Communication method and communication device

Abstract

The invention provides a communication method and a communication device. The communication method can be applied to a hybrid configuration scene involving PUCCH (Physical Uplink Control Channel) repeated transmission, cell discontinuous reception and PUCCH cell switching. According to configuration of PUCCH repeated transmission, configuration of cell DRX and configuration of PUCCH cell switching, whether another cell in the same PUCCH group can send the PUCCH at the inactive time of discontinuous reception of the first cell is determined, the influence of configuration parameters of each mechanism on uplink transmission performance can be reduced, and the uplink transmission performance in a complex configuration scene can be guaranteed.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] Embodiments of the present application relate to the field of communication technology, and more specifically, to a communication method and a communication device. Background Art

[0002] As the energy consumption of base stations continues to rise, it has become one of the main reasons for the high operating costs of operators. How to reduce the energy consumption of base stations and achieve network energy saving (or base station energy saving) has become an urgent problem to be solved.

[0003] Currently, the cell discontinuous reception technology can be used to enable network equipment to receive uplink transmissions from terminal equipment in a specified time period, while not transmitting certain uplink signals in other time periods, thereby reducing the power consumption of network equipment. In the process of communication between terminal equipment and network equipment, physical uplink control channel (PUCCH) cell switching and PUCCH repeated transmission may be involved. In the scenario involving PUCCH repeated transmission, the configuration of PUCCH cell switching and the configuration of cell discontinuous reception are independently configured, which may cause PUCCH transmission to be unable to be performed for multiple consecutive time slots, which may affect the performance of uplink transmission.

[0004] Therefore, in the above hybrid configuration scenario, how to perform uplink transmission becomes an urgent problem to be solved. Summary of the invention

[0005] The present application provides a communication method and a communication device, which can ensure the performance of uplink transmission in a mixed configuration scenario.

[0006] In the first aspect, a communication method is provided, which can be executed by a terminal device, or can also be executed by a chip or circuit for a terminal device, and the present application does not limit this. For the convenience of description, the following is an example of execution by a terminal device. The method may include: obtaining first information, second information and third information, the first information indicating the configuration of repeated transmission of the physical uplink control channel PUCCH of the first cell, the second information indicating the configuration of discontinuous cell reception of the first cell, and the third information indicating the configuration of PUCCH cell switching within the first PUCCH group. The first PUCCH group includes the second cell and the first cell. The PUCCH cell switching within the first PUCCH group includes the switching of the cell used to transmit PUCCH between the first cell and the second cell with the reference time slot as the time unit; according to the first information, the second information and the third information, determine whether the second cell can send PUCCH during the non-activation time of discontinuous cell reception of the first cell.

[0007] In actual scenarios, the following configurations may be involved: Configuration #1, configuring cell discontinuous reception (DRX) for the default cell that sends PUCCH in a certain PUCCH group; Configuration #2, configuring PUCCH cell switching within the PUCCH group. For any PUCCH group, the terminal device may support configuration #1 and configuration #2 at the same time. For example, when the carriers corresponding to multiple uplink cells configured with PUCCH cell switching in the PUCCH group are in different frequency bands, that is, in an inter-band scenario. In scenarios involving repeated PUCCH transmission, the mismatch between the PUCCH cell switching configuration and the cell DRX configuration may affect the uplink transmission performance.

[0008] In some possible implementations, the first PUCCH group may be any PUCCH group. The first cell may be a cell in the PUCCH group for performing PUCCH repetition transmission, or may be a default cell for sending PUCCH in the PUCCH group. The second cell may be a PUCCH switching secondary cell (PUCCH-sSCell) in the PUCCH group.

[0009] In some possible implementations, when the first PUCCH group includes a primary cell (PCell), the first cell may be the primary cell.

[0010] In the present application, according to the configuration of PUCCH repeated transmission, the configuration of cell DRX and the configuration of PUCCH cell switching, it is determined whether the second cell can send PUCCH during the non-activation time of discontinuous reception of the first cell, which can reduce the impact of the configuration parameters of each mechanism on the uplink transmission performance and ensure the uplink transmission performance in complex configuration scenarios.

[0011] Assume that the first information indicates a group of PUCCH repetition transmissions with a repetition number of N (N is a positive integer). For the first cell, since the configuration of PUCCH repetition transmission is independent of the configuration of cell discontinuous reception, the time slot corresponding to at least one PUCCH repetition transmission among the N PUCCH repetition transmissions may be within the inactive time of the cell discontinuous reception, resulting in the number of repetitions actually performed by the group of PUCCH repetition transmissions being less than N.

[0012] In some possible implementations, the last PUCCH repetition transmission within the activation time of the discontinuous reception of the first cell may be regarded as the last PUCCH repetition transmission of the group of PUCCH repetition transmissions. Whether the second cell can send PUCCH may be determined based on the time slot and reference time slot of the last PUCCH repetition transmission within the activation time of the discontinuous reception of the first cell.

[0013] Exemplarily, the reference time slot for the last PUCCH repetitive transmission within the activation time of the cell discontinuous reception of the first cell may be determined as the first reference time slot. The first period of the cell discontinuous reception of the first cell may be determined according to the time slot for the last PUCCH repetitive transmission within the activation time of the cell discontinuous reception of the first cell. The first period may include the time slot, or may be after the time slot and adjacent to the time slot.

[0014] In one implementation, after the first reference time slot and within the inactive time of the first cycle, it may be determined whether the second cell can send the PUCCH according to the configuration of the PUCCH cell switching within the first PUCCH group.

[0015] This solution allows the discontinuous reception configuration of the first cell to be taken into account in the process of determining whether the second cell can send PUCCH, and can reduce the impact of the discontinuous reception configuration of the first cell and the mismatch between PUCCH cell switching within the first PUCCH group on uplink transmission performance.

[0016] In an actual scenario, determining whether the second cell can send the PUCCH based on the last PUCCH repetition transmission within the activation time of the cell discontinuous reception of the first cell may increase the complexity of the solution.

[0017] In some possible implementations, in order to reduce the complexity of the solution, the Nth PUCCH repetition transmission may be regarded as the last PUCCH repetition transmission of the group of PUCCH repetition transmissions. Whether the second cell can send PUCCH may be determined based on the time slot and reference time slot corresponding to the Nth PUCCH repetition transmission.

[0018] Exemplarily, the reference time slot corresponding to the Nth PUCCH repetition transmission may be determined as the second reference time slot. The period of discontinuous reception of the first cell in which the time slot corresponding to the Nth PUCCH repetition transmission is located may be determined as the third period. The second period may be determined based on the positional relationship between the time slot corresponding to the Nth PUCCH repetition transmission and the non-activation time in the third period.

[0019] In one implementation, after the second reference time slot and within the inactive time of the second cycle, it may be determined whether the second cell can send the PUCCH according to the configuration of the PUCCH cell switching within the first PUCCH group.

[0020] This solution can reduce the complexity of the solution and can reduce the calculation overhead of the terminal device in determining whether the second cell can send PUCCH.

[0021] In some possible implementations, in order to reduce the complexity of the solution, for the group of PUCCH repeated transmissions, a reference time slot corresponding to any time slot from the time slot corresponding to the first PUCCH repeated transmission to the time slot corresponding to the Nth PUCCH repeated transmission can be determined as the third reference time slot. In the third reference time slot, the second cell cannot send PUCCH.

[0022] In some possible implementations, in order to reduce the impact on uplink transmission, the second cell can send PUCCH in some of the reference time slots corresponding to at least one reference time slot from the time slot corresponding to the first PUCCH repetition transmission to the time slot corresponding to the Nth PUCCH repetition transmission.

[0023] Exemplarily, at least one reference time slot corresponding to any time slot from the time slot corresponding to the first PUCCH repeated transmission to the time slot corresponding to the Nth PUCCH repeated transmission and in the non-activated time of discontinuous reception of the first cell can be determined as the fourth reference time slot. At least one reference time slot corresponding to any time slot between the time slot corresponding to the first PUCCH repeated transmission and the time slot corresponding to the Nth PUCCH repeated transmission includes the reference time slot where the time slot corresponding to the first PUCCH repeated transmission is located and the reference time slot where the time slot corresponding to the first PUCCH repeated transmission is located.

[0024] In one implementation, the second cell can send the PUCCH in the fourth reference time slot.

[0025] In some possible implementations, the above-mentioned multiple solutions may be used in combination. For example, the applicable solution may be determined according to the resources carried by the second information.

[0026] In one implementation, under the condition that the second information is carried in the radio resource control signaling, the second cell can send PUCCH in the fourth reference time slot; or, under the condition that the second information is carried in the downlink control information, the second cell cannot send PUCCH in the third reference time slot.

[0027] In one implementation, under the condition that the second information is carried in wireless resource control signaling, whether the second cell can send PUCCH after the first reference time slot and during the non-activated time of discontinuous cell reception of the first cell, can be determined according to the configuration of PUCCH cell switching within the first PUCCH group; or, under the condition that the second information is carried in downlink control information, during the non-activated time of the second period of discontinuous cell reception of the first cell after the second reference time slot, whether the second cell can send PUCCH can be determined according to the configuration of PUCCH cell switching within the first PUCCH group.

[0028] In some possible implementations, PUCCH repetitive transmission is used to carry channel state information (CSI) reports and / or scheduling requests (SR).

[0029] In the second aspect, a communication method is provided, which can be executed by a network device, or can also be executed by a chip or circuit for a network device, and the present application does not limit this. For the convenience of description, the following is an example of execution by a network device. The method may include: sending first information, second information and third information, the first information indicating the configuration of repeated transmission of the physical uplink control channel PUCCH of the first cell, the second information indicating the configuration of discontinuous cell reception of the first cell, and the third information indicating the configuration of PUCCH cell switching within the first PUCCH group, the first PUCCH group including the second cell and the first cell, the PUCCH cell switching within the first PUCCH group including the cell used to transmit PUCCH switching between the first cell and the second cell with the reference time slot as the time unit; according to the configuration of repeated transmission of the physical uplink control channel PUCCH of the first cell, the configuration of discontinuous cell reception of the first cell and the configuration of PUCCH cell switching within the first PUCCH group, determine whether the second cell needs to receive PUCCH during the non-activation time of discontinuous cell reception of the first cell.

[0030] In some possible implementations, after the first reference time slot and within the inactive time of the first cycle, it may be determined whether the second cell needs to receive the PUCCH based on the configuration of the PUCCH cell switching within the first PUCCH group.

[0031] In some possible implementations, after the second reference time slot and within the inactive time of the second cycle, it may be determined whether the second cell needs to receive the PUCCH based on the configuration of the PUCCH cell switching within the first PUCCH group.

[0032] In some possible implementations, the second cell does not need to receive the PUCCH in the third reference time slot. The third reference time slot may include a reference time slot corresponding to any time slot from the time slot corresponding to the first PUCCH repetition transmission to the time slot corresponding to the Nth PUCCH repetition transmission.

