Auxiliary cell activation method and communication device

Abstract

The invention provides a secondary cell activation method and a communication device. The network equipment configures the number of first SSBs included in one SSB period to the terminal equipment; the network equipment sends the first SSB on the auxiliary cell, each time slot in the first N-1 time slots in one period of the first SSB comprises two first SSBs, and 2 * N is greater than or equal to the number; or, each time slot in the first N-1 time slots in one period of the first SSB comprises three first SSBs, and 3 * N is greater than or equal to the number; the Nth time slot is not limited; and the terminal equipment executes an activation process of the secondary cell based on the first SSB. All the first SSBs are placed in the first N time slots, so that idle transmission intervals in one period are reduced, the length of the period is also shortened, and the time delay of activation of the auxiliary cell is greatly reduced.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This application relates to the field of communication technologies, and in particular, to a method for activating a secondary cell and a communication device. Background Art

[0002] In the carrier aggregation scenario, the primary cell (PCell) and the secondary cell (SCell) of a network device jointly serve a terminal device. The default state of the secondary cell is the deactivated state, and the network device activates the secondary cell by sending a synchronization signal and a physical broadcast channel block (SSB). After the secondary cell is activated, the terminal device can transmit data on the secondary cell. How to reduce the activation delay of the secondary cell needs to be considered. Summary of the Invention

[0003] Embodiments of this application provide a method for activating a secondary cell and a communication device, which are used to reduce the activation delay of the secondary cell.

[0004] In a first aspect, this application provides a method for activating a secondary cell. This method can be executed by a terminal device, or by other devices including the functions of the terminal device, or by a chip system (which can also be replaced by a chip) or other functional modules. The chip system or functional module can implement the functions of the terminal device, and the chip system or functional module is, for example, disposed in the terminal device. Taking the execution of this method by the terminal device as an example for introduction: receiving first information on the primary cell of the terminal device, where the first information indicates the number of first SSBs included in a synchronization signal and physical broadcast channel block (SSB) period; receiving the first SSB on the secondary cell of the terminal device, where each of the first N - 1 time slots in a period of the first SSB includes 2 of the first SSBs, and 2*N is greater than or equal to the number; or each of the first N - 1 time slots in a period of the first SSB includes 3 of the first SSBs, and 3*N is greater than or equal to the number; N is an integer greater than or equal to 2; and performing an activation process of the secondary cell based on the first SSB.

[0005] In this embodiment, the length of the period is determined based on the number of SSBs in a period. Each of the first N - 1 time slots in a period of the first SSB includes 2 or 3 of the first SSBs, and all the first SSBs are placed in the first N time slots, thereby reducing the idle transmission intervals in a period and shortening the length of the period, greatly reducing the activation delay of the secondary cell.

[0006] In a possible implementation, one period of the first SSB includes N time slots. The period may have time slots as the smallest granularity.

[0007] In a possible implementation, one period of the first SSB includes M sub-frames, where M is a positive integer. The period may have sub-frames as the smallest granularity.

[0008] In a possible implementation, one period of the first SSB is one half-frame.

[0009] In a possible implementation, the first information further indicates that the number of the first SSBs included in one time slot is 2 or 3.

[0010] In a possible implementation, two adjacent first SSBs within a time slot occupy consecutive symbols in the time slot.

[0011] In a possible implementation, the symbols occupied by the first SSBs in two adjacent time slots are not adjacent / not consecutive; in other words: in two adjacent time slots, the last symbol among the multiple symbols occupied by the last first SSB in the previous time slot and the first symbol among the multiple symbols occupied by the first first SSB in the subsequent time slot are not adjacent / not consecutive, and there are other symbols in between.

[0012] In a possible implementation, receive the downlink reference signal on the secondary cell; send the measurement report of the downlink reference signal on the primary cell. Thus, the activation of the secondary cell is successful.

[0013] In a possible implementation, after sending the measurement report of the downlink reference signal on the primary cell, the second SSB may also be received on the secondary cell, where the length of one period of the second SSB is greater than the length of one period of the first SSB. After the activation of the secondary cell is successful, it can fall back to the transmission process of the traditional SSB.

[0014] In a possible implementation, in the process of activating the secondary cell based on the first SSB, if after receiving one period of the first SSB on each configured receiving beam on the secondary cell, the signal quality of all the first SSBs is lower than the set threshold, the second information may also be sent on the primary cell, where the second information is used to instruct the network device to send the first SSB or the second SSB on the secondary cell. Correspondingly, if the second information is used to instruct the transmission of the first SSB, the terminal device receives the first SSB on the secondary cell; if the second information is used to instruct the transmission of the second SSB, the terminal device receives the second SSB on the secondary cell, and the terminal device re-performs the activation process of the secondary cell based on the first SSB or the second SSB. The activation delay of the secondary cell can be reduced.

