementation manner, the downlink indication information further includes third information, and the third information indicates a target cell.

[0022] In a possible implementation manner, the third information indicates one or more of the following information:

[0023] The cell identifier of the target cell;

[0024] Downlink signal resource configuration information, used to indicate resources used for sending a downlink reference signal on the target cell, the downlink reference signal includes resource configuration information, the resource configuration information indicates resources for sending an uplink wake-up signal on the target cell, and the downlink reference signal is sent periodically;

[0025] The uplink signal resource configuration information is used to indicate the resources used to send an uplink wake-up signal on the target cell. The uplink wake-up signal is used by a network device to determine whether the terminal satisfies a cell reselection condition after residing in the target cell.

[0026] A possible implementation method also includes: if the periodic sending of the downlink reference signal has been stopped in the target cell, and the target cell is a cell under the network device, then restarting the periodic sending of the downlink reference signal in the target cell; or, if the periodic sending of the downlink reference signal has been stopped in the target cell, and the target cell is a cell under other network devices, then instructing the other network devices to restart the periodic sending of the downlink reference signal in the target cell.

[0027] In a possible implementation, it also includes: receiving an uplink wake-up signal from the terminal in the second cell; determining whether the terminal meets the cell reselection condition based on the uplink wake-up signal includes: determining whether the terminal meets the cell reselection condition based on the signal strength of the uplink wake-up signal received in the first cell and the signal strength of the uplink signal received on the second cell.

[0028] In a second aspect, a communication method is provided, which can be applied to a terminal, and the method includes: sending an uplink wake-up signal in a first cell, the uplink wake-up signal is used by a network device to determine whether the terminal meets a cell reselection condition, the terminal is a terminal that sends the uplink wake-up signal, and the terminal is an idle or inactive terminal; receiving downlink indication information in the first cell, the downlink indication information instructing the terminal to perform cell reselection; performing cell reselection or making a cell reselection decision according to the downlink indication information.

[0029] In a possible implementation, before sending an uplink wake-up signal in the first cell, it also includes: receiving a first downlink reference signal in the first cell, the first downlink reference signal includes resource configuration information, and the first downlink reference signal is sent periodically; sending an uplink wake-up signal in the first cell includes: sending the uplink wake-up signal in the first cell according to the resource configuration information.

[0030] In one possible implementation, the resource configuration information includes first configuration information, the first configuration information indicates a first resource, and the first resource is a resource used to send the uplink wake-up signal in the first cell; or, the resource configuration information includes first configuration information, the first configuration information indicates a first resource, and the first resource is a resource used to send an uplink wake-up signal in a cell in a first cell group, and the first cell group includes the first cell.

[0031] In a possible implementation, the resource configuration information includes M configuration information, the M configuration information includes first configuration information and second configuration information, the first configuration information indicates a first resource, the first resource is a resource used by a cell in a first cell group to send an uplink wake-up signal, the second configuration information indicates a second resource, the second resource is a resource used by a second cell to send an uplink wake-up signal; the sending an uplink wake-up signal in the first cell includes: sending an uplink wake-up signal in the first cell according to the first configuration information. The method also includes: sending an uplink wake-up signal in the second cell according to the second configuration information.

[0032] In one possible implementation, the resource configuration information includes N candidate configuration information, the N candidate configuration information indicates N candidate resources used to send the uplink wake-up signal in the first cell, the N candidate configuration information is associated with K terminal identifiers, and N and K are both integers greater than or equal to 1; sending the uplink wake-up signal in the first cell includes: determining the first configuration information associated with the identifier of the terminal among the N candidate configuration information according to the identifier of the terminal; and sending the uplink wake-up signal in the first cell according to the first configuration information.

[0033] In a possible implementation, the resource configuration information includes one or more of the following information: a sending period of the uplink wake-up signal, a time domain offset of the uplink wake-up signal, an absolute position of a time domain symbol of the uplink wake-up signal, a frequency domain offset of the uplink wake-up signal, an absolute position of a frequency domain carrier of the uplink wake-up signal, a root sequence of the uplink wake-up signal, a zero correlation domain of the sequence of the uplink wake-up signal, a target receiving strength of the uplink wake-up signal, a maximum number of power ramping times of the uplink wake-up signal, and a power ramping step size of the uplink wake-up signal; wherein the time domain offset indicates an offset of a time domain where the uplink wake-up signal is located relative to a time domain where the first downlink reference signal is located, and the frequency domain offset indicates an offset of a frequency domain where the uplink wake-up signal is located relative to a frequency domain where the first downlink reference signal is located.

[0034] In one possible implementation, the first downlink reference signal also includes an initial access signal block, or includes an initial access signal block and system information; wherein the initial access signal block includes one or more of the following information: a synchronization signal, a synchronization signal block SSB, or partial information in a synchronization signal or a master information block MIB.

[0035] In one possible implementation, the downlink indication information includes first information, the first information indicates the format of first configuration information, the first configuration information indicates a first resource, the first resource is a resource used to send the uplink wake-up signal in the first cell, and the first configuration information is associated with at least one terminal identifier; the cell reselection or cell reselection decision based on the downlink indication information includes: determining the terminal identifier associated with the format according to the format of the first configuration information indicated by the first information; if the terminal identifier associated with the format includes the identifier of the terminal, cell reselection or cell reselection decision is performed.

[0036] In a possible implementation, the downlink indication information also includes third information, and the third information indicates a target cell; performing cell reselection or making a cell reselection decision according to the downlink indication information includes: residing in the target cell according to the target cell indicated by the third information; or, measuring the first cell and the target cell to obtain a measurement result, and residing in the first cell or the target cell according to the measurement result.

[0037] In one possible implementation, the third information indicates one or more of the following information: downlink signal resource configuration information, used to indicate the resources used for sending a downlink reference signal on the target cell, the downlink reference signal includes resource configuration information, the resource configuration information indicates the resources for sending an uplink wake-up signal on the target cell, and the downlink reference signal is sent periodically; uplink signal resource configuration information, used to indicate the resources used for sending an uplink wake-up signal on the target cell, and the uplink wake-up signal is used by the network device to determine whether the terminal meets the cell reselection condition after residing in the target cell.

[0038] In a possible implementation manner, the sending an uplink wake-up signal in the first cell includes: periodically sending the uplink wake-up signal in the first cell.

[0039] In a possible implementation, it also includes: receiving a first downlink reference signal in the first cell, the first downlink reference signal includes resource configuration information, the resource configuration information indicates the resources of the uplink wake-up signal, and the first downlink reference signal is sent periodically; sending the uplink wake-up signal in the first cell includes: when it is determined that the signal strength of the first downlink reference signal does not meet the set requirements, sending the uplink wake-up signal in the first cell.

[0040] A possible implementation method also includes: receiving a second downlink reference signal in the first cell; wherein the second downlink reference signal is sent when the network device does not receive an uplink signal with a signal strength exceeding a set threshold on the uplink signal resources within a set time period, and the uplink signal resources include the resources used for sending the uplink wake-up signal in the first cell indicated by the resource configuration information, and / or the resources used for sending the uplink response signal in the first cell; if the signal strength of the second downlink reference signal is greater than the set threshold, an uplink response signal is sent in the first cell, and the uplink response signal is used to determine whether the first cell satisfies the conditions for stopping sending the first downlink reference signal in the first cell.

[0041] According to a third aspect, a communication method is provided, which can be applied to a network device, and the method comprises: sending a first downlink reference signal in a first cell, the first downlink reference signal comprising resource configuration information and an initial access signal block, the resource configuration information indicating resources used by a terminal to send an uplink wake-up signal in the first cell, the initial access signal block comprising a synchronization signal, and the first downlink reference signal is sent periodically; receiving an uplink wake-up signal from a terminal in the first cell, the terminal being an idle or inactive terminal; and stopping sending the first downlink reference signal in the first cell when it is determined that the first cell satisfies a first condition.

[0042] In one possible implementation, the uplink wake-up signal is sent periodically; the determination that the first cell satisfies the first condition includes: determining that there is no connected terminal in the first cell, and that the uplink wake-up signal with a signal strength exceeding a set threshold is not received on the uplink signal resource within a set time period; wherein the uplink signal resource includes the resources used to send the uplink wake-up signal in the first cell indicated by the resource configuration information.

[0043] In one possible implementation, the uplink wake-up signal is sent non-periodically; the method also includes: if an uplink signal with a signal strength exceeding a set threshold is not received on the uplink signal resource within a set time period, a second downlink reference signal is sent in the first cell, and the second downlink reference signal is used to trigger idle and inactive terminals that receive the second downlink reference signal to send an uplink response signal in the first cell; wherein the uplink signal resources include the resources used to send the uplink wake-up signal in the first cell indicated by the resource configuration information, and / or the resources used to send the uplink response signal in the first cell; determining that the first cell satisfies the first condition includes: determining that there is no connected terminal in the first cell, and that the uplink response signal with a signal strength exceeding a set threshold is not received on the resources used by the uplink response signal within a set time period.

[0044] In a fourth aspect, a communication device is provided, comprising a unit or module for executing a method as described in any one of the first aspect, or a unit or module for executing a method as described in any one of the second aspect, or a unit or module for executing a method as described in any one of the third aspect.

[0045] In a fifth aspect, a communication device is provided, comprising: one or more processors configured to execute a method as described in any one of the first aspect, or to execute a method as described in any one of the second aspect, or to execute a method as described in any one of the third aspect.

[0046] In a sixth aspect, a computer-readable storage medium is provided, wherein a computer program or instruction is stored in the computer-readable storage medium. When the computer program or instruction is executed by a communication device, the method described in any one of the first aspect, or the method described in any one of the second aspect, or the method described in any one of the third aspect is implemented.

[0047] In the seventh aspect, a computer program product is provided. When the computer program product is called by a computer, the computer executes the method as described in any one of the first aspect, or executes the method as described in any one of the second aspect, or executes the method as described in any one of the third aspect. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0048] Figure 1 A schematic diagram of a cell reselection process provided for related technologies;

[0049] Figure 2 A schematic diagram of the architecture of a mobile communication system used in an embodiment of the present application;

[0050] Figure 3 A flow chart of a communication method provided in an embodiment of the present application;

[0051] Figure 4 A schematic diagram of the implementation process of cell reselection and cell dormancy when an Idle / Inactive terminal periodically sends a first uplink wake-up signal in an embodiment of the present application;

[0052] Figure 5 A schematic diagram of the implementation process of cell reselection and cell dormancy when an Idle / Inactive terminal non-periodically sends a first uplink wake-up signal in an embodiment of the present application;

[0053] Figure 6 A flow chart of a communication method provided for another embodiment of the present application;

[0054] Figure 7 A schematic diagram of the structure of a communication device provided in an embodiment of the present application;

[0055] Figure 8 A schematic diagram of the structure of another communication device provided in an embodiment of the present application. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0056] In order to facilitate those skilled in the art to understand the present application, some terms in the embodiments of the present application are first explained below.

[0057] (1) Radio resource control (RRC) status of the terminal

[0058] In the new radio (NR) system, depending on whether there is an RRC connection between the terminal and the network device, the terminal has three RRC states, namely RRC idle state (hereinafter referred to as Idle state), RRC inactive state (hereinafter referred to as Inactive state) and RRC connected state (hereinafter referred to as Connected state). There is an RRC connection between the terminal in the Connected state and the network device, and data can be transmitted with the network device. There is no RRC connection between the terminal in the Idle / Inactive state and the network device, and data cannot be transmitted with the network device, but it can receive broadcast information of the cell, such as system messages, paging messages, etc. The Idle / Inactive state terminal can switch to the Connected state through the random access process.

[0059] (2) Cell reselection

[0060] Cell reselection is a cell selection mechanism for Idle / Inactive terminals. Currently, after Idle / Inactive terminals reside in a cell, they periodically measure the downlink reference signals of the serving cell and neighboring cells. When the downlink reference signal strength of the serving cell is lower than the threshold, the terminal can select a cell with a higher priority or better signal quality as the serving cell. This process is called cell reselection.