[0033] In some possible implementations, under the condition that the second information is carried in the downlink control information, the second cell does not need to receive the PUCCH in the third reference time slot.

[0034] In some possible implementations, the second cell needs to receive the PUCCH in the fourth reference time slot.

[0035] In some possible implementations, the second cell does not need to receive the PUCCH in the fifth reference time slot. The fifth reference time slot may include: a reference time slot that is in the activation time of the cell discontinuous reception of the first cell and is in at least one reference time slot corresponding to any time slot from the time slot where the first PUCCH repetition transmission is located to the time slot where the Nth PUCCH repetition transmission is located.

[0036] In some possible implementations, under the condition that the second information is carried in the radio resource control signaling, the second cell needs to receive the PUCCH in the fourth reference time slot.

[0037] In some possible implementations, under the condition that the second information is carried in wireless resource control signaling, whether the second cell needs to receive PUCCH can be determined according to the configuration of PUCCH cell switching within the first PUCCH group after the first reference time slot and during the inactive time of the second period of discontinuous reception of the cell of the first cell; or, under the condition that the second information is carried in downlink control information, whether the second cell needs to receive PUCCH can be determined according to the configuration of PUCCH cell switching within the first PUCCH group after the second reference time slot and during the inactive time of the second period of discontinuous reception of the cell of the first cell.

[0038] It should be understood that the second aspect is an implementation method on the network device side corresponding to the first aspect. The explanations, supplements and descriptions of the beneficial effects of the first aspect are also applicable to the second aspect and will not be repeated here.

[0039] In a third aspect, a communication method is provided, which can be executed by a terminal device, or can also be executed by a chip or circuit for a terminal device, and the present application does not limit this. For ease of description, the following is an example of execution by a terminal device. The method may include: obtaining second information and third information, the second information is used to indicate the configuration of discontinuous cell reception of the first cell, and the third information is used to indicate the configuration of PUCCH cell switching within the first physical uplink control channel PUCCH group, the first PUCCH group includes multiple cells, the multiple cells include the second cell and the first cell, and the PUCCH cell switching within the first PUCCH group includes switching between the first cell and the second cell; according to the second information and the third information, determine whether the configuration of discontinuous cell reception of the first cell is effective or the configuration of PUCCH cell switching of the first PUCCH group is effective.

[0040] For the configuration #1 and configuration #2 mentioned above, in the same PUCCH group, the terminal device may not support simultaneous configuration #1 and configuration #2. In the above scheme, by making the configuration of cell discontinuous reception of the first cell effective or the configuration of PUCCH cell switching of the first PUCCH group effective, it is possible to avoid performing the above configuration #1 and configuration #2 at the same time.

[0041] In some possible implementations, determining that the configuration of discontinuous reception of the first cell or the configuration of PUCCH cell switching of the first PUCCH group is effective based on the second information and the third information may include: determining that the configuration of discontinuous reception of the first cell is effective based on the second information and the third information.

[0042] In one implementation, the terminal device may only support configuration #1.

[0043] In one implementation, the terminal device may preferentially support configuration #1.

[0044] In some possible implementations, determining, based on the second information and the third information, that the configuration of discontinuous reception of the first cell or the configuration of PUCCH cell switching of the first PUCCH group is effective may include: determining, based on the second information and the third information, that the configuration of PUCCH cell switching of the first PUCCH group is effective.

[0045] In one implementation, the terminal device may only support configuration #2.

[0046] In one implementation, the terminal device may preferentially support configuration #2.

[0047] In some possible implementations, the second information is obtained in the first time slot, the third information is obtained in the second time slot, and determining that the configuration of discontinuous cell reception of the first cell is effective or the configuration of PUCCH cell switching of the first PUCCH group is effective may include: when the first time slot is earlier than the second time slot, determining that the configuration of discontinuous cell reception of the first cell is effective; or, when the second time slot is earlier than the first time slot, determining that the configuration of PUCCH cell switching of the first PUCCH group is effective.

[0048] In a fourth aspect, a communication method is provided, which can be executed by a network device, or can also be executed by a chip or circuit for a network device, and the present application does not limit this. For ease of description, the following is an example of execution by a terminal device. The method may include: sending second information and third information, the second information is used to indicate the configuration of discontinuous cell reception of the first cell, and the third information is used to indicate the configuration of PUCCH cell switching within the first physical uplink control channel PUCCH group, the first PUCCH group includes multiple cells, the multiple cells include the second cell and the first cell, and the PUCCH cell switching within the first PUCCH group includes switching between the first cell and the second cell; according to the second information and the third information, determine that the configuration of discontinuous cell reception of the first cell is effective or the configuration of PUCCH cell switching of the first PUCCH group is effective.

[0049] In a fifth aspect, a communication device is provided, comprising: a processor, configured to execute a computer program stored in a memory, so that the communication device executes the method of the first aspect, the second aspect, the third aspect or the fourth aspect.

[0050] In a sixth aspect, a computer-readable storage medium is provided, in which a computer program or instruction is stored. When the computer program or instruction is executed by a communication device, the communication device executes the method of the first aspect, the second aspect, the third aspect or the fourth aspect.

[0051] In a seventh aspect, a chip is provided, comprising: a processor for executing a computer program stored in a memory, so that a communication device equipped with the chip system executes the method of the first aspect, the second aspect, the third aspect or the fourth aspect.

[0052] In an eighth aspect, a computer program is provided, which, when executed by a communication device, implements the method of the first aspect, the second aspect, the third aspect or the fourth aspect. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0053] Figure 1 A schematic diagram of the architecture of a communication system used in an embodiment of the present application;

[0054] Figure 2It is a schematic diagram of the cell discontinuous reception technology provided by an embodiment of the present application;

[0055] Figure 3 It is a schematic diagram of frequency division duplex and time division duplex provided in an embodiment of the present application;

[0056] Figure 4 It is a schematic diagram of a PUCCH repeated transmission scenario provided in an embodiment of the present application;

[0057] Figure 5 is a schematic diagram of a PUCCH group provided in an embodiment of the present application;

[0058] Figure 6 It is a schematic diagram of a PUCCH cell switching scenario provided by an embodiment of the present application;

[0059] Figure 7 It is a schematic diagram of another PUCCH repeated transmission scenario provided in an embodiment of the present application;

[0060] Figure 8 It is a schematic diagram of another PUCCH repeated transmission scenario provided in an embodiment of the present application;

[0061] Fig. 9 is a schematic diagram of a communication method provided in an embodiment of the present application;

[0062] Fig.10 It is a schematic diagram of another PUCCH repeated transmission scenario provided in an embodiment of the present application;

[0063] Fig.11 It is a schematic diagram of another PUCCH repeated transmission scenario provided in an embodiment of the present application;

[0064] Fig.12 It is a schematic diagram of another PUCCH repeated transmission scenario provided in an embodiment of the present application;

[0065] Fig.13 It is a schematic diagram of another PUCCH repeated transmission scenario provided in an embodiment of the present application;

[0066] Fig.14 is a schematic diagram of another communication method provided in an embodiment of the present application;

[0067] Fig.15 is a schematic diagram of another communication method provided in an embodiment of the present application;

[0068] Fig.16 is a schematic diagram of a communication device provided in an embodiment of the present application;

[0069] Fig.17is a schematic diagram of another communication device provided in an embodiment of the present application;

[0070] Fig.18 It is a schematic diagram of another communication device provided in an embodiment of the present application. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0071] The technical solution in this application will be described below in conjunction with the accompanying drawings.

[0072] Figure 1 FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram of the architecture of a communication system 1000 used in an embodiment of the present application. Figure 1 As shown, the communication system includes a radio access network (RAN) 100, wherein the RAN 100 includes at least one RAN node (such as Figure 1 110a and 110b in the figure, collectively referred to as 110), and may also include at least one terminal (such as Figure 1 RAN 100 may also include other RAN nodes, such as wireless relay equipment and / or wireless backhaul equipment ( Figure 1 The terminal 120 is connected to the RAN node 110 in a wireless manner. Terminals and terminals and RAN nodes and RAN nodes can be connected to each other by wired or wireless means. The communication system 1000 may also include a core network 200. The RAN node 110 is connected to the core network 200 in a wireless or wired manner. The core network device in the core network 200 and the RAN node 110 in the RAN 100 may be independent and different physical devices, or may be the same physical device that integrates the logical functions of the core network device and the logical functions of the RAN node. The communication system 1000 may also include the Internet 300.

[0073] RAN100 may be an evolved universal terrestrial radio access (E-UTRA) system, a new radio (NR) system, and a future radio access system defined in the 3rd generation partnership project (3GPP). RAN100 may also include two or more of the above-mentioned different radio access systems. RAN100 may also be an open RAN (O-RAN).

[0074] RAN nodes, also known as radio access network equipment, RAN entities or access nodes, are used to help terminals access the communication system wirelessly. In one application scenario, a RAN node can be a base station, an evolved NodeB (eNodeB), a transmission reception point (TRP), a next generation NodeB (gNB) in a fifth generation (5G) mobile communication system, a next generation NodeB in a sixth generation (6G) mobile communication system, or a base station in a future mobile communication system. A RAN node can be a macro base station (such as a Figure 1 110a), or a micro base station or an indoor station (such as Figure 1 110b) in the figure, it can also be a relay node or a donor node.

[0075] In another application scenario, the cooperation of multiple RAN nodes can be used to help the terminal achieve wireless access, and different RAN nodes respectively implement part of the functions of the base station. For example, the RAN node can be a centralized unit (CU), a distributed unit (DU) or a radio unit (RU). The CU here completes the functions of the radio resource control protocol and the packet data convergence protocol (PDCP) of the base station, and can also complete the function 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 can also complete the functions of part of the physical layer or all of the physical layer. For the specific description of the above-mentioned various protocol layers, please refer to the relevant technical specifications of 3GPP. RU can be used to implement the transceiver function of radio frequency signals. CU and DU can be two independent RAN nodes, or they can be integrated in the same RAN node, such as integrated in a baseband unit (BBU). RU can be included in a radio frequency device, such as a remote radio unit (RRU) or an active antenna unit (AAU). The CU can be further divided into two types of RAN nodes: CU-control plane and CU-user plane.

[0076] In different systems, RAN nodes may have different names. For example, in an O-RAN system, CU may be called an open CU (open CU, O-CU), DU may be called an open DU (open DU, O-DU), and RU may be called an open RU (open RU, O-RU). The RAN node in the embodiment of the present application may be implemented by a software module, a hardware module, or a combination of a software module and a hardware module. For example, the RAN node may be a server loaded with a corresponding software module. The embodiment of the present application does not limit the specific technology and specific device form adopted by the RAN node. For the sake of ease of description, network equipment is an abbreviation for wireless access network equipment. The following description takes a base station as an example of a RAN node.