[0015] In a possible implementation, before receiving the first SSB from a secondary cell, indication information may also be sent on the primary cell. The functions of the indication information include one or more of the following: for indicating to activate a secondary cell to serve the terminal device, and for indicating to send the first SSB to activate the secondary cell. The indication information may be sent after the first information or before the first information. This example may be applicable to a scenario where the terminal device has a large amount of uplink data that needs to be transmitted urgently, which is beneficial to quickly activate the secondary cell to transmit uplink data and improve the user experience.

[0016] In a second aspect, the present application provides a method for activating a secondary cell. This method may be executed by a network device, or by other devices including the functions of a network device, or by a chip system (which may also be replaced by a chip) or other functional modules that can implement the functions of a network device. The chip system or functional modules are, for example, disposed in the network device. Taking the example that this method is executed by a network device for introduction: send first information to the terminal device on the primary cell of the terminal device, where the first information indicates the number of first SSBs included in a Synchronization Signal and Physical Broadcast Channel block (SSB) period; send the first SSB to the terminal device on the secondary cell of the terminal device, where each of the first N - 1 time slots in a period of the first SSB includes 2 of the first SSBs, and 2 * N is greater than or equal to the number; or each of the first N - 1 time slots in a period of the first SSB includes 3 of the first SSBs, and 3 * N is greater than or equal to the number; the N is an integer greater than or equal to 2.

[0017] In this embodiment, the length of the period is determined based on the number of SSBs in a period. Each of the first N - 1 time slots in a period of the first SSB includes 2 or 3 of the first SSBs, and all the first SSBs are placed in the first N time slots, thereby reducing the idle transmission intervals in a period and shortening the length of the period, greatly reducing the delay of secondary cell activation.

[0018] In a possible implementation, a period of the first SSB includes N time slots. This period may use a time slot as the smallest granularity.

[0019] In a possible implementation, a period of the first SSB includes M sub - frames, where the M is a positive integer. This period may use a sub - frame as the smallest granularity.

[0020] In a possible implementation, a period of the first SSB is a half - frame.

[0021] In a possible implementation, the first information further indicates that the number of the first SSBs included in a time slot is two or three.

[0022] In a possible implementation, two adjacent first SSBs within a time slot occupy consecutive symbols in the time slot.

[0023] In a possible implementation, the symbols occupied by the first SSBs in two adjacent time slots are not adjacent / not consecutive; in other words: among two adjacent time slots, the last symbol among the multiple symbols occupied by the last first SSB in the previous time slot and the first symbol among the multiple symbols occupied by the first first SSB in the subsequent time slot are not adjacent / not consecutive, and there are other symbols.

[0024] In a possible implementation, after sending the first SSB to the terminal device, a downlink reference signal may also be sent to the terminal device on the secondary cell; a measurement report of the downlink reference signal from the terminal device is received on the primary cell. Thus, the secondary cell is successfully activated.

[0025] In a possible implementation, after receiving the measurement report of the downlink reference signal from the terminal device on the primary cell, a second SSB may also be sent to the terminal device on the secondary cell, where the length of one period of the second SSB is greater than the length of one period of the first SSB. After successful activation on the secondary cell, the transmission process of the traditional SSB is resumed.

[0026] In a possible implementation, after sending the first SSB for multiple periods, where each period of the first SSB for the terminal device's configured receive beam receives one period of the first SSB, a second information from the terminal device may also be received on the primary cell, and the second information is used to indicate that the network device sends the first SSB or the second SSB on the secondary cell. Correspondingly, if the second information is used to indicate sending the first SSB, the network device sends the first SSB on the secondary cell; if the second information is used to indicate sending the second SSB, the network device sends the second SSB on the secondary cell, and the terminal device performs the activation process of the secondary cell again based on the first SSB or the second SSB. The activation delay of the secondary cell can be reduced.

[0027] In a possible implementation, before sending the first SSB on a secondary cell, indication information may also be received on the primary cell. The functions of the indication information include one or more of the following: used to indicate activating a secondary cell to serve the terminal device, and used to indicate sending the first SSB to activate the secondary cell. The indication information may be after the first information or before the first information. This example may be applicable to a scenario where the terminal device has a large amount of uplink data that needs to be transmitted urgently, which is beneficial to quickly enabling the secondary cell to transmit uplink data and improving the user experience.

