Communication methods and related apparatuses

Abstract

The present disclosure relates to communication methods and related apparatuses. A communication method, performed by a base station, includes transmitting, on a first carrier of a plurality of operating carriers of a cell, a master information block (MIB), the MIB including a parameter for a terminal to acquire a system information block (SIB1) of the cell; and transmitting, on a second carrier of the plurality of operating carriers, the SIB1, the SIB1 including a parameter for the terminal to access the cell.

Description

TECHNICAL FIELD

[0001] The present disclosure relates to the technical field of communications, and more particularly, to a communication method, a base station, a terminal, a communication system, a non-transitory storage medium and a computer program product associated with the communication method. BACKGROUND

[0002] In a conventional cellular communication system (e.g., 4th Generation Mobile Communication Technology (4G) and 5th Generation Mobile Communication Technology (5G)), one base station supports managing multiple cells, and one cell usually corresponds to one carrier. A terminal needs to access a primary cell (PCell) first, and then add a secondary cell (SCell), and then can perform multi-carrier communication. When the terminal and the base station perform multi-carrier communication, the terminal and the base station need to perform multi-cell management procedures, such as adding, deleting, modifying, etc. SUMMARY

[0003] A brief summary of the present disclosure is presented in the following to provide a basic understanding of some aspects of the present disclosure. However, it should be understood that this summary is not an extensive overview of the present disclosure. It is not intended to identify key or critical elements of the present disclosure or to delineate the scope of the present disclosure. Its sole purpose is to present some concepts of the present disclosure in a simplified form as a prelude to the more detailed description presented later.

[0004] According to a first aspect of the present disclosure, a communication method is provided, the method is performed by a base station, comprising: transmitting a Master Information Block (MIB) on a first carrier of a plurality of working carriers of a cell, the MIB comprising parameters for a terminal to acquire a System Information Block 1 (SIB1) of the cell; and transmitting the SIB1 on a second carrier of the plurality of working carriers, the SIB1 comprising parameters for the terminal to access the cell.

[0005] According to a second aspect of this disclosure, a communication method is provided, the communication method being performed by a terminal, comprising: receiving a MIB on a first carrier of a plurality of working carriers of a cell, the MIB including parameters for the terminal to acquire an SIB1 of the cell; receiving an SIB1 on a second carrier of the plurality of working carriers according to the MIB, the SIB1 including parameters for the terminal to access the cell; and accessing the cell according to the SIB1.

[0006] According to a third aspect of this disclosure, a base station is provided, comprising: a processor; and a memory storing computer-executable instructions, which, when executed by the processor, cause the processor to perform the communication method according to a first aspect of this disclosure.

[0007] According to a fourth aspect of this disclosure, a terminal is provided, comprising: a processor; and a memory storing computer-executable instructions, which, when executed by the processor, cause the processor to perform the communication method according to a second aspect of this disclosure.

[0008] According to a fifth aspect of this disclosure, a communication system is provided, including a base station and a terminal. The base station is configured to: transmit a MIB on a first carrier of a plurality of operating carriers of a cell, the MIB including parameters for the terminal to acquire an SIB1 of the cell; and transmit SIB1 on a second carrier of the plurality of operating carriers, the SIB1 including parameters for the terminal to access the cell. The terminal is configured to: receive the MIB on the first carrier; receive SIB1 on the second carrier based on the MIB; and access the cell based on the SIB1.

[0009] According to a sixth aspect of this disclosure, a non-transient storage medium having computer-executable instructions stored thereon is provided, which, when executed by a processor, cause the processor to perform the communication method according to a first or second aspect of this disclosure.

[0010] According to a seventh aspect of this disclosure, a computer program product is provided, the computer program product including instructions that, when executed by a processor, implement the communication method according to a first or second aspect of this disclosure. Attached Figure Description

[0011] The foregoing and other features and advantages of this disclosure will become clear from the following description of embodiments illustrated in conjunction with the accompanying drawings. The drawings, incorporated herein and forming a part of the specification, are further used to explain the principles of this disclosure and to enable those skilled in the art to make and use it. Wherein:

[0012] Figure 1A flowchart of a communication method according to some embodiments of the present disclosure is shown;

[0013] Figure 2 A flowchart of a communication method according to some embodiments of the present disclosure is shown;

[0014] Figure 3 A flowchart illustrating a non-limiting example process of a communication method according to some embodiments of the present disclosure is shown;

[0015] Figure 4 A schematic block diagram of a base station according to some embodiments of the present disclosure is shown;

[0016] Figure 5 A schematic block diagram of a terminal according to some embodiments of the present disclosure is shown;

[0017] Figure 6 A schematic block diagram of a communication system according to some embodiments of the present disclosure is shown;

[0018] Figure 7 A schematic block diagram of a computer system on which embodiments of the present disclosure may be implemented is shown.

[0019] Note that in the embodiments described below, the same reference numerals are sometimes used across different figures to denote the same parts or parts with the same function, and repeated descriptions are omitted. In some cases, similar reference numerals and letters are used to denote similar items, so once an item is defined in one figure, it does not need to be discussed further in subsequent figures.

[0020] For ease of understanding, the positions, dimensions, and extents of the structures shown in the accompanying drawings and other materials may not represent actual positions, dimensions, and extents. Therefore, this disclosure is not limited to the positions, dimensions, and extents disclosed in the accompanying drawings and other materials. Detailed Implementation

[0021] Various exemplary embodiments of the present disclosure will now be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings. It should be noted that, unless otherwise specifically stated, the relative arrangement, numerical expressions, and values ​​of the components and steps set forth in these embodiments do not limit the scope of the present disclosure.

[0022] The following description of at least one exemplary embodiment is merely illustrative and is in no way intended to limit the scope of this disclosure or its application or use. That is, the structures and methods herein are shown in an exemplary manner to illustrate different embodiments of the structures and methods in this disclosure. However, those skilled in the art will understand that they merely illustrate exemplary ways that can be used to implement this disclosure, and not exhaustive ways. Furthermore, the drawings are not necessarily drawn to scale, and some features may be enlarged to show details of specific components.

[0023] In addition, techniques, methods and equipment known to those skilled in the art may not be discussed in detail, but where appropriate, such techniques, methods and equipment should be considered part of the specification.

[0024] In all examples shown and discussed herein, any specific values ​​should be interpreted as merely exemplary and not as limitations. Therefore, other examples of exemplary embodiments may have different values.

[0025] In related technologies, assuming the primary cell corresponds to the first carrier and the secondary cell corresponds to the second carrier, if a terminal wants to communicate on the first and second carriers, it needs to first access the primary cell and then add the secondary cell. Communication on the first and second carriers is achieved through switching between the primary and secondary cells. Therefore, in these technologies, to achieve multi-carrier communication, the terminal needs to perform a relatively cumbersome process in a multi-carrier, multi-cell scenario.

[0026] Furthermore, in related technologies, under multi-carrier communication scenarios, from the base station's perspective, the base station needs to periodically broadcast the MIB and SIB1 of different cells, and the content of the MIB and SIB1 of different cells is relatively independent. Therefore, the periodic transmission of various different MIBs and SIB1s by the base station will result in significant signaling overhead. From the terminal's perspective, the terminal needs to obtain the information required for network access by receiving the MIBs and SIB1s of different cells broadcast by the base station; therefore, the amount of information that the terminal needs to acquire and process is substantial.

[0027] Although the network power-saving enhancement features being studied in 3GPP R19 allow secondary cells to send synchronization signal blocks (SSBs) on demand for connected terminals, in essence, due to the different characteristics of different cells, these cells still need to send their own MIBs and SIBs separately. Only in specific scenarios (such as when the secondary cell is idle) can a specific cell or a specific carrier not send SSBs for a specific period of time.

[0028] Therefore, multi-carrier communication in related technologies has many limitations, and the burden on base stations and terminals is also relatively large.

[0029] With the continuous development of communication technology, 6th Generation Mobile Communication Technology (6G) has become a hot research direction in the field of communications. To further improve the communication capabilities of terminals in the context of 6G, the multi-carrier single-cell scenario has been proposed. In this scenario, terminals can simultaneously access multiple carriers for multi-carrier communication, either by camping on a secondary cell or without requiring additional secondary cells.

[0030] To address this, this disclosure proposes a communication method that, in a multi-carrier single-cell scenario, achieves multi-carrier communication between the terminal and the base station by redefining the content and transmission mechanism of MIB and SIB1. This communication method integrates inter-carrier common system information and inter-carrier differentiated system information, reduces the occupation of system time-frequency resources by broadcasting MIB and SIB1, lowers the overall common overhead of multi-carrier communication, and reduces network energy consumption.

[0031] The communication methods according to various embodiments of the present disclosure will now be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings. It will be understood that actual communication methods may include other steps, but to avoid obscuring the essential points of the disclosure, these other steps will not be discussed herein and are not shown in the drawings. Furthermore, terms such as "first," "second," "third," and "fourth," etc., may be used herein for reference only and are not intended to be limiting. For example, unless the context clearly indicates otherwise, the words "first," "second," "third," "fourth," and other such numerical terms relating to structures or elements do not imply order or sequence.

[0032] Figure 1 A flowchart of a communication method 100 (hereinafter referred to as "method 100") according to some embodiments of the present disclosure is shown. Figure 1 As shown, method 100 includes steps S102 to S104 performed by the base station.

[0033] At step S102, a MIB is transmitted on the first carrier among the multiple working carriers of the cell. The MIB includes parameters for the terminal to obtain the SIB1 of the cell.

[0034] At step S104, SIB1 is transmitted on the second carrier among the plurality of working carriers. SIB1 includes parameters for terminal access to the cell.

[0035] The second carrier can be different from the first carrier. For example, the base station can transmit MIB on the first carrier and SIB1 on the second carrier. The second carrier can also be the same as the first carrier. For example, the base station can transmit both MIB and SIB1 on the first carrier and / or the second carrier.

[0036] MIBs are typically carried by the Physical Broadcast Channel (PBCH). In a single-carrier, single-cell scenario in related technologies, one cell corresponds to one working carrier, thus having a continuous spectrum. The base station transmits both the MIB and SIB1 on this single working carrier. Assuming this single working carrier includes subcarriers 0 to 39, the terminal only needs to know the frequency domain position of subcarrier 0 to deduce the positions of the other subcarriers. Therefore, after receiving the MIB on this single working carrier, the terminal can deduce the frequency domain position of the Physical Downlink Control Channel (PDCCH) based on the frequency domain positions of the synchronization signals / Physical Broadcast Channel Block (SS and PBCH blocks) associated with the MIB, thereby obtaining the PDCCH, and then obtaining SIB1 based on the PDCCH.

[0037] However, in a multi-carrier single-cell scenario, one cell corresponds to multiple working carriers, resulting in a discontinuous spectrum. Consequently, the terminal cannot directly deduce the frequency domain location of the PDCCH, which may be located on other carriers, based on the frequency domain locations of the SS and PBCH blocks.

[0038] In some embodiments according to this disclosure, the parameters in the MIB used by the terminal to obtain SIB1 of the cell may include a first parameter and one or more second parameters. The first parameter may indicate the frequency domain offset between the SS and PBCH blocks and the cell's Common Resource Block (CRB), or the cell's overall resource grid. The second parameter may be used to determine the PDCCH for scheduling SIB1, for example, it may be used to determine Downlink Control Information (DCI). When SIB1 is transmitted on one of the multiple working carriers of the cell, i.e., the second carrier, the MIB may include a corresponding second parameter. When SIB1 is transmitted on multiple carriers of the cell, including the second carrier, the MIB may include multiple corresponding second parameters to schedule the corresponding SIB1 on each of the multiple carriers.

[0039] Specifically, in some embodiments, a first parameter can be used to determine the frequency domain position of the reference carrier from the SS and PBCH blocks, and a second parameter can be used to determine the frequency domain position of the PDCCH from the reference carrier. For example, the first parameter can indicate the subcarrier offset between the SS and PBCH blocks and the reference subcarrier of the reference carrier (such as the lowest frequency subcarrier, the highest frequency subcarrier, or other specified subcarriers), and the second parameter can indicate the frequency domain offset between the Common Search Space (CSS) and the reference carrier. Thus, in a multi-carrier single-cell scenario, by using the reference carrier as a relay, the frequency domain position of the PDCCH, which may be located on other carriers, can be deduced based on the frequency domain position of the SS and PBCH blocks.

[0040] In some examples, the reference carrier can be the carrier of transmitted SIB1, and the first parameter indicates the subcarrier offset of the SS and PBCH blocks from the lowest frequency subcarrier of the transmitted SIB1 carrier. The carrier of transmitted SIB1 can be different from or the same as the carrier of transmitted MIB. The subcarrier offset can be expressed, for example, as the number of separated subcarriers.

[0041] In some examples, the reference carrier can be the carrier in which the common search space resides, and the first parameter indicates the subcarrier offset of the SS and PBCH blocks from the lowest frequency subcarrier of the carrier in which the common search space resides. The carrier in which the common search space resides can be different from or the same as the carrier transmitting the MIB.

[0042] In some examples, the reference carrier is the lowest frequency-domain carrier among the plurality of working carriers of the cell, and the first parameter indicates the subcarrier offset of the SS and PBCH blocks from the lowest frequency-domain subcarrier of the lowest frequency-domain carrier.

[0043] In some examples, the reference carrier is the carrier of the transmitted MIB, and the first parameter indicates the subcarrier offset of the SS and PBCH blocks from the lowest frequency subcarrier of the transmitted MIB carrier.

[0044] In the example above, after determining the frequency domain position of the lowest subcarrier of the reference carrier based on the frequency domain positions of the SS and PBCH blocks and the first parameter, the lowest subcarrier of the reference carrier is used as a reference point, and the frequency domain position of the PDCCH is calculated based on the reference point and the second parameter.

[0045] In addition, the MIB can also include other parameters such as system frame number, cell access denied indication, and subcarrier spacing. These other parameters can, for example, reuse existing 5G designs.

[0046] By redefining the MIB content as described above, on the one hand, the terminal can obtain the SIB1 of a multi-carrier single cell (i.e., non-continuous spectrum), and on the other hand, the multiple working carriers of the cell can share a set of MIBs (i.e., the MIB content is the same), saving the occupation of public resources by periodically sending MIBs and reducing the power consumption of the base station.

[0047] In a multi-carrier single-cell scenario, there are several ways for the base station to send the MIB.

[0048] In some embodiments, the base station may periodically transmit the MIB on only the first carrier among the plurality of working carriers.

[0049] In other embodiments, the base station can periodically transmit MIBs on multiple carriers, including a first carrier. Therefore, the terminal can directly obtain all the necessary MIBs from multiple carriers instead of requesting the base station to transmit the required MIBs, thereby reducing the signaling interaction between the terminal and the base station and improving access efficiency.

[0050] In some other embodiments, the base station can transmit the MIB on multiple carriers of the plurality of operating carriers, wherein the plurality of carriers includes a first carrier, and wherein the MIB is transmitted periodically on the first carrier and on one or more other carriers of the plurality of carriers in response to a terminal request to transmit the MIB (i.e., transmitted on demand, or transmitted only when a triggering condition is met). Thus, the base station can avoid unnecessarily transmitting MIBs that the terminal does not currently need, thereby saving signaling overhead.

[0051] With the MIB transmission mechanism described above, MIBs can be transmitted periodically on only one carrier, while other carriers do not need to transmit MIBs or transmit MIBs on demand, saving public resources and reducing the power consumption of the base station.

[0052] In a multi-carrier single-cell scenario, there are several ways for the base station to transmit SIB1.

[0053] In some embodiments, the base station may periodically transmit SIB1 on only the second carrier among the plurality of working carriers.

[0054] In other embodiments, the base station may periodically transmit SIB1 on multiple carriers among the plurality of working carriers, wherein the plurality of carriers includes a second carrier. Therefore, the terminal does not need to request the base station to transmit the required SIB1; instead, it can directly obtain all the SIB1 it needs on multiple carriers, thereby reducing the signaling interaction between the terminal and the base station and improving access efficiency.

[0055] In some other embodiments, the base station can transmit SIB1 on multiple carriers among the plurality of working carriers, wherein the plurality of carriers includes a second carrier, and wherein SIB1 is transmitted periodically on the second carrier and on one or more other carriers among the plurality of carriers in response to a terminal request to transmit SIB1 (i.e., transmitted on demand, or transmitted only when a triggering condition is met). Thus, the base station can avoid unnecessarily transmitting SIB1 that the terminal does not currently need, thereby saving signaling overhead.

[0056] With the SIB1 transmission mechanism described above, SIB1 can be periodically transmitted on only one carrier, while other carriers do not need to transmit SIB1 or transmit SIB1 on demand, saving public resources and reducing the power consumption of the base station.

[0057] In some embodiments, the SIB1 transmitted on multiple carriers may be the same. In this embodiment, multiple working carriers of a cell can share a single SIB1, thereby reducing the SIB1's occupation of public resources and reducing the base station's energy consumption.

[0058] In this embodiment, the SIB1 transmitted on multiple carriers may include cell information of the cell (also known as "cell-specific information"), carrier information of each working carrier among all working carriers of the cell (also known as "carrier-specific information"), and configuration information of the features supported by each of the multiple carriers (also known as "feature-specific information").

[0059] In some examples, cell information may include cell selection parameters, a list of Public Land Mobile Networks (PLMNs), access control parameters, system information scheduling parameters, etc.; carrier information may include carrier frequency information, carrier reservation indications, etc.; and feature configuration information may include, in addition to cell information, parameters required for terminals supporting the corresponding features to access the cell.

[0060] In other embodiments, the SIB1 transmitted on each of the multiple carriers may be different. The SIB1 may include information related to the characteristics supported by the carrier (differentiation information) or information unrelated to the characteristics supported by the carrier (common information). For example, in a cell with diverse service requirements, an operator may plan certain carriers of a cell to carry services with certain characteristics, while other carriers of the cell carry services with other characteristics. The different characteristics of the services carried will result in different feature-specific information contained in the SIB1 transmitted by the carriers.

[0061] In some examples, the SIB1 transmitted on one carrier (e.g., the second carrier only) or on each of multiple carriers includes cell information of the cell, carrier information of each of the cell's working carriers, and configuration information of the features supported by that carrier. For example, these one or more carriers can all be transmitted periodically, or they can be transmitted periodically and the rest on demand.

[0062] In some examples, the SIB1 transmitted on one carrier (e.g., the second carrier only) or on each of multiple carriers includes cell information, carrier information for that carrier, and configuration information for the features supported by that carrier. For example, these one or more carriers can all be transmitted periodically, or one can be transmitted periodically and the rest on demand.

[0063] In some examples, the SIB1 transmitted on one of multiple carriers (e.g., the second carrier) includes cell information, carrier information for each of the cell's working carriers, and configuration information for the features supported by that one carrier (e.g., the second carrier). The SIB1 transmitted on the other carriers includes configuration information for the features supported by that carrier. For example, the second carrier may be transmitted periodically, while the other carriers may be transmitted periodically or on demand.

[0064] In some examples, SIB1 transmitted on one of multiple carriers (e.g., the second carrier) includes cell information, carrier information of that carrier (e.g., the second carrier), and configuration information of the features supported by that carrier (e.g., the second carrier). SIB1 transmitted on other carriers of the multiple carriers includes the carrier information of that carrier and configuration information of the features supported by that carrier. For example, the second carrier may be transmitted periodically, while other carriers may be transmitted periodically or on demand.

[0065] The SIB1 transmission mechanism disclosed herein allows common information (e.g., cell information) to be transmitted on only one carrier, eliminating the need to repeatedly transmit common information on multiple carriers, thus reducing the amount of SIB1 data transmitted by the base station. The remaining carriers can then only transmit their differentiated information (e.g., carrier information and / or configuration information), further reducing the resource overhead of the base station in transmitting SIB1.

[0066] Therefore, through various embodiments of this disclosure, the common system information of MIB and SIB1 transmitted on multiple carriers can be integrated while retaining the differentiated system information between multiple carriers. This reduces the overall common overhead of multi-carrier communication, reduces the energy consumption of the base station, and also reduces the amount of MIB and SIB1 that the terminal needs to acquire and process, thus alleviating the burden on the terminal, while ensuring communication access rate and communication quality.

[0067] refer to Figure 2The document illustrates a flowchart of a communication method 200 (hereinafter referred to as "method 200") according to some embodiments of the present disclosure. Figure 1 As shown, method 200 includes steps S202 to S204 executed by the terminal.

[0068] At step S202, a MIB is received on the first carrier among the plurality of working carriers of the cell. The MIB includes parameters for the terminal to obtain the SIB1 of the cell.

[0069] At step S204, SIB1 is received on the second carrier among the plurality of working carriers according to MIB, and SIB1 includes parameters for terminal access to the cell.

[0070] For example, step S204 may include obtaining the DCI for scheduling SIB1 based on parameters in the MIB; and receiving SIB1 on the second carrier based on the DCI. In some embodiments, method 200 further includes accessing the cell based on SIB1.

[0071] In some embodiments, the MIB is carried by the PBCH, and the parameters used by the terminal to obtain the SIB1 of the cell include a first parameter and a second parameter, wherein the first parameter indicates the frequency domain offset of the SS and PBCH blocks from the CRB of the cell, and the second parameter is used to determine the PDCCH for scheduling SIB1.

[0072] In some embodiments, when SIB1 is received on multiple carriers among the plurality of working carriers, MIB includes a plurality of corresponding second parameters, wherein the plurality of carriers includes a second carrier.

[0073] In some embodiments, a first parameter is used to determine the frequency domain position of the reference carrier from the SS and PBCH blocks, and a second parameter is used to determine the frequency domain position of the PDCCH from the reference carrier. In further embodiments, the first parameter indicates the subcarrier offset of the SS and PBCH blocks from the reference subcarrier of the reference carrier, and the second parameter indicates the frequency domain offset of the common search space from the reference carrier.

[0074] In some embodiments, method 200 may further include: determining the frequency domain position of a reference carrier based on the frequency domain positions of the SS and PBCH blocks and a first parameter; determining the frequency domain position of a common search space based on the frequency domain position of the reference carrier and a second parameter to obtain the PDCCH; and obtaining SIB1 based on the PDCCH. In some examples, the scheduling information may be a DCI, and the terminal may obtain SIB1 based on the parameters contained in the DCI.

[0075] In some examples, the reference carrier is the carrier that transmits SIB1, and the first parameter indicates the subcarrier offset of the SS and PBCH blocks from the lowest frequency subcarrier of the carrier that transmits SIB1.

[0076] In some examples, the reference carrier is the carrier in which the common search space is located, and the first parameter indicates the subcarrier offset of the SS and PBCH blocks from the lowest frequency subcarrier of the carrier in which the common search space is located.

[0077] In some examples, the reference carrier is the lowest frequency-domain carrier among the multiple working carriers of the cell, and the first parameter indicates the subcarrier offset of the SS and PBCH blocks from the lowest frequency-domain subcarrier of the lowest frequency-domain carrier.

[0078] In some examples, the reference carrier is the carrier of the transmitted MIB, and the first parameter indicates the subcarrier offset of the SS and PBCH blocks from the lowest frequency subcarrier of the transmitted MIB carrier.

[0079] In some embodiments, when a base station periodically transmits a MIB on one carrier (e.g., a first carrier is configured to periodically transmit a MIB thereon) and transmits a MIB on demand on other carriers, method 200 may include: requesting the base station to transmit a MIB; and receiving a MIB transmitted in response to the request on one or more other carriers besides the first carrier among the plurality of working carriers. For example, a terminal may request the base station to transmit a MIB on a third carrier among the plurality of working carriers.

[0080] In some embodiments, the SIB1 received on the second carrier is the first SIB1, and the method 200 may further include: in response to the received first SIB1 not including configuration information related to features supported by the terminal, receiving a second SIB1 on a third carrier among a plurality of working carriers.

[0081] In some cases, the terminal may passively receive each carrier periodically transmitted by the base station until it receives SIB1, which includes configuration information related to the features supported by the terminal.

[0082] In some cases, a terminal may actively request the base station to send an additional carrier (the SIB1 on which may not necessarily include configuration information related to the features supported by the terminal) until it receives an SIB1 that includes configuration information related to the features supported by the terminal.

[0083] In some cases, the terminal can proactively request the base station to transmit a specified carrier, where the SIB1 on that specified carrier includes configuration information related to the features supported by the terminal. For example, the second SIB1 may include configuration information related to the features supported by the terminal, and method 200 may further include: requesting the base station (e.g., on a third carrier) to transmit the second SIB1 before receiving it. Therefore, when the base station transmits SIB1 on demand on carriers other than the second carrier, the terminal can request the base station to transmit the second SIB1, thereby ensuring that the terminal can obtain all the information required to access the cell, thus enabling the terminal to successfully implement the service of that feature.

[0084] Various embodiments of method 200 can be similarly referred to the various embodiments of method 100 described above, and will not be repeated here.

[0085] refer to Figure 3 The diagram illustrates a flowchart of a non-limiting example process 300 of a communication method according to some embodiments of the present disclosure. Figure 3 As shown, in a scenario where a terminal wants to access a cell managed by a base station: In step S302, the base station transmits a MIB on the first carrier; in step S304, the terminal receives the MIB on the first carrier; in step S306, the base station transmits a first SIB1 on the second carrier; in step S308, the terminal receives the first SIB1 on the second carrier based on the MIB; in step S310, when the terminal determines that the received first SIB1 does not include information related to its supported features, the terminal requests the base station to transmit a second SIB1 including information related to its supported features on the third carrier; in step S312, in response to receiving the terminal's request, the base station transmits the second SIB1 on the third carrier; in step S314, the terminal receives the second SIB1 on the third carrier based on the MIB; in step S316, the terminal accesses the cell based on the first SIB1 and the second SIB1.

[0086] It is understood that, in the example process of the communication method, the way the base station sends the MIB and the contents of the first and second parameters included in the MIB, the way the SIB1 is sent and the information included in the SIB1, and accordingly, the way the terminal receives the MIB and receives the SIB1 can be in the form described in the various embodiments described above.

[0087] This disclosure also provides a base station, which may include: a processor; and a memory storing computer-executable instructions, which, when executed by the processor, cause the processor to perform a communication method performed by the base station according to any of the foregoing embodiments.

[0088] refer to Figure 4 This illustrates a schematic block diagram of a base station 400 according to some embodiments of the present disclosure. Figure 4As shown, base station 400 includes processor 402 and memory 404 storing computer-executable instructions that, when executed by processor 402, cause processor 402 to perform the method 100 according to any of the foregoing embodiments. Processor 402 may be, for example, a central processing unit (CPU) of base station 400. Processor 402 may be any type of general-purpose processor or may be a processor specifically designed for communication, such as an application-specific integrated circuit (“ASIC”). Memory 404 may be coupled to processor 402 and may include various computer-readable media accessible by processor 402. In various embodiments, memory 404 described herein may include volatile and non-volatile media, removable and non-removable media. For example, memory 404 may include any combination of: random access memory (“RAM”), dynamic RAM (“DRAM”), static RAM (“SRAM”), read-only memory (“ROM”), flash memory, cache memory, and / or any other type of non-transient computer-readable media. The memory 404 may store instructions that, when executed by the processor 402, cause the processor 402 to execute the method 100 according to any of the foregoing embodiments of the present disclosure.

[0089] Base station 400 is configured to perform the method 100 described in any of the foregoing embodiments, and therefore can be referred to the description of the various embodiments of method 100 above, which will not be repeated here.

[0090] This disclosure also provides a terminal that may include: a processor; and a memory storing computer-executable instructions, which, when executed by the processor, cause the processor to perform a communication method executed by the terminal according to any of the foregoing embodiments.

[0091] refer to Figure 5 This illustrates a schematic block diagram of a terminal 500 according to some embodiments of the present disclosure. Figure 5As shown, terminal 500 includes processor 502 and memory 504 storing computer-executable instructions that, when executed by processor 502, cause processor 502 to perform the method 200 according to any of the foregoing embodiments. Processor 502 may be, for example, a central processing unit (CPU) of terminal 500. Processor 502 may be any type of general-purpose processor or may be a processor specifically designed for communication, such as an application-specific integrated circuit (“ASIC”). Memory 504 may be coupled to processor 502 and may include various computer-readable media accessible by processor 502. In various embodiments, memory 504 described herein may include volatile and non-volatile media, removable and non-removable media. For example, memory 504 may include any combination of: random access memory (“RAM”), dynamic RAM (“DRAM”), static RAM (“SRAM”), read-only memory (“ROM”), flash memory, cache memory, and / or any other type of non-transitory computer-readable media. The memory 504 may store instructions that, when executed by the processor 502, cause the processor 502 to execute the method 200 according to any of the foregoing embodiments of the present disclosure.

[0092] Terminal 500 is configured to perform the method 200 described in any of the foregoing embodiments, and therefore can be referred to the description of the various embodiments of method 200 above, which will not be repeated here.

[0093] refer to Figure 6 This disclosure also provides a communication system 600, which may include a base station 602 and a terminal 604. The base station 602 is configured to transmit a MIB on a first carrier of a plurality of working carriers of a cell, the MIB including parameters for the terminal 604 to obtain an SIB1 of the cell, and to transmit SIB1 on a second carrier of the plurality of working carriers, the SIB1 including parameters for the terminal 604 to access the cell. The terminal 604 is configured to receive the MIB on the first carrier and, based on the MIB, receive SIB1 on the second carrier. The terminal 604 may also be configured to access the cell based on SIB1.

[0094] System 600 can be configured to execute the communication method described in any of the foregoing embodiments. Specifically, base station 602 can be configured to execute method 100 as described in any of the foregoing embodiments, and terminal 604 can be configured to execute method 200 as described in any of the foregoing embodiments. Therefore, reference can be made to the descriptions of the various embodiments of method 100 and method 200 above, and will not be repeated here.

[0095] This disclosure also provides a non-transient storage medium having computer-executable instructions stored thereon, which, when executed by a processor, cause the processor to perform the communication method according to any of the foregoing embodiments of this disclosure.

[0096] This disclosure also provides a computer program product that may include instructions that, when executed by a processor, implement the communication method described in any of the foregoing embodiments of this disclosure. The instructions may be any set of instructions that will be executed directly by a processor, such as machine code, or any set of instructions that will be executed indirectly, such as a script. The instructions may be stored in an object code format for direct processing by a processor, or stored in any other computer language, including scripts or sets of independent source code modules that are interpreted on demand or compiled in advance.

[0097] Figure 7A schematic block diagram of a computer system 700 on which embodiments of the present disclosure may be implemented is shown. The computer system 700 includes a bus 702 or other communication mechanism for transmitting information, and a processing means 704 coupled to the bus 702 for processing information. The computer system 700 also includes a memory 706 coupled to the bus 702 for storing instructions to be executed by the processing means 704. The memory 706 may be random access memory (RAM) or other dynamic storage device. The memory 706 may also be used to store temporary variables or other intermediate information during the execution of instructions to be executed by the processing means 704. The computer system 700 also includes a read-only memory (ROM) 708 or other static storage device coupled to the bus 702 for storing static information and instructions for the processing means 704. A storage device 710, such as a magnetic disk or optical disk, is provided and coupled to the bus 702 for storing information and instructions. Computer system 700 may be coupled via bus 702 to output device 712 for providing output to a user, such as, but not limited to, a display (e.g., a cathode ray tube (CRT) or liquid crystal display (LCD)), speakers, etc. Input device 714, such as a keyboard, mouse, microphone, etc., is coupled to bus 702 for transmitting information and command selections to processing device 704. Computer system 700 may perform embodiments of this disclosure. Consistent with certain implementations of this disclosure, results are provided by computer system 700 in response to processing device 704 executing one or more sequences of one or more instructions contained in memory 706. Such instructions may be read into memory 706 from another computer-readable medium, such as storage device 710. Execution of the sequence of instructions contained in memory 706 causes processing device 704 to perform the methods described herein. Alternatively, the teachings may be implemented using a hard-wired circuit system instead of or in combination with software instructions. Therefore, implementations of this disclosure are not limited to any particular combination of hardware circuit systems and software. In various embodiments, computer system 700 can be connected across a network to one or more other computer systems, such as computer system 700, to form a networked system via network interface 716. This network may include a private network or a public network such as the Internet. In a networked system, one or more computer systems can store data and supply data to other computer systems. As used herein, the term "computer-readable medium" refers to any medium that participates in providing instructions to processing device 704 for execution. Such media can take many forms, including but not limited to non-volatile media, volatile media, and transmission media. Non-volatile media include, for example, optical discs or magnetic disks such as storage device 710. Volatile media include dynamic memory such as memory 706. Transmission media include coaxial cables, copper wires, and optical fibers, including wiring containing bus 702.Common forms of computer-readable media or computer program products include, for example, floppy disks, flexible disks, hard disks, magnetic tapes, or any other magnetic media, CD-ROMs, digital video discs (DVDs), Blu-ray discs, any other optical media, thumb drives, memory cards, RAM, PROMs and EPROMs, fast EPROMs, any other memory chips or cartridges, or any other tangible media from which a computer can read. Various forms of computer-readable media may be involved when carrying one or more sequences of one or more instructions to processing device 704 for execution. For example, instructions may initially be carried on a disk of a remote computer. The remote computer may load the instructions into its dynamic memory and transmit the instructions over a telephone line using a modem. A modem local to computer system 700 may receive data over a telephone line and convert the data into an infrared signal using an infrared transmitter. An infrared detector coupled to bus 702 may receive the data carried in the infrared signal and place the data on bus 702. Bus 702 carries the data to memory 706, from which processing device 704 retrieves and executes the instructions. Optionally, the instructions received by the memory 706 may be stored on the storage device 710 before or after execution by the processing device 704.

[0098] According to various embodiments, instructions configured to be executed by a processing device to perform a method are stored on a computer-readable medium. The computer-readable medium may be a device for storing digital information. For example, a computer-readable medium includes a compact disc read-only memory (CD-ROM) as known in the art for storing software. The computer-readable medium is accessed by a processor adapted to execute the instructions configured to be executed.

[0099] The foregoing has described one or more exemplary embodiments of this disclosure. Other embodiments are within the scope of the appended claims. In some cases, the actions or steps recited in the claims may be performed in a different order than that shown in the embodiments and may still achieve the desired result. Furthermore, the processes depicted in the drawings do not necessarily require the specific or sequential order shown to achieve the desired result. In some embodiments, multitasking and parallel processing are also possible or may be advantageous.

[0100] The systems, devices, modules, or units described in the above embodiments can be implemented by computer chips or physical entities, or by products with certain functions. A typical implementation device is a server system. Of course, this disclosure does not exclude the possibility that, with the future development of computer technology, the computer implementing the functions of the above embodiments can be, for example, a personal computer, a laptop computer, an in-vehicle human-machine interaction device, a cellular phone, a camera phone, a smartphone, a personal digital assistant, a media player, a navigation device, an email device, a game console, a tablet computer, a wearable device, or any combination of these devices.

[0101] While one or more embodiments of this disclosure provide the method operation steps as described in the embodiments or flowcharts, more or fewer operation steps may be included based on conventional or non-inventive means. The order of steps listed in the embodiments is merely one possible execution order among many and does not represent the only execution order. In actual device or terminal product execution, the methods shown in the embodiments or drawings can be executed sequentially or in parallel (e.g., in a parallel processor or multi-threaded processing environment, or even a distributed data processing environment).

[0102] The terms "comprising," "including," or any other variations thereof are intended to cover a non-exclusive inclusion, such that a process, method, product, or apparatus that comprises a list of elements includes not only those elements but also other elements not expressly listed, or elements inherent to such process, method, product, or apparatus. Without further limitation, the presence of other identical or equivalent elements in the process, method, product, or apparatus that includes said elements is not excluded. For example, the use of terms such as "first" or "second" to denote names does not indicate any particular order.

[0103] For ease of description, the above devices are described in terms of function, divided into various modules. Of course, when implementing one or more embodiments of this disclosure, the functions of each module can be implemented in one or more software and / or hardware, or a module that performs the same function can be implemented by a combination of multiple sub-modules or sub-units. The device embodiments described above are merely illustrative. For example, the division of units is only a logical functional division; in actual implementation, there may be other division methods. For example, multiple units or components may be combined or integrated into another system, or some features may be ignored or not executed. Furthermore, the displayed or discussed mutual couplings, direct couplings, or communication connections may be through some interfaces; indirect couplings or communication connections between devices or units may be electrical, mechanical, or other forms.

[0104] This disclosure is described with reference to flowchart illustrations and / or block diagrams of methods, apparatus (systems), and computer program products according to embodiments of this disclosure. It will be understood that each block of the flowchart illustrations and / or block diagrams, and combinations of blocks in the flowchart illustrations and / or block diagrams, can be implemented by computer program instructions. These computer program instructions can be provided to a processor of a general-purpose computer, special-purpose computer, embedded processor, or other programmable data processing apparatus to produce a machine, such that the instructions, which execute via the processor of the computer or other programmable data processing apparatus, create means for implementing the functions specified in one or more blocks of the flowchart illustrations and / or one or more blocks of the block diagrams.

[0105] These computer program instructions may also be stored in a computer-readable storage medium that can direct a computer or other programmable data processing apparatus to function in a particular manner, such that the instructions stored in the computer-readable storage medium produce an article of manufacture including instruction means that implement the functions specified in one or more flowcharts and / or one or more block diagrams. These computer program instructions may also be loaded onto a computer or other programmable data processing apparatus to cause a series of operational steps to be performed on the computer or other programmable apparatus to produce a computer-implemented process, such that the instructions, which execute on the computer or other programmable apparatus, provide steps for implementing the functions specified in one or more flowcharts and / or one or more block diagrams.

[0106] Those skilled in the art will understand that one or more embodiments of this disclosure may take the form of a completely hardware embodiment, a completely software embodiment, or an embodiment combining software and hardware aspects. Furthermore, one or more embodiments of this disclosure may take the form of a computer program product implemented on one or more computer-usable storage media (including, but not limited to, disk storage, CD-ROM, optical storage, etc.) containing computer-usable program code.

[0107] One or more embodiments of this disclosure can be described in the general context of computer-executable instructions, such as program modules, that are executed by a computer. Generally, program modules include routines, programs, objects, components, data structures, etc., that perform a particular task or implement a particular abstract data type. One or more embodiments of this disclosure can also be practiced in distributed computing environments where tasks are performed by remote processing devices connected via a communication network. In a distributed computing environment, program modules can reside in local and remote computer storage media, including storage devices.

[0108] The same or similar parts between the various embodiments of this disclosure can be referred to mutually, and each embodiment focuses on describing the differences from other embodiments. In particular, for the apparatus embodiments, since they are basically similar to the method embodiments, the description is relatively simple, and relevant parts can be referred to the description of the method embodiments. In the description of this disclosure, the descriptions of terms such as "one embodiment," "some embodiments," "example," "specific example," or "some examples," etc., mean that the specific feature, structure, material, or characteristic described in connection with the embodiment or example is included in at least one embodiment or example of this disclosure. In this disclosure, the illustrative expressions of the above terms do not necessarily refer to the same embodiment or example. Moreover, the specific features, structures, materials, or characteristics described can be combined in a suitable manner in any one or more embodiments or examples. Furthermore, without contradiction, those skilled in the art can combine and combine the different embodiments or examples described in this disclosure and the features of the different embodiments or examples.

[0109] Additionally, when used in this disclosure, the terms “here,” “above,” “below,” “below,” “in the following,” “overall,” and similar terms should refer to the entirety of this disclosure and not any particular part thereof. Furthermore, unless expressly stated otherwise or otherwise understood in the context in which they are used, conditional language used herein, such as “may,” “possibly,” “for example,” “like,” etc., is generally intended to express that certain embodiments include, while other embodiments do not, certain features, elements, and / or states. Therefore, such conditional language is not generally intended to imply that one or more embodiments require features, elements, and / or states in any way, or whether such features, elements, and / or states are included or performed in any particular embodiment.

[0110] The above description is merely an embodiment of one or more embodiments of this disclosure and is not intended to limit the scope of the one or more embodiments of this disclosure. Various modifications and variations can be made to the one or more embodiments of this disclosure by those skilled in the art. Any modifications, equivalent substitutions, improvements, etc., made within the spirit and principles of this disclosure should be included within the scope of the claims.

Claims

1. A communication method, the method being executed by a base station, comprising: The main information block (MIB) is transmitted on the first carrier among multiple working carriers of the cell. The MIB includes parameters for the terminal to obtain the system information block (SIB1) of the cell. as well as SIB1 is transmitted on a second carrier among the plurality of working carriers. SIB1 includes parameters for the terminal to access the cell. The second carrier is different from the first carrier. The MIB is carried by the Physical Broadcast Channel (PBCH). The parameters used by the terminal to obtain the SIB1 of the cell include a first parameter and a second parameter, wherein, The first parameter is used to determine the frequency domain position of the reference carrier from the synchronization signal and the physical broadcast channel block (SS) and PBCH block. The second parameter is used to determine the frequency domain position of the physical downlink control channel (PDCCH) for scheduling SIB1 from the reference carrier. The reference carrier is the carrier in which the common search space is located, and the first parameter indicates the subcarrier offset between the SS and PBCH blocks and the lowest frequency subcarrier of the carrier in which the common search space is located, or The reference carrier is the lowest frequency-domain carrier among the plurality of working carriers of the cell, and the first parameter indicates the subcarrier offset between the SS and PBCH blocks and the lowest frequency-domain subcarrier of the lowest frequency-domain carrier. The second parameter indicates the frequency domain offset between the common search space and the reference carrier.

2. The communication method according to claim 1, wherein, When SIB1 is transmitted on multiple carriers among the plurality of working carriers, MIB includes a corresponding plurality of the second parameters, wherein the plurality of carriers includes the second carrier.

3. The communication method according to claim 1, wherein, The carrier in which the common search space is located is different from the carrier in which the MIB is transmitted.

4. The communication method according to claim 1, wherein, Transmitting a MIB on the first carrier satisfies one of the following: The MIB is periodically transmitted only on the first carrier among the plurality of working carriers; The MIB is periodically transmitted on multiple carriers of the plurality of working carriers, wherein the plurality of carriers includes the first carrier; or The MIB is transmitted on multiple carriers among the plurality of working carriers, wherein the plurality of carriers includes the first carrier, and wherein the MIB is transmitted periodically on the first carrier and in response to a terminal request to transmit the MIB is transmitted on one or more other carriers among the plurality of carriers.

5. The communication method according to claim 4, wherein, The MIBs transmitted on the multiple carriers are identical.

6. The communication method according to claim 1, wherein, Transmitting SIB1 on the second carrier satisfies one of the following: SIB1 is periodically transmitted on only the second carrier among the plurality of working carriers; SIB1 is periodically transmitted on multiple carriers among the plurality of working carriers, wherein the plurality of carriers includes the second carrier; or SIB1 is transmitted on multiple carriers among the plurality of working carriers, wherein the plurality of carriers includes the second carrier, and wherein SIB1 is transmitted periodically on the second carrier and in response to a terminal request to transmit SIB1 is transmitted on one or more other carriers among the plurality of carriers.

7. The communication method according to claim 6, wherein, The SIB1 transmitted on the multiple carriers is the same.

8. The communication method according to claim 7, wherein, The SIB1 transmitted on the plurality of carriers includes cell information of the cell, carrier information of each of the working carriers of the cell, and configuration information of the features supported by each of the plurality of carriers.

9. The communication method according to claim 6, wherein, The SIB1 transmitted on each of the plurality of carriers is different.

10. The communication method according to claim 9, wherein, The SIB1 transmitted on the plurality of carriers satisfies one of the following: The SIB1 transmitted on each of the plurality of carriers includes the cell information of the cell, the carrier information of each of the cell's working carriers, and the configuration information of the features supported by that carrier; or The SIB1 transmitted on each of the plurality of carriers includes the cell information of the cell, the carrier information of the carrier, and the configuration information of the features supported by the carrier; or The SIB1 transmitted on the second carrier includes cell information of the cell, carrier information of each of the cell's working carriers, and configuration information of the features supported by the second carrier. Furthermore, the SIB1 transmitted on other carriers among the plurality of carriers includes configuration information of the features supported by that carrier. The SIB1 transmitted on the second carrier includes the cell information of the cell, the carrier information of the second carrier, and the configuration information of the features supported by the second carrier. The SIB1 transmitted on other carriers among the plurality of carriers includes the carrier information of that carrier and the configuration information of the features supported by that carrier.

11. The communication method according to claim 8 or 10, wherein, The cell information includes cell selection parameters, a list of public land mobile networks, access control parameters, and system information scheduling parameters; Carrier information includes carrier frequency information and carrier reservation indication; The configuration information for the feature includes, in addition to the cell information, the parameters required for terminals supporting the corresponding feature to access the cell.

12. A communication method, wherein the communication method is executed by a terminal, comprising: The main information block (MIB) is received on the first carrier among multiple working carriers of the cell. The MIB includes parameters for the terminal to obtain the system information block (SIB1) of the cell. SIB1 is received on a second carrier among the plurality of working carriers according to the MIB. SIB1 includes parameters for the terminal to access the cell. The second carrier is different from the first carrier. The MIB is carried by the Physical Broadcast Channel (PBCH). The parameters used by the terminal to obtain the SIB1 of the cell include a first parameter and a second parameter, wherein, The first parameter is used to determine the frequency domain position of the reference carrier from the synchronization signal and the physical broadcast channel block (SS) and PBCH block. The second parameter is used to determine the frequency domain position of the physical downlink control channel (PDCCH) for scheduling SIB1 from the reference carrier. The reference carrier is the carrier in which the common search space is located, and the first parameter indicates the subcarrier offset between the SS and PBCH blocks and the lowest frequency subcarrier of the carrier in which the common search space is located, or The reference carrier is the lowest frequency-domain carrier among the plurality of working carriers of the cell, and the first parameter indicates the subcarrier offset of the SS and PBCH blocks from the lowest frequency-domain subcarrier of the lowest frequency-domain carrier. The second parameter indicates the frequency domain offset between the common search space and the reference carrier.

13. The communication method according to claim 12, wherein, When SIB1 is received on multiple carriers among the plurality of working carriers, MIB includes a corresponding plurality of the second parameters, wherein the plurality of carriers includes the second carrier.

14. The communication method according to claim 12, comprising: The frequency domain position of the reference carrier is determined based on the frequency domain positions of the SS and PBCH blocks and the first parameter; The frequency domain position of the common search space is determined based on the frequency domain position of the reference carrier and the second parameter to obtain the PDCCH; Obtain SIB1 from PDCCH.

15. The communication method according to claim 12, wherein, The first carrier is configured to periodically transmit MIBs thereon, and the communication method includes: Request the base station to send the MIB; The MIB transmitted in response to the request is received on one or more of the plurality of working carriers other than the first carrier.

16. The communication method according to claim 12, wherein, The SIB1 received on the second carrier is the first SIB1, and the communication method includes: In response to the fact that the received first SIB1 does not include configuration information related to the features supported by the terminal, a second SIB1 is received on the third carrier of the plurality of working carriers.

17. The method according to claim 16, wherein, The second SIB1 includes configuration information related to the features supported by the terminal, and the communication method includes: requesting the base station to send the second SIB1 before receiving the second SIB1.

18. The communication method according to claim 12, wherein, According to the MIB, SIB1 is received including: Based on the parameters in the MIB, obtain the downlink control information (DCI) used for scheduling SIB1; and SIB1 is received on the second carrier according to DCI.

19. A base station, comprising: processor; as well as A memory storing computer-executable instructions, which, when executed by the processor, cause the processor to perform the communication method according to any one of claims 1 to 11.

20. A terminal, comprising: processor; as well as A memory storing computer-executable instructions, which, when executed by the processor, cause the processor to perform the communication method according to any one of claims 12 to 18.

21. A non-transient storage medium having stored thereon computer-executable instructions, which, when executed by a processor, cause the processor to perform the communication method according to any one of claims 1 to 18.

22. A computer program product comprising instructions that, when executed by a processor, implement the communication method according to any one of claims 1 to 18.

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