[0077] A terminal is a device with wireless transceiver function, which can send signals to a base station or receive signals from a base station. A terminal can also be called a terminal device, user equipment (UE), a mobile station, a 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 can be a mobile phone, a tablet computer, a computer with wireless transceiver function, a wearable device, a vehicle, an airplane, a ship, a robot, a mechanical 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.

[0078] Base stations and terminals can be fixed or movable. Base stations and terminals can be deployed on land, including indoors or outdoors, handheld or vehicle-mounted; they can also be deployed on the water surface; they can also be deployed on airplanes, balloons, and artificial satellites. The embodiments of this application do not limit the application scenarios of base stations and terminals.

[0079] The roles of the base station and the terminal can be relative, for example, Figure 1The helicopter or drone 120i in the figure can be configured as a mobile base station. For the terminal 120j that accesses the wireless access network 100 through 120i, the terminal 120i is a base station; but for the base station 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 base stations. In this case, relative to 110a, 120i is also a base station. Therefore, base stations and terminals can be collectively referred to as communication devices. Figure 1 110a and 110b in the figure may be referred to as communication devices having base station functions. Figure 1 120a-120j in the figure can be called communication devices with terminal functions.

[0080] Base stations and terminals, base stations and base stations, and terminals and terminals can communicate through authorized spectrum, unauthorized spectrum, or both; they 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.

[0081] In the embodiments of the present application, the functions of the base station may also be performed by a module (such as a chip) in the base station, or by a control subsystem including the base station function. The control subsystem including the base station function here may be a control center in the above-mentioned application scenarios such as smart grid, industrial control, smart transportation, and smart city. 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.

[0082] In this application, the base station 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. The uplink channel may include: a random access channel, a physical uplink control channel, a physical uplink shared channel, etc. In order to communicate with the base station, the terminal needs to establish a wireless connection on the cell controlled by the base station. The cell with which the terminal has established a wireless connection is called the service cell of the terminal. When the terminal communicates with the service cell, it will also be interfered by signals from neighboring cells.

[0083] It can be understood that in the embodiments of the present application, the names of the above-mentioned signals or channels are only used as examples, and may have different names in different systems and different scenarios, and the embodiments of the present application do not limit this.

[0084] In order to better understand the technical solution, some terms involved in this application are briefly introduced below.

[0085] 1. Discontinuous reception in the cell

[0086] By adopting the cell DRX mechanism, the power consumption of network devices can be reduced. For cells configured with the cell DRX mechanism, network devices can receive uplink signals sent by terminal devices during specified time periods. In other time periods, network devices may not receive some uplink signals; accordingly, terminal devices may not send these uplink signals. Figure 2 A brief description of cell DRX is given.

[0087] Figure 2 It is a schematic diagram of the cell discontinuous reception technology provided in an embodiment of the present application.

[0088] In one embodiment, if Figure 2 As shown in (a) of FIG. 1 , a cell may adopt a periodic cell DRX configuration. The period of Cell DRX may be referred to as the cell DRX period. Figure 2 As shown in (a) of FIG. 1 , a cell DRX cycle may include an activation time (also referred to as a duration, which may be recorded as active) and an inactivation time (also referred to as a non-duration, which may be recorded as non-active). For a cell DRX cycle, the activation time may be before the inactivation time, such as Figure 2 As shown in (a); or, the inactive time may be before the active time.

[0089] The network device may notify the terminal device of the cell DRX configuration information. The cell DRX configuration information may include, but is not limited to, parameters such as the cell DRX cycle, the start position of the activation time, and the length of the activation time. Thus, the terminal device may know the cell DRX activation time and / or inactivation time.

[0090] The network device may receive uplink signals sent by the terminal device during the activation time of the cell DRX. The network device may not receive certain uplink signals during the inactive time of the cell DRX. Accordingly, the terminal device may not send these uplink signals during the inactive time of the cell DRX. For example, such uplink signals may include, but are not limited to: periodic or semi-continuous channel state information reports, periodic or semi-continuous sounding reference signals (SRS), configured grants (physical uplink shared channels, PUSCH), and / or scheduling requests.

[0091] In addition, for dynamically scheduled transmissions, such as transmissions scheduled by downlink control information (DCI), the terminal device needs to send certain uplink signals even in the inactive period of cell DRX. For example, such signals may include, but are not limited to: dynamically scheduled PUSCH, hybrid automatic repeat request (HARQ) confirmation (ACK) information corresponding to the dynamically scheduled physical downlink shared channel (PDSCH), HARQ-ACK information corresponding to the physical downlink control channel (PDCCH), and / or HARQ-ACK information corresponding to the semi-persistently scheduled PDSCH that has been transmitted.

[0092] In one embodiment, in order to save power consumption of network devices, the cell DRX configuration in a cell can be applied to multiple terminal devices in the cell. For example, multiple UEs in a cell can share the same cell DRX configuration. For another example, the cell DRX configurations used by different cells can be the same or different.

[0093] In another embodiment, Figure 2 As shown in (b) in FIG. 5 , cell DRX can be enabled or disabled through signaling.

[0094] In another embodiment, the network device may configure multiple sets of cell DRX parameters, and may indicate through signaling that one set of cell DRX parameters is effective. Figure 2 As shown in (c) in FIG. 1 , the cell DRX mechanism may be executed according to cell DRX cycle #1 or cell DRX cycle #2.

[0095] In another embodiment, the terminal device may be instructed to enter or exit the cell DRX state through, but not limited to, radio resource control (RRC) signaling, MAC control element (CE) indication, or DCI information.

[0096] 2. Bandwidth part (BWP)

[0097] The core concept of BWP is to define an access bandwidth that is smaller than both the cell system bandwidth and the terminal bandwidth capability. All transceiver operations of the terminal device can be performed within this smaller bandwidth, thereby enabling more flexible, efficient, and lower-power terminal operations in large broadband systems (such as NR systems).

[0098] 3. Frequency division duplex (FDD) and time division duplex (TDD)

[0099] Frequency division duplexing means that the uplink (UL) and downlink (DL) use two different carriers or frequency bands to work at the same time. Time division duplexing means that the uplink and downlink can use the same center frequency carrier or frequency band, but need to occupy the carrier or frequency band in different time periods (such as time slots, symbols). Figure 3 , taking the NR system as an example, briefly introduce the working methods of FDD and TDD.

[0100] Figure 3 It is a schematic diagram of frequency division duplex and time division duplex provided in an embodiment of the present application.

[0101] In one embodiment, in the FDD mode of the NR system, the UL BWP and the DL BWP are located on different carriers. Figure 3 As shown in (a) in FIG. 1 , downlink transmission can be performed on the DL BWP of time slot 0, and uplink transmission can also be performed on the UL BWP of time slot 0. For another example, Figure 3 As shown in (a), downlink transmission can be performed on the DL BWP of time slot 0, time slot 1 and time slot 2, and accordingly, uplink transmission can be performed on the UL BWP of the corresponding time slot. Figure 3 In the figure, D may represent a frequency band used for downlink transmission, and U may represent a frequency band used for uplink transmission.

[0102] In another embodiment, in the TDD mode of the NR system, the center frequency (or working frequency) of the DL BWP and the UL BWP is the same, and the bandwidth of the DL BWP and the UL BWP can be the same or different; at the same time, the terminal device can only perform uplink transmission or downlink transmission. Figure 3 As shown in (b) of FIG. 1 , the center frequency and bandwidth of the DL BWP and the UL BWP are the same. Figure 3 As shown in (b) in FIG. 1 , in time slot 0, only uplink transmission can be performed on the corresponding frequency band; in time slot 4, only downlink transmission can be performed on the corresponding frequency band. Figure 3 As shown in (b) in FIG. 1 , time slot 3 can be a flexible time slot (in Figure 3 That is, uplink transmission or downlink transmission can be performed in time slot 3, but uplink transmission and downlink transmission cannot be performed at the same time.

[0103] In another embodiment, different from the above embodiment, in the TDD mode of the NR system, the uplink and downlink switching can be performed at a smaller granularity. For example, a time slot may include multiple symbols, and the uplink and downlink switching can be performed at the symbol granularity. Figure 3 Take the time slot 3 shown in (b) as an example, the time slot 3 may include multiple (for example, 12 or 14) orthogonal frequency division multiplexing (OFDM) symbols, part of the multiple OFDM symbols can be used for uplink transmission, and the other part can be used for downlink transmission. For example, assume that the time slot 3 includes 14 OFDM symbols, the first M OFDM symbols are downlink symbols, the last N symbols are uplink symbols, and the middle (14-MN) OFDM symbols are flexible symbols. M and N are positive integers, 0≤M≤14, 0≤N≤14, and 0≤M+N≤14. Uplink symbols are used for uplink transmission, and downlink symbols are used for downlink transmission. Flexible symbols can be used for both uplink transmission and downlink transmission, but cannot be used for both uplink and downlink transmission at the same time. The transmission direction of the flexible symbol can be notified to the terminal device by the network device through signaling. For example, such signaling may include but is not limited to RRC signaling or DCI signaling.

[0104] Compared with FDD, TDD occupies fewer resources in the frequency domain. However, since uplink transmission and downlink transmission cannot be performed simultaneously in TDD, the use of TDD will increase the delay of uplink transmission.

[0105] 4. Carrier aggregation (CA)

[0106] The main idea of ​​carrier aggregation is to aggregate multiple continuous or non-continuous component carriers (CCs) to obtain a larger transmission bandwidth, so that the transmission bandwidth of the terminal device can be the sum of the bandwidths of the multiple carriers, thereby obtaining a higher peak rate and throughput.

[0107] The component carrier may include a primary component carrier (PCC) and a secondary component carrier (SCC). The PCC may be used to carry signaling transmission and manage the component carriers of other component carriers, and the SCC may be used to expand bandwidth and increase rate, and the SCC may be managed by the PCC. For example, in a 3-carrier aggregation scenario, the UE may use 3 carriers simultaneously, and the 3 carriers may include one PCC and two SCCs.

[0108] The cell corresponding to the PCC may be called a primary cell, and the cell corresponding to the SCC may be called a secondary cell (SCell), which is used to provide additional wireless resources.

[0109] 5. Physical uplink control channel

[0110] Taking the NR system as an example, the PUCCH can carry uplink control information (UCI). For example, it can include but is not limited to scheduling requests, hybrid automatic repeat request confirmation information, and channel state information. In some possible implementations, the PUCCH can carry more or less information.

[0111] Compared with network equipment, the transmission power of terminal equipment is relatively small. For terminal equipment at the edge of the cell, due to the limitation of uplink transmission power, the uplink transmission performance is usually poor. PUCCH repetition helps to improve the uplink transmission performance. PUCCH repetition can refer to sending the same PUCCH multiple times in units of time slots over multiple consecutive time slots. For each time slot involved in PUCCH repetition transmission, the position of the symbol occupied by PUCCH can be the same. For example, Figure 4 As shown, Figure 4 It is a schematic diagram of a PUCCH repeated transmission mechanism provided in an embodiment of the present application.