[0028] In a third aspect, a communication device is provided. The communication device may be the terminal device described in the first aspect above. The communication device has the functions of the above terminal device. The communication device is, for example, a functional module in the terminal device, such as a baseband device or a chip system, etc. In an optional implementation, the communication device includes a baseband device and a radio frequency device. In another optional implementation, the communication device includes a processing unit (sometimes also referred to as a processing module) and a transceiver unit (sometimes also referred to as a transceiver module). The transceiver unit can implement the sending function and the receiving function. When the transceiver unit implements the sending function, it can be referred to as a sending unit (sometimes also referred to as a sending module). When the transceiver unit implements the receiving function, it can be referred to as a receiving unit (sometimes also referred to as a receiving module). The sending unit and the receiving unit may be the same functional module, and this functional module is called the transceiver unit, which can implement the sending function and the receiving function; or, the sending unit and the receiving unit may be different functional modules, and the transceiver unit is a general term for these functional modules.

[0029] In a possible implementation, the communication device further includes a storage unit (sometimes also referred to as a storage module). The processing unit is used to be coupled with the storage unit and execute the programs or instructions in the storage unit to enable the communication device to execute the functions of the terminal device described in the first aspect above.

[0030] In a possible implementation, the transceiver unit is used to receive first information on the primary cell of the terminal device. The first information indicates the number of first SSBs included in a synchronization signal and physical broadcast channel block (SSB) period; and receive the first SSB on the secondary cell of the terminal device. Wherein, each of the first N - 1 time slots in a period of the first SSB includes 2 of the first SSBs, and 2 * N is greater than or equal to the number; or, each of the first N - 1 time slots in a period of the first SSB includes 3 of the first SSBs, and 3 * N is greater than or equal to the number; N is an integer greater than or equal to 2; the processing unit is used to execute the activation process of the secondary cell based on the first SSB.

[0031] In a possible implementation, the transceiver unit is further configured to receive a downlink reference signal on the secondary cell; and send a measurement report of the downlink reference signal on the primary cell.

[0032] In a possible implementation, the transceiver unit is further configured to receive a second SSB on the secondary cell, where the length of one period of the second SSB is greater than the length of one period of the first SSB.

[0033] In a possible implementation, the processing unit is further configured to, in the process of activating the secondary cell based on the first SSB, after receiving one period of the first SSB on each configured receiving beam on the secondary cell, determine that the signal quality of the first SSB is lower than a set threshold. The transceiver unit is further configured to send second information on the primary cell, where the second information is used to instruct the network device to send the first SSB or the second SSB on the secondary cell, and receive the first SSB or the second SSB on the secondary cell.

[0034] In a fourth aspect, a communication device is provided. The communication device may be the network device described in the second aspect above. The communication device has the functions of the above network device. The communication device is, for example, a functional module in the network device, such as a baseband device or a chip system, etc. In an optional implementation, the communication device includes a baseband device and a radio frequency device. In another optional implementation, the communication device includes a processing unit (sometimes also referred to as a processing module) and a transceiver unit (sometimes also referred to as a transceiver module). The transceiver unit can implement a sending function and a receiving function. When the transceiver unit implements the sending function, it can be referred to as a sending unit (sometimes also referred to as a sending module). When the transceiver unit implements the receiving function, it can be referred to as a receiving unit (sometimes also referred to as a receiving module). The sending unit and the receiving unit may be the same functional module, and this functional module is called the transceiver unit, which can implement the sending function and the receiving function; or, the sending unit and the receiving unit may be different functional modules, and the transceiver unit is a general term for these functional modules.

[0035] In a possible implementation, the communication device further includes a storage unit (sometimes also referred to as a storage module). The processing unit is used to be coupled with the storage unit and execute the programs or instructions in the storage unit to enable the communication device to execute the functions of the network device described in the second aspect above.

[0036] In a possible implementation, the transceiver unit is configured to send first information to the terminal device on the primary cell of the terminal device, where the first information indicates the number of first SSBs included in a Synchronization Signal and Physical Broadcast Channel block (SSB) period; and send the first SSB to the terminal device on a secondary cell of the terminal device, where each of the first N - 1 time slots in a period of the first SSB includes 2 of the first SSBs, and 2 * N is greater than or equal to the number; or each of the first N - 1 time slots in a period of the first SSB includes 3 of the first SSBs, and 3 * N is greater than or equal to the number; N is an integer greater than or equal to 2.

[0037] In a possible implementation, the transceiver unit is further configured to send a downlink reference signal to the terminal device on the secondary cell; and receive a measurement report of the downlink reference signal from the terminal device on the primary cell.

[0038] In a possible implementation, the transceiver unit is further configured to send a second SSB to the terminal device on the secondary cell, where the length of a period of the second SSB is greater than the length of a period of the first SSB.

[0039] In a possible implementation, the transceiver unit is further configured to receive second information from the terminal device on the primary cell, where the second information is used to indicate that the network device sends the first SSB or the second SSB on the secondary cell, and sends the first SSB or the second SSB on the secondary cell.

[0040] In a fifth aspect, a communication device is provided, including an interface circuit and a processor. Optionally, a memory is further included. The memory is used to store a computer program. The processor is coupled to the memory and the interface circuit. When the processor reads the computer program or instruction, the communication device is caused to execute the method performed by the terminal device in the first aspect above, or execute the method performed by the network device in the second aspect above. Exemplarily, the interface circuit is configured to receive a signal from another communication device outside the communication device and transmit it to the processor, or send a signal from the processor to another communication device outside the communication device. The processor is configured to implement the method performed by the terminal device in the first aspect above through a logic circuit or by executing code instructions, or to implement the method performed by the network device in the second aspect above.

[0041] In a sixth aspect, a communication device is provided, which includes a processor, and optionally, a memory; the processor is coupled to the memory; the memory is configured to store computer programs or instructions; the processor is configured to execute some or all of the computer programs or instructions in the memory, and when the some or all of the computer programs or instructions are executed, it is configured to implement the functions of the terminal device in the method of the first aspect and any possible implementation of the first aspect.

[0042] In a possible implementation, the device may further include a transceiver, which is configured to transmit the signal processed by the processor or receive the signal input to the processor. The transceiver may perform the sending action or receiving action performed by the terminal device in the first aspect and any possible implementation of the first aspect.

[0043] In a possible implementation, the processing unit in the third aspect may be implemented by the processor, the storage unit in the third aspect may be implemented by the memory, and the transceiver unit in the third aspect may be implemented by the transceiver.

[0044] In a seventh aspect, a communication device is provided, which includes a processor, and optionally, a memory; the processor is coupled to the memory; the memory is configured to store computer programs or instructions; the processor is configured to execute some or all of the computer programs or instructions in the memory, and when the some or all of the computer programs or instructions are executed, it is configured to implement the functions of the network device in the second aspect and any possible implementation of the second aspect.

[0045] In a possible implementation, the device may further include a transceiver, which is configured to transmit the signal processed by the processor or receive the signal input to the processor. The transceiver may perform the sending action or receiving action performed by the network device in the second aspect and any possible implementation of the second aspect.

[0046] In a possible implementation, the processing unit in the fourth aspect may be implemented by the processor, the storage unit in the fourth aspect may be implemented by the memory, and the transceiver unit in the fourth aspect may be implemented by the transceiver.

[0047] In an eighth aspect, a communication system is provided, which includes a terminal device and a network device. Among them, the terminal device is configured to execute the methods performed by the terminal device described in the above aspects, and the network device is configured to execute the methods performed by the network device described in the above aspects. For example, the terminal device may be implemented by the communication device described in the third aspect, and the network device may be implemented by the communication device described in the fourth aspect.

[0048] In a ninth aspect, a computer-readable storage medium is provided, which is used to store a computer program or instructions. When it runs, the methods in the first aspect or the second aspect are implemented.

[0049] In a tenth aspect, a computer program product containing instructions is provided. When it runs on a computer, the methods in the first aspect or the second aspect are implemented. Description of the Drawings

[0050] Figure 1 It is a schematic diagram of the architecture of a communication system provided by this application;

[0051] Figure 2 It is a schematic diagram of a carrier aggregation structure provided by this application;

[0052] Figure 3 It is a schematic diagram of the transmission time of an SSB provided by this application;

[0053] Figure 4 It is a schematic diagram of the activation process of a secondary cell provided by this application;

[0054] Figure 5 It is a schematic diagram of an SSB pattern provided by this application;

[0055] Figure 6 It is a schematic diagram of the process flow of a communication method provided by this application;

[0056] Figure 7 It is a schematic diagram of the process flow of a communication method provided by this application;

[0057] Figure 8 It is a schematic diagram of the process flow of a communication method provided by this application;

[0058] Figure 9 It is a structural diagram of a communication device provided by this application;

[0059] Figure 10 It is a structural diagram of a communication device provided by this application. Detailed Embodiments

[0060] Figure 1 It is a schematic diagram of the architecture of the communication system applied in the embodiments of this application. Figure 1 The shown communication system 1000 includes a radio access network 100 and a core network 200. Optionally, the communication system 1000 further includes the Internet 300. Among them, the radio access network 100 may include at least one network device (such as Figure 1 110a and 110b therein), and may further include at least one terminal device (such as Figure 1among 120a - 120j). The terminal device is connected to the network device wirelessly, and the network device is connected to the core network 200 wirelessly or wired. The core network device and the network device can be independent different physical devices, or the functions of the core network device and the logical functions of the network device can be integrated on the same physical device, or the functions of part of the core network device and part of the network device can be integrated on a physical device. The terminal devices can be connected to each other, and the network devices can be connected to each other, either wired or wirelessly. Figure 1 It is just a schematic diagram, and other network devices can also be included in this communication system. For example, wireless relay devices and wireless backhaul devices can also be included, which are not drawn in Figure 1 it.

[0061] The radio access network 100 can be a cellular system related to the 3rd Generation Partnership Project (3GPP). For example, the 4th Generation (4G) mobile communication technology system (also known as the Long Term Evolution (LTE) system), the 5th Generation (5G) mobile communication technology system (also known as the New Radio (NR) system), or it can also be applied to the next generation of mobile communication systems or other similar communication systems (such as the 6th Generation (6G) mobile communication technology system), etc., without specific limitations. The radio access network 100 can also be an Open Radio Access Network (Open RAN, O - RAN or ORAN), a Cloud Radio Access Network (CRAN). The radio access network 100 can also be a Non - Terrestrial Network (NTN), a satellite communication network, a High Altitude Platform Station (HAPS) communication network, an Integrated Access and Backhaul (IAB) communication network, a Reconfigurable Intelligent Surface (RIS) communication network, etc. The radio access network 100 can also be a communication system that combines two or more of the above systems.

[0062] The network device is a node in a radio access network (RAN), also known as an access network device, and can also be called a RAN node (or device). The network device is used to assist the terminal device in achieving wireless access. Multiple network devices in the communication system 1000 can be of the same type of node or different types of nodes.

[0063] In a possible scenario, the network device can be a base station, an evolved NodeB (eNodeB), a transmitting and receiving point (TRP), a transmitting point (TP), a next generation NodeB (gNB), a next generation base station in a 6G mobile communication system, a base station in a future mobile communication system, an access point (AP) in a satellite, an integrated access and backhaul IAB node, a network device in a mobile switching center non-terrestrial network (NTN) communication system, that is, it can be deployed on a high-altitude platform or a satellite, etc. The network device can be a macro base station (such as Figure 1 110a in Figure 1 ), a micro base station or an indoor station (such as 110b in ), a relay node or a donor node, or a radio controller in a CRAN scenario. The network device can also be a device that serves as a base station function in device-to-device (D2D) communication, vehicle-to-everything (V2X) communication, drone communication, or machine communication. Optionally, the network device can also be a server, a wearable device, a vehicle, or a vehicle-mounted device, etc. For example, the access network device in vehicle-to-everything (V2X) technology can be a road side unit (RSU).

[0064] In another possible scenario, multiple network devices cooperate to assist a terminal device in achieving wireless access, and different network devices respectively implement some functions of a base station. For example, the network device can be a central unit (CU), a distributed unit (DU), a CU-control plane (CP), a CU-user plane (UP), or a radio unit (RU), etc. The CU and the DU can be set separately, or can also be included in the same network element, such as a baseband unit (BBU). The RU can be included in a radio frequency device or a radio frequency unit, such as included in a remote radio unit (RRU), an active antenna unit (AAU), or a remote radio head (RRH). It can be understood that the network device can be a CU node, or a DU node, or a device including a CU node and a DU node. In addition, the CU can be classified as a network device in the radio access network (RAN), or the CU can be classified as a network device in the core network, which is not limited herein.

[0065] In different systems, the CU (or CU-CP and CU-UP), DU, or RU may also have different names, but those skilled in the art can understand their meanings. For example, in the ORAN system, the CU can also be called an O-CU (open CU), the DU can also be called an O-DU, the CU-CP can also be called an O-CU-CP, the CU-UP can also be called an O-CU-UP, and the RU can also be called an O-RU. For the convenience of description, the CU, CU-CP, CU-UP, DU, and RU are used as examples in this application. Any one of the CU (or CU-CP, CU-UP), DU, and RU in this application can be implemented by a software module, a hardware module, or a combination of a software module and a hardware module.

[0066] A terminal device is a device with wireless transceiver functions that can send signals to a network device or receive signals from a network device. The terminal device includes, but is not limited to, a terminal device, a terminal, a user equipment (UE), a mobile station, a mobile terminal, etc. The terminal device can be widely applied to various scenarios, such as device-to-device (D2D), vehicle-to-everything (V2X) communication, machine-type communication (MTC), Internet of Things (IoT), virtual reality, