Communication method and device

Abstract

The invention discloses a communication method and device, relates to the technical field of wireless communication, and is used for realizing network energy conservation. The method comprises: a network device sending configuration information, the configuration information indicating an association relationship between a wake-up signal resource and a terminal device identifier; and the network device receives a wake-up signal on the first resource, determines a second resource according to the identifier of the first resource or the first terminal device, and sends a paging message on the second resource. Wherein the identifier of the first terminal device is a terminal device identifier associated with the first resource.

Description

Technical Field

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

[0002] With the evolution of communication technology, the spectrum used by wireless communication is getting wider and wider, the number of transmitting antennas of network equipment is increasing, and the power consumption is getting higher and higher. Therefore, how to achieve network energy saving has received more and more attention. One of the main technical means to reduce the energy consumption of network equipment is to reduce the transmission of signals by network equipment.

[0003] In the current communication system, for cells with no service transmission requirements or low service transmission requirements, the network equipment turns off data signal transmission and some control signal transmission in the cell, such as turning off paging message transmission, so that the cell enters sleep mode. When it is necessary to page the terminal devices in the cell, the network equipment can wake up the cell and send a paging message to the cell. There are usually only a small number of terminal devices in the dormant cell. When the cell is awakened, a large amount of paging resources will be used to send paging messages, resulting in energy waste. Summary of the invention

[0004] The embodiments of the present application provide a communication method and device for reducing resources occupied by paging messages and achieving network energy saving.

[0005] In the first aspect, a communication method is provided, which can be applied to a network device, and the method includes: the network device sends configuration information, wherein the configuration information indicates an association relationship between M resources of a wake-up signal and N terminal device identifiers, where M and N are both positive integers; receives a wake-up signal on a first resource, wherein the first resource is one of the M resources; determines a second resource based on an identifier of the first resource or a first terminal device, wherein the identifier of the first terminal device is an identifier of a terminal device associated with the first resource; and sends a paging message on the second resource.

[0006] Optionally, the network device does not send the paging message on the paging resources other than the second resource in the paging resources.

[0007] In a second aspect, a communication method is provided, which can be applied to a terminal device, and the method may include: the terminal device receives configuration information, the configuration information indicating an association between M resources of a wake-up signal and N terminal device identifiers, where M and N are both positive integers; determines a first resource based on the configuration information and an identifier of a first terminal device, the first resource is one of the M resources, the identifier of the first terminal device is one of the N terminal identifiers and the terminal device is in an idle state or an inactive state; sends a wake-up signal on the first resource, and the wake-up signal is used to identify the first terminal device.

[0008] Based on the first aspect or the second aspect above, an idle / inactive terminal device can send a wake-up signal to enable the network device to perceive the terminal device and the resources used by the wake-up signal sent by the terminal device. In this way, when the network device needs to initiate paging for the terminal device, it can determine the corresponding paging resources based on the resources used by the terminal device to send the wake-up signal, and page the terminal device on the paging resource, and the paging message may not be sent on other paging resources. Compared with the related technology that requires paging the terminal device on a large number of paging resources, the above implementation method can realize the network side's accurate perception capability of idle / inactive terminal devices, enabling the network device to determine the corresponding paging resources based on the resources of the wake-up signal, so as to reduce the paging energy consumption overhead.

[0009] Optionally, based on the first aspect or the second aspect above, sending a paging message on the second resource includes: if it is determined that the strength of the wake-up signal is greater than a set threshold, sending a paging message corresponding to the first terminal device on the second resource.

[0010] Based on the first aspect or the second aspect above. In a possible implementation, the first resource includes the resource of the wake-up signal, the second resource includes the time domain resource of the paging message, the resource of the wake-up signal corresponds to the time domain resource of the paging message, and the resource of the wake-up signal includes at least one of the time domain resource, the frequency domain resource, the code domain resource or the power domain resource.

[0011] Based on the first aspect or the second aspect, in a possible implementation, the first resource includes a transmission frame of the wake-up signal in the time domain, the second resource includes a paging frame in the time domain, and there is a corresponding relationship between the transmission frame of the wake-up signal and the paging frame.

[0012] Optionally, the relationship between the sending frame of the wake-up signal and the paging frame satisfies the following formula:

[0013] (SFN+SFN offset )mod T=(T div n)*(UE ID mod n)

[0014] Wherein, SFN is the system frame number of the transmission frame of the wake-up signal, SFN offset is the offset of the transmission frame of the wake-up signal, T is the length of the paging cycle, n is a multiple or approximation of the number of paging frames contained in the paging cycle, and UE ID is the identifier of the first terminal device, mod is the modulus operator, and div is the integer division operator.

[0015] Based on the above implementation, one wake-up signal sending frame may correspond to one paging frame; or, one wake-up signal sending frame may correspond to multiple (two or more) paging frames; or, multiple wake-up signal sending frames may correspond to one paging frame. For example, when n=N (N is the number of paging frames included in the paging cycle), it indicates that there is a one-to-one correspondence between the wake-up signal sending frame and the paging frame. When n=k*N (k is an integer greater than 1), it indicates that k wake-up signal sending frames correspond to one paging frame. When n=1 / k*N, it indicates that one wake-up signal sending frame corresponds to k paging frames.

[0016] Based on the first aspect or the second aspect above. In a possible implementation, the first resource includes a transmission frame of the wake-up signal in the time domain, the second resource includes a paging frame in the time domain, and the configuration information includes a first parameter, and the first parameter is used to indicate the number of paging frames corresponding to one transmission frame of the wake-up signal, or the number of wake-up signal transmission frames corresponding to one paging frame.

[0017] Optionally, the configuration information includes: an offset of a frame for sending the wake-up signal.

[0018] Based on the first aspect or the second aspect, in a possible implementation, the first resource includes a time to send the wake-up signal in the time domain, the second resource includes a paging time in the time domain, and there is a corresponding relationship between the time to send the wake-up signal and the paging time.

[0019] Optionally, the relationship between the sending timing of the wake-up signal and the paging timing satisfies the following formula:

[0020]

[0021] Among them, URS is the number of the starting symbol of the sending opportunity of the wake-up signal, URS offset is the offset of the wake-up signal sending opportunity, n is a multiple or approximation of the number of paging frames contained in the paging cycle, n s is a multiple or approximation of the number of paging occasions contained in a paging frame. ID is the identifier of the first terminal device, mod is the modulus operator, and floor is the floor operator.

[0022] Based on the first aspect or the second aspect above. In a possible implementation, the first resource includes a transmission opportunity of the wake-up signal in the time domain, the second resource includes a paging opportunity in the time domain, and the configuration information includes a second parameter, and the second parameter is used to indicate the number of paging opportunities corresponding to one transmission opportunity of the wake-up signal, or the number of wake-up signal transmission opportunities corresponding to one paging opportunity.

[0023] Optionally, the configuration information includes an offset of a timing for sending a wake-up signal.

[0024] Based on the first aspect or the second aspect, in a possible implementation, sending a paging message on the second resource includes: if it is determined that the strength of the wake-up signal is greater than a set threshold, sending a paging message corresponding to the first terminal device on the second resource.

[0025] In a third aspect, a communication device is provided, comprising a unit or module for executing a method as described in any one of the first aspect, or comprising a unit or module for executing a method as described in any one of the second aspect.

[0026] In a fourth aspect, a communication device is provided, comprising: one or more processors configured to execute a method as described in any one of the first aspect above, or to execute a method as described in any one of the second aspect above.

[0027] In a fifth 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 method as described in any one of the first aspect or the method as described in any one of the second aspect is implemented. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0028] Figure 1 A schematic diagram of the architecture of a mobile communication system used in an embodiment of the present application;

[0029] Figure 2 A schematic diagram of paging resources in the related art; Figure 3 A flow chart of a communication method provided in an embodiment of the present application;

[0030] Figure 4 A schematic diagram of the association relationship between a wake-up signal sending frame and a paging frame in an embodiment of the present application;

[0031] Figure 5 A schematic diagram of the association relationship between the wake-up signal sending opportunity and the paging opportunity in an embodiment of the present application;

[0032] Figure 6 A schematic diagram of the structure of a communication device provided in an embodiment of the present application;

[0033] Figure 7 A schematic diagram of the structure of another communication device provided in an embodiment of the present application. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0034] 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 120a-120j in the figure, collectively referred to as 120) RAN100 may also include other RAN nodes, such as wireless relay equipment and / or wireless backhaul equipment ( Figure 1 ).

[0035] The terminal 120 is connected to the RAN 110 in a wireless manner. Terminals and RAN nodes can be connected to each other in a wired or wireless manner. 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.

[0036] 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), or a WiFi system. RAN100 may also include two or more of the above different radio access systems. RAN100 may also be an open RAN (O-RAN).

[0037] 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, a base station in a future mobile communication system, or an access node in a WiFi 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), it can also be a relay node or a donor node, etc. In another application scenario, the writing of multiple RAN nodes can help the terminal to 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 (central unit, CU) or a distributed unit (distributed unit, DU). The CU here completes the functions of the radio resource control protocol and the packet data convergence layer protocol (packet data convergence protocol, PDCP) of the base station, and can also complete the function of the service data adaptation protocol (service data adaptation protocol, SDAP); the DU completes the functions of the radio link control layer and the medium access control (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 the third generation partnership project (3GPP). RU can be used to implement the sending and receiving functions of radio frequency signals. CU and DU can be two independent RAN nodes, or they can be integrated in the same RAN node, for example, inherited in the baseband unit (baseband, BBU). The RU may be included in a radio frequency device, such as a remote radio unit (RRU) or an active antenna unit (AAU). The CU may be further divided into two types of RAN nodes: CU-control plane and CU-user plane.

[0038] In different systems, RAN nodes may have different names. For example, in an O-RAN system, CU may become an open CU (open CU, O-CU), DU may become an open DU (open DU, O-DU), and RU may become an open RU (openRU, O-RU). The RAN node in the embodiments 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 embodiments of the present application do not limit the specific technology and specific device form adopted by the RAN node. For the convenience of description, the following description takes a network device as an example of a RAN node.

[0039] The terminal may also be referred to as a terminal device, user equipment (UE), terminal device, mobile station, mobile terminal, etc. The terminal can be widely used in various scenarios, for example, device-to-device (D2D), vehicle to everything (V2X) communication, machine-type communication (MTC), Internet of Things (IOT), virtual reality, augmented reality, industrial control, automatic driving, telemedicine, smart grid, smart furniture, smart office, smart wear, smart transportation, smart city, etc. The terminal may be a mobile phone, a tablet computer, a computer with wireless transceiver function, a wearable device, a vehicle, a drone, a helicopter, an airplane, a ship, a robot, a 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. For the convenience of description, the following description is taken as an example.

[0040] 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.

[0041] 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.

[0042] 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.

[0043] 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.

[0044] The technical solution provided in the embodiment of the present application can be applied to wireless communication between communication devices. Wireless communication between communication devices may include: wireless communication between network devices and terminals, wireless communication between network devices and network devices, and wireless communication between terminal devices and terminal devices. In the embodiment of the present application, the term "wireless communication" can also be referred to as "communication", and the term "communication" can also be described as "data transmission", "information transmission" or "transmission".

[0045] In order to facilitate those skilled in the art to understand the present application, some terms in the embodiments of the present application are first explained below.

[0046] (1) Radio resource control (RRC) status of the terminal device

[0047] In the new radio (NR) system, depending on whether there is an RRC connection between the terminal device and the network device, the terminal device has three RRC states, namely RRC idle state (hereinafter referred to as Idle state), RRC inactive state (hereinafter referred to as Inactive state) and RRC connected state (hereinafter referred to as Connected state). There is an RRC connection between the terminal device in the Connected state and the network device, and data can be transmitted with the network device. There is no RRC connection between the terminal device in the Idle / Inactive state and the network device, and data cannot be transmitted with the network device, but it can receive broadcast information of the cell, such as system messages, paging messages, etc. The Idle / Inactive state terminal device can switch to the Connected state through a random access process.

[0048] (2) Paging

[0049] The network device notifies the Idle / Inactive state terminal device to enter the Active mode (that is, enter the Connected state) through the air interface broadcast message, or notifies the Idle / Inactive / Connected state terminal device to update the system message through the air interface broadcast message. The above process is called paging. The frame for sending paging messages is called a paging frame (PF). Part of the time-frequency resources in the paging frame are used to send paging messages. This part of the time-frequency resources is called a paging occasion (PO). Each paging occasion is allocated to one or more terminal devices. The terminal device can wait for the paging message in the allocated paging occasion.

[0050] See also Figure 2 , shows an exemplary schematic diagram of a paging resource. Figure 1 As shown, for a paging cycle of length T, which includes N (N is an integer greater than or equal to 1) paging frames (PF), all paging information is sent in the paging frame. 38.304 Clause 7.1 stipulates that the system frame number (SFN) of the paging frame satisfies the following relationship:

[0051] (SFN+PF offset )mod T=(T div N)*(UE ID mod N)…………………………(1)

[0052] SFN is the system frame number of the paging frame, PF offset is the time domain offset of the paging frame, T is the length of the paging cycle, N is the number of paging frames contained in a paging cycle, and UE IDis the terminal device identifier, mod is the modulus operator, and div is the integer division operator.

[0053] The network device can use the nAndPagingFrameOffset field under the DownlinkConfigCommonSIB field (or information field) in the system information block 1 (SIB1) to set the PF offset The configuration of T / N is notified to the terminal device. offset and T / N, the terminal device can know the location of the paging frame corresponding to the terminal device.

[0054] like Figure 1 As shown, a paging frame (PF) includes multiple paging opportunities (PO), and the network device sends the paging information of the corresponding terminal device on the PO resource. 38.304 Clause 7.1 stipulates that the corresponding relationship between the i_sth PO and the terminal device satisfies the following formula:

[0055]

[0056] Where N is the number of paging frames contained in a paging cycle, N s is the number of paging occasions contained in a paging frame. ID is the terminal device identifier, mod is the modulus operator, and floor is the floor operator.

[0057] Each paging opportunity (PO) can contain one or more time slots, and the paging information in each PO is carried on the physical downlink control channel (PDCCH) resource. The first detection opportunity of the PDCCH carrying the PO can be configured through the firstPDCCH-MonitoringOccasionOfPO field in SIB1. The terminal device calculates the corresponding paging resource based on its own device identification and the paging configuration parameters given in SIB1, and detects and receives the paging information on the paging resource.

[0058] At present, in order to ensure robustness, it is necessary to perform large-scale paging in an area consisting of multiple cells. Paging messages occupy more resources and have a heavier load.

[0059] (3) Network energy-saving technology

[0060] The embodiments of the present application relate to network energy-saving technology. The scenarios to which the present application is applicable may have the following different interpretations.

[0061] First, the network equipment can divide a cell into "normal mode" and one or more "energy-saving modes". In normal mode, the network equipment normally sends all data and all control information in each cell. In energy-saving mode, for cells with no data services or extremely light-loaded services, the network equipment turns off data signal transmission and part of the control signal transmission in the cell; the Idle / Inactive terminal device can send a wake-up signal to wake up the cell in energy-saving mode, so that the cell can send a paging message to page the Idle / Inactive terminal device.

[0062] The second is that the network device does not need to distinguish between "normal mode" and "energy-saving mode" for a cell. The network device can send signals in each cell according to the method provided in the embodiment of the present application. Taking the first cell as an example, in the first cell, the network device first turns off the data signal transmission and part of the control signal transmission, and achieves energy saving of the network device by limiting the transmission capacity. The Idle / Inactive terminal device residing in the first cell can send a wake-up signal to enable the first cell to lift the restriction on the transmission capacity, and can send a paging message to the Idle / Inactive terminal device.

[0063] It is understood that the "energy-saving mode" described in this application is an abbreviation for a state in which a network device is in a cost-saving state, and can also be replaced by other names. For example, the energy-saving mode can also be called the first mode, mode A, or sleep mode.

[0064] (4) Synchronization signal block (SSB)

[0065] SSB is used for initial access of terminal equipment. It is a normally open broadcast signal of network equipment. The broadcast signal can be sent periodically to carry some public information that network equipment needs to send periodically. The public information may include the primary synchronization signal (PSS), secondary synchronization signal (SSS) and physical broadcast channel (PBCH) used for synchronization of terminal equipment with the network. PSS and SSS can also be collectively referred to as synchronization signal (SS). PBCH carries the master information block (MIB), which includes information about the cell accessed by the terminal equipment and resource indication of system information block 1 (SIB1). PSS and SSS can be used to identify different physical cells.

[0066] In some embodiments of the present application, in order to save power consumption of network equipment, for cells with no data services or extremely light load services, the network equipment can shut down data signal transmission and partial control signal transmission in the cell and only transmit the remaining control signals.

[0067] In one possible implementation, after turning off the transmission of some control signals for the purpose of network energy saving, the remaining control signals sent in the cell may include synchronization signals and some information in the MIB. The content of the partial information in the MIB described in the embodiment of the present application is not limited.

[0068] In another possible implementation, after shutting down the transmission of some control signals for the purpose of network energy saving, the control information sent in the cell may include some information in SIB1. The embodiment of the present application does not limit the content of the some information in SIB1.

[0069] In the current paging process, it is necessary to perform large-scale paging in an area consisting of multiple cells. Under this premise, network equipment needs to send paging messages on a large number of paging resources (such as paging opportunities) in a cell, which has high overhead. For a cell in energy-saving mode, when it is awakened, there are usually only a small number of terminal devices within its service range. At this time, if paging messages are sent on a large number of paging resources in the cell, a large amount of energy will be wasted.

[0070] To this end, an embodiment of the present application provides a communication method and a related device that can implement the method. In an embodiment of the present application, a network device can determine a corresponding paging resource based on an identifier of an Idle / Inactive terminal device or based on a wake-up signal sent by an Idle / Inactive terminal device, thereby sending a paging message only on the paging resource, thereby achieving refinement of the paging area perceivable by the Idle / Inactive terminal device. Compared with sending paging messages on multiple cells and a large number of paging resources within a cell, the use of the embodiment of the present application can reduce the use of paging resources and achieve network energy saving. In an embodiment of the present application, the paging resource for sending a paging message determined based on the wake-up signal sent by the Idle / Inactive terminal device can be referred to as an activated paging resource.

[0071] The embodiments of the present application can be applicable to the above energy-saving scenarios.

[0072] In order to make the purpose, technical solution and advantages of the present application more clear, the present application will be further described in detail below in conjunction with the accompanying drawings. The specific operation method in the method embodiment can also be applied to the device embodiment or the system embodiment.

[0073] The embodiments of the present application can be applied to various communication systems, for example: global system for mobile communications (GSM) system, code division multiple access (CDMA) system, wideband code division multiple access (WCDMA) system, general packet radio service (GPRS), long term evolution (LTE) system, LTE frequency division duplex (FDD) system, LTE time division duplex (TDD), universal mobile telecommunication system (UMTS), worldwide interoperability for microwave access (WIMAX) communication system, fifth generation (5G) system or new radio (NR), or applied to future communication systems or other similar communication systems.

[0074] In the embodiments of the present application, the functions of the network device may also be performed by a module (such as a chip) in the network device, or by a control subsystem including the network device function. The control subsystem including the network device function here may be a control center in the above-mentioned application scenarios such as smart grid, industrial control, smart transportation, smart city, etc. The functions of the terminal device may also be performed by a module (such as a chip or a modem) in the terminal device, or by a device including the terminal function.

[0075] In the embodiment of the present application, the network device sends a downlink signal or downlink information to the terminal device, and the downlink information is carried on the downlink channel; the terminal device sends an uplink signal or uplink information to the base station, and the uplink information is carried on the uplink channel. In order to communicate with the network device, the terminal device needs to establish a wireless connection with the cell controlled by the network device. The cell with which the terminal device has established a wireless connection is called the service cell of the terminal device.

[0076] In order to make the objectives, technical solutions and advantages of the present application clearer, some terms involved in the embodiments of the present application are first explained below.

[0077] (1) Wake up signal (WUS)

[0078] The wake-up signal in the embodiment of the present application is an uplink signal, which can be an uplink reference signal or other uplink signal that can achieve the same or similar functions, and the embodiment of the present application is not limited to this. The wake-up signal can wake up the cell in the energy-saving mode, so that the network device can initiate paging in the cell when the terminal device needs to be paged. In other words, the wake-up signal is used to request the network device to send a paging. In the embodiment of the present application, the wake-up signal is sent by the Idle / Inactive state terminal device. For an Idle / Inactive state terminal device, it can send a wake-up signal in a cell (such as the first cell), and the resource used by the wake-up signal is called the first resource. The resource of the wake-up signal is associated with the terminal device identifier, and the association relationship can be indicated by configuration information. The Idle / Inactive state terminal device in the first cell can determine the resource used to send the wake-up signal based on the configuration information sent by the network device and the identifier of the terminal device, and send the wake-up signal on the resource. In the network energy-saving mode, the network device can wake up the first cell in the energy-saving mode based on the wake-up signal sent by the Idle / Inactive state terminal device in the first cell.

[0079] In the embodiment of the present application, there is a corresponding relationship between the resource of the wake-up signal and the paging resource. The network device can determine the corresponding paging resource based on the resource used by the received wake-up signal, and send a paging message to the terminal device on the paging resource.

[0080] In some embodiments of the present application, the wake-up signal may be a periodic signal, that is, the terminal device may send the wake-up signal according to a set period.

[0081] In some other embodiments of the present application, the wake-up signal is a non-periodic signal, that is, the wake-up signal is sent based on conditional triggering. Optionally, taking an Idle / Inactive terminal device in the first cell as an example, the terminal device may send a wake-up signal based on conditional triggering in the following situations:

[0082] Case 1: The wake-up signal is sent only when the terminal device enters the paging area. The paging area can also be called the paging area, location area or tracking area. The paging area is the area where the terminal device initiates paging, which can include one or more cells. The paging area can be a tracking area, a RAN area, or an area composed of one or more cells.

[0083] Case 2: When the terminal device receives a control instruction sent by the network device, such as downlink control information (DCI), the terminal device sends a wake-up signal in response to the control instruction.

[0084] Case 3: After receiving the first downlink signal in the first cell, the terminal device sends a wake-up signal according to the configuration information included in the first downlink signal. In other words, the operation of sending the wake-up signal by the terminal device is triggered based on the first downlink signal.

[0085] Case 4: The terminal device determines that the first cell is in the energy-saving mode based on the received first downlink signal, and then sends a wake-up signal in the first cell. Exemplarily, the first downlink signal may include indication information for indicating whether the first cell is in the energy-saving mode, and the terminal device may determine whether the first cell is in the energy-saving mode based on the indication information. As another example, the resources of the first downlink signal may be associated with the mode type of the first cell. For example, the time-frequency resources used to send the first downlink signal are different when the first cell is in the normal mode and in the energy-saving mode, thereby implicitly indicating whether the first cell is in the normal mode or in the energy-saving mode. Accordingly, the terminal device can determine whether the first cell is in the energy-saving mode based on the resources of the first downlink signal.

[0086] It is understandable that the present application does not specifically limit the name, form and function of the wake-up signal. For example, the wake-up signal may also be called an uplink reference signal.

[0087] (2) First Downlink Signal

[0088] In the embodiment of the present application, the network device may send a first downlink signal. The first downlink signal may carry configuration information, wherein the configuration information is used to indicate the association between the wake-up signal resource and the terminal identifier and / or the association between the wake-up signal resource and the paging resource.

[0089] In some embodiments of the present application, the first downlink signal carrying the configuration information may be SIB1, or other system message blocks (expressed as SIBs), or a master information block (MIB), or DCI, or normally-on control information in a network energy-saving mode, etc., which is not limited in the embodiments of the present application. Exemplarily, the network device may send the configuration information to the terminal device by sending DCI in the event of an emergency public event, so as to trigger the terminal device to send a wake-up signal according to the configuration information to wake up the cell, so that the network device can page the terminal device.

[0090] Optionally, the normally-on control information in the network energy-saving mode can be used for initial access of the terminal device. Optionally, the normally-on control information in the network energy-saving mode can include one or more of the following information: MIB or part of the information in MIB, SIB1 or part of the information in SIB1, and can further include a synchronization signal (SS). Optionally, the normally-on control information in the network energy-saving mode can be broadcasted periodically.

[0091] It can be understood that the embodiment of the present application does not specifically limit the name, form and function of the "first downlink signal". For example, the first downlink signal can also be understood as a first downlink reference signal.

[0092] (3) Second downlink signal

[0093] In the embodiment of the present application, the second downlink signal is control information sent by the cell in the normal mode of the network device, or control information sent by the cell in the energy-saving mode after the cell is awakened. The terminal device can perform initial access based on the second downlink signal.

[0094] Optionally, the second downlink signal may include SSB, SIB1, or other system message blocks, which is not limited in the embodiment of the present application.

[0095] (4) Resources

[0096] The "resource" in the embodiment of the present application may be one or more of a time domain resource, a frequency domain resource, a code domain resource, and a power domain resource. For example, the resource of the wake-up signal may include one or more of: a time domain resource of the wake-up signal, a frequency domain resource of the wake-up signal, a code domain resource of the wake-up signal, and a power of the wake-up signal. In one possible manner, the code domain resource may be a sequence.

[0097] Combine the following Figure 3 The communication method provided in the embodiment of the present application is described. Figure 2 The network system architecture shown and the above-mentioned related technical introductions, Figure 3 A flow chart of a communication method provided in an embodiment of the present application is exemplified. Figure 3 The solution in the example is introduced by taking the interaction between network devices and terminal devices as an example.

[0098] The terminals mentioned in the following description, unless otherwise specified, refer to the Idle / Inactive terminals. Figure 3The terminal shown is called a first terminal, that is, the first terminal is an Idle / Inactive terminal in the first cell. The first terminal can send a wake-up signal on a first resource in the first cell and receive a paging message on a second resource in the first cell.

[0099] like Figure 3 As shown, the communication method may include the following steps:

[0100] Step 301: The network device sends configuration information, where the configuration information indicates an association between M resources of a wake-up signal and N terminal identifiers, where M and N are both positive integers.

[0101] In a possible implementation, the association relationship between the M resources of the wake-up signal and the N terminal identifiers indicated by the configuration information may include the following situations:

[0102] Case 1: A resource of any one of the M sources of the wake-up signal is associated with multiple terminal identifiers. For example, a transmission frame of the wake-up signal is associated with multiple terminal identifiers, so that multiple terminals can send wake-up signals in the same wake-up signal transmission frame.

[0103] Case 2: Any one of the M resources of the wake-up signal is associated with a terminal identifier.

[0104] Case 3: Multiple resources among the M resources of the wake-up signal are associated with one terminal identifier. For example, multiple wake-up signal sending frames are associated with one terminal identifier, so that one terminal can send the wake-up signal in multiple wake-up signal sending frames.

[0105] It can be understood that at least two of the above situations 1, 2 and 3 may exist at the same time. For example, the M resources of the wake-up signal include M1 resources and M2 resources (M1 and M2 are both positive integers), each of the M1 resources is associated with multiple terminal identifiers, and each of the M2 resources is associated with 1 terminal identifier.

[0106] Optionally, the association relationship between the wake-up signal resource and the terminal identifier may include the following situations:

[0107] Case a: The code domain resource (such as sequence) of the wake-up signal is associated with the terminal identifier, that is, different terminals can be associated with different code domains of the wake-up signal;

[0108] Case b: The time domain resource of the wake-up signal is associated with the terminal identifier, that is, different terminals can be associated with different time domains of the wake-up signal;

[0109] Case c: The frequency domain resource of the wake-up signal is associated with the terminal identifier, that is, different terminals can be associated with different frequency domains of the wake-up signal. For example, the sequence of the wake-up signal is associated with the terminal identifier, and different sequences can be associated with different terminal identifiers.

[0110] It can be understood that at least two of the uplink situations a, b and c may be combined, for example, both the time domain resources and the code domain resources of the wake-up signal are associated with the terminal identifier.

[0111] It can be understood that the above-listed association methods between the wake-up signal resources and the terminal identification are only a few possible examples, and the embodiments of the present application are not limited to this. As long as there is an association relationship between the wake-up signal resources and the terminal identification, they are within the scope of protection of the present application.

[0112] In a possible implementation, the configuration information may configure an association relationship between the wake-up signal resource and the paging resource, and the configuration parameters included in the specific configuration information may refer to the description in step 303 below. In another possible implementation, the configuration information may configure a correspondence relationship between the wake-up signal resource and the terminal identifier, so that the network device may determine the corresponding terminal identifier based on the corresponding relationship according to the resource of the received wake-up signal, and then determine the paging resource according to the terminal identifier and the correspondence relationship between the terminal identifier and the paging resource.

[0113] In one possible implementation, the configuration information is at the cell level. For example, the configuration information includes first configuration information, and the first configuration information indicates a first resource, where the first resource is a resource used to send a wake-up signal in the first cell. That is to say, the configuration information only indicates the resources used to send a wake-up signal in one cell. It can be understood that the configuration information includes not only the first configuration information but also more configuration information such as the second configuration information, that is, the configuration information includes N (N is a positive integer) configuration information, and the N configuration information indicates N different resources used to send a wake-up signal in the same cell, and each resource can be associated with one or more terminal identifiers.

[0114] For another example, the configuration information includes first configuration information and second configuration information, the first configuration information indicates a first resource, the first resource is a resource used to send a wake-up signal in a first cell, and the second configuration information indicates a second resource, the second resource is a resource used to send a wake-up signal in a second cell. That is to say, the configuration information may include multiple configuration information to respectively indicate the resources used to send wake-up signals in the multiple cells, and the resources used to send wake-up signals in different cells may be the same or different. It can be understood that the first configuration information may include N1 (N1 is a positive integer) configuration information, the N1 configuration information indicates N1 different resources used to send a wake-up signal in the first cell, and each resource can be associated with one or more terminal identifiers. The second configuration information may include N2 (N2 is a positive integer) configuration information, the N2 configuration information indicates N2 different resources used to send a wake-up signal in the first cell, and each resource can be associated with one or more terminal identifiers. Optionally, N1+N2=N, N is the number of configuration information contained in the configuration information.

[0115] In one possible implementation, the configuration information is at the cell group level. For example, the configuration information includes first configuration information, and the first configuration information indicates a first resource, which is a resource used by a cell in the first cell group to send a wake-up signal. That is to say, the configuration information may indicate the resources used to send a wake-up signal in a cell group (including the first cell), and the configuration information of the resources used to send a wake-up signal in each cell in the cell group is the same. For example, in each cell in the cell group, the sending period, time domain offset and frequency domain offset of the wake-up signal are the same, and the wake-up signal resources of the multiple cells can share one configuration information. Based on the configuration information, the terminal can send a wake-up signal on multiple cells. Taking the first cell and the second cell as cells in a cell group as an example, it can be understood that the configuration information may include N (N is a positive integer) configuration information to indicate N wake-up signal resources shared by the first cell and the second cell, and each resource can be associated with one or more terminal identifiers.

[0116] In a possible implementation, when the terminal enters a paging area (which may be a tracking area, a RAN area, or an area consisting of one or more other cells), the terminal receives the above configuration information. Thereafter, the terminal may determine the resource of the wake-up signal according to the configuration information and the identifier of the terminal, and send the wake-up signal on the resource. The specific implementation method may be referred to below.

[0117] In a possible implementation, the configuration information may be carried in a first downlink signal. For the content and sending method of the first downlink signal, reference may be made to the related description in the foregoing text.

[0118] Step 302: The terminal sends a wake-up signal on a first resource, where the first resource is one of the M wake-up signal resources, wherein the terminal is one of the terminals corresponding to the N terminal identifiers, and the terminal is in an Idle state or an Inactive state.

[0119] In this step, taking the first terminal as an example, the first terminal can determine the first resource based on the received configuration information and the identifier of the first terminal, and then send a wake-up signal on the first resource. Since the configuration information indicates the association between the M resources of the wake-up signal and the N terminal identifiers, the first terminal can determine the wake-up signal resource (here referred to as the first resource) associated with the terminal among the M resources based on its own terminal identifier and the association, and send a wake-up signal on the first resource.

[0120] In one possible implementation, if the configuration information received by the first terminal indicates resources for sending wake-up signals in multiple cells, and the resources used to send wake-up signals in different cells are different, the first terminal can send wake-up signals in the multiple cells according to the configuration information.

[0121] In one possible implementation, the wake-up signal is sent periodically. In another possible implementation, the wake-up signal is sent based on a conditional trigger. For specific implementations, please refer to the relevant content in the previous text.

[0122] In one possible implementation method, taking the sending of a wake-up signal in the first cell as an example, after the network device receives the wake-up signal in the first cell, it can wake up the first cell in energy-saving mode and put it into normal mode, or release the restriction on the transmission capacity of the first cell. Thereafter, the network device can send a second downlink signal in the first cell. When it is necessary to initiate paging for the terminal, the activation paging resource corresponding to the terminal is determined according to the method provided in the embodiment of the present application, and a paging message is sent on the activation paging resource. The specific implementation method can refer to the description below.

[0123] Optionally, in order to further achieve network energy saving, the network device may send a second downlink signal on a corresponding beam according to the beam of the wake-up signal to achieve the effect of partially waking up the cell.

[0124] Step 303: The network device determines a second resource according to the first resource or according to the identifier of the terminal, where the second resource is used to send a paging message, or in other words, the second resource is a paging resource.

[0125] The first terminal is taken as the terminal to be paged, and the second resource can be referred to as the activated paging resource corresponding to the first terminal. Optionally, the network device determines the activated paging resource corresponding to the first terminal only when it determines that paging needs to be initiated to the first terminal.

[0126] In a possible implementation, there is a correspondence between the wake-up signal resource and the paging resource. For example, since the terminal identifier is associated with the paging frame and the paging occasion in the related art, by associating the sending frame and the sending occasion of the wake-up signal with the terminal identifier, it is possible to achieve the association between the sending frame of the wake-up signal and the paging frame, and the association between the sending occasion of the wake-up signal and the paging occasion. Correspondingly, for the wake-up signal received by the network device, there is a correspondence between the first resource used and the second resource used to paging the corresponding terminal (i.e., the terminal corresponding to the terminal identifier associated with the first resource, including the first terminal identifier). The network device can determine the second resource corresponding to the first resource based on the first resource and the above-mentioned correspondence (i.e., the correspondence between the wake-up signal resource and the paging resource), and can initiate paging to the terminal (i.e., the terminal corresponding to the terminal identifier associated with the first resource) by sending a paging message on the second resource.

[0127] In the embodiment of the present application, the correspondence between the wake-up signal resource and the paging resource may include one or more of the following:

[0128] - The correspondence between the time domain resources of the wake-up signal and the time domain resources of the paging message. For example, there is a correspondence between the transmission frame of the wake-up signal and the paging frame, and further, there is a correspondence between the transmission timing of the wake-up signal and the paging timing.

[0129] Exemplarily, the configuration information may include multiple candidate wake-up signal time domain configurations, each candidate wake-up signal time domain configuration indicates a corresponding wake-up signal time domain resource, different candidate time domain configurations are distinguished using an index, and there is an association between the index of the candidate time domain configuration and the time domain resource of the paging message.

[0130] - The correspondence between the frequency domain resources of the wake-up signal and the time domain resources of the paging message. For example, there is a correspondence between the frequency band where the wake-up signal is located and the paging frame, and further, there is a correspondence between the subcarrier where the wake-up signal is located and the paging opportunity.

[0131] Exemplarily, similar to the correspondence between the time domain resources of the wake-up signal and the time domain resources of the paging message, the configuration information may include multiple candidate wake-up signal frequency domain configurations, each candidate wake-up signal frequency domain configuration indicates the corresponding wake-up signal frequency domain resources, different candidate frequency domain configurations are distinguished using indexes, and there is an association between the index of the candidate frequency domain configuration and the paging frame, or there is an association between the paging frame and the paging opportunity.

[0132] -The correspondence between the code domain resources of the wake-up signal and the time domain resources of the paging message. For example, there is a correspondence between the root sequence and / or zero correlation domain of the wake-up signal and the paging frame, and further, there is a correspondence between the root sequence and / or zero correlation domain of the wake-up signal and the paging opportunity.

[0133] Exemplarily, similar to the correspondence between the time domain resources of the wake-up signal and the time domain resources of the paging message, the configuration information may include multiple candidate wake-up signal code domain configurations, each candidate wake-up signal code domain configuration indicates the corresponding wake-up signal code domain resource, different candidate code domain configurations are distinguished using indexes, and there is an association between the index of the candidate code domain configuration and the paging frame, or there is an association between the paging frame and the paging opportunity.

[0134] -The correspondence between the power domain resources of the wake-up signal and the time domain resources of the paging message.

[0135] It can be understood that the correspondence between the wake-up signal resources and the paging resources can also be: at least two of the time domain resources, frequency domain resources, code domain resources and power domain resources of the wake-up signal correspond to the time domain resources of the paging message.

[0136] It can be understood that the association methods between the wake-up signal resources and the paging resources listed above are only a few possible examples, and the embodiments of the present application are not limited to this. As long as there is an association relationship between the wake-up signal resources and the paging resources (such as including paging frames, or including paging frames and paging opportunities), they are within the scope of protection of the present application.

[0137] Since there may be a corresponding relationship between the transmission frame of the wake-up signal and the paging frame, accordingly, the network device may determine the paging frame according to the transmission frame of the wake-up signal.

[0138] Figure 4 Several possible corresponding relationships between wake-up signal transmission frames and paging frames are exemplarily shown.

[0139] like Figure 4 As shown in (a), one wake-up signal sending frame corresponds to one paging frame, that is, there is a one-to-one correspondence between the wake-up signal sending frame and the paging frame. Based on this one-to-one correspondence, the use of paging resources can be reduced. Taking the association of the first terminal identifier with the wake-up signal sending frame 1 as an example, when the network device needs to page the first terminal, it only needs to send the paging message of the terminal on the paging frame 1 associated with the wake-up signal sending frame 1. Since there is a one-to-one correspondence between the wake-up signal sending frame and the paging frame, the network device can use fewer paging resources to page the target terminal, thereby achieving network energy saving. In addition, using this implementation method, the paging range can also be refined to reduce the number of cells for paging the terminal.

[0140] like Figure 4 As shown in (b), multiple wake-up signal sending frames correspond to one paging frame, that is, there is a many-to-one correspondence between the wake-up signal sending frame and the paging frame. Based on this many-to-one relationship, the overhead of paging resources can be reduced as much as possible. Taking the association of the first terminal identifier with the wake-up signal sending frame 1 and the association of the second terminal identifier with the wake-up signal sending frame 2 as an example, when the network device needs to page the first terminal and the second terminal, it only needs to send the paging message of the first terminal and the second terminal on the paging frame 1 that is jointly associated with the wake-up signal sending frame 1 and the wake-up signal sending frame 2. Since there is a many-to-one relationship between the wake-up signal sending frame and the paging frame, the network device can minimize the use of paging resources when paging multiple terminals.

[0141] like Figure 4 As shown in (c), one wake-up signal sending frame corresponds to multiple paging frames, that is, there is a one-to-many correspondence between the wake-up signal sending frame and the paging frame. Based on this one-to-many correspondence, the paging performance can be improved compared to the above-mentioned one-to-one correspondence or many-to-one correspondence. Taking the wake-up signal sending frame 1 associated with the first terminal identifier as an example, when the network device needs to page the first terminal, the paging message of the terminal can be sent on the N paging frames associated with the wake-up signal sending frame 1, thereby improving the paging performance of the target terminal. In addition, in this case, the wake-up signal sending frame 1 can be associated with multiple terminal identifiers, which can reduce the amount of configuration information to save resource overhead.

[0142] Based on the above Figure 4 The correspondence between the wake-up signal sending frame and the paging frame shown in the figure, for all the terminals associated with the same wake-up signal sending frame, the network device can page these terminals on one or more paging frames corresponding to the wake-up signal sending frame, or, for all the terminals on the same paging frame, these terminals can be associated with one or more wake-up signal sending frames.

[0143] In a possible implementation, the relationship between the wake-up signal transmission frame and the paging frame satisfies the following formula:

[0144] (SFN+SFN offset )mod T=(T div n)*(UE ID mod n)…………………………(3)

[0145] SFN is the system frame number of the frame sending the wake-up signal. offset is the offset of the wake-up signal transmission frame, T is the length of the paging cycle, n is a multiple or approximation of the number of paging frames contained in the paging cycle, and UE ID is the terminal identifier, mod is the modulus operator, and div is the integer division operator.

[0146] Based on the above formula 3, the parameter n can indicate how many paging frames are associated with one wake-up signal sending frame, or how many wake-up signal sending frames are associated with one paging frame. For example, when n is a multiple of N, n is recorded as k*N (k is a positive integer), then k wake-up signal sending frames are associated with 1 paging frame; when n is a divisor of N, n is recorded as 1 / k*N (k is a positive integer), then one wake-up signal sending frame is associated with k paging frames.

[0147] Exemplarily, when n=N (N is the number of paging frames included in the paging cycle), that is, when n is both the smallest multiple of N and the largest divisor of N (that is, N itself), it indicates that there is a one-to-one correspondence between the wake-up signal sending frame and the paging frame. When n is a multiple of N (that is, n is equal to 2 times or more than 2 times of N), it indicates that there is a many-to-one correspondence between the wake-up signal sending frame and the paging frame. For example, when n=4N (that is, n is equal to 4 times of N), 4 wake-up signal sending frames correspond to the same paging frame. When n is a divisor of N, it indicates that there is a one-to-many correspondence between the wake-up signal sending frame and the paging frame. For example, when n=1 / 4N (that is, n is equal to one quarter of N), one wake-up signal sending frame corresponds to 4 paging frames.

[0148] It can be understood that the corresponding relationship between the wake-up signal sending frame and the paging frame shown in the above formula 3 is only a possible example, and the embodiment of the present application is not limited to this.

[0149] In a possible implementation, the configuration information may include a first parameter, and the first parameter is used to indicate the number of paging frames corresponding to a wake-up signal sending frame, or the number of wake-up signal sending frames corresponding to a paging frame. Exemplarily, when the corresponding relationship shown in Formula 3 is satisfied between the wake-up signal sending frame and the paging frame, the configuration information sent by the network device may include the parameter n in Formula 3. Optionally, the configuration information may also include an offset of the wake-up signal sending frame (such as SFN in Formula 3). offset ). Optionally, the configuration information may also include the length T of the paging cycle and / or the number N of paging frames included in the paging cycle. Accordingly, in step 302, the terminal may determine the sending frame of the wake-up signal based on the above formula 3 according to the identifier of the terminal and the above parameters included in the configuration information.

[0150] Since there may be a corresponding relationship between the sending timing of the wake-up signal and the paging timing, accordingly, the network device may determine the paging timing according to the sending timing of the wake-up signal.

[0151] Figure 5 Several possible correspondences between wake-up signal sending occasions and paging occasions are exemplarily shown.

[0152] like Figure 5 As shown in (a), one wake-up signal sending opportunity corresponds to one paging opportunity, that is, there is a one-to-one correspondence between the wake-up signal sending opportunity and the paging opportunity. The technical effect achieved is similar to the technical effect when there is a one-to-one relationship between the wake-up signal sending frame and the paging frame.

[0153] like Figure 5 As shown in (b), multiple wake-up signal sending opportunities correspond to one paging opportunity, that is, there is a many-to-one correspondence between the wake-up signal sending opportunity and the paging opportunity. The technical effect achieved is similar to the technical effect when there is a many-to-one relationship between the wake-up signal sending frame and the paging frame.

[0154] like Figure 5 As shown in (c), one wake-up signal sending opportunity corresponds to multiple paging opportunities, that is, there is a one-to-many correspondence between the wake-up signal sending opportunity and the paging opportunity. The technical effect achieved is similar to the technical effect when there is a one-to-many relationship between the wake-up signal sending frame and the paging frame.

[0155] Based on the above Figure 5 The correspondence between the wake-up signal sending timing and the paging timing is shown. For the terminal associated with the same wake-up signal sending timing, the network device can page the terminal at one or more paging timings corresponding to the wake-up signal sending timing, or, for all terminals on the same paging timing, these terminals can be associated with one or more wake-up signal sending timings.

[0156] In a possible implementation, the relationship between the wake-up signal sending opportunity and the paging opportunity satisfies the following formula:

[0157]

[0158] Among them, URS is the number of the starting symbol of the wake-up signal sending opportunity. offset is the offset of the wake-up signal sending timing, n is a multiple or approximation of the number of paging frames contained in the paging cycle, n s is a multiple or approximation of the number of paging occasions contained in a paging frame. ID is the terminal identifier, mod is the modulus operator, and floor is the floor operator.

[0159] Based on the above formula 4, the parameter n s It can indicate how many paging occasions are associated with one wake-up signal transmission occasion, or how many wake-up signal transmission occasions are associated with one paging occasion. s N s When n is a multiple ofs Denoted as k*N s (k is a positive integer), then k wake-up signal sending opportunities are associated with one paging frame; n s N s When n is a divisor of , it is recorded as 1 / k*N s (k is a positive integer), then one wake-up signal sending opportunity is associated with k paging occasions.

[0160] For example, when n s =N s (N s is the number of paging occasions included in the paging cycle), it indicates that there is a one-to-one correspondence between the wake-up signal sending opportunity and the paging occasion. s YesN s When n is a multiple of , it indicates that there is a many-to-one correspondence between the wake-up signal sending opportunity and the paging opportunity. s YesN s When it is a divisor of , it indicates that there is a one-to-many correspondence between the wake-up signal sending opportunity and the paging opportunity.

[0161] It can be understood that the corresponding relationship between the wake-up signal sending timing and the paging timing shown in the above formula 4 is only a possible example, and the embodiments of the present invention are not limited to this.

[0162] In a possible implementation, the configuration information may include a second parameter, and the second parameter is used to indicate the number of paging opportunities corresponding to a wake-up signal sending opportunity, or the number of wake-up signal sending opportunities corresponding to a paging opportunity. Exemplarily, when the wake-up signal sending opportunity and the paging opportunity satisfy the corresponding relationship shown in the above formula 4, the configuration information sent by the network device may include the parameter n in formula 4. s Optionally, the configuration information may also include an offset of the wake-up signal sending timing (such as the URS in Formula 4). offset ). Optionally, the configuration information may also include the length T of the paging cycle and / or the number N of paging occasions included in the paging cycle. s Correspondingly, in step 302, the terminal may determine the timing of sending the wake-up signal according to the identifier of the terminal and the parameters included in the configuration information and based on the above formula 4.

[0163] It can be understood that in some embodiments, the correspondence between the time domain resources in the first resource and the time domain resources in the second resource can include both the correspondence between the wake-up signal sending frame and the paging frame and the correspondence between the wake-up signal sending timing and the paging timing.

[0164] As described above, the network device may also determine the second resource according to the terminal identifier. Since there is a corresponding relationship between the wake-up signal resource and the paging resource, there is an association relationship between the wake-up signal resource and the terminal identifier, there is a corresponding relationship between the wake-up signal resource and the paging resource, and there is also a corresponding relationship between the paging resource and the terminal identifier, so the network device can determine the paging resource corresponding to the terminal identifier according to the terminal identifier (referred to as the second resource in the embodiment of the present application). The specific implementation principle is the same as the aforementioned embodiment.

[0165] Exemplarily, since there is an association relationship between the wake-up signal resource and the terminal identifier, the network device can determine the terminal identifier associated with the first resource according to the first resource used by the received wake-up signal (the number of terminal identifiers associated with the first resource can be one or more, expressed as UE_IDs, including the identifier of the first terminal). When the network device needs to page the terminal corresponding to one or more terminal identifiers in the UE_IDs, for example, the terminal to be paged is the first terminal, the network device determines the corresponding paging resource according to the first terminal identifier, and sends a paging message for the first terminal on the paging resource. Among them, in the embodiment of the present application, the method for the network device to determine the corresponding paging resource according to the identifier of the first terminal is not limited. For example, in one possible implementation, similar to the association relationship between the wake-up signal resource and the terminal identifier, there is also an association relationship between the paging resource and the terminal identifier, so that the network device can determine the paging resource associated with it according to the first terminal identifier. In another possible implementation, the network device can determine the paging frame according to the identifier of the first terminal and based on the above formula 1, and the paging frame corresponds to the transmission frame of the wake-up signal. Furthermore, the network device may also determine a paging timing according to the identifier of the first terminal and based on Formula 2, where the paging timing corresponds to a timing for sending the wake-up signal.

[0166] Step 304: The network device sends a paging message on the second resource.

[0167] In this step, the second resource is the part of the paging resources corresponding to the first resource among all the paging resources. The network device only activates this part of the paging resources, sends paging messages on this part of the paging resources, and does not send the paging messages on other paging resources, thereby achieving network energy saving. Taking the first cell as an example, in the energy-saving mode, there are usually only a small number of Idle / Inactive terminals in the first cell. If the paging method provided by the relevant technology is adopted, although only a small number of Idle / Inactive terminals are paged, it is impossible to achieve a more refined perception of the paging area of ​​the Idle / Inactive terminal by the network device. Therefore, it is necessary to page the terminal in the entire paging area, which will use a large number of paging resources in the first cell, and may also need to use paging resources of other cells. By adopting the method provided in the embodiment of the present application, the network device can receive the wake-up signal sent by the Idle / Inactive terminal in the first cell. Since the first resource used by the wake-up signal is associated with one or more terminals, the network device can perceive the Idle / Inactive terminals in the first cell. When the network device needs to page these terminals, it can send paging messages only in the first cell or a few adjacent cells. Compared with the above-mentioned related technologies, the paging range is reduced; further, in the embodiment of the present application, since there is a corresponding relationship between the wake-up signal resource and the paging resource, the network device can determine the corresponding paging resource (second resource) according to the first resource used by the wake-up signal, and send the paging message on the paging resource, thereby further reducing the use of paging resources and achieving network energy saving.

[0168] In one possible implementation, if the network device determines that the strength of the wake-up signal received on the first resource (such as the reference signal receiving power (RSRP)) is greater than a set threshold, a paging message is sent on the second resource. Since the terminal may be at the edge of the cell, the signal strength of the wake-up signal received by the network device for the terminal is relatively weak. In this case, if the network device sends a paging message to the terminal, there is a high probability that the paging may fail. By adopting the above implementation, the occurrence of paging failures can be reduced, invalid paging can be reduced, and network energy saving can be achieved. On the other hand, within a cell, the network device may also receive a wake-up signal sent by a terminal in a neighboring cell of the cell. The signal strength of the wake-up signal is usually weak. By adopting the above implementation, paging to the terminal can be avoided to save power consumption of the network device.

[0169] In a possible implementation manner, after receiving a wake-up signal sent by a terminal on a first resource in a first cell, the network device sends a paging message corresponding to the terminal only on a second resource in the first cell.

[0170] In another possible implementation, the network device can send a paging message not only in the first cell but also in one or more neighboring cells of the first cell, and the resources used by the paging message in each cell correspond to the first resources. In this way, the robustness of network paging can be improved. Exemplarily, in the above step 302, according to the wake-up signal resources of multiple cells indicated by the configuration information, the terminal can send a wake-up signal on the multiple cells, or notify the neighboring cells through the first cell to wake up the multiple cells, so that the network device can perform paging on the multiple cells to improve the robustness of paging. In addition, although the configuration information can be configured to send wake-up signals in multiple cells, the number of the multiple cells is usually less than the number of cells included in the paging area; further, although the terminal can send a wake-up signal on the wake-up signal resources of multiple cells according to the configuration information, for the network device, the signal strength of the wake-up signal received in some of the cells may be weak, so the network device will not initiate paging to the terminal in these cells. That is to say, compared with the related art that requires initiating paging on a large number of paging resources, the embodiments of the present application can reduce the use of paging resources, thereby achieving network energy saving.

[0171] In a possible implementation, a network device may receive a paging message from a core network. For a target terminal of the paging message, if the paging resource used by the paging message from the core network is an activated paging resource corresponding to the target terminal, the network device sends the paging message, otherwise the network device may not send the paging message. The activated paging resource corresponding to the target terminal refers to a paging resource corresponding to a resource used by the target terminal to send a wake-up signal.

[0172] In a possible implementation, the paging message may include one or more of the paging messages shown in Table 1.

[0173] Table 1: Paging Messages

[0174]

[0175] Optionally, paging messages for other functions may be sent in a manner defined by the current protocol, such as sending paging messages on all paging resources, thereby achieving flexible design based on the robustness requirements of different services.

[0176] After the network device sends a paging message on the second resource, the terminal can receive the paging message on the second resource accordingly. In the embodiment of the present application, taking the first terminal as an example, for the first terminal, it can determine the corresponding paging resource according to the identifier of the first terminal, and monitor the paging message on the paging resource. Among them, the method for the first terminal to determine the corresponding paging resource according to the identifier of the first terminal is similar to the method for the network device to determine the corresponding paging resource (second resource) according to the identifier of the first terminal.

[0177] Based on the above Figure 3 According to the process shown, an Idle / Inactive terminal can send a wake-up signal to enable the network device to perceive the terminal and the resources used by the wake-up signal sent by the terminal. In this way, when the network device needs to initiate paging for the terminal, it can determine the corresponding paging resources based on the resources used by the terminal to send the wake-up signal, and page the terminal on the paging resources, and the paging message may not be sent on other paging resources. Compared with the related art that requires paging the terminal on a large number of paging resources, the embodiment of the present application can realize the network side's accurate perception capability of the Idle / Inactive terminal, enable the network device to determine the corresponding paging resources based on the resources of the wake-up signal, so as to reduce the paging energy consumption overhead.

[0178] It is understandable that in order to implement the functions in the above embodiments, the network device and the terminal include hardware structures and / or software modules corresponding to the execution of each function. It should be easily appreciated by those skilled in the art that, in combination with the units and method steps of each example described in the embodiments disclosed in this application, the present application can be implemented in the form of hardware or a combination of hardware and computer software. Whether a function is executed in the form of hardware or computer software driving hardware depends on the specific application scenario and design constraints of the technical solution.

[0179] Figure 6 and Figure 7 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 network device in the above method embodiments, and thus can also achieve the beneficial effects of the above method embodiments. In the embodiments of the present application, the communication device can be as follows: Figure 1 One of the terminals 120a-120j shown may also be Figure 1 The base station 110a or 110b shown may also be a module (such as a chip) applied to a terminal or a base station.

[0180] like Figure 6 As shown, the communication device 600 includes a processing unit 610 and a transceiver unit 620. The communication device 600 is used to implement the above Figure 3 The functions of the terminal or network device in the method embodiment are shown.

[0181] When the communication device 600 is used to implement Figure 3 When the functions of the network device in the method embodiment shown are: the processing unit 610 is used to send configuration information through the transceiver unit 620, and the configuration information indicates the association relationship between M resources of the wake-up signal and N terminal identifiers, and M and N are both positive integers; the transceiver unit 620 is used to receive the wake-up signal on the first resource, and the first resource is one of the M resources; the processing unit 610 determines the second resource according to the identifier of the first resource or the first terminal, the identifier of the first terminal is the terminal identifier associated with the first resource, and sends the paging message on the second resource through the transceiver unit 620.

[0182] When the communication device 600 is used to implement Figure 3 When the function of the terminal in the method embodiment shown is: the transceiver unit 620 receives configuration information, the configuration information indicates the association between M resources of the wake-up signal and N terminal identifiers, M and N are both positive integers; the processing unit 610 is used to determine a first resource based on the configuration information and the terminal identifier, the first resource is one of the M resources, the terminal identifier is one of the N terminal identifiers and the terminal is in an idle state or an inactive state; and a wake-up signal is sent on the first resource through the transceiver unit 620, and the wake-up signal is used to identify the terminal.

[0183] For more detailed description of the processing unit 610 and the transceiver unit 620, please refer to Figure 3 The relevant description in the method embodiment shown is directly obtained and will not be repeated here.

[0184] like Figure 7 As shown, the communication device 700 includes a processor 710 and an interface circuit 720. The processor 710 and the interface circuit 720 are coupled to each other. It is understood that the interface circuit 720 can be a transceiver or an input-output interface. Optionally, the communication device 700 may also include a memory 730 for storing instructions executed by the processor 710 or storing input data required by the processor 710 to execute instructions or storing data generated after the processor 710 executes instructions.

[0185] When the communication device 700 is used to implement Figure 3 When the method is shown, the processor 710 is used to implement the function of the above-mentioned processing unit 610, and the interface circuit 720 is used to implement the function of the above-mentioned transceiver unit 620.

[0186] When the above communication device is a chip applied to a terminal, the terminal chip implements the functions of the terminal in the above method embodiment. The terminal chip receives information from other modules in the terminal (such as a radio frequency module or an antenna), and the information is sent by the network device to the terminal; or the terminal chip sends information to other modules in the terminal (such as a radio frequency module or an antenna), and the information is sent by the terminal to the network device.

[0187] When the above-mentioned communication device is a module applied to a network device, the network device module implements the function of the network device in the above-mentioned method embodiment. The network device module receives information from other modules in the network device (such as a radio frequency module or an antenna), and the information is sent by the terminal to the network device; or, the network device module sends information to other modules in the network device (such as a radio frequency module or an antenna), and the information is sent by the network device to the terminal. The network device module here can be a baseband chip of the network device, or it can be a DU or other module. The DU here can be a DU under the open radio access network (O-RAN) architecture.

[0188] 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.

[0189] In the present application, another example of a communication device is provided, the communication device includes at least one processor and at least one memory, the at least one processor is coupled to the at least one memory, the at least one memory is used to store instructions, when the instructions are executed by the at least one processor, the communication device executes the method in the above embodiment. Take the communication device including a processor and a memory as an example, Figure 7 As shown, the communication device 700 includes a processor 710 and a memory 730. The processor 710 and the memory 730 are coupled, and the memory 730 stores instructions. When the instructions stored in the memory 730 are executed by the processor 710, the communication device 700 executes the method executed by the terminal or network device in the above embodiment.

[0190] The method steps in the embodiments of the present application can be implemented in hardware or in software instructions that can be executed by a processor. The software instructions can be composed of corresponding software modules, and the software modules can be stored in random access memory, flash memory, read-only memory, programmable read-only memory, erasable programmable read-only memory, electrically erasable programmable read-only memory, register, hard disk, mobile hard disk, CD-ROM or any other form of storage medium well known in the art. An exemplary storage medium is coupled to the processor so that the processor can read information from the storage medium and can write information to the storage medium. The storage medium can also be a component of the processor. The processor and the storage medium can be located in an ASIC. In addition, the ASIC can be located in a network device or a terminal. The processor and the storage medium can also be present in a network device or a terminal as discrete components.

[0191] 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.

[0192] 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.

[0193] 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.

[0194] 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: Sending configuration information, where the configuration information indicates an association relationship between M resources of a wake-up signal and N terminal device identifiers, where M and N are both positive integers; Receiving a wake-up signal on a first resource, where the first resource is one of the M resources; Determine a second resource according to the identifier of the first resource or the first terminal device, where the identifier of the first terminal device is the identifier of the terminal device associated with the first resource; A paging message is sent on the second resource.

2. The method according to claim 1, characterized in that The first resource includes the resource of the wake-up signal, the second resource includes the time domain resource of the paging message, there is a corresponding relationship between the resource of the wake-up signal and the time domain resource of the paging message, and the resource of the wake-up signal includes at least one of time domain resources, frequency domain resources, code domain resources or power domain resources.

3. The method according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that The first resource includes a transmission frame of the wake-up signal in the time domain, and the second resource includes a paging frame in the time domain. The relationship between the transmission frame of the wake-up signal and the paging frame satisfies the following formula: (SFN+SFN offset )mod T=(T div n)*(UE ID mod n) Wherein, SFN is the system frame number of the transmission frame of the wake-up signal, SFN offset is the offset of the transmission frame of the wake-up signal, T is the length of the paging cycle, n is a multiple or approximation of the number of paging frames contained in the paging cycle, and UE ID is the identifier of the first terminal device, mod is the modulus operator, and div is the integer division operator.

4. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 3, characterized in that: The first resource includes a sending frame of the wake-up signal in the time domain, the second resource includes a paging frame in the time domain, and the configuration information includes a first parameter, and the first parameter is used to indicate the number of paging frames corresponding to one sending frame of the wake-up signal, or the number of wake-up signal sending frames corresponding to one paging frame.

5. The method according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that: The first resource includes a sending opportunity of the wake-up signal in the time domain, and the second resource includes a paging opportunity in the time domain. The relationship between the sending opportunity of the wake-up signal and the paging opportunity satisfies the following formula: Among them, URS is the number of the starting symbol of the sending opportunity of the wake-up signal, and URS offset is the offset of the wake-up signal sending opportunity, n is a multiple or approximation of the number of paging frames contained in the paging cycle, n s is a multiple or approximation of the number of paging occasions contained in a paging frame. ID is the identifier of the first terminal device, mod is the modulus operator, and floor is the floor operator.

6. The method according to any one of claims 1, 2 or 5, characterized in that: The first resource includes the sending opportunity of the wake-up signal in the time domain, the second resource includes the paging opportunity in the time domain, and the configuration information includes a second parameter, and the second parameter is used to indicate the number of paging opportunities corresponding to one sending opportunity of the wake-up signal, or the number of wake-up signal sending opportunities corresponding to one paging opportunity.

7. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 6, characterized in that: The sending of the paging message on the second resource includes: If it is determined that the strength of the wake-up signal is greater than a set threshold, a paging message corresponding to the first terminal device is sent on the second resource.

8. A communication method, characterized in that: include: Receive configuration information, where the configuration information indicates an association relationship between M resources of a wake-up signal and N terminal device identifiers, where M and N are both positive integers; Determine a first resource according to the configuration information and an identifier of a first terminal device, where the first resource is one of the M resources, the identifier of the first terminal device is one of the N terminal identifiers, and the terminal device is in an idle state or an inactive state; A wake-up signal is sent on the first resource, where the wake-up signal is used to identify the first terminal device.

9. The method according to claim 8, characterized in that Also includes: Determine a second resource according to the identifier of the first resource or the first terminal device; A paging message is received on the second resource.

10. The method according to claim 9, characterized in that The first resource includes the resource of the wake-up signal, the second resource includes the time domain resource of the paging message, there is a corresponding relationship between the resource of the wake-up signal and the time domain resource of the paging message, and the resource of the wake-up signal includes at least one of time domain resources, frequency domain resources, code domain resources or power domain resources.

11. The method according to claim 9 or 10, characterized in that The first resource includes a transmission frame of the wake-up signal in the time domain, and the second resource includes a paging frame in the time domain. The relationship between the transmission frame of the wake-up signal and the paging frame satisfies the following formula: (SFN+SFN offset )mod T=(T div n)*(UE ID mod n) Wherein, SFN is the system frame number of the transmission frame of the wake-up signal, SFN offset is the offset of the transmission frame of the wake-up signal, T is the length of the paging cycle, n is a multiple or approximation of the number of paging frames contained in the paging cycle, and UE ID is the identifier of the first terminal device, mod is the modulus operator, and div is the integer division operator.

12. The method according to any one of claims 9 to 11, characterized in that: The first resource includes a sending frame of the wake-up signal in the time domain, the second resource includes a paging frame in the time domain, and the configuration information includes a first parameter, and the first parameter is used to indicate the number of paging frames corresponding to one sending frame of the wake-up signal, or the number of wake-up signal sending frames corresponding to one paging frame.

13. The method according to claim 9 or 10, characterized in that The first resource includes a sending opportunity of the wake-up signal in the time domain, and the second resource includes a paging opportunity in the time domain. The relationship between the sending opportunity of the wake-up signal and the paging opportunity satisfies the following formula: Among them, URS is the number of the starting symbol of the sending opportunity of the wake-up signal, and URS offset is the offset of the wake-up signal sending opportunity, n is a multiple or approximation of the number of paging frames contained in the paging cycle, n s is a multiple or approximation of the number of paging occasions contained in a paging frame. ID is the identifier of the first terminal device, mod is the modulus operator, and floor is the floor operator.

14. The method according to claim 9, 10 or 13, characterized in that The first resource includes the wake-up signal sending opportunity in the time domain, the second resource includes the paging opportunity in the time domain, and the configuration information includes a second parameter, and the second parameter is used to indicate the number of paging opportunities corresponding to one wake-up signal sending opportunity, or the number of wake-up signal sending opportunities corresponding to one paging opportunity.

15. A communication device, characterized in that: The method comprises a unit or a module for executing the method according to any one of claims 1 to 7, or comprises a unit or a module for executing the method according to any one of claims 8 to 14.

16. A communication device, characterized in that: include: The one or more processors are configured to execute the method according to any one of claims 1-7, or to execute the method according to any one of claims 8-14.

17. A computer-readable storage medium, characterized in that: The computer-readable storage medium stores a computer program or instruction. When the computer program or instruction is executed by the communication device, the method according to any one of claims 1 to 7 is implemented, or the method according to any one of claims 8 to 14 is implemented.

18. A computer program product, characterized in that When the computer program product is called by a computer, the computer executes the method according to any one of claims 1 to 7, or executes the method according to any one of claims 8 to 14.

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