[0112] In one embodiment, assuming Figure 4 Each time slot in the 12-bit OFDM system consists of 14 OFDM symbols. Figure 4As shown, the number of repetitions of the PUCCH repetition transmission of this group is 4. For example, for the time slot corresponding to the PUCCH repetition transmission of this group, the starting symbol of the PUCCH repetition transmission (denoted as S) can be the 4th OFDM symbol in the OFDM symbols included in the time slot, and the length of the occupied OFDM symbol (denoted as L) can be 6 OFDM symbols. That is to say, in this example, the number of repetitions of the PUCCH repetition transmission is 4, the starting symbol is 4, and the length is 6. In other embodiments, the number of PUCCH repetitions, the starting symbol, and / or the length can also be other values, which are not limited in the embodiments of the present application.

[0113] Exemplarily, to support asymmetric carrier aggregation, the number of downlink carriers supported by the network device and / or the terminal device may be independent of the number of uplink carriers supported. For a large number of downlink component carriers, a single uplink carrier may carry a large amount of confirmation information. In order to avoid overloading a single carrier, multiple PUCCH groups may be configured. Accordingly, multiple downlink component carriers may be divided into corresponding multiple carrier groups.

[0114] For example, Figure 5 As shown, Figure 5 Schematic diagram of a PUCCH group provided in an embodiment of the present application. Figure 5 As shown, PUCCH group 1 and PUCCH group 2 are different PUCCH groups. PUCCH group 1 may include multiple downlink cells, such as DL PCell, DL SCell 1 to DL SCell 3; and may also include multiple uplink cells, such as UL PCell, UL SCell 1. Similarly, PUCCH group 2 may include multiple downlink cells, such as DL SCell 4 to DL SCell 7; and may also include multiple uplink cells, such as UL SCell 2 and UL SCell 3. In some possible implementations, Figure 5 The multiple uplink cells and downlink cells involved may be divided into multiple PUCCH groups by other division methods, which is not limited in the embodiments of the present application.

[0115] Feedback of multiple downlink carriers in a PUCCH group can be transmitted via uplink carriers in the same PUCCH group. Figure 5 Taking PUCCH group 1 in as an example, the uplink control information related to DL PCell and DL SCell 1 to DL SCell 3 is transmitted through UL PCell or UL SCell 1 in PUCCH group 1.

[0116] In some possible implementations, for multiple uplink carriers in the same PUCCH group, PUCCH can be sent on at most one uplink carrier at a time (for example Figure 5 UL PCell and UL SCell 2). For example, Figure 5 For example, in the PUCCH group 1 in FIG. 1 , the PUCCH may only be transmitted on the UL PCell but not on the UL SCell 1. However, as mentioned above, for the TDD system, since the downlink time slot or downlink symbol is only used for downlink transmission, the PUCCH cannot be sent, resulting in an increase in the uplink transmission delay.

[0117] In some possible implementations, PUCCH cell switching can be performed in the same PUCCH group. That is, within the same PUCCH group, the cell used to send PUCCH can be switched between multiple uplink cells (such as 2) in the PUCCH group. The carrier switching pattern can be configured in a semi-static manner to indicate which uplink carrier sends PUCCH in a certain time slot. It is also possible to indicate which uplink carrier sends PUCCH in a certain time slot by means of DCI dynamic indication.

[0118] In one embodiment, Figure 5 Taking the PUCCH group 1 shown as an example, for a terminal device that supports cell switching, the network device can send a carrier switching pattern to the terminal device. For example, according to the carrier switching pattern, the cell that sends PUCCH can be switched from UL PCell to UL SCell 1, or UL SCell 1 can be switched to UL PCell. For another example, UL PCell can be the default cell for sending PUCCH. When the terminal device supports cell switching, the network device can configure UL SCell 1 as a cell that can send PUCCH. That is, the network device can configure UL SCell 1 as a PUCCH switching auxiliary cell, which can be recorded as PUCCH-sSCell. PUCCH cell switching can be configured in a semi-static or dynamic manner.

[0119] In yet another embodiment, Figure 5 PUCCH cell switching can be performed in PUCCH group 2 in the SCell. For example, UL SCell 2 can be configured as the default cell for sending PUCCH, and correspondingly, UL SCell 3 can be configured as PUCCH-sSCell. For another example, the PUCCH cell switching in PUCCH group 1 and the PUCCH cell switching in PUCCH group 2 are independent of each other and do not interfere with each other.

[0120] In another embodiment, the carrier switching pattern can be indicated by a high-level parameter. For example, the high-level parameter PUCCH switching secondary cell pattern (pucch-sSCellPattern). The pucch-sSCellPattern can be embodied as a bitmap. For example, within the time unit corresponding to each bit of the pucch-sSCellPattern parameter, a bit value of 0 can indicate that PUCCH is sent on the default cell for sending PUCCH within the time unit; a bit value of 1 can indicate that PUCCH is sent on the PUCCH-sSCell within the time unit. Thus, the PUCCH cell switching can be indicated by the pucch-sSCellPattern.

[0121] Some possible scenarios may involve more or fewer PUCCH groups. The embodiments of the present application do not limit the number of PUCCH groups and the number of uplink cells and / or downlink cells in the PUCCH group.

[0122] The following Figure 5 Take PUCCH group 1 in as an example, combined with Figure 6 and Figure 7 Introduce PUCCH cell switching.

[0123] like Figure 6 As shown in FIG. 1 , it is assumed that PCell is the default cell for sending PUCCH, and the PUCCH cell switching is indicated by the high-level parameter pucch-sSCellPattern. Figure 6 As shown, the time unit corresponding to each bit of the pucch-sSCellPattern parameter may be 1 time slot. Figure 6 As shown, based on the pucch-sSCellPattern, in time slots 0 and 1, the cell that can be used to send PUCCH is PCell; in time slots 2 and 3, the cell that can be used to send PUCCH is PUCCH-sSCell; in time slot 4, the cell that can be used to send PUCCH is PCell; in time slots 5 and 6, the cell that can be used to send PUCCH is PUCCH-sSCell. For another example, according to the PUCCH transmission requirements, PUCCH 1 to PUCCH 4 can be sent in the corresponding cells that can be used to send PUCCH in time slots 1, 2, 3 and 5 respectively.

[0124] The time unit for PUCCH cell switching corresponding to the carrier switching pattern may be the same as or different from the time unit used to send PUCCH. For example, the length of the time unit corresponding to each bit of the pucch-sSCellPattern parameter may be recorded as the reference time slot. The reference time slot may be determined by high-level parameters, such as time division duplex-uplink-downlink-common configuration (tdd-UL-DL-ConfigurationCommon). The reference time slot is a time slot consisting of 14 or 12 OFDM symbols corresponding to the reference subcarrier spacing configuration given by the high-level parameter tdd-UL-DL-ConfigurationCommon. The reference time slot may be P (P is a positive integer) times the time slot of the cell used to send PUCCH in the PUCCH group. For example, in Figure 6 In the scenario shown, P is 1. For another example, Figure 7 As shown, it is still assumed that PCell is the default cell for sending PUCCH. Figure 7 In the scenario shown, P is 2.

[0125] For terminal devices that support PUCCH cell switching, when PUCCH retransmission is involved, in some time slots, the cell that can be used to send PUCCH indicated by the pucch-sSCellPatern parameter may not match the cell where PUCCH is retransmitted. Figure 6 Taking the scenario shown in the figure as an example, in time slots 0 and 1, the cell that can be used to send PUCCH is PCell; in time slots 2 and 3, the cell that can be used to send PUCCH is PUCCH-sSCell. For another example, due to the pucch-sSCellPattern, PCell is not a cell that can be used to send PUCCH in time slots 2 and 3. When you need to perform the following in PCell Figure 4 When the PUCCH is repeated as shown, that is, when a set of PUCCH repetition transmissions needs to be performed from time slot 1 to time slot 4 on the PCell, there will be a mismatch in time slots 2 and 3.

[0126] To solve the above mismatch, in some possible implementations, when configuring PUCCH cell switching in a semi-static manner, it can be specified that PUCCH repeated transmission is only performed on the default cell for sending PUCCH. Figure 5 As shown in PUCCH group 1, PUCCH repetition is performed only on UL PCell; Figure 5For PUCCH group 2 in UL, PUCCH repetition is performed only on UL SCell 2. That is, during PUCCH repetition, semi-static PUCCH cell switching is invalid, and the terminal device will no longer send the content required for PUCCH repetition on PUCCH-sSCell according to the carrier switching pattern. Figure 6 In the scenario shown Figure 4 As an example, the PUCCH repeated transmission is combined with Figure 8 Introduce PUCCH repetition and semi-static PUCCH cell switching.

[0127] like Figure 8 As shown in FIG. 1 , the PUCCH repetition may be repeated 4 times to send a CSIPUCCH. Figure 8 As shown in FIG. 1 , the CSIPUCCH to be sent for the first to fourth times may be recorded as CSI rep 1 to CSI rep 4, respectively. Figure 8 In the scenario, the PUCCH cell switching indicated by pucch-sSCellPatern is Figure 6 Same scenario.

[0128] Some possible implementations include Figure 8 As shown, even if the cell that can be used to send PUCCH indicated by the pucch-sSCellPattern parameter in time slots 2 and 3 is PUCCH-sSCell, since the semi-static PUCCH cell switching fails during the PUCCH repeated transmission, CSI rep 2 and CSI rep 3 are still sent on PCell in time slots 2 and 3. That is to say, during the entire PUCCH repeated transmission period (i.e., time slot 1 to time slot 4), the CSIPUCCH involved is sent on PCell, and the CSIPUCCH is not sent on PUCCH-sSCell according to pucch-sSCellPattern. In this way, the complexity of the communication protocol and the terminal side implementation can be reduced.

[0129] In actual scenarios, network devices may reduce power consumption through the cell DRX mechanism. Figure 5 The cell DRX mechanism is used on the UL PCell or UL SCell 2) in the cellDRX. During the non-active time of cellDRX, the PUCCH carrying the uplink signal of periodic or semi-continuous CSI report and SR is not allowed to be sent. Furthermore, if PUCCH cell switching is involved, the failure of semi-static PUCCH cell switching during PUCCH repetition will significantly increase the complexity of the scenario. The execution mode of each mechanism in this complex scenario also needs to be further explored.

[0130] The technical solution of the present application is described in detail below with reference to the accompanying drawings. Fig. 9 A schematic diagram of a communication method 900 provided in an embodiment of the present application is shown.

[0131] It should be understood that Fig. 9 and subsequent Fig.14 , Fig.15 In the embodiment of the present application, a network device and a terminal device are used as examples of the interacting parties. However, the present application is not limited to the execution subject, and can be a communication device having the network device function in the following communication method, and a communication device having the terminal device function in the following communication method. Fig. 9 The steps or operations shown in the embodiment are only examples, and the present application embodiment may also perform other operations or Fig. 9 Variations of the various operations in .

[0132] like Fig. 9 As shown, the method 900 may include the following steps:

[0133] S910, the network device sends first information, and correspondingly, the terminal device obtains the first information. The first information indicates the configuration of PUCCH repeated transmission of the first cell.

[0134] The configuration of PUCCH repetition transmission indicated by the first information may be applicable to one or more groups of PUCCH repetition transmission. Figure 4 Taking the PUCCH repeated transmission shown as an example, according to the configuration of the PUCCH repeated transmission indicated by the first information, the number of repetitions corresponding to the group of PUCCH repeated transmissions, the starting symbol and length of each PUCCH repeated transmission in the corresponding time slot in the group of PUCCH repeated transmissions, etc. can be determined.

[0135] In some possible implementations, the first information indicates the configuration of repeated transmission of the PUCCH carrying the CSI report and / or SR. In other words, the repeated transmission of the PUCCH involved in step S910 may be repeated transmission of the PUCCH carrying the CSI report and / or SR.

[0136] S920, the network device sends second information, and correspondingly, the terminal device obtains the second information. The second information indicates the configuration of cell discontinuous reception of the first cell.

[0137] In one embodiment, the second information may be carried in DCI. In another embodiment, the second information may be carried in RRC signaling. The second information may also be carried in other messages, and the message carrying the second information is not limited in the embodiments of the present application.

[0138] S930, the network device sends third information, and correspondingly, the terminal device obtains the third information.

[0139] The third information indicates a configuration of a PUCCH cell switching within a first PUCCH group, the first PUCCH group including a first cell and a second cell, the PUCCH cell switching within the first PUCCH group including switching of a cell of a PUCCH for transmission between the first cell and the second cell with a reference time slot as a time unit.

[0140] Optionally, the first information, the second information, and the third information may be carried in the same message, or may be carried in multiple messages. For example, the network device may send the first information, the second information, and the third information at the same time. For another example, the network device may first send the first information, or may first send the second information, or may first send the third information, and then send the remaining information among the first information, the second information, and the third information.

[0141] For a terminal device, the method further includes S940; or, for a network device, the method further includes S950.

[0142] S940, the terminal device determines whether the second cell can send the PUCCH during the non-activation time of the cell discontinuous reception of the first cell based on the first information, the second information and the third information.

[0143] S950: The network device determines whether the second cell needs to receive the PUCCH during the non-activation time of the cell discontinuous reception of the first cell according to the first information, the second information and the third information.

[0144] The second cell can send PUCCH, which can be understood as the second cell can send PUCCH or can be used to send PUCCH, but does not mean that the second cell must send PUCCH. Figure 6 For example, for the terminal device side, the PUCCH-sSCell can send PUCCH in time slots 5 and 6, but the PUCCH-sSCell does not send PUCCH in time slot 6. Correspondingly, for the network device side, according to the pucch-sSCellPattern, it can be determined that the PUCCH-sSCell needs to receive PUCCH in time slots 5 and 6, but it does not mean that it must receive PUCCH.

[0145] When the first information indicates PUCCH retransmission during the inactivity time of cell discontinuous reception in the first cell, the PUCCH retransmission may not be performed during the inactivity time of cell discontinuous reception in the first cell. For example, assume that the first information indicates PUCCH retransmissions with a set of repetition times N (N is a positive integer), and among the time slots corresponding to the N PUCCH retransmissions, there are M (M is a positive integer and M < N) times during the inactivity time of cell DRX of the first cell. In this scenario, the corresponding M PUCCH retransmissions may not be performed in these M time slots.

[0146] Since the cell DRX mechanism of the first cell may affect the number of actually performed PUCCH retransmissions, in some possible implementations, based on the last PUCCH retransmission during the active time of cell DRX in the first cell, the time slot in which the PUCCH cell handover configuration can take effect can be determined.

[0147] Exemplarily, for a terminal device, after the first reference time slot and during the inactivity time of the first cycle of cell discontinuous reception in the first cell, whether the second cell can send PUCCH is determined according to the PUCCH cell handover configuration within the first PUCCH group. Among them, the first reference time slot is the reference time slot for the last execution of PUCCH retransmission during the active time of cell discontinuous reception in the first cell. The time slot for the last execution of PUCCH retransmission during the active time of cell discontinuous reception in the first cell is within the active time of the first cycle or before and adjacent to the first cycle. The following combines Fig.10 the shown scenario to briefly introduce the first reference time slot involved in the embodiments of the present application.

[0148] In one embodiment, Fig.10 is a schematic diagram of a scenario of PUCCH retransmission provided by the embodiments of the present application. Compared with Figure 8 the shown scenario, Fig.10 the shown scenario further involves the cell DRX mechanism. Among them, the cell DRX cycle applicable to the PCell can be represented by the PCell cell DRX pattern in Fig.10 . In the scenario shown in Fig.10 , the PCell can be understood as the first cell, and the PUCCH-sSCell in the same PUCCH group (i.e., the UL SCell 1 in PUCCH group 1 in Figure 5 ) can be understood as the second cell. In Fig.10In the scenario shown, the reference time slot used for PUCCH cell switching includes 1 PCell time slot or 1 PUCCH-sSCell time slot.

[0149] For example, Fig.10 As shown, the first information may indicate a set of PUCCH repetition transmissions with a repetition number of 4 on the PCell, that is, N=4. The network device may send information to the terminal device to indicate that CSIrep 1 to CSI rep 4 are sent in time slots 1 to 4, respectively. However, since time slots 3 and 4 are in the cell DRX inactive time of the PCell, for the terminal device, CSI rep 1 and CSI rep 2 are sent in time slots 1 and 2 on the PCell, respectively, while CSI rep 3 and CSI rep 4 are not actually sent in time slots 3 and 4.

[0150] exist Fig.10 In the scenario shown, the last PUCCH repetition transmission performed within the activation time of the cell DRX of the PCell is CSI rep2. Correspondingly, time slot 2 is the time slot in which the last PUCCH repetition transmission is performed within the activation time of the cell DRX of the PCell; the reference time slot corresponding to time slot 2 can be understood as the first reference time slot. For the case where the activation time is before the inactive time in the same cell DRX cycle, the cell DRX cycle including time slots 1 to 4 can be understood as the first cycle; and when the inactive time is before the activation time, since time slot 2 is located in the last time slot of the cell DRX cycle in which it is located (that is, the cell DRX cycle including time slots 0 to time slots 2), the cell DRX cycle including time slots 3 to time slots 6 can be understood as the first cycle. Fig.10 In the scenario shown, time slots 3 and 4 can be understood as inactive time in the first cycle. In time slots 3 and 4, for the terminal device side, it can be determined whether PUCCH-sSCell can send PUCCH according to pucch-sSCellPattern; for the network device side, it can be determined whether PUCCH needs to be received in PUCCH-sSCell according to pucch-sSCellPattern.

[0151] As mentioned above, in Fig.10In the scenario shown, CSI rep 2 is the last PUCCH repetition transmission performed within the activation time of the cell DRX of the PCell. CSI rep 2 can be used as the last PUCCH repetition transmission of the group of PUCCH repetition transmissions, and the semi-statically configured PUCCH cell switching can take effect on the reference time slot after the reference time slot where CSI rep 2 is located. That is, on the reference time slot after time slot 2, the PUCCH cell switching indicated by pucch-sSCellPattern can take effect.

[0152] In some possible scenarios, multiple groups of PUCCH repetition transmissions may be involved, and the number of repetitions of each group of PUCCH repetition transmissions may be the same or different. Since the activation time and the inactivation time of the cell DRX may be periodic, when multiple groups of PUCCH repetition transmissions are involved, the first reference time slot and the first period corresponding to each group of PUCCH repetition transmissions may be determined respectively. For example, Fig.10 The illustrated scenario may be understood as an example of determining a first reference time slot and / or a first period corresponding to a group of PUCCH repetition transmissions.

[0153] In the above embodiment, when determining whether PUCCH cell switching can take effect, or when confirming whether the second cell can send PUCCH / needs to receive PUCCH, the influence of the cell DRX inactive time is considered, thereby increasing the complexity of implementation to a certain extent.

[0154] In some possible implementations, in order to reduce the complexity of implementation, the last PUCCH repetition transmission in the group of PUCCH repetition transmissions may be determined based on the number of repetitions of the PUCCH repetition transmission indicated by the first information.

[0155] Exemplarily, the first information may indicate that the number of repetitions of the PUCCH retransmission is N times, where N is a positive integer. For the terminal device, whether the second cell can send PUCCH during the inactive time of the second period of discontinuous cell reception after the second reference time slot and in the first cell may be determined according to the configuration of the PUCCH cell switching within the first PUCCH group. Among them, the second reference time slot is the reference time slot corresponding to the Nth PUCCH repetition transmission. The time slot corresponding to the Nth PUCCH repetition transmission is in the third period of discontinuous cell reception of the first cell. Under the condition that part or all of the inactive time of the third period is after the time slot corresponding to the Nth PUCCH repetition transmission, the second period is the third period; or, under the condition that there is no inactive time of the third period after the time slot corresponding to the Nth PUCCH repetition transmission, the second period is after the third period and adjacent to the third period.

[0156] For example, Fig.10 Taking the scenario shown in the figure as an example, Fig.10 In the scenario shown, even if CSI rep3 and CSI rep 4 are not actually sent in time slot 3 and time slot 4, CSI rep 4 can still be regarded as the last PUCCH repetition transmission in the group of PUCCH repetition transmissions. The reference time slot corresponding to CSI rep 4 can be understood as the second reference time slot; the cell DRX cycle in which the time slot corresponding to CSI rep 4 is located can be understood as the third cycle. Based on the second reference time slot and the third cycle, within the corresponding time unit, it can be determined whether the second cell can send PUCCH according to the configuration of PUCCH cell switching.

[0157] In some possible implementations, in order to further reduce the complexity of the implementation, for the terminal device side, the second cell cannot send PUCCH in the third reference time slot; for the network device side, the second cell does not need to receive PUCCH in the third reference time slot. The third reference time slot may include a reference time slot corresponding to any time slot from the time slot where the first PUCCH repetition transmission is located to the time slot where the Nth PUCCH repetition transmission is located. This part of the reference time slot includes the reference time slot corresponding to the time slot where the first PUCCH repetition transmission is located and the time slot where the Nth PUCCH repetition transmission is located. The following is combined with Fig.11 The scenario shown briefly introduces the second reference time slot and the third reference time slot involved in the embodiment of the present application.

[0158] In one embodiment, if Fig.11 As shown, Fig.11 FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram of another PUCCH repeated transmission scenario provided by an embodiment of the present application. Figure 8 Compared with the scene shown, Fig.11 The scenario shown further involves the cell DRX mechanism. Fig.10 The scenario shown is similar to Fig.11 In the scenario shown, PCell can be understood as the first cell, the PUCCH-sSCell (i.e. Figure 5 The UL SCell 1 in the PUCCH group 1 in the SCell 1 can be understood as the second cell. Fig.11 In the scenario shown, the reference time slot used for PUCCH cell switching includes 1 PCell time slot or 1 PUCCH-sSCell time slot.

[0159] and Fig.10 The difference between the scenarios shown is that Fig.11In the scenario shown, the PUCCH cell switching indicated by pucch-sSCellPattern is invalid in the reference time slot corresponding to the repeated transmission of this group of PUCCH (i.e., time slot 1 to time slot 4). After the reference time slot corresponding to time slot 4, for terminal devices, it can be determined whether PUCCH-sSCell can send PUCCH according to pucch-sSCellPattern; for network devices, it can be determined whether PUCCH needs to be received in PUCCH-sSCell according to pucch-sSCellPattern.

[0160] exist Fig.11 In the illustrated scenario, the number of repetitions of PUCCH retransmission performed on the PCell indicated by the first information is 4 (ie, N=4). Fig.11 In the scenario shown, the time slot corresponding to the last PUCCH repetition transmission in the group of PUCCH repetition transmissions is time slot 4; the reference time slot corresponding to time slot 4 can be understood as the second reference time slot. For the case where the activation time in a cell DRX cycle is before the inactive time, the cell DRX cycle where time slot 4 is located (i.e., the third cycle) includes time slots 1 to 4. For the case where the inactive time in the same cell DRX cycle is before the activation time, the cell DRX cycle where time slot 4 is located (i.e., the third cycle) can include time slots 3 to 6. In the above two cases, the cell DRX cycle where time slot 4 is located does not have an inactive time after time slot 4, and another cell DRX cycle that is located after and adjacent to the cell DRX cycle where time slot 4 is located can be understood as the second cycle. The reference time slot corresponding to any time slot from time slot 1 to time slot 4 can be understood as the third reference time slot. Fig.11 In the scenario shown, for the terminal device side, PUCCH-sSCell cannot send PUCCH in the reference time slots corresponding to time slots 1 to 4.

[0161] In another embodiment, Fig.12 As shown, Fig.12 FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram of another PUCCH repeated transmission scenario provided by an embodiment of the present application. Fig.10 and / or Fig.11 The difference between the illustrated scenarios is that the number of repetitions of PUCCH retransmission indicated by the first information is 5 times, ie, N=5.

[0162] and Fig.10 and / or Fig.11 The scenario shown is similar to Fig.12In the scenario shown, due to the influence of the cell DRX inactive time of the PCell, CSI rep 3 and CSI rep 4 are not actually sent in time slot 3 and time slot 4.

[0163] exist Fig.12 In the scenario shown, on the one hand, time slot 5 is the time slot in which the last PUCCH repetition transmission is performed within the activation time of the cell DRX of the PCell; on the other hand, time slot 5 is also the time slot corresponding to the fifth PUCCH repetition transmission. The first reference time slot and the second reference time slot are both reference time slots corresponding to time slot 5. Taking the case where the activation time is before the inactivation time in the same cell DRX cycle as an example, Fig.12 In the scenario shown, the activation time of the first cycle starts with time slot 5 and may include time slots 5 to 6 (the inactive time of the first cycle is Fig.12 (not shown in FIG. 1 ). Similarly, the activation time of the third cycle also starts with time slot 5. That is, Fig.12 In the scenario shown, the first reference time slot and the second reference time slot may be the same reference time slot, and the first cycle and the third cycle may be the same cycle.

[0164] In some possible implementations, under the condition that the second information is carried in the DCI, for the terminal device / network device, the second cell cannot send PUCCH / does not need to receive PUCCH in the third time slot.

[0165] In the above embodiment, in the reference time slot corresponding to any time slot from the time slot where the first PUCCH repetition transmission is located to the time slot where the Nth PUCCH repetition transmission is located, no matter what mode the PUCCH cell switching configuration is, if the second cell cannot send PUCCH, the uplink transmission performance may be affected. Fig.12 Taking the scenario shown as an example, assuming that the carriers corresponding to PCell and PUCCH-sSCell are in different frequency bands, since PCell does not actually send CSI rep 3 and CSI rep 4 in time slots 3 and 4, if PUCCH-sSCell cannot send PUCCH in time slots 1 to 5, the uplink transmission performance of PUCCH-sSCell will be affected.

[0166] In some possible implementations, in order to improve uplink transmission performance, semi-statically configured PUCCH cell switching may take effect on a reference time slot where PUCCH repetitive transmission is located within the cell DRX inactive time of the first cell.

[0167] Exemplarily, the second cell can send PUCCH in the fourth reference time slot. The fourth reference time slot may include: a reference time slot that is in the non-activated time of the cell discontinuous reception of the first cell and is in at least one reference time slot corresponding to any time slot from the time slot where the first PUCCH repetition transmission is located to the time slot where the Nth PUCCH repetition transmission is located.

[0168] Exemplarily, the second cell cannot send PUCCH in the fifth reference time slot. The fifth reference time slot may include: a reference time slot that is in the activation time of the cell discontinuous reception of the first cell and is in at least one reference time slot corresponding to any time slot from the time slot where the first PUCCH repetition transmission is located to the time slot where the Nth PUCCH repetition transmission is located.

[0169] In one embodiment, if Fig.13 As shown, Fig.13 FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram of another PUCCH repeated transmission scenario provided by an embodiment of the present application. Fig.12 The same thing about the scenarios shown is that the number of repetitions of PUCCH retransmission indicated by the first information is 5 times, that is, N=5.

[0170] like Fig.13 As shown, Fig.12 The difference between the scenarios shown is that, for this group of PUCCH repetitive transmissions, the reference time slots corresponding to the time slots between the time slot corresponding to CSI rep 1 and the time slot corresponding to CSI rep 5 include time slots 1 to 5. Among them, since time slots 3 and 4 are in the inactive time of the cell DRX of the PCell, it can be determined whether the PUCCH-sSCell can send PUCCH / needs to receive PUCCH according to the pucch-sSCellPattern. Since time slots 1, 2, and 5 are in the active time of the cell DRX of the PCell, in the reference time slots corresponding to time slots 1, 2, and 5, the PUCCH-sSCell cannot send PUCCH / does not need to receive PUCCH.

[0171] That is to say, Fig.13 In the scenario shown, the reference time slots corresponding to time slots 3 and 4 can be understood as the fourth reference time slots; the reference time slots corresponding to time slots 1, 2 and 5 can be understood as the fifth reference time slots.

[0172] In some possible implementations, under the condition that the second information is carried in RRC signaling, for the terminal device / network device, the second cell can send PUCCH in the fourth reference time slot. For example, when it is determined that the second information is carried in RRC signaling, the second cell can send PUCCH in the fourth reference time slot; or, when it is determined that the second information is carried in DCI, the second cell cannot send PUCCH in the third reference time slot.

[0173] In some possible implementations, under the condition that the second information is carried in RRC signaling, for the terminal device / network device, the second cell can send PUCCH in the fourth reference time slot, and the second cell cannot send PUCCH in the fifth reference time slot. For example, when it is determined that the second information is carried in RRC signaling, the second cell can send PUCCH in the fourth reference time slot, and the second cell cannot send PUCCH in the fifth reference time slot; or, when it is determined that the second information is carried in DCI, the second cell cannot send PUCCH in the third reference time slot.

[0174] In some possible implementations, under the condition that the second information is carried in RRC signaling, whether the second cell can send PUCCH during the inactive time of the first period of discontinuous reception of the cell after the first reference time slot and in the first cell is determined according to the configuration of PUCCH cell switching within the first PUCCH group; or, under the condition that the second information is carried in DCI, whether the second cell can send PUCCH during the inactive time of the second period of discontinuous reception of the cell after the second reference time slot and in the first cell is determined according to the configuration of PUCCH cell switching within the first PUCCH group.

[0175] The terminal device and / or network device may support the following configurations: configuration #1, configuring cell DRX for the default cell that sends PUCCH in a certain PUCCH group; configuration #2, configuring PUCCH cell switching in the PUCCH group.

[0176] In some possible actual scenarios, for a certain PUCCH group, the terminal device / network device may support both configuration #1 and configuration #2. In scenarios involving repeated PUCCH transmission, the mismatch between the configuration of PUCCH cell switching and the configuration of cell DRX may affect the uplink transmission performance. In the embodiment of the present application, based on the configuration of repeated PUCCH transmission, the configuration of cell DRX, and the configuration of PUCCH cell switching, it is determined whether the second cell can send PUCCH / needs to receive PUCCH during the non-activation time of cell DRX, which can reduce the impact of the configuration parameters of each mechanism on the uplink transmission performance and ensure the uplink transmission performance in complex configuration scenarios.

[0177] In some possible practical scenarios, for a certain PUCCH group, the terminal device / network device may not support the above configuration #1 and configuration #2 at the same time. In view of this, Fig.14 A schematic diagram of a communication method 1400 provided in an embodiment of the present application is shown. Fig.14 The steps or operations shown in the embodiment are only examples, and the present application embodiment may also perform other operations or Fig.14 Variations of the various operations in .

[0178] like Fig.14 As shown, the method 1400 may include the following steps:

[0179] S1410, the network device sends second information, and correspondingly, the terminal device obtains the second information.

[0180] The second information may indicate a cell discontinuous reception configuration of the first cell.

[0181] S1420, the network device sends the third information, and correspondingly, the terminal device obtains the third information.

[0182] The third information may indicate a configuration of PUCCH cell switching within the first PUCCH group.

[0183] For description of the second information and the third information, please refer to the explanation of the second information and the third information in method 900, which will not be repeated here.

[0184] Optionally, the second information and the third information may be carried in the same message, or may be carried in different messages. Step S1410 may be performed first, or step 1420 may be performed first, or steps S1410 and S1420 may be performed simultaneously, which is not limited in the embodiment of the present application.

[0185] S1430, the terminal device determines that the configuration of the cell discontinuous reception of the first cell is effective or the configuration of the PUCCH cell switching of the first PUCCH group is effective according to the second information and the third information. Correspondingly, the network device determines that the configuration of the cell discontinuous reception of the first cell is effective or the configuration of the PUCCH cell switching of the first PUCCH group is effective according to the configuration of the cell discontinuous reception of the first cell and the configuration of the PUCCH cell switching in the first PUCCH group.

[0186] Exemplarily, when the terminal device does not support simultaneous configuration #1 and configuration #2, when receiving the second information and the third information at the same time, it can be considered that the network device configuration is wrong, and it can decide which configuration is effective. In some possible implementations, it is also possible not to execute any one of configuration #1 and configuration #2.

[0187] Assume that the second information is acquired in the first time slot and the third information is acquired in the second time slot.

[0188] In some possible implementations, determining that the configuration of discontinuous reception of the first cell or the configuration of PUCCH cell switching of the first PUCCH group is effective based on the second information and the third information may include: determining that the configuration of discontinuous reception of the first cell is effective based on the second information and the third information.

[0189] In one embodiment, the terminal device may only support configuration #1, and the terminal device will only perform cell DRX on the first cell even if the first time slot is later than the second time slot.

[0190] In another embodiment, the terminal device may preferentially support configuration #1. For example, when the second information and the third information are carried in the same message, or when the first time slot and the second time slot are the same time slot, the terminal device can determine that the configuration of the cell DRX of the first cell is effective. For another example, when the first time slot is later than the second time slot, that is, the terminal device first obtains the configuration parameters of the PUCCH cell switching in the first PUCCH group. In this scenario, the terminal device can first perform PUCCH cell switching in the first PUCCH group according to the second information. Furthermore, when the terminal device subsequently obtains the configuration parameters of the cell DRX of the first cell, it can exit the semi-static PUCCH cell switching state, only send PUCCH on the first cell, and perform cell DRX on the first cell. For another example, when the first time slot is earlier than the second time slot, that is, the terminal device first obtains the configuration parameters of the cell DRX of the first cell, the terminal device can determine that the configuration parameters of the cell DRX of the first cell are effective; when the configuration parameters of the PUCCH cell switching in the first PUCCH group are subsequently obtained, the configuration parameters of the PUCCH cell switching can be ignored.

[0191] In some possible implementations, determining, based on the second information and the third information, that the configuration of discontinuous reception of the first cell or the configuration of PUCCH cell switching of the first PUCCH group is effective may include: determining, based on the second information and the third information, that the configuration of PUCCH cell switching of the first PUCCH group is effective.

[0192] In one embodiment, the terminal device may only support configuration #2. Even if the second time slot is later than the first time slot, the terminal device will only perform the configuration of PUCCH cell switching in the first PUCCH group.

[0193] In another embodiment, the terminal device may preferentially support configuration #2. For example, when the second information and the third information are carried in the same message, or when the first time slot and the second time slot are the same time slot, the terminal device may determine that the configuration of the PUCCH cell switching of the first PUCCH group is effective. For another example, when the first time slot is earlier than the second time slot, that is, the terminal device first obtains the configuration parameters of the cell DRX of the first cell, the terminal device may first perform cellDRX on the first cell. Further, when the terminal device subsequently obtains the configuration parameters of the PUCCH cell switching of the first PUCCH group, the cell DRX state may be exited in the first cell, and semi-static PUCCH cell switching may be performed on the first PUCCH group. For another example, when the first time slot is later than the second time slot, that is, the terminal device first obtains the configuration parameters of the PUCCH cell switching within the first PUCCH group, the terminal device may determine that the configuration parameters of the PUCCH cell switching within the first PUCCH group are effective; when the configuration parameters of the cell DRX of the first cell are subsequently obtained, the configuration parameters of the cell DRX may be ignored.

[0194] In some possible implementations, when the first time slot is earlier than the second time slot, it is determined that the cell DRX of the first cell is effective; or when the second time slot is earlier than the first time slot, it is determined that the configuration of the PUCCH cell switching of the first PUCCH group is effective.

[0195] In order to clearly understand the solution of the embodiment of the present application, an example process of the communication method of the embodiment of the present application is given below. Fig.15 It is a flow chart of a communication method provided in an embodiment of the present application. The method 1500 can be understood as an extension or variation of the method 900 or the method 1000. Fig.15 The steps or operations shown in the embodiment are only examples, and the present application embodiment may also perform other operations or Fig.15 The deformation of each operation in . Fig.15 As shown, the method 1500 may include the following steps:

[0196] S1510, the terminal device reports whether it supports configuring semi-static PUCCH cell switching in a PUCCH group, and configuring cell DRX in the cell where it sends PUCCH by default.

[0197] Exemplarily, the terminal device may report the configurations it supports to the network device.

[0198] In one embodiment, for any PUCCH group, when the terminal device supports configuration #1 and configuration #2 at the same time, the terminal device can report the configuration it supports to the network device. When the terminal device does not report that it supports both configurations in the PUCCH group, the network device can deem that the terminal device does not support configuration #1 and configuration #2 at the same time in the PUCCH group.

[0199] In another embodiment, for any PUCCH group, when the terminal device does not support configuration #1 and configuration #2 at the same time, the terminal device can report the configuration it supports to the network device. For example, the terminal device can report that it only supports configuration #1 in the PUCCH group, or the terminal device can report that it only supports configuration #2 in the PUCCH group. For another example, the terminal device can report the configuration it preferentially supports for the PUCCH group.

[0200] For example, for different PUCCH groups, the configurations supported by the terminal device may be different. Figure 5 For example, for PUCCH group 1, the terminal device may support configuration #1 and configuration #2 at the same time; for PUCCH group 2, the terminal device may preferentially support configuration #1. For another example, for PUCCH group 1, the terminal device may preferentially support configuration #2; for PUCCH group 2, the terminal device may support configuration #1 and configuration #2 at the same time.

[0201] It should be understood that the embodiments of the present application do not limit the configurations supported by the terminal device.

[0202] S1520, the network device configures cell DRX parameters for the terminal device in the first cell.

[0203] When multiple PUCCH groups are involved, each PUCCH group may include a corresponding first cell. For example, for any PUCCH group, the corresponding first cell may include a default cell for sending PUCCH in the PUCCH group. For another example, for any PUCCH group, the corresponding first cell may include a cell for performing repeated PUCCH transmission in the PUCCH group.

[0204] S1530, the network device configures semi-static PUCCH cell switching for the terminal device in the first PUCCH group.

[0205] S1540, the network device configures PUCCH repeated transmission for the terminal device in the first cell.

[0206] In some possible implementations, step S15120 may be performed first, or step S1530 may be performed first, or step S1540 may be performed first.

[0207] In some possible implementations, multiple steps in steps S1520, S1530 and S1540 may be performed simultaneously.

[0208] Regarding the configuration of the cell DRX parameters of the first cell, the configuration of the PUCCH repeated transmission of the first cell, and the semi-static configuration of the PUCCH cell switching within the first PUCCH group, reference may be made to the description in method 900 and will not be repeated here.

[0209] When the terminal device supports configuration #1 and configuration #2 simultaneously in the first PUCCH group, the method 1500 may further include step S1550.

[0210] S1550, the terminal device determines whether the semi-static PUCCH cell switching pattern is effective based on the relationship between the position of PUCCH repeated transmission and the cell DRX inactivation time.

[0211] For example, Fig.10 Taking the scenario shown in the figure as an example, the bitmap corresponding to the pucch-sSCellPattern parameter can be an example of a semi-static PUCCH cell switching pattern. Fig.10 In the scenario shown, it can be determined that the reference time slot corresponding to time slot 2 is the first reference time slot, and it can be determined that the PUCCH cell switching indicated by the pucch-sSCellPatern parameter takes effect in the reference time slot after the first reference time slot. Fig.10 In the scenario shown, after the reference time slot corresponding to time slot 2, it can be determined whether the PUCCH-sSCell can send PUCCH based on the pucch-sSCellPattern parameter.

[0212] For the description of determining whether the pattern of semi-static PUCCH cell switching is effective, reference may be made to method 900, which will not be repeated here.

[0213] S1560, perform data transmission.

[0214] When the terminal device does not support simultaneous configuration #1 and configuration #2 in the first PUCCH group, the method 1500 may further include step S1570.

[0215] S1570, the terminal device determines that the configuration of the cell DRX parameters of the first cell or the semi-static configuration of the PUCCH cell switching within the first PUCCH group is effective based on the configuration it supports, the configuration of the cell DRX parameters of the first cell and the semi-static configuration of the PUCCH cell switching within the first PUCCH group.

[0216] For the description of determining whether the configuration of the cell DRX parameter of the first cell is effective or whether the semi-static configuration of the PUCCH cell switching within the first PUCCH group is effective, reference may be made to method 1400, which will not be repeated here.

[0217] It is understandable that in order to implement the functions in the above embodiments, the network device and the terminal device 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.

[0218] Figures 16 to 18 The 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 base station 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.

[0219] like Fig.16 As shown, the communication device 1600 includes a transceiver unit 1610 and a processing unit 1620. The communication device 1600 can be used to implement the above Fig. 9 or Fig.15 The functions of the terminal device or the network device in the method embodiment shown in FIG.

[0220] When the communication device 1600 is used to implement Fig. 9 When the functions of the terminal device in the method embodiment shown are: the transceiver unit 1610 is used to obtain the first information, the second information and the third information; the processing unit 1620 is used to determine whether the second cell can send PUCCH during the non-activation time of discontinuous reception of the first cell based on the first information, the second information and the third information.

[0221] When the communication device 1600 is used to implement Fig. 9In the method embodiment shown, the functions of the network device are: the transceiver unit 1610 is used to send the first information, the second information and the third information; the processing unit 1620 is used to determine whether the second cell needs to receive PUCCH during the non-activation time of discontinuous reception of the first cell based on the first information, the second information and the third information.

[0222] For a description of the first information, the second information, the third information, the first cell and the second cell, and a more detailed description of the transceiver unit 1610 and the processing unit 1620, please refer to Fig. 9 Related description in the method embodiment shown.

[0223] like Fig.17 As shown, the communication device 1700 includes a transceiver unit 1710 and a processing unit 1720. The communication device 1700 can be used to implement the above Fig.14 or Fig.15 The functions of the terminal device or the network device in the method embodiment shown in FIG.

[0224] When the communication device 1700 is used to implement Fig.14 The functions of the terminal device in the method embodiment shown are: the transceiver unit 1710 is used to obtain the second information and the third information; the processing unit 1720 is used to determine, based on the second information and the third information, whether the configuration of discontinuous reception of the first cell is effective or the configuration of PUCCH cell switching of the first PUCCH group is effective.

[0225] When the communication device 1700 is used to implement Fig.14 The functions of the network device in the method embodiment shown are: the transceiver unit 1710 is used to send the second information and the third information; the processing unit 1720 is used to determine, based on the second information and the third information, whether the configuration of discontinuous reception of the first cell is effective or the configuration of PUCCH cell switching of the first PUCCH group is effective.

[0226] like Fig.18 As shown, the communication device 1800 includes a processor 1810 and an interface circuit 1820. The processor 1810 and the interface circuit 1820 are coupled to each other. It is understood that the interface circuit 1820 can be a transceiver or an input-output interface. Optionally, the communication device 1800 may also include a memory 1830 for storing instructions executed by the processor 1810 or storing input data required by the processor 1810 to execute instructions or storing data generated after the processor 1810 executes instructions.

[0227] When the communication device 1800 is used to implement Fig. 9 When the method is shown, the processor 1810 is used to implement the functions of the above-mentioned processing unit 1620, and the interface circuit 1820 is used to implement the functions of the above-mentioned transceiver unit 1610.

[0228] When the communication device 1800 is used to implement Fig.14 When the method is shown, the processor 1810 is used to implement the functions of the above-mentioned processing unit 1720, and the interface circuit 1820 is used to implement the functions of the above-mentioned transceiver unit 1710.

[0229] When the above-mentioned communication device is a chip applied to a terminal, the terminal chip implements the functions of the terminal in the above-mentioned method embodiment. The terminal chip receives information from the base station, which can be understood as the information is first received by other modules in the terminal (such as a radio frequency module or an antenna), and then sent to the terminal chip by these modules. The terminal chip sends information to the base station, which can be understood as the information is first sent to other modules in the terminal (such as a radio frequency module or an antenna), and then sent to the base station by these modules.

[0230] When the above-mentioned communication device is a chip applied to a base station, the base station chip implements the function of the base station in the above-mentioned method embodiment. The base station chip receives information from the terminal, which can be understood as the information is first received by other modules in the base station (such as a radio frequency module or an antenna), and then sent to the base station chip by these modules. The base station chip sends information to the terminal, which can be understood as the information is sent to other modules in the base station (such as a radio frequency module or an antenna), and then sent to the terminal by these modules.

[0231] In the present application, when entity A sends information to entity B, it can be that A sends it directly to B, or that A sends it to B indirectly through other entities. Similarly, when entity B receives information from entity A, it can be that entity B directly receives the information sent by entity A, or that entity B indirectly receives the information sent by entity A through other entities. Entities A and B here can be RAN nodes or terminals, or modules inside the RAN nodes or terminals. The sending and receiving of information can be information interaction between a RAN node and a terminal, for example, information interaction between a base station and a terminal; the sending and receiving of information can also be information interaction between two RAN nodes, for example, information interaction between a CU and a DU; the sending and receiving of information can also be information interaction between different modules inside a device, for example, information interaction between a terminal chip and other modules of the terminal, or information interaction between a base station chip and other modules in the base station.

[0232] 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.

[0233] 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 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 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 base station or a terminal. The processor and the storage medium can also be present in a base station or a terminal as discrete components.

[0234] 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.

[0235] In the various embodiments of the present application, unless otherwise specified or provided for in any 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.

[0236] 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.

[0237] 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: Acquire first information, second information, and third information, wherein the first information indicates a configuration of repeated transmission of a physical uplink control channel (PUCCH) of a first cell, the second information indicates a configuration of discontinuous cell reception of the first cell, and the third information indicates a configuration of PUCCH cell switching within a first PUCCH group, wherein the first PUCCH group includes a second cell and the first cell, and the PUCCH cell switching within the first PUCCH group includes switching of a cell for transmitting PUCCH between the first cell and the second cell using a reference time slot as a time unit; It is determined, according to the first information, the second information and the third information, whether the second cell can send the PUCCH during the non-activation time of cell discontinuous reception of the first cell.

2. The method according to claim 1, characterized in that Whether the second cell can send the PUCCH during the inactive time of the first cycle of cell discontinuous reception of the first cell after the first reference time slot is determined according to the configuration of PUCCH cell switching in the first PUCCH group, and the first reference time slot is a reference time slot for performing repeated transmission of the PUCCH for the last time during the active time of cell discontinuous reception of the first cell; Among them, the time slot used for the last execution of the PUCCH repeated transmission within the activation time of the cell discontinuous reception of the first cell is within the activation time of the first cycle or before the first cycle and adjacent to the first cycle.

3. The method according to claim 1, characterized in that The first information indicates that the number of repetitions of the PUCCH retransmission is N times, where N is a positive integer. During the inactive time of the second period of discontinuous cell reception of the first cell after the second reference time slot, whether the second cell can send the PUCCH is determined according to the configuration of the PUCCH cell switching in the first PUCCH group, and the second reference time slot is the reference time slot corresponding to the Nth repeated transmission of the PUCCH, The time slot corresponding to the N-th repeated transmission of the PUCCH is within a third period of cell discontinuous reception of the first cell. Under the condition that part or all of the inactive time of the third cycle is after the time slot corresponding to the Nth PUCCH repeated transmission, the second cycle is the third cycle; or, under the condition that there is no inactive time of the third cycle after the time slot corresponding to the Nth PUCCH repeated transmission, the second cycle is after the third cycle and adjacent to the third cycle.

4. The method according to claim 3, characterized in that The second cell cannot send a PUCCH in the third reference time slot, The third reference time slot includes a reference time slot corresponding to any time slot from the time slot where the first PUCCH repetition transmission is located to the time slot where the Nth PUCCH repetition transmission is located.

5. The method according to claim 4, characterized in that Under the condition that the second information is carried in downlink control information DCI, the second cell cannot send PUCCH in the third reference time slot.

6. The method according to claim 3, characterized in that: The second cell can send a PUCCH in a fourth reference time slot, Among them, the fourth reference time slot includes: a reference time slot that is in the non-activated time of discontinuous reception of the first cell, and is in at least one reference time slot corresponding to any time slot from the time slot where the first PUCCH repeated transmission is located to the time slot where the Nth PUCCH repeated transmission is located.

7. The method according to claim 6, characterized in that The second cell cannot send a PUCCH in the fifth reference time slot, Among them, the fifth reference time slot includes: a reference time slot that is in the activation time of the discontinuous reception of the cell of the first cell, and is in at least one reference time slot corresponding to any time slot from the time slot where the first PUCCH repeated transmission is located to the time slot where the Nth PUCCH repeated transmission is located.

8. The method according to claim 6 or 7, characterized in that: Under the condition that the second information is carried in radio resource control RRC signaling, the second cell can send PUCCH in the fourth reference time slot.

9. The method according to any one of claims 2 to 7, characterized in that Under the condition that the second information is carried in RRC signaling, whether the second cell can send PUCCH during the inactive time of the first cycle of cell discontinuous reception of the first cell after the first reference time slot is determined according to the configuration of PUCCH cell switching in the first PUCCH group; or, Under the condition that the second information is carried in DCI, during the inactive time of the second period of discontinuous reception of the cell after the second reference time slot and in the first cell, whether the second cell can send PUCCH is determined according to the configuration of PUCCH cell switching within the first PUCCH group.

10. A communication method, characterized in that: include: Sending first information, second information and third information, wherein the first information indicates a configuration of repeated transmission of a physical uplink control channel (PUCCH) of a first cell, the second information indicates a configuration of cell discontinuous reception of the first cell, and the third information indicates a configuration of PUCCH cell switching within a first PUCCH group, wherein the first PUCCH group includes a second cell and the first cell, and the PUCCH cell switching within the first PUCCH group includes switching of a cell for transmitting PUCCH between the first cell and the second cell with a reference time slot as a time unit; According to the configuration of repeated transmission of the physical uplink control channel PUCCH of the first cell, the configuration of discontinuous cell reception of the first cell and the configuration of PUCCH cell switching within the first PUCCH group, it is determined whether the second cell needs to receive PUCCH during the non-activation time of discontinuous cell reception of the first cell.

11. The method according to claim 10, characterized in that Whether the second cell needs to receive the PUCCH is determined according to the configuration of PUCCH cell switching in the first PUCCH group during the inactive time of the first cycle of the cell discontinuous reception after the first reference time slot and in the first cell, and the first reference time slot is a reference time slot for performing repeated transmission of the PUCCH for the last time during the active time of the cell discontinuous reception of the first cell; Among them, the time slot used for the last execution of the PUCCH repeated transmission within the activation time of the cell discontinuous reception of the first cell is within the activation time of the first cycle or before the first cycle and adjacent to the first cycle.

12. The method according to claim 10, characterized in that The first information indicates that the number of repetitions of the PUCCH retransmission is N times, where N is a positive integer. During the inactive time of the second period of discontinuous cell reception of the first cell after the second reference time slot, whether the second cell needs to receive the PUCCH is determined according to the configuration of the PUCCH cell switching in the first PUCCH group, and the second reference time slot is the reference time slot corresponding to the Nth repeated transmission of the PUCCH, The time slot corresponding to the N-th repeated transmission of the PUCCH is within a third period of cell discontinuous reception of the first cell. Under the condition that part or all of the inactive time of the third cycle is after the time slot corresponding to the Nth PUCCH repeated transmission, the second cycle is the third cycle; or, under the condition that there is no inactive time of the third cycle after the time slot corresponding to the Nth PUCCH repeated transmission, the second cycle is after the third cycle and adjacent to the third cycle.

13. The method according to claim 12, characterized in that The second cell does not need to receive the PUCCH in the third reference time slot, The third reference time slot includes a reference time slot corresponding to any time slot from the time slot where the first PUCCH repetition transmission is located to the time slot where the Nth PUCCH repetition transmission is located.

14. The method according to claim 13, characterized in that Under the condition that the second information is carried in downlink control information DCI, the second cell does not need to receive PUCCH in the third reference time slot.

15. The method according to claim 12, characterized in that The second cell needs to receive the PUCCH in the fourth reference time slot, Among them, the fourth reference time slot includes: a reference time slot that is in the non-activated time of discontinuous reception of the first cell, and is in at least one reference time slot corresponding to any time slot from the time slot where the first PUCCH repeated transmission is located to the time slot where the Nth PUCCH repeated transmission is located.

16. The method according to claim 15, characterized in that The second cell does not need to receive the PUCCH in the fifth reference time slot, Among them, the fifth reference time slot includes: a reference time slot that is in the activation time of the discontinuous reception of the cell of the first cell, and is in at least one reference time slot corresponding to any time slot from the time slot where the first PUCCH repeated transmission is located to the time slot where the Nth PUCCH repeated transmission is located.

17. The method according to claim 15 or 16, characterized in that Under the condition that the second information is carried in radio resource control RRC signaling, the second cell needs to receive PUCCH in the fourth reference time slot.

18. The method according to any one of claims 11 to 17, characterized in that Under the condition that the second information is carried in RRC signaling, whether the second cell needs to receive the PUCCH is determined according to the configuration of the PUCCH cell switching in the first PUCCH group during the inactive time of the first cycle of the cell discontinuous reception of the first cell after the first reference time slot; or, Under the condition that the second information is carried in DCI, during the inactive time of the second period of discontinuous reception of the cell after the second reference time slot and in the first cell, whether the second cell needs to receive PUCCH is determined according to the configuration of PUCCH cell switching within the first PUCCH group.

19. A communication device, characterized in that: The method comprises a module or a unit for executing the method according to any one of claims 1 to 9, or comprises a module or a unit for executing the method according to any one of claims 10 to 18.

20. 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 on a communication device, the communication device executes the method according to any one of claims 1 to 9 or claims 10 to 18.

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