[0061] Currently, if Figure 1 As shown, the cell reselection process mainly includes three stages: starting neighboring area measurement, reselection evaluation and judgment, and cell reselection execution. In the stage of starting neighboring area measurement, the terminal determines whether to start neighboring area measurement according to the measurement start condition. If the decision is to start neighboring area measurement, the terminal measures the signal quality of the current serving cell and the neighboring cell. In the reselection evaluation and judgment stage, the terminal determines whether the neighboring area signal meets the cell reselection standard. If the neighboring area signal meets the cell reselection standard, the cell reselection is performed. If the neighboring area signal does not meet the cell reselection standard, the terminal still resides in the current serving cell. In the cell reselection execution stage, the terminal starts to receive system messages of the new cell. If the new cell has no access restrictions (for example, if the operator configures some reserved cells or cells with access restrictions, the terminal cannot access such cells), the terminal completes the residency in the new cell. Among them, the system messages received by the terminal in the new cell may include synchronization signal blocks (synchronization signal block, SSB) and system information block 1 (system information block1, SIB1), etc.

[0062] (3) Network energy-saving technology

[0063] The embodiments of the present application relate to network energy-saving technology. The scenarios to which the present application is applicable may have the following different interpretations.

[0064] First, the network equipment can divide a cell into "normal mode", "energy-saving mode" and "sleep mode". In normal mode, the network equipment sends all data and all control information normally in each cell. In energy-saving mode, for cells with no data services or extremely light-loaded services, the network equipment turns off data signal transmission and part of the control signal transmission in the cell. If there is no Connected terminal in the cell in energy-saving mode, and the network equipment does not perceive the existence of Idle / Inactive terminals, the network equipment can turn off the transmission of all control signals in the cell, so that the cell enters sleep mode to further achieve network energy saving.

[0065] In the embodiment of the present application, the Idle / Inactive terminal can send an uplink signal so that the network device can sense the existence of the Idle / Inactive terminal. Correspondingly, taking the first cell being in energy-saving mode as an example, when the network device does not sense the existence of the Idle / Inactive terminal in the first cell and there is no Connected terminal in the first cell, the network device can switch the first cell from energy-saving mode to sleep mode.

[0066] The second is that the network device does not need to distinguish between "normal mode", "energy saving mode" and "sleep mode" for a cell. The network device can send signals in each cell according to the method provided in the embodiment of the present application. Taking the first cell as an example, since the first cell has no data service or the data service load is light, the network device turns off the data signal transmission and part of the control signal transmission in the first cell, and achieves energy saving of the network device by limiting the transmission capacity. Subsequently, when the network device perceives that there are no more Idle / Inactive terminals in the first cell, and there are no Connected terminals in the first cell, the transmission of the control signal of the first cell can be turned off, so that the data signal transmission and control signal transmission in the first cell are all turned off.

[0067] It can be understood that in the above-mentioned first network energy-saving technology or the second network energy-saving technology, still taking the first cell as an example, regardless of whether the data signal transmission in the first cell is turned off and whether the transmission of some control signals is turned off, if the network device determines that there is no Connected state terminal in the first cell, and does not perceive the existence of Idle / Inactive state terminals in the first cell, then the network device can turn off the data transmission and the transmission of all control signals in the first cell to achieve energy saving of the network device.

[0068] It can be understood that the "energy-saving mode" and "sleep mode" mentioned in the present application are abbreviations for the state in which the network device is in a cost-saving state, and can also be replaced by other names. The embodiments of the present application are not limited to this.

[0069] (4) Synchronous Signal Block SSB

[0070] SSB is used for initial access of the terminal. It is a normally open broadcast signal of the network equipment. The broadcast signal can be sent periodically to carry some public information that the network equipment needs to send periodically. The public information may include the primary synchronization signal (PSS), secondary synchronization signal (SSS) and physical broadcast channel (PBCH) used for synchronization between the terminal and the network. PSS and SSS can also be collectively referred to as synchronization signal (SS). PBCH carries the master information block (MIB), which includes information about the cell accessed by the terminal and resource indication of system information block 1 (SIB1). PSS and SSS can be used to identify different physical cells.

[0071] In some embodiments of the present application, for the purpose of network energy saving, for cells with no data services or extremely light load services, the network equipment can shut down data signal transmission and partial control signal transmission in the cell and only transmit the remaining control signals.

[0072] In a possible implementation, in order to save energy, part of the control signal sent by the network device in the cell may include part of the information in the PSS, SSS or MIB.

[0073] In another possible implementation, in order to save energy, part of the control signals sent by the network device in the cell may include part of the information in SIB1.

[0074] Based on the above Figure 1 In the cell reselection process in the related art shown, the network side needs to send downlink reference signals in multiple cells so that the idle / inactive terminal can measure the downlink reference signals of multiple cells, which is not conducive to network energy saving.

[0075] To this end, the embodiment of the present application provides a communication method and a related device that can implement the method. In the embodiment of the present application, the Idle / Inactive state terminal can send an uplink signal, so that the network device can measure the uplink signal sent by the terminal to determine whether the terminal needs to reselect a cell, and when it is determined that the terminal needs to reselect a cell, instruct the terminal to reselect a cell through downlink indication information. Figure 1In the cell reselection process shown, the network device periodically sends downlink reference signals in multiple cells. The use of the embodiment of the present application can reduce the overhead of the network device periodically sending downlink reference signals, and can also reduce the signal reception and measurement overhead of the terminal, thereby facilitating network energy saving.

[0076] The embodiments of the present application can be applicable to the above energy-saving scenarios.

[0077] In order to make the purpose, technical solution and advantages of the present application more clear, the present application will be further described in detail below in conjunction with the accompanying drawings. The specific operation method in the method embodiment can also be applied to the device embodiment or the system embodiment.

[0078] The embodiments of the present application can be applied to various communication systems, for example: global system for mobile communications (GSM) system, code division multiple access (CDMA) system, wideband code division multiple access (WCDMA) system, general packet radio service (GPRS), long term evolution (LTE) system, LTE frequency division duplex (FDD) system, LTE time division duplex (TDD), universal mobile telecommunication system (UMTS), worldwide interoperability for microwave access (WIMAX) communication system, fifth generation (5G) system or new radio (NR), or applied to future communication systems or other similar communication systems.

[0079] Figure 2 FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram of the architecture of a communication system 1000 used in an embodiment of the present application. Figure 2 As shown, the communication system includes a wireless access network 100 and a core network 200. Optionally, the communication system 1000 may also include the Internet 300. The wireless access network 100 may include at least one wireless access network device (such as Figure 2 110a and 110b), and may further include at least one terminal (such as Figure 2120a-120j in the figure). The terminal is connected to the wireless access network device by wireless means, and the wireless access network device is connected to the core network by wireless or wired means. The core network device and the wireless access network device can be independent and different physical devices, or the functions of the core network device and the logical functions of the wireless access network device can be integrated on the same physical device, or part of the functions of the core network device and part of the functions of the wireless access network device can be integrated on one physical device. Terminals and wireless access network devices can be connected to each other by wired or wireless means. Figure 2 This is just a schematic diagram. The communication system may also include other network devices, such as wireless relay devices and wireless backhaul devices. Figure 2 Not drawn in.

[0080] The wireless access network equipment may be a base station, an evolved NodeB (eNodeB), a transmission reception point (TRP), a next generation NodeB (gNB) in the fifth generation (5G) mobile communication system, a next generation base station in the sixth generation (6G) mobile communication system, a base station in a future mobile communication system, or an access node in a WiFi system, etc.; it may also be a module or unit that completes part of the functions of a base station, for example, it may be a central unit (CU) or a distributed unit (DU). The CU here completes the functions of the radio resource control protocol and the packet data convergence protocol (PDCP) of the base station, and may also complete the functions of the service data adaptation protocol (SDAP); the DU completes the functions of the radio link control layer and the medium access control (MAC) layer of the base station, and may also complete the functions of part or all of the physical layer. For the specific description of each of the above protocol layers, please refer to the relevant technical specifications of the 3rd generation partnership project (3GPP). The wireless access network device may be a macro base station (such as Figure 2 110a), or a micro base station or an indoor station (such as Figure 2110b), it can also be a relay node or a donor node, etc. The embodiments of the present application do not limit the specific technology and specific device form used by the wireless access network device. For the convenience of description, the following uses network equipment as the abbreviation of the wireless access network device for detailed description.

[0081] The terminal may also be referred to as a terminal device, user equipment (UE), mobile station, mobile terminal, etc. The terminal can be widely used in various scenarios, for example, device-to-device (D2D), vehicle-to-everything (V2X) communication, machine-type communication (MTC), Internet of Things (IOT), virtual reality, augmented reality, industrial control, automatic driving, telemedicine, smart grid, smart furniture, smart office, smart wear, smart transportation, smart city, etc. The terminal may be a mobile phone, a tablet computer, a computer with wireless transceiver function, a wearable device, a vehicle, a drone, a helicopter, an airplane, a ship, a robot, a robotic arm, a smart home device, etc. The embodiments of the present application do not limit the specific technology and specific device form adopted by the terminal. For the convenience of description, the following detailed description is given using the terminal as the abbreviation of the terminal.

[0082] The network equipment and terminal can be fixed or movable. The network equipment and terminal can be deployed on land, including indoors or outdoors, handheld or vehicle-mounted; can also be deployed on the water surface; can also be deployed on airplanes, balloons and artificial satellites. The embodiments of the present application do not limit the application scenarios of the network equipment and terminals.

[0083] The roles of network devices and terminals can be relative, for example, Figure 2 The helicopter or drone 120i in the figure can be configured as a mobile network device. For the terminals 120j that access the wireless access network 100 through 120i, the drone 120i is a network device; but for the network device 110a, 120i is a terminal, that is, 110a and 120i communicate through the wireless air interface protocol. Of course, 110a and 120i can also communicate through the interface protocol between network devices. In this case, relative to 110a, 120i is also a network device. Therefore, network devices and terminals can be collectively referred to as communication devices. Figure 2 110a and 110b in the figure can be called communication devices with network device functions. Figure 2 120a-120j in the figure can be called communication devices with terminal functions.

[0084] Network devices and terminals, network devices and network devices, and terminals and terminals can communicate through authorized spectrum, unlicensed spectrum, or both; can communicate through spectrum below 6 gigahertz (GHz), spectrum above 6 GHz, or spectrum below 6 GHz and spectrum above 6 GHz. The embodiments of the present application do not limit the spectrum resources used for wireless communication.

[0085] In the embodiments of the present application, the functions of the network device may also be performed by a module (such as a chip) in the network device, or by a control subsystem including the network device function. The control subsystem including the network device function here may be a control center in the above-mentioned application scenarios such as smart grid, industrial control, smart transportation, smart city, etc. The functions of the terminal may also be performed by a module (such as a chip or a modem) in the terminal, or by a device including the terminal function.

[0086] In the embodiment of the present application, the network device sends a downlink signal or downlink information to the terminal, and the downlink information is carried on the downlink channel; the terminal sends an uplink signal or uplink information to the base station, and the uplink information is carried on the uplink channel. In order to communicate with the network device, the terminal needs to establish a wireless connection with the cell controlled by the network device. The cell that has established a wireless connection with the terminal is called the service cell of the terminal.

[0087] In order to make the purpose, technical solutions and advantages of the present application clearer, some terms involved in the embodiments of the present application are first explained below. Taking the first cell as an example, the following first downlink reference signal, second downlink reference signal and downlink indication information are reference signals or control information sent by the network device in the first cell, and the first uplink wake-up signal and uplink response signal are reference signals or control information sent by the Idle / Inactive state terminal in the first cell. Optionally, the first cell can be a cell with limited transmission capacity (the relevant instructions on limited transmission capacity can be referred to in the previous text), or a cell in energy-saving mode, the first cell can also be a cell with unlimited transmission capacity, or a cell in normal mode.

[0088] (1) First Downlink Reference Signal

[0089] In this embodiment of the present application, the network device may send a first downlink reference signal in the first cell.

[0090] In a possible implementation, the first downlink reference signal may be used for initial access of the terminal. For example, the first downlink reference signal may include an initial access signal block, and may further include system information. Optionally, the initial access signal block may include a synchronization signal (for example, PSS and / or SSS), or include an SSB, or include a synchronization signal and part of the information in the MIB. Optionally, the system information may be SIB1 defined by the current protocol, or include part of the information in SIB1, or include other system information (SIBs), which is not limited in this embodiment of the present application.

[0091] In another possible implementation, the first downlink reference signal may include resource configuration information. Optionally, the resource configuration information is used to configure resources for the first uplink wake-up signal for the terminal, for example, the first downlink reference signal may include resource configuration information, and the resource configuration information may indicate the resources used by the terminal to send the first uplink wake-up signal in the first cell.

[0092] Exemplarily, the resource configuration information may include one or more of the following information:

[0093] -The sending period of the first uplink wake-up signal. In some embodiments of the present application, the first uplink wake-up signal may be sent periodically. In this case, the sending period of the first uplink wake-up signal may be included in the resource configuration information. In other embodiments of the present application, the first uplink wake-up signal is not sent periodically. In this case, the sending period of the first uplink wake-up signal may not be included in the resource configuration information, or the sending period may be configured to be 0.

[0094] -The time domain offset of the first uplink wake-up signal. The time domain offset indicates the offset of the time domain where the first uplink wake-up signal is located relative to the time domain where the first downlink reference signal is located. For example, the time domain offset may be the offset of the starting symbol of the first uplink wake-up signal relative to the starting symbol of the first downlink reference signal (such as the starting symbol of SSB).

[0095] -The absolute position of the time domain symbol of the first uplink wake-up signal, for example, may be a symbol index.

[0096] -The frequency domain offset of the first uplink wake-up signal. The frequency domain offset indicates the offset of the frequency domain where the first uplink wake-up signal is located relative to the frequency domain where the first downlink reference signal is located. For example, the frequency domain offset may be the offset of the starting carrier of the first uplink wake-up signal relative to the starting carrier of the first downlink reference signal (such as the starting carrier of SSB).

[0097] -The absolute position of the frequency domain carrier of the first uplink wake-up signal, for example, the carrier number.

[0098] -The root sequence of the first uplink wake-up signal.

[0099] - A zero correlation field of the sequence of the first uplink wake-up signal.

[0100] -Target receiving strength of the first uplink wake-up signal.

[0101] -The maximum number of power ramp times for the first uplink wake-up signal.

[0102] -The power ramp step size of the first uplink wake-up signal.

[0103] The resource configuration information may be carried on the initial access signal block in the first downlink reference signal, so that the resource configuration information and the synchronization signal are carried on the same signal block. For example, the initial access signal block includes an SSB, and the resource configuration information may be carried in the PBCH in the SSB. The resource configuration information may also be carried in the system information in the first downlink reference signal, so that the resource configuration information and the synchronization signal are carried on different signal blocks. For example, the resource configuration information may be carried in part of the information of SIB1 included in the first downlink reference signal, such as in the reserved bits or newly added bits in part of the information of SIB1. The first downlink reference signal may also be carried on an independent channel, and its occupied resources may be indicated by the initial access signal block or the system information.

[0104] According to the above contents included in the first downlink reference signal, several examples of the first downlink reference signal are given below, for example, the first downlink reference signal includes SSB, SIB1 and resource configuration information, or the first downlink reference signal includes SSB, part of the information in SIB1 and resource configuration information, or the first downlink reference signal includes a synchronization signal, part of the information in MIB, part of the information in SIB1 and resource configuration information.

[0105] Optionally, the first downlink reference signal may be broadcast and sent in the first cell, so that a terminal residing in the first cell may receive the first downlink reference signal.

[0106] Optionally, the first downlink reference signal may be a periodic signal. By periodically sending the first downlink reference signal, the network device can enable the terminals originally residing in the first cell and the terminals newly residing in the first cell to receive the first downlink reference signal, thereby obtaining the resource configuration information in the first downlink reference signal and sending the first uplink wake-up signal in the first cell according to the resource configuration information. In addition, for a terminal outside the first cell, if the terminal uses the first cell as a target cell for cell reselection, the terminal can receive the first downlink reference signal sent in the first cell, and perform cell reselection based on the initial access signal block in the first downlink reference signal, so as to reside in the first cell.

[0107] It can be understood that the embodiment of the present application does not specifically limit the name, form and function of the "first downlink reference signal". For example, the first downlink reference signal can also be understood as the first downlink signal.

[0108] (2) Uplink wake-up signal (WUS)

[0109] In an embodiment of the present application, an Idle / Inactive terminal in the first cell may send an uplink wake-up signal in the first cell. The network device may sense the presence of the Idle / Inactive terminal in the first cell based on the uplink wake-up signal, and the network device may also determine whether the Idle / Inactive terminal in the first cell needs to perform cell reselection based on the signal reception strength of the uplink wake-up signal.

[0110] Optionally, the Idle / Inactive terminal in the first cell may send an uplink wake-up signal on the resources indicated by the resource configuration information according to the resource configuration information in the first downlink reference signal.

[0111] In some embodiments of the present application, the uplink wake-up signal is a periodic signal, that is, the terminal can send the uplink wake-up signal periodically.

[0112] In some other embodiments of the present application, the uplink wake-up signal is a non-periodic signal, and the terminal sends the uplink wake-up signal only when certain conditions are met. For example, the terminal sends the uplink wake-up signal in the first cell only when the signal strength of the first downlink reference signal received by the terminal in the first cell is low.

[0113] The uplink wake-up signal may be a reference signal, such as an uplink reference signal periodically sent by the terminal. The uplink wake-up signal may also be other signals, such as uplink control information (UCI) sent aperiodically, and the terminal sends UCI to the network device when the signal strength of the first downlink reference signal received in the first cell is low. Optionally, the UCI may be in a specific format so that the network device determines whether the terminal needs to reselect a cell based on the measurement of the signal.

[0114] It is understood that the present application does not specifically limit the name, form and function of the uplink wake-up signal. For example, the uplink wake-up signal can also be understood as an uplink reference signal or a first uplink signal.

[0115] (3) Downlink indication information

[0116] In the embodiment of the present application, the network device may send downlink indication information to the Idle / Inactive terminal in the first cell to instruct the Idle / Inactive terminal to reselect the cell.

[0117] Optionally, the downlink indication information may be sent by broadcasting.

[0118] Optionally, the downlink indication information may be carried in downlink control signaling, such as DCI or high-layer signaling; the downlink indication information may also be carried in a radio network temporary identity (RNTI) for scrambling messages sent to Idle / Inactive terminals.

[0119] It can be understood that the present application does not specifically limit the name, form and function of the downlink indication information.

[0120] (4) Second Downlink Reference Signal

[0121] In some embodiments of the present application, when the first uplink wake-up signal is a non-periodic signal, the network device may also send a second downlink reference signal in the first cell when it is determined that a certain condition is met.

[0122] Optionally, if the network device does not receive an uplink signal with a signal strength exceeding a set threshold on the uplink signal resource within a set time period, it may send a second downlink reference signal in the first cell. The second downlink reference signal is used to trigger the Idle / Inactive terminal that receives the second downlink reference signal to send an uplink response signal in the first cell.

[0123] In a possible implementation, the uplink signal resources include the resources used for sending the first uplink wake-up signal in the first cell indicated by the above resource configuration information. That is, if the network device does not receive the first uplink wake-up signal sent by any Idle / Inactive terminal in the first cell, the second downlink reference signal can be sent in the first cell; or, if the network device receives the first uplink wake-up signal sent by the Idle / Inactive terminal in the first cell, but the signal strength of the uplink signal is low, the network device can send the second downlink reference signal in the first cell.

[0124] In another possible implementation, the uplink signal resources include resources used for sending an uplink response signal in the first cell. That is, if the network device does not receive any uplink response signal sent by an Idle / Inactive terminal in the first cell, the second downlink reference signal may be sent in the first cell; or, if the network device receives an uplink response signal sent by an Idle / Inactive terminal in the first cell, but the signal strength of the uplink signal is low, the network device may send the second downlink reference signal in the first cell.

[0125] In another possible implementation, the uplink signal resources include both the resources used for sending the first uplink wake-up signal in the first cell indicated by the above resource configuration information, and the resources used for sending the uplink response signal in the first cell. That is, if the network device does not receive any uplink signal (including the first uplink wake-up signal and the uplink response signal) sent by any Idle / Inactive terminal in the first cell, the second downlink reference signal may be sent in the first cell; or, if the network device receives an uplink signal (including the first uplink wake-up signal or the uplink response signal) sent by an Idle / Inactive terminal in the first cell, but the signal strength of the uplink signal is low, the network device may send the second downlink reference signal in the first cell.

[0126] Optionally, in the case where the second downlink reference signal is a reference signal, the resource of the second downlink reference signal may be indicated in an explicit manner, for example, may be indicated in the above resource configuration information.

[0127] Optionally, in the case where the second downlink reference signal is a reference signal, the resource of the second downlink reference signal may also be indicated in an implicit manner, such as there is a certain association relationship between the resource of the second downlink reference signal and the resource of the first downlink reference signal, and accordingly, the network device and the terminal may transmit and receive the second downlink reference signal through the resource of the first downlink reference signal and the above association relationship. For example, the time domain offset between the second downlink reference signal and the first downlink reference signal, and the correspondence between the sequence of the second downlink reference signal and the sequence of the first downlink reference signal may be pre-agreed or pre-configured; accordingly, the network device may determine the time domain position of the second downlink reference signal based on the time domain resource occupied by the first downlink reference signal and the time domain offset, and determine the sequence of the second downlink reference signal based on the sequence of the first downlink reference signal and the correspondence between the above sequences, so that the second downlink reference signal may be sent at the corresponding resource position and in the corresponding sequence. Similarly, the terminal may receive the second downlink reference signal sent in the corresponding sequence at the corresponding resource position.

[0128] Optionally, the second downlink reference signal may be DCI or higher layer signaling or a reference signal.

[0129] It can be understood that the present application does not specifically limit the name, form and function of the second downlink reference signal. For example, the second downlink reference signal can also be called DL-RS.

[0130] (5) Uplink response signal

[0131] In some embodiments of the present application, after receiving the second downlink reference signal, the Idle / Inactive terminal in the first cell may send an uplink response signal as a response to the second downlink reference signal.

[0132] Optionally, only after an Idle / Inactive terminal in the first cell receives a second downlink reference signal in the first cell, may it send an uplink response signal in response to the second downlink reference signal. If an Idle / Inactive terminal in the first cell receives a downlink reference signal (e.g., DL-RS) of the second cell, it will not send an uplink response signal in the second cell in response to the downlink signal, wherein the second cell is a neighboring cell of the first cell. In this way, an Idle / Inactive terminal far away from the first cell will not be triggered to send an uplink response signal in the first cell due to the weak signal strength of the received second downlink reference signal, thereby reducing the probability of replying to a distant neighboring cell.

[0133] Optionally, after receiving the second downlink reference signal, the Idle / Inactive terminal in the first cell sends an uplink response signal if it determines that the signal strength of the second downlink reference signal is greater than a set threshold; if it determines that the signal strength of the second downlink reference signal is less than or equal to the set threshold, it does not send an uplink response signal, thereby reducing the probability of replying to a distant neighboring cell.

[0134] Optionally, the uplink response signal may be a reference signal or other signals, which is not limited in the embodiments of the present application.

[0135] It is understandable that the present application does not specifically limit the name, form and function of the uplink response signal. For example, the uplink response signal may also be called UL-Response (abbreviated as UL-RES).

[0136] (6) Resources

[0137] The "resource" in the embodiment of the present application may be one or more of a time domain resource, a frequency domain resource, a code domain resource, and a power domain resource. For example, the resource of the uplink wake-up signal may include one or more of: a time domain resource of the uplink wake-up signal, a frequency domain resource of the uplink wake-up signal, a code domain resource of the uplink wake-up signal, and a power of the uplink wake-up signal. In one possible manner, the code domain resource may be a sequence.

[0138] Combine the following Figures 3 to 6 The communication method provided in the embodiment of the present application is described.

[0139] Based on the above Figure 2 The network system architecture shown and the above-mentioned related technical introductions, Figure 3 A flow chart of a communication method provided in an embodiment of the present application is exemplified.

[0140] like Figure 3 As shown, the communication method may include the following steps:

[0141] Step 301: A network device sends a first downlink reference signal in a first cell.

[0142] For the description of the contents and sending method of the first downlink reference signal, please refer to the previous text.

[0143] In a possible implementation, the resource configuration information is at a cell level, for example, the resource configuration information includes first configuration information, the first configuration information indicates a first resource, and the first resource is a resource used to send an uplink wake-up signal in the first cell. That is, the resource configuration information only indicates the resource used to send an uplink wake-up signal in the first cell.

[0144] In a possible implementation, the resource configuration information is at the cell level, and the resource configuration information indicates the resources used to send uplink signals on multiple cells, and the resources used to send uplink signals on different cells may be different. Optionally, the multiple cells may include a first cell and one or more neighboring cells of the first cell. For example, the resource configuration information includes M (M is an integer greater than 1) configuration information, and the M configuration information includes first configuration information, the first configuration information indicates a first resource, and the first resource is a resource used to send an uplink wake-up signal in the first cell. Optionally, the M configuration information also includes second configuration information, the second configuration information indicates a second resource, and the second resource is a resource used to send an uplink signal in the second cell. By analogy, the resource configuration information may also include more configuration information to indicate the resources used to send uplink signals in more cells. Based on the resource configuration information, the terminal can send uplink signals on multiple cells. That is to say, the resource configuration information can indicate the resources for sending uplink signals in multiple cells (such as the first cell and the neighboring cells of the first cell), which makes the resources occupied by the WUS in different cells different. In this case, for an Idle / Inactive terminal, the network device can receive the uplink signals sent by the terminal in different cells.

[0145] In a possible implementation, the resource configuration information is at the cell group level, for example, the resource configuration information includes first configuration information, the first configuration information indicates a first resource, the first resource is a resource used by a cell in a first cell group to send an uplink signal, and the first cell group includes the first cell. In other words, the resource configuration information may indicate a resource used to send an uplink signal in a cell group including the first cell, and the resource configuration information of the resource used to send an uplink signal in each cell in the cell group is the same, for example, in each cell in the cell group, the sending period, time domain offset, and frequency domain offset of the WUS are the same. Based on the resource configuration information, the terminal may send an uplink signal in multiple cells.

[0146] In one possible implementation, the resource configuration information of the uplink signal used by a terminal can be associated with the identifier of the terminal, thereby increasing the richness of the uplink signal resource configuration of the terminal, reducing the number of terminals under the same resource configuration, and facilitating the network side to improve the accuracy of uplink mobility management (such as cell reselection). A specific implementation method may be: the resource configuration information includes N candidate configuration information, the N candidate configuration information indicates the N candidate resources used to send an uplink wake-up signal in the first cell, and the N candidate configuration information is associated with K terminal identifiers. In this way, the Idle / Inactive terminal in the first cell can determine one configuration information associated with the terminal identifier in the N candidate configuration information according to its own terminal identifier, and thus send an uplink wake-up signal in the first cell according to the resources indicated by the configuration information.

[0147] Optionally, a possible association method is: the formats of the N candidate configuration information are different, and there is a corresponding relationship between the formats of the candidate configuration information and the terminal identifier. Optionally, the corresponding relationship can satisfy the following formula 1:

[0148]

[0149] Among them, i is used to identify the format of the configuration information, T is the length of the configuration time domain cycle, offset is the offset of the configuration information format, N is the total number of configuration information formats, UE ID Represents the terminal identifier, and mod is the modulus operator. Based on the above formula, the terminal can determine the format of the configuration information used by the terminal to send the uplink wake-up signal in the first cell according to its own terminal identifier and the parameters configured on the network side (such as the configuration time domain cycle length T and the total number of formats of the configuration information N, etc.), so that the corresponding configuration information can be obtained according to the format, so as to send the uplink signal according to the resources indicated by the configuration information.

[0150] Optionally, another possible association method is that there is a corresponding relationship between the time domain configuration (such as symbol) or code domain configuration (such as sequence) of the uplink wake-up signal and the terminal identifier. Optionally, the corresponding relationship can be presented in a table, for example, the above resource configuration information indicates N candidate sequences, and the table includes the number of each candidate sequence and one or more terminal identifiers corresponding to each candidate sequence. Based on the table, the terminal can determine the corresponding sequence according to its own terminal identifier, so that the uplink signal can be sent using the sequence.

[0151] The above step 301 may be an optional step. For example, when the above resource configuration information is pre-configured, the above step 301 may be omitted.

[0152] Optionally, the network device may also send a downlink signal in other cells, and the content and sending method of the downlink signal may refer to the implementation process of the network device sending the first downlink reference signal in the first cell. For example, the network device sends a downlink signal in the second cell, and the second cell is a neighboring cell of the first cell.

[0153] Step 302: an Idle / Inactive terminal in a first cell sends an uplink wake-up signal in the first cell. Correspondingly, a network device receives the uplink wake-up signal in the first cell.

[0154] In an embodiment of the present application, the terminal may send an uplink wake-up signal in the first cell according to the resources indicated by the resource configuration information. The terminal may obtain the resource configuration information included therein through the received first downlink reference signal. The resource configuration information may also be pre-configured, which is not limited in the embodiment of the present application.

[0155] In a possible implementation manner, if the resource configuration information is at a cell level, for example, the resource configuration information includes first configuration information, the terminal may send an uplink wake-up signal on the first cell according to the first configuration information.

[0156] In a possible implementation, if the resource configuration information is at the cell group level, for example, the resource configuration information includes first configuration information, the terminal can send an uplink wake-up signal in the first cell according to the first configuration information. Optionally, the terminal in the first cell can also send an uplink signal to other cells in the cell group according to the first configuration information.

[0157] In a possible implementation, if the resource configuration information indicates resources used to send uplink signals on multiple cells, and the resources used to send uplink signals on different cells may be different, for example, the resource configuration information includes M configuration information, the M configuration information includes first configuration information, the first configuration information indicates a first resource, and the first resource is a resource used to send an uplink wake-up signal in the first cell, then the terminal can send an uplink wake-up signal in the first cell according to the first configuration information. Optionally, the M configuration information also includes second configuration information, the second configuration information indicates a second resource, and the second resource is a resource used to send an uplink signal in the second cell, then the terminal can send an uplink signal in the second cell according to the second configuration information. By analogy, the terminal can send uplink signals in multiple cells indicated by the resource configuration information.

[0158] In a possible implementation, resource configuration information of an uplink signal used by a terminal is associated with an identifier of the terminal, for example, the resource configuration information includes N candidate configuration information, the N candidate configuration information indicates N candidate resources used for sending an uplink wake-up signal in a first cell, and the N candidate configuration information is associated with K terminal identifiers. Accordingly, the terminal can determine the first configuration information associated with the identifier of the terminal in the N candidate configuration information according to the identifier of the terminal, and send an uplink wake-up signal in the first cell according to the first configuration information.

[0159] According to the above description, in a possible implementation, the resource configuration information may indicate uplink signal resources of multiple cells, and the resource configuration information corresponding to each cell may include multiple candidate configuration information. Taking the resource configuration information including the first resource configuration information corresponding to the first cell and the second resource configuration information corresponding to the second cell as an example, the first resource configuration information includes N candidate configuration information, and the format of each candidate configuration information is associated with the identifier of one or more terminals, and the association relationship can satisfy the above formula 1. Similarly, the second resource configuration information also includes multiple candidate configuration information, and the format of each candidate configuration information is associated with one or more terminal identifiers. In this case, the terminal can determine the configuration information (or resources used) used to send uplink signals in the first cell and the second cell based on the identifier of the terminal and the above formula 1, and then can send uplink signals in multiple cells.

[0160] In some embodiments of the present application, the uplink wake-up signal is sent periodically. For example, the terminal may periodically send the uplink wake-up signal in the first cell according to the sending period in the resource configuration information.

[0161] In some other embodiments of the present application, the uplink wake-up signal is not sent periodically, and the terminal sends the uplink wake-up signal in the first cell only when it is determined that the set conditions are met. Optionally, the terminal receives the first downlink reference signal in the first cell, and if it is determined that the signal strength of the received first downlink reference signal does not meet the set requirements, the uplink wake-up signal is sent in the first cell. In other words, the uplink wake-up signal is not sent unconditionally and periodically, but is triggered to be sent based on certain conditions, thereby achieving terminal energy saving compared to periodically sending the uplink wake-up signal.

[0162] Optionally, the terminal in the first cell determines whether the signal strength of the first downlink reference signal meets a set requirement, which may include the following situations:

[0163] Case 1: A terminal in a first cell receives a first downlink reference signal in the first cell. If the signal strength of the first downlink reference signal received in the first cell is lower than a set threshold, it can be determined that the signal strength of the first downlink reference signal does not meet the set requirements. In other words, the signal quality of the first cell is poor for the terminal, and cell reselection may be required. Therefore, it is considered that the conditions for sending an uplink wake-up signal are currently met. In this case, the terminal sends an uplink wake-up signal so that the network device can determine whether the terminal needs to reselect the cell by measuring the uplink wake-up signal. If the signal strength of the first downlink reference signal is higher than or equal to the set threshold, it can be determined that the signal strength of the first downlink reference signal meets the set requirements. At this time, there is no need to reselect the cell, so there is no need to send an uplink wake-up signal.

[0164] Case 2: The terminal in the first cell can not only receive the first downlink reference signal sent by the network device in the first cell, but also receive the downlink signal sent by the network device in the neighboring cell (such as the second cell). If the difference between the signal strength of the first downlink reference signal received by the terminal in the first cell and the signal strength of the downlink signal received in the second cell is less than the set threshold, it can be determined that the signal strength of the first downlink reference signal does not meet the set requirements, that is, for the terminal, the signal quality of the first cell is not much higher than that of the second cell, and cell reselection may be required. In this case, the terminal sends an uplink wake-up signal so that the network device can determine whether the terminal needs to reselect the cell by measuring the uplink wake-up signal. If the difference is greater than or equal to the set threshold, it can be determined that the signal strength of the first downlink reference signal meets the set requirements, and there is no need to reselect the cell at this time, so there is no need to send an uplink wake-up signal.

[0165] The above merely exemplifies several methods for determining whether the signal strength of the first downlink reference signal meets the set requirements. The embodiments of the present application may also adopt other methods, which are not limited thereto.

[0166] Step 303: The network device determines whether the terminal meets the cell reselection condition according to the uplink wake-up signal.

[0167] In one possible implementation, a terminal in the first cell may send an uplink signal (e.g., WUS) in the first cell. Accordingly, the network device may determine whether the terminal meets the cell reselection condition based on the signal strength of the uplink signal sent by the terminal received in the first cell. That is, the network device may make a cell reselection decision based on measuring the uplink signal of the first cell. Optionally, the way in which the network device makes a cell reselection decision may be: the network device receives an uplink signal (e.g., WUS) from the terminal in the first cell, and if the signal strength of the uplink signal is lower than a set threshold, it is determined that the terminal needs to reselect the cell; if the signal strength of the uplink signal is not lower than the set threshold, it is determined that the terminal does not need to reselect the cell.

[0168] In one possible implementation, a terminal in a first cell may send an uplink signal in the first cell and a second cell, and accordingly, the network device may determine whether the terminal meets the cell reselection condition based on the signal strength of the uplink signal sent by the terminal in the first cell and the signal strength of the uplink signal sent by the terminal in the second cell. In other words, the network device may make a cell reselection decision based on measuring the uplink signals in the first cell and the second cell. Optionally, the network device may make a cell reselection decision in the following manner: the network device receives an uplink signal from the terminal in the first cell and the second cell, respectively, and if the difference between the signal strength of the uplink signal received in the first cell and the signal strength of the uplink signal received in the second cell is less than a set threshold, it is determined that the terminal needs to perform cell reselection; if the difference in signal strength is not less than the set threshold, it is determined that the terminal does not need to perform cell reselection.

[0169] In a possible implementation, the network device can identify the terminal based on the resources occupied by the received uplink signal (or the configuration information corresponding to the resources) and the association between the uplink signal (configuration information) and the terminal identifier, so that the terminal can be indicated whether the cell needs to be reselected or whether the terminal needs to make a cell reselection decision based on the uplink signal sent by the terminal received in the first cell and the second cell. Among them, the association between the resources occupied by the uplink signal (or the configuration information corresponding to the resources) and the terminal identifier can refer to the description above.

[0170] Step 304: If the network device determines that the terminal meets the cell reselection condition, it sends downlink indication information in the first cell, and the downlink indication information instructs the terminal to perform cell reselection.

[0171] In a possible implementation manner, the downlink indication information is sent by broadcasting.

[0172] In a possible implementation, the downlink indication information may include first information, so that the terminal determines whether the downlink indication information is sent to the terminal. Considering that the resource configuration information may be associated with the terminal identifier, the first information may be used to indicate the format of a certain configuration information in the resource configuration information, so that the terminal can determine whether the format of the configuration information is associated with the identifier of the terminal according to the association relationship between the configuration information and the terminal identifier, thereby determining whether the downlink indication information is sent to the terminal.

[0173] Exemplarily, after the network device determines that a terminal in the first cell meets the cell reselection condition, the network device determines the configuration information associated with the terminal identifier according to the identifier of the terminal and the association relationship between the resource configuration information and the terminal identifier, for example, the configuration information is first configuration information, and the first configuration information indicates a first resource, and the first resource is a resource used to send an uplink wake-up signal in the first cell. The network device sends downlink indication information, which includes first information, and the first information indicates the format of the first configuration information.

[0174] Optionally, the first information may be indicated in the following ways:

[0175] Indication method 1: The first information is set in the paging radio network temporary identifier (P-RNTI). For example, the reserved bit of the P-RNTI can be used to carry the first information. Correspondingly, the indication information can be downlink control information (DCI). When sending the DCI, the network device uses the P-RNTI to scramble the physical downlink control channel (PDCCH) paging redundancy check (cyclic redundancy check, CRC) information to indicate that the DCI is the scheduling information of the paging message. Accordingly, the terminal can obtain the first information included in the P-RNTI by descrambling the DCI.

[0176] Indication method 2: The first information is set in the system information network temporary identifier (SI-RNTI). For example, the reserved bit of SI-RNTI can be used to carry the first information. Correspondingly, the downlink indication information can be DCI. When sending the DCI, the network device uses the SI-RNTI to scramble the PDCCH CRC to indicate that the DCI is the scheduling information of the system message. Accordingly, the terminal can obtain the first information included in the SI-RNTI by descrambling the DCI.

[0177] Method 3: Use the newly defined DCI in the embodiment of the present application to transmit the first information.

[0178] In a possible implementation, the downlink indication information may not include the above-mentioned first information, and the network device may indicate the format of the configuration information in an implicit manner. For example, the association relationship between the time-frequency resources used by the downlink indication information and the format of the configuration information may be set so that different time-frequency resources are associated with different configuration information formats. After the network device determines that the terminal meets the cell reselection condition, it determines the configuration information format associated with it according to the identifier of the terminal, and then determines the time-frequency resources of the downlink indication information associated with the format of the configuration information according to the association relationship between the format of the configuration information and the time-frequency resources of the downlink indication information, and sends the downlink indication information according to the resources. Correspondingly, the terminal can determine the configuration information format associated with it according to the time-frequency resources of the downlink indication information, and then determine the terminal identifier associated with the configuration information format, so as to determine whether the downlink indication information is the downlink indication information sent to this terminal.

[0179] In a possible implementation manner, the downlink indication information may include second information, where the second information indicates whether to perform cell reselection.

[0180] Optionally, the second indication information may take a first value or a second value, the first value being used to indicate that cell reselection is required, and the second value being used to indicate that cell reselection is not required. Optionally, if the network device determines that the cell reselection condition is met based on the measurement of the uplink wake-up signal, the second information having a first value is added to the downlink indication information, otherwise the second information having a second value is added to the downlink indication information. Since the configuration information format corresponding to the uplink wake-up signal may be associated with multiple terminals, only some of the multiple terminals may need to perform cell reselection, or all terminals may need to perform cell reselection. Therefore, after these terminals receive the downlink indication information, they may first make a cell reselection decision based on the measurement, and then decide whether to perform cell reselection based on the cell reselection decision result.

[0181] It is understandable that the second information can be omitted, that is, the terminal is instructed to perform cell reselection in an implicit manner. For example, if the network device determines that the cell reselection condition is met based on the measurement of the uplink wake-up signal, the downlink indication information is sent, otherwise the downlink indication information is not sent. The terminal associated with the configuration information format corresponding to the uplink wake-up signal receives the downlink indication information, and can first make a cell reselection decision based on the measurement, and then decide whether to perform cell reselection based on the cell reselection decision result.

[0182] Optionally, the second information may be indicated in the following ways:

[0183] Indication method 1: The second information is set in the P-RNTI, for example, the reserved bit of the P-RNTI can be used to carry the second information. Accordingly, when the network device sends DCI (downlink indication information), it uses the P-RNTI to scramble the PDCCH CRC to indicate that the DCI is the scheduling information of the paging message. Accordingly, the terminal can obtain the second information included in the P-RNTI by descrambling the DCI.

[0184] Indication method 2: The second information is set in the SI-RNTI, for example, the reserved bit of the SI-RNTI can be used to carry the second information. Accordingly, the network device uses the SI-RNTI to scramble the PDCCH CRC when sending DCI (downlink indication information) to indicate that the DCI is the scheduling information of the system message. Accordingly, the terminal can obtain the second information included in the SI-RNTI by descrambling the DCI.

[0185] Indication mode 3: using the DCI newly defined in the embodiment of the present application to transmit the second information. Optionally, the first information and the second information may be sent through the same DCI, or the first information and the second information may be sent through different DCIs.

[0186] In a possible implementation manner, the downlink indication information may include third information, and the third information indicates a target cell.

[0187] Optionally, the third information may indicate one or more of the following information, or the third information may include one or more of the following information:

[0188] - a cell identifier of the target cell, such as a physical cell identifier (PCI) of the target cell;

[0189] -Downlink signal resource configuration information, used to indicate the resources used to send a downlink signal on the target cell, where the downlink signal is a periodically sent signal. The downlink signal sent by the network device in the target cell is similar to the first downlink reference signal sent by the network device in the first cell. The downlink signal may be, for example, a downlink signal for initial access of a terminal. Exemplarily, the downlink signal sent in the target cell may be an SSB, or SIB1 or other system information block.

[0190] - Uplink signal resource configuration information, used to indicate the resources used to send uplink signals in the target cell. The uplink signal sent by the terminal in the target cell is similar to the uplink wake-up signal sent by the terminal in the first cell.

[0191] Optionally, the third information may be indicated in the following ways:

[0192] Indication method 1: The third information and the first information are transmitted on the same channel, and the channel may be a newly defined channel in an embodiment of the present application.

[0193] Indication method 2: transmitting the third information through an independent channel. Optionally, the resource where the channel for transmitting the third information is located may be indicated through the first information or the second information.

[0194] In one possible implementation, if the target cell indicated by the third information in the above-mentioned downlink indication information of the network device has stopped periodically sending downlink signals (the downlink signal is similar to the first downlink reference signal sent in the first cell for initial access of the terminal, for example, it may include an initial access signal block and system information), and the target cell is a cell under the network device, the network device may restart to periodically send the downlink signal in the target cell. In another possible implementation, if the target cell indicated by the third information in the above-mentioned downlink indication information of the network device has stopped periodically sending the downlink signal, and the target cell is a cell under other network devices, the network device may instruct the other network devices (for example, through an interface between base stations) to restart to periodically send the downlink signal in the target cell. In this way, the terminal can measure the target cell to determine whether to reselect the target cell, or the terminal can complete the residence in the target cell according to the downlink signal periodically sent by the target cell.

[0195] Step 305: The terminal receives the downlink indication information, and performs cell reselection or makes a cell reselection decision according to the downlink indication information.

[0196] After receiving the downlink indication information, the terminal can first determine whether the downlink indication information is sent to the terminal. In one possible manner, the downlink indication information includes the first information, and the terminal can determine the terminal identifier associated with the configuration information indicated by the first information according to the format of the configuration information. If the terminal identifier is included, it is determined that the downlink indication information may be sent to the terminal. In another possible manner, the downlink indication information does not include the first information, but there is an association between the resource where the downlink indication information is located and the format of the resource configuration information. The terminal can determine the configuration information format associated with the resource where the downlink indication information is located, and then determine the terminal identifier associated with the configuration information format, and then determine whether the downlink information may be sent to the terminal.

[0197] When the terminal determines that the downlink indication information may be sent to the terminal, and the downlink indication information instructs the terminal to reselect a cell (for example, whether to reselect a cell can be determined based on the second information in the downlink indication information), the terminal can perform cell reselection or cell reselection decision.

[0198] Optionally, the manner in which the terminal performs cell reselection or makes a cell reselection decision according to the downlink indication information may include the following:

[0199] Mode 1: The downlink indication information includes third information, and the third information indicates the identifier of the target cell. Accordingly, the terminal can directly perform cell camping according to the identifier of the target cell to camp on the target cell.

[0200] Optionally, the third information also indicates the downlink signal resource configuration information of the target cell. The terminal can receive the periodically sent downlink signal in the target cell according to the downlink signal resource configuration information, and can obtain the synchronization information of the target cell according to the received downlink signal to complete downlink synchronization with the target cell, and complete the residence in the target cell according to the system information in the downlink signal received in the target cell. After successfully residing in the target cell, the terminal can also send an uplink signal on the target cell according to the resource configuration information included in the downlink signal (used to indicate the resources for sending uplink signals in the target cell).

[0201] Mode 2: The downlink indication information includes third information, which indicates the identifier of the target cell and the downlink signal resource configuration information of the target cell. Accordingly, the terminal can receive the downlink signal in the target cell according to the downlink signal resource configuration information, and make a cell reselection decision according to the signal strength of the downlink signal received in the target cell and the signal strength of the downlink signal received in the first cell. If the target cell meets the cell reselection condition, the terminal resides in the target cell. If the target cell does not meet the cell reselection condition, the terminal still resides in the first cell.

[0202] Optionally, the terminal performs cell reselection when it is determined that one or more of the following conditions are met:

[0203] Condition 1: If the signal strength of the downlink signal received in the first cell is lower than the set threshold, cell reselection is performed;

[0204] Condition 2: If the signal strength of the downlink signal received in the first cell is lower than the first set threshold, and the signal strength of the downlink signal received in the second cell is higher than or equal to the second set threshold, cell reselection is performed;

[0205] Condition 3: If the difference between the signal strength of the downlink signal received in the first cell and the signal strength of the downlink signal received in the target cell is less than a set threshold, cell reselection is performed.

[0206] Mode 3: The downlink indication information does not include the third information, and the resource configuration information in the first downlink reference signal sent by the network device in the first cell indicates the resources for sending downlink signals in multiple cells. Accordingly, the terminal can receive downlink signals in multiple cells according to the resource configuration information. When the terminal receives the downlink indication information instructing the terminal to perform cell reselection, it can determine whether the cell reselection condition is met according to the signal strength of the first downlink reference signal received in the first cell and the signal strength of the downlink signal received in other cells. If the cell reselection condition is met, the cell reselection is performed to reside in the target cell.

[0207] Optionally, configuration information such as thresholds involved in the above-mentioned cell reselection or cell reselection decision method may be predefined, or may be given in the configuration of the first downlink reference signal or the second downlink reference signal sent by the network device, or may be given in the first downlink reference signal. This embodiment of the present application does not impose any restrictions on this.

[0208] It can be understood that the above only lists several methods for a terminal to perform cell reselection or cell reselection decision according to downlink indication information, and the embodiments of the present application are not limited to this.

[0209] Above Figure 3 In the process shown, the Idle / Inactive terminal can send an uplink signal, so that the network device can determine whether the terminal meets the cell reselection condition based on the measurement of the uplink signal, and instruct the terminal to reselect the cell when the cell reselection condition is met. Since the network device makes a cell reselection decision based on the measurement of the uplink signal in the embodiment of the present application, network energy saving can be achieved compared to the related art in which the network device periodically sends a downlink reference signal for the terminal to measure.

[0210] based on Figure 3In the process shown, since the Idle / Inactive terminal in the first cell can send an uplink wake-up signal in the first cell, the network device can sense the existence of the Idle / Inactive terminal in the first cell. In order to further save network energy, in a possible implementation, the network device can shut down the transmission of the downlink signal when it senses that there are no more Idle / Inactive terminals in the first cell, so as to achieve network energy saving. Specifically, Figure 3 The process shown may also include step 306: when the network device determines that the first cell meets the first condition (also called the sleep condition), it may stop sending the first downlink reference signal in the first cell; if the first cell does not meet the first condition, it may continue to send the first downlink reference signal in the first cell.

[0211] Understandably, Figure 3 The timing of each step is only a possible example, and the embodiment of the present application does not limit this. For example, step 306 can occur at any possible time, and step 306 can be executed as long as the network device determines that the first cell meets the sleep condition.

[0212] Depending on whether the uplink wake-up signal is a periodic signal, the embodiment of the present application provides the following two cell dormancy methods:

[0213] (1) Cell dormancy method based on the uplink wake-up signal being a periodic signal

[0214] In the method, when the network device determines that there is no Connected terminal in the first cell, and does not receive an uplink signal with a signal strength exceeding a set threshold on the uplink signal resource within a set time, it indicates that the first cell meets the first condition (or sleep condition), and the network device can stop sending the first downlink reference signal in the first cell. The uplink signal resource includes the resource used for sending an uplink wake-up signal in the first cell indicated by the resource configuration information in the first downlink reference signal.

[0215] That is to say, since the Idle / Inactive terminals in the first cell periodically send uplink wake-up signals, the network equipment can measure the uplink wake-up signals. Once no uplink wake-up signals are received from any Idle / Inactive terminals for a period of time, or even if an uplink wake-up signal is received but the signal strength is weak, it can be determined that there are no more Idle / Inactive terminals in the first cell, and the first cell can be put to sleep.

[0216] In response to the problem in the related technology that the network side cannot perceive the Idle / Inactive state terminals, and thus needs to maintain periodic sending of downlink signals (for example, including synchronization information, system information and resource configuration information), which leads to high energy consumption of network equipment, in the above-mentioned implementation method of the embodiment of the present application, the network equipment can perceive the Idle / Inactive state terminals based on the uplink wake-up signals periodically sent by the Idle / Inactive state terminals, enable the cell to send downlink signals on demand, thereby achieving network energy saving.

[0217] (2) Cell dormancy method based on the uplink wake-up signal not being a periodic signal

[0218] In the method, if the network device does not receive an uplink signal with a signal strength exceeding a set threshold on an uplink signal resource within a set time, a second downlink reference signal is sent in the first cell, and the second downlink reference signal is used to trigger an Idle / Inactive terminal that receives the second downlink reference signal to send an uplink response signal in the first cell. The uplink signal resource includes resources used for sending an uplink wake-up signal in the first cell indicated by the resource configuration information included in the first downlink reference signal, and / or resources used for sending an uplink response signal in the first cell.

[0219] Correspondingly, when the network device determines that there is no Connected terminal in the first cell, and no uplink signal with a signal strength exceeding a set threshold is received on the resources used by the uplink response signal within a set time period, it indicates that the first cell meets the first condition (i.e., the sleep condition), and the network device can stop sending the first downlink reference signal in the first cell.

[0220] That is to say, the prerequisite of the cell dormancy method is: when the strength of the first downlink reference signal received by the Idle / Inactive terminal in the first cell is low (indicating that cell reselection may be required), an uplink wake-up signal is sent in the first cell, so that the network device determines whether to instruct the terminal to reselect the cell based on the measurement of the uplink wake-up signal. Since the uplink wake-up signal is not sent unconditionally and periodically, the network device cannot determine whether there are still Idle / Inactive terminals in the first cell based on the uplink wake-up signal alone. In order to determine whether there are Idle / Inactive terminals in the first cell, the network device can send a third downlink signal (DL-RS) in the first cell to trigger the Idle / Inactive terminal to send a corresponding uplink response signal if it does not receive an uplink signal (including a WUS signal and / or an uplink response signal) with a sufficiently strong signal strength for a period of time. In this way, the network device can determine whether there are still Idle / Inactive terminals in the first cell based on whether it can receive an uplink response signal with a sufficiently strong signal.

[0221] If the first cell satisfies the first condition, the network device will not send data and control information in the first cell, so the network device can turn off the transmission channel or turn off the signal transmitter or turn off the transmission antenna to stop sending the first downlink reference signal in the first cell. It can be understood that stopping sending the first downlink reference signal in the first cell can also be achieved by other methods, and the embodiment of the present application is not limited to this.

[0222] In view of the problem in the related art that the network side cannot perceive the Idle / Inactive state terminal, and thus needs to maintain periodic transmission of downlink signals (for example, including synchronization information, system information and resource configuration information), which leads to high energy consumption of network equipment, in the above implementation method of the embodiment of the present application, the network equipment can perceive the Idle / Inactive state terminal according to the uplink response signal sent by the Idle / Inactive state terminal, and enable the cell to send downlink signals on demand, thereby achieving network energy saving. In addition, since the uplink response signal is not sent periodically, but is based on the measurement of the uplink wake-up signal sent non-periodically by the network equipment to the Idle / Inactive state terminal, and the Idle / Inactive state terminal is triggered to send the second downlink reference signal, there is no need for the Idle / Inactive state terminal to periodically send the uplink signal, thereby further achieving network and terminal energy saving.

[0223] In a possible implementation, the network device may send the resource configuration information of the second downlink reference signal in the first cell, so that the terminal may receive the second downlink reference signal in the first cell according to the resource configuration information. Optionally, the resource configuration information of the second downlink reference signal may be cell-level or cell group-level.

[0224] In a possible implementation, the network device may send the resource configuration information of the uplink response signal in the first cell, so that the terminal may send the uplink response signal in the first cell according to the resource configuration information. Optionally, the resource configuration information of the uplink response signal may include one or more of the following information: time domain resource indication information of the uplink response signal, frequency domain resource indication information of the uplink response signal, root sequence indication information of the uplink response signal, zero correlation domain indication information of the uplink response signal, and transmission power indication information of the uplink response signal. Optional. The resource configuration information of the uplink response signal may be cell-level or cell group-level.

[0225] In order to more clearly understand the above embodiments of the present application, Figure 4 and Figure 5 The specific scenario shown describes the implementation process of the above embodiment of the present application. Figure 4 and Figure 5 In the illustrated scenario, for the sake of clarity, the first downlink reference signal is referred to as a downlink reference signal, the uplink wake-up signal is referred to as a WUS, the downlink indication information is referred to as a DL-Response, the second downlink reference signal is referred to as a DL-RS, and the uplink response signal is referred to as an UL-Response. The downlink reference signal includes a synchronization signal (SS) and WUS resource configuration information.

[0226] See also Figure 4 , Figure 4 The implementation process of cell reselection and cell dormancy is described when a terminal in the Idle / Inactive state periodically sends a WUS.

[0227] See also Figure 4 In (a), there are currently Idle / Inactive terminals in the first cell, and the transmission channel is in the open state (Tx On) for the first cell. The network device periodically sends a downlink reference signal (including SS and WUS resource configuration information) in the first cell to support new terminals to reside in the first cell, and to support new terminals to periodically send WUS in the first cell after successfully residing in the first cell. The Idle / Inactive terminal residing in the first cell receives the downlink reference signal and periodically sends WUS in the first cell according to the WUS resource configuration information in the downlink reference signal.

[0228] The second cell is currently in sleep mode, and the transmission channel for the second cell is in a closed state (Tx Off).

[0229] See also Figure 4 In (b), the network device measures the WUS and determines that the Idle / Inactive terminal meets the cell reselection condition based on the measurement result, so the network device sends a DL-Response in the first cell to instruct the Idle / Inactive terminal to perform cell reselection, and the target cell is the second cell. Since the second cell is currently in sleep mode, the network device turns on the transmission channel and starts to periodically send a downlink reference signal in the second cell.

[0230] See also Figure 4 In (c), after the terminal resides in the second cell, according to the WUS resource configuration information in the downlink reference signal received in the second cell, the WUS is periodically sent in the second cell, and the WUS can be further stopped from being sent in the first cell. For the first cell, the network device determines that there is no Connected terminal in the first cell, and within a certain period of time, no WUS with a signal strength greater than a set threshold is received on the resources indicated by the WUS resource configuration information, so it is determined that there is no Idle / Inactive terminal in the first cell, and the transmission channel of the first cell is closed, and the downlink reference signal is stopped in the first cell.

[0231] See also Figure 5 , Figure 5 The implementation process of cell reselection and cell dormancy is described when a terminal in the Idle / Inactive state sends a WUS aperiodically.

[0232] See also Figure 5 In (a), there are currently Idle / Inactive terminals in the first cell, and the transmission channel is in the open state (Tx On) for the first cell. The network device periodically sends a downlink reference signal in the first cell to support new terminals to reside in the first cell, and to support new terminals to periodically send WUS in the first cell after successfully residing in the first cell. The second cell is currently in sleep mode, and the transmission channel is in the closed state (Tx Off) for the second cell.

[0233] See also Figure 5In (b), an Idle / Inactive terminal in the first cell receives a downlink reference signal in the first cell. When the signal strength of the downlink reference signal is lower than a set threshold, the terminal sends a WUS in the first cell according to the WUS resource configuration information in the downlink reference signal. The network device measures the WUS and determines that the Idle / Inactive terminal meets the cell reselection condition (for example, the signal strength of the WUS is weak) based on the measurement result. Therefore, the network device sends a DL-Response in the first cell to instruct the Idle / Inactive terminal to perform cell reselection, and the target cell is the second cell. Since the second cell is currently in sleep mode, the network device turns on the transmission channel and starts to periodically send a downlink reference signal in the second cell.

[0234] See also Figure 5 In (c), if the network device does not receive a WUS and / or UL-Response with a signal strength exceeding a set threshold within a set time, the DL-RS is sent in the first cell. After the Idle / Inactive terminal receives the DL-RS, if the signal strength of the DL-RS is greater than the set threshold, the UL-Response is sent in the first cell.

[0235] See also Figure 5 (d) When the terminal resides in the second cell, in the first cell, the network device determines that there is no Connected terminal in the first cell, and no UL-Response with a signal strength greater than a set threshold is received within a certain period of time. Therefore, it is determined that there is no Idle / Inactive terminal in the first cell, and the transmission channel of the first cell is closed, and the sending of downlink reference signals in the first cell is stopped. Further, the sending of other downlink signals, such as DL-RS, can also be stopped.

[0236] Above Figure 5 In the scenario shown, the example is described in which the network device sends a DL-Response in the first cell and determines that the conditions for sending a DL-RS in the first cell are met. It should be understood that as long as the network device determines that the conditions for sending a DL-RS in the first cell are met, it can send the DL-RS in the first cell according to the configuration information of the DL-RS. Therefore, there is no absolute order between the time domain position of the DL-RS and the time domain position of the DL-Response.

[0237] exist Figure 1In the cell reselection process shown, the Idle / Inactive terminal performs cell measurement based on the downlink signal and reselects the cell based on the measurement result. There is no interaction between the Idle / Inactive terminal and the network device, and the network device cannot perceive the existence of the Idle / Inactive terminal. In order to ensure that the possible Idle / Inactive terminal can reselect the cell based on the measurement of the downlink signal, the network device needs to periodically send the downlink signal, resulting in high energy consumption of the network device.

[0238] To this end, the embodiment of the present application provides a communication method and a related device and system that can implement the method, which can be applied to the above energy-saving scenario to achieve network energy saving. Through the embodiment of the present application, the network device can perceive the idle / inactive state terminal, and then the network device can determine whether to shut down the transmission of the downlink signal according to whether the idle / inactive state terminal exists, so as to achieve network energy saving.

[0239] The execution subject of the communication method provided in another embodiment of the present application is introduced by taking a network device and a terminal device as examples. For ease of understanding, the embodiments of the present application are introduced by taking the terminal device as a terminal or a chip, unit or module inside the terminal, and the network device as a network device or a chip, unit or module inside the network device as an example.

[0240] Based on the above Figure 2 The network system architecture shown and the above-mentioned related technical introductions, Figure 6 The flowchart of the communication method provided in the embodiment of the present application is exemplified. Figure 6 and Figure 7 The scheme in the present invention is introduced by taking the interactive execution of the network device and the terminal device as an example. Specifically, the process is described by taking the network device as a network device and the terminal device as a terminal as an example. The relevant description of the network device and the terminal device can be found in the above content and will not be repeated here.

[0241] The terminals involved in the following description, unless otherwise specified, refer to terminals in the Idle / Inactive state.

[0242] like Figure 6 As shown, the communication method may include the following steps:

[0243] Step 601: A network device periodically sends a first downlink reference signal in a first cell.

[0244] Step 602: The terminal sends an uplink wake-up signal in the first cell.

[0245] In a possible implementation manner, the uplink wake-up signal is sent periodically.

[0246] In another possible implementation manner, the uplink wake-up signal is sent when a set condition is met.

[0247] Step 603: When the network device determines that the first cell satisfies the first condition, it stops sending the first downlink reference signal in the first cell.

[0248] In a possible implementation, when an uplink wake-up signal is periodically sent, if the network device determines that there is no connected terminal in the first cell, and does not receive an uplink wake-up signal with a signal strength exceeding a set threshold on an uplink signal resource within a set time, the network device stops sending the first downlink reference signal in the first cell. The uplink signal resource includes a resource used for sending an uplink wake-up signal in the first cell indicated by the resource configuration information in the first downlink reference signal.

[0249] In another possible implementation, the uplink wake-up signal includes an uplink wake-up signal that is sent non-periodically, and the terminal sends the uplink wake-up signal only when it determines that the set conditions are met. For a network device, if the network device does not receive an uplink signal with a signal strength exceeding a set threshold on an uplink signal resource within a set time period, a second downlink reference signal is sent in the first cell, and the second downlink reference signal is used to trigger an Idle / Inactive terminal that receives the second downlink reference signal to send an uplink response signal in the first cell. The uplink signal resources include the resources used to send an uplink wake-up signal in the first cell indicated by the resource configuration information in the first downlink reference signal, and / or the resources used for the uplink response signal. Accordingly, if the network device determines that there is no connected terminal in the first cell, and does not receive an uplink response signal with a signal strength exceeding a set threshold on the resources used by the uplink response signal within a set time period, it stops sending the first downlink reference signal in the first cell.

[0250] Above Figure 6 For the specific implementation of each step in the method, please refer to the relevant content in the previous text.

[0251] It is understandable that in order to implement the functions in the above embodiments, the network device and the terminal include hardware structures and / or software modules corresponding to the execution of each function. It should be easily appreciated by those skilled in the art that, in combination with the units and method steps of each example described in the embodiments disclosed in this application, the present application can be implemented in the form of hardware or a combination of hardware and computer software. Whether a function is executed in the form of hardware or computer software driving hardware depends on the specific application scenario and design constraints of the technical solution.

[0252] Figure 7 and Figure 8The following is a schematic diagram of the structure of possible communication devices provided in the embodiments of the present application. These communication devices can be used to implement the functions of the terminal or network device in the above method embodiments, and thus can also achieve the beneficial effects of the above method embodiments. In the embodiments of the present application, the communication device can be as follows: Figure 1 One of the terminals 120a-120j shown may also be Figure 1 The base station 110a or 110b shown may also be a module (such as a chip) applied to a terminal or a base station.

[0253] like Figure 7 As shown, the communication device 700 includes a processing unit 710 and a transceiver unit 720. The communication device 700 is used to implement the above Figure 3 or Figure 6 The functions of the terminal or network device in the method embodiment shown in FIG.

[0254] When the communication device 700 is used to implement Figure 3 When the function of the network device in the method embodiment shown is: the transceiver unit 720 receives an uplink wake-up signal from a terminal in a first cell, and the terminal is an idle or inactive terminal; the processing unit 710 determines whether the terminal meets the cell reselection condition based on the uplink wake-up signal; if it is determined that the terminal meets the cell reselection condition, downlink indication information is sent in the first cell through the transceiver unit 720, and the downlink indication information instructs the terminal to perform cell reselection.

[0255] When the communication device 700 is used to implement Figure 3 When the functions of the terminal in the method embodiment shown are: the processing unit 710 is used to send an uplink wake-up signal in the first cell through the transceiver unit 720, and the uplink wake-up signal is used by the network device to determine whether the terminal meets the cell reselection condition, and the terminal is the terminal that sends the uplink wake-up signal, and the terminal is an idle or inactive terminal; the transceiver unit 720 is used to receive downlink indication information in the first cell, and the downlink indication information instructs the terminal to perform cell reselection; the processing unit 710 is used to perform cell reselection or make a cell reselection decision according to the downlink indication information.

[0256] When the communication device 700 is used to implement Figure 6In the method embodiment shown, the functions of the network device are as follows: the processing unit 710 is used to send a first downlink reference signal in the first cell through the transceiver unit 720, the first downlink reference signal includes resource configuration information and an initial access signal block, the resource configuration information indicates the resources used by the terminal to send an uplink wake-up signal in the first cell, the initial access signal block includes a synchronization signal, and the first downlink reference signal is sent periodically; the transceiver unit 720 is used to receive an uplink wake-up signal from the terminal in the first cell, and the terminal is an idle or inactive terminal; the processing unit 710 is used to stop sending the first downlink reference signal in the first cell when it is determined that the first cell satisfies the first condition.

[0257] For more detailed description of the processing unit 710 and the transceiver unit 720, please refer to Figure 3 or Figure 6 The relevant description in the method embodiment shown is directly obtained and will not be repeated here.

[0258] like Figure 8 As shown, the communication device 800 includes a processor 810 and an interface circuit 820. The processor 810 and the interface circuit 820 are coupled to each other. It is understood that the interface circuit 820 can be a transceiver or an input-output interface. Optionally, the communication device 800 may also include a memory 830 for storing instructions executed by the processor 810 or storing input data required by the processor 810 to execute instructions or storing data generated after the processor 810 executes instructions.

[0259] When the communication device 800 is used to implement Figure 3 When the method shown in or 6 is implemented, the processor 810 is used to implement the function of the above-mentioned processing unit 710, and the interface circuit 820 is used to implement the function of the above-mentioned transceiver unit 720.

[0260] When the above communication device is a chip applied to a terminal, the terminal chip implements the functions of the terminal in the above method embodiment. The terminal chip receives information from other modules in the terminal (such as a radio frequency module or an antenna), and the information is sent by the network device to the terminal; or the terminal chip sends information to other modules in the terminal (such as a radio frequency module or an antenna), and the information is sent by the terminal to the network device.

[0261] When the above-mentioned communication device is a module applied to a network device, the network device module implements the function of the network device in the above-mentioned method embodiment. The network device module receives information from other modules in the network device (such as a radio frequency module or an antenna), and the information is sent by the terminal to the network device; or, the network device module sends information to other modules in the network device (such as a radio frequency module or an antenna), and the information is sent by the network device to the terminal. The network device module here can be a baseband chip of the network device, or it can be a DU or other module. The DU here can be a DU under the open radio access network (O-RAN) architecture.

[0262] It is understandable that the processor in the embodiments of the present application may be a central processing unit (CPU), or other general-purpose processors, digital signal processors (DSP), application-specific integrated circuits (ASIC), field programmable gate arrays (FPGA) or other programmable logic devices, transistor logic devices, hardware components or any combination thereof. The general-purpose processor may be a microprocessor or any conventional processor.

[0263] In the present application, another example of a communication device is provided, the communication device includes at least one processor and at least one memory, the at least one processor is coupled to the at least one memory, the at least one memory is used to store instructions, when the instructions are executed by the at least one processor, the communication device executes the method in the above embodiment. Take the communication device including a processor and a memory as an example, Figure 8 As shown, the communication device 800 includes a processor 810 and a memory 830. The processor 810 and the memory 830 are coupled, and the memory 830 stores instructions. When the instructions stored in the memory 830 are executed by the processor 810, the communication device 800 executes the method executed by the terminal or network device in the above embodiment.

[0264] The method steps in the embodiments of the present application can be implemented in hardware or in software instructions that can be executed by a processor. The software instructions can be composed of corresponding software modules, and the software modules can be stored in random access memory, flash memory, read-only memory, programmable read-only memory, erasable programmable read-only memory, electrically erasable programmable read-only memory, register, hard disk, mobile hard disk, CD-ROM or any other form of storage medium well known in the art. An exemplary storage medium is coupled to the processor so that the processor can read information from the storage medium and can write information to the storage medium. The storage medium can also be a component of the processor. The processor and the storage medium can be located in an ASIC. In addition, the ASIC can be located in a network device or a terminal. The processor and the storage medium can also be present in a network device or a terminal as discrete components.

[0265] In the above embodiments, it can be implemented in whole or in part by software, hardware, firmware or any combination thereof. When implemented by software, it can be implemented in whole or in part in the form of a computer program product. The computer program product includes one or more computer programs or instructions. When the computer program or instruction is loaded and executed on a computer, the process or function described in the embodiment of the present application is executed in whole or in part. The computer may be a general-purpose computer, a special-purpose computer, a computer network, a network device, a user device or other programmable device. The computer program or instruction may be stored in a computer-readable storage medium, or transmitted from one computer-readable storage medium to another computer-readable storage medium, for example, the computer program or instruction may be transmitted from one website site, computer, server or data center to another website site, computer, server or data center by wired or wireless means. The computer-readable storage medium may be any available medium that a computer can access or a data storage device such as a server, data center, etc. that integrates one or more available media. The available medium may be a magnetic medium, for example, a floppy disk, a hard disk, a tape; it may also be an optical medium, for example, a digital video disc; it may also be a semiconductor medium, for example, a solid-state hard disk. The computer-readable storage medium may be a volatile or nonvolatile storage medium, or may include both volatile and nonvolatile types of storage media.

[0266] In the various embodiments of the present application, unless otherwise specified or provided in a logical conflict, the terms and / or descriptions between the different embodiments are consistent and may be referenced to each other, and the technical features in the different embodiments may be combined to form new embodiments according to their inherent logical relationships.

[0267] In the present application, "at least one" means one or more, and "more than one" means two or more. "And / or" describes the association relationship of associated objects, indicating that three relationships may exist. For example, A and / or B can mean: A exists alone, A and B exist at the same time, and B exists alone, where A and B can be singular or plural. In the text description of the present application, the character " / " generally indicates that the previous and next associated objects are in an "or" relationship; in the formula of the present application, the character " / " indicates that the previous and next associated objects are in a "division" relationship. "Including at least one of A, B and C" can mean: including A; including B; including C; including A and B; including A and C; including B and C; including A, B and C.

[0268] It is understood that the various numbers involved in the embodiments of the present application are only for the convenience of description and are not used to limit the scope of the embodiments of the present application. The size of the sequence number of the above-mentioned processes does not mean the order of execution, and the execution order of each process should be determined by its function and internal logic.

Claims

1. A communication method, characterized in that: include: Receiving, in a first cell, an uplink wake-up signal from a terminal, where the terminal is an idle or inactive terminal; Determining whether the terminal meets a cell reselection condition according to the uplink wake-up signal; If it is determined that the terminal meets the cell reselection condition, downlink indication information is sent in the first cell, and the downlink indication information instructs the terminal to perform cell reselection.

2. The method according to claim 1, characterized in that Also includes: Before the first cell receives the uplink wake-up signal, a first downlink reference signal is sent in the first cell, where the first downlink reference signal includes resource configuration information, and the first downlink reference signal is sent periodically.

3. The method according to claim 2, characterized in that The resource configuration information includes first configuration information, where the first configuration information indicates a first resource, where the first resource is a resource used to send the uplink wake-up signal in the first cell; or The resource configuration information includes first configuration information, where the first configuration information indicates a first resource, where the first resource is a resource used by a cell in a first cell group to send an uplink wake-up signal, and the first cell group includes the first cell.

4. The method according to claim 3, characterized in that The resource configuration information includes M configuration information, the M configuration information includes first configuration information and second configuration information, the first configuration information indicates a first resource, which is a resource used by a cell in a first cell group to send an uplink wake-up signal, and the second configuration information indicates a second resource, which is a resource used by a second cell to send an uplink wake-up signal.

5. The method according to any one of claims 2 to 4, characterized in that: The resource configuration information includes N candidate configuration information, the N candidate configuration information indicating N candidate resources used for sending the uplink wake-up signal in the first cell, the N candidate configuration information being associated with K terminal identifiers, where N and K are both integers greater than or equal to 1; After the first cell receives the uplink wake-up signal from the terminal, the method further includes: Determine first configuration information corresponding to the resource of the uplink wake-up signal, where the first configuration information is one of the N candidate configuration information; A terminal that sends the uplink wake-up signal is determined according to the terminal identifier associated with the first configuration information.

6. The method according to any one of claims 2 to 5, characterized in that: The resource configuration information includes one or more of the following information: The transmission period of the uplink wake-up signal, the time domain offset of the uplink wake-up signal, the absolute position of the time domain symbol of the uplink wake-up signal, the frequency domain offset of the uplink wake-up signal, the absolute position of the frequency domain carrier of the uplink wake-up signal, the root sequence of the uplink wake-up signal, the zero correlation domain of the sequence of the uplink wake-up signal, the target receiving strength of the uplink wake-up signal, the maximum number of power ramping times of the uplink wake-up signal, and the power ramping step size of the uplink wake-up signal; Among them, the time domain offset indicates the offset of the time domain where the uplink wake-up signal is located relative to the time domain where the first downlink reference signal is located, and the frequency domain offset indicates the offset of the frequency domain where the uplink wake-up signal is located relative to the frequency domain where the first downlink reference signal is located.

7. The method according to any one of claims 2 to 6, characterized in that: The first downlink reference signal also includes an initial access signal block, or includes an initial access signal block and system information; wherein the initial access signal block includes one or more of the following information: a synchronization signal, a synchronization signal block SSB, and partial information in a synchronization signal or a master information block MIB.

8. The method according to any one of claims 2 to 7, characterized in that: Also includes: Determine that there is no connected terminal in the first cell, and that an uplink wake-up signal with a signal strength exceeding a set threshold is not received on the uplink signal resource within a set time period, and stop sending the first downlink reference signal in the first cell, wherein the uplink signal resource includes the resources used for sending the uplink wake-up signal in the first cell indicated by the resource configuration information.

9. The method according to any one of claims 2 to 8, characterized in that: Also includes: If an uplink signal with a signal strength exceeding a set threshold is not received on the uplink signal resource within a set time period, a second downlink reference signal is sent in the first cell, and the second downlink reference signal is used to trigger an idle state and an inactive state terminal that receives the second downlink reference signal to send an uplink response signal in the first cell; wherein the uplink signal resource includes a resource indicated by the resource configuration information and used for sending the uplink wake-up signal in the first cell, and / or a resource used for sending the uplink response signal in the first cell; The determining that the first cell satisfies a first condition includes: It is determined that there is no connected terminal in the first cell, and that the uplink response signal having a signal strength exceeding a set threshold is not received on the resource used by the uplink response signal within a set time period.

10. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 9, characterized in that: The downlink indication information includes first information, the first information indicates a format of first configuration information, the first configuration information indicates a first resource, the first resource is a resource used to send the uplink wake-up signal in the first cell, and the first configuration information is associated with at least one terminal identifier.

11. The method according to claim 10, characterized in that The downlink indication information further includes third information, and the third information indicates a target cell.

12. The method according to claim 11, characterized in that The third information indicates one or more of the following information: The cell identifier of the target cell; Downlink signal resource configuration information, used to indicate resources used for sending a downlink reference signal on the target cell, the downlink reference signal includes resource configuration information, the resource configuration information indicates resources for sending an uplink wake-up signal on the target cell, and the downlink reference signal is sent periodically; The uplink signal resource configuration information is used to indicate the resources used to send an uplink wake-up signal on the target cell. The uplink wake-up signal is used by a network device to determine whether the terminal satisfies a cell reselection condition after residing in the target cell.

13. The method according to claim 12, characterized in that Also includes: If the periodic sending of the downlink reference signal has been stopped in the target cell, and the target cell is a cell under the network device, restarting the periodic sending of the downlink reference signal in the target cell; or If the periodic sending of the downlink reference signal has stopped in the target cell, and the target cell is a cell under another network device, the other network device is instructed to restart the periodic sending of the downlink reference signal in the target cell.

14. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 13, characterized in that: Also includes: Receiving an uplink wake-up signal from the terminal in the second cell; The determining, according to the uplink wake-up signal, whether the terminal meets a cell reselection condition includes: It is determined whether the terminal meets a cell reselection condition according to the signal strength of the uplink wake-up signal received in the first cell and the signal strength of the uplink signal received in the second cell.

15. A communication method, characterized in that: The method comprises: Sending an uplink wake-up signal in a first cell, where the uplink wake-up signal is used by a network device to determine whether a terminal meets a cell reselection condition, where the terminal is a terminal that sends the uplink wake-up signal, and the terminal is an idle or inactive terminal; receiving downlink indication information in the first cell, the downlink indication information instructing the terminal to perform cell reselection; Perform cell reselection or make a cell reselection decision according to the downlink indication information.

16. The method according to claim 15, characterized in that Before the first cell sends the uplink wake-up signal, the method further includes: receiving, in the first cell, a first downlink reference signal, where the first downlink reference signal includes resource configuration information and is sent periodically; The sending an uplink wake-up signal in the first cell includes: The uplink wake-up signal is sent in the first cell according to the resource configuration information.

17. The method according to claim 16, characterized in that The resource configuration information includes first configuration information, where the first configuration information indicates a first resource, where the first resource is a resource used to send the uplink wake-up signal in the first cell; or The resource configuration information includes first configuration information, where the first configuration information indicates a first resource, where the first resource is a resource used by a cell in a first cell group to send an uplink wakeup, and the first cell group includes the first cell.

18. The method according to claim 16, characterized in that The resource configuration information includes M configuration information, the M configuration information includes first configuration information and second configuration information, the first configuration information indicates a first resource, the first resource is a resource used by a cell in a first cell group to send an uplink wake-up signal, and the second configuration information indicates a second resource, the second resource is a resource used by a second cell to send an uplink wake-up signal; The sending an uplink wake-up signal in the first cell includes: Sending an uplink wake-up signal in the first cell according to the first configuration information; The method further comprises: An uplink wake-up signal is sent in the second cell according to the second configuration information.

19. The method according to any one of claims 16 to 18, characterized in that: The resource configuration information includes N candidate configuration information, the N candidate configuration information indicating N candidate resources used for sending the uplink wake-up signal in the first cell, the N candidate configuration information being associated with K terminal identifiers, where N and K are both integers greater than or equal to 1; The sending an uplink wake-up signal in the first cell includes: Determine, according to the identifier of the terminal, first configuration information associated with the identifier of the terminal among the N candidate configuration information; The uplink wake-up signal is sent in the first cell according to the first configuration information.

20. The method according to any one of claims 16 to 19, characterized in that: The resource configuration information includes one or more of the following information: The transmission period of the uplink wake-up signal, the time domain offset of the uplink wake-up signal, the absolute position of the time domain symbol of the uplink wake-up signal, the frequency domain offset of the uplink wake-up signal, the absolute position of the frequency domain carrier of the uplink wake-up signal, the root sequence of the uplink wake-up signal, the zero correlation domain of the sequence of the uplink wake-up signal, the target receiving strength of the uplink wake-up signal, the maximum number of power ramping times of the uplink wake-up signal, and the power ramping step size of the uplink wake-up signal; Among them, the time domain offset indicates the offset of the time domain where the uplink wake-up signal is located relative to the time domain where the first downlink reference signal is located, and the frequency domain offset indicates the offset of the frequency domain where the uplink wake-up signal is located relative to the frequency domain where the first downlink reference signal is located.

21. The method according to any one of claims 16 to 20, characterized in that: The first downlink reference signal also includes an initial access signal block, or includes an initial access signal block and system information; wherein the initial access signal block includes one or more of the following information: a synchronization signal, a synchronization signal block SSB, and partial information in a synchronization signal or a master information block MIB.

22. The method according to any one of claims 16 to 21, characterized in that: The downlink indication information includes first information, the first information indicates a format of first configuration information, the first configuration information indicates a first resource, the first resource is a resource used to send the uplink wake-up signal in the first cell, and the first configuration information is associated with at least one terminal identifier; The performing cell reselection or making a cell reselection decision according to the downlink indication information includes: Determine, according to the format of the first configuration information indicated by the first information, a terminal identifier associated with the format; If the terminal identifier associated with the format includes the identifier of the terminal, cell reselection is performed or a cell reselection decision is performed.

23. The method of claim 22, wherein: The downlink indication information further includes third information, and the third information indicates a target cell; The performing cell reselection or making a cell reselection decision according to the downlink indication information includes: camping on the target cell according to the target cell indicated by the third information; or The first cell and the target cell are measured to obtain measurement results, and the mobile station resides in the first cell or the target cell according to the measurement results.

24. The method of claim 23, wherein: The third information indicates one or more of the following information: Downlink signal resource configuration information, used to indicate resources used for sending a downlink reference signal on the target cell, the downlink reference signal includes resource configuration information, the resource configuration information indicates resources for sending an uplink wake-up signal on the target cell, and the downlink reference signal is sent periodically; The uplink signal resource configuration information is used to indicate the resources used to send an uplink wake-up signal on the target cell. The uplink wake-up signal is used by a network device to determine whether the terminal satisfies a cell reselection condition after residing in the target cell.

25. The method according to any one of claims 15 to 24, characterized in that The sending an uplink wake-up signal in the first cell includes: The uplink wake-up signal is periodically sent in the first cell.

26. The method according to any one of claims 15 to 24, characterized in that Also includes: receiving a first downlink reference signal in the first cell, where the first downlink reference signal includes resource configuration information, where the resource configuration information indicates a resource of the uplink wake-up signal, and where the first downlink reference signal is sent periodically; The sending an uplink wake-up signal in the first cell includes: When it is determined that the signal strength of the first downlink reference signal does not meet the set requirement, the uplink wake-up signal is sent in the first cell.

27. The method of claim 26, wherein: Also includes: Receiving a second downlink reference signal in the first cell; wherein the second downlink reference signal is sent when the network device does not receive an uplink signal with a signal strength exceeding a set threshold on an uplink signal resource within a set time period, and the uplink signal resource includes a resource indicated by the resource configuration information used to send the uplink wake-up signal in the first cell, and / or a resource used to send the uplink response signal in the first cell; If the signal strength of the second downlink reference signal is greater than a set threshold, an uplink response signal is sent in the first cell, and the uplink response signal is used to determine whether the first cell meets a condition for stopping sending the first downlink reference signal in the first cell.

28. A communication method, characterized in that: include: Sending a first downlink reference signal in a first cell, where the first downlink reference signal includes resource configuration information and an initial access signal block, where the resource configuration information indicates resources used by a terminal to send an uplink wake-up signal in the first cell, the initial access signal block includes a synchronization signal, and the first downlink reference signal is sent periodically; Receiving, in the first cell, an uplink wake-up signal from a terminal, where the terminal is an idle or inactive terminal; When it is determined that the first cell satisfies the first condition, stopping sending the first downlink reference signal in the first cell.

29. The method of claim 28, wherein: The uplink wake-up signal is sent periodically; The determining that the first cell satisfies a first condition includes: Determine that there is no connected terminal in the first cell, and that the uplink wake-up signal with a signal strength exceeding a set threshold is not received on the uplink signal resource within a set time period; wherein the uplink signal resource includes the resources used to send the uplink wake-up signal in the first cell indicated by the resource configuration information.

30. The method of claim 29, wherein: The uplink wake-up signal is sent aperiodically; The method further comprises: If an uplink signal with a signal strength exceeding a set threshold is not received on the uplink signal resource within a set time period, a second downlink reference signal is sent in the first cell, and the second downlink reference signal is used to trigger an idle state and an inactive state terminal that receives the second downlink reference signal to send an uplink response signal in the first cell; wherein the uplink signal resource includes a resource indicated by the resource configuration information and used for sending the uplink wake-up signal in the first cell, and / or a resource used for sending the uplink response signal in the first cell; The determining that the first cell satisfies a first condition includes: It is determined that there is no connected terminal in the first cell, and that the uplink response signal having a signal strength exceeding a set threshold is not received on the resource used by the uplink response signal within a set time period.

31. A communication device, characterized in that: The method comprises a unit or module for executing the method according to any one of claims 1 to 14, or comprises a unit or module for executing the method according to any one of claims 15 to 27, or comprises a unit or module for executing the method according to any one of claims 28 to 30.

32. A communication device, characterized in that: include: The one or more processors are configured to execute the method of any one of claims 1-14, or to execute the method of any one of claims 15-27, or to execute the method of any one of claims 28-30.

33. A computer-readable storage medium, characterized in that: The computer-readable storage medium stores a computer program or instruction. When the computer program or instruction is executed by the communication device, it implements the method according to any one of claims 1 to 14, or implements the method according to any one of claims 15 to 27, or implements the method according to any one of claims 28 to 30.

34. A computer program product, characterized in that When the computer program product is called by a computer, the computer executes the method according to any one of claims 1 to 14, or the method according to any one of claims 15 to 27, or the method according to any one of claims 28 to 30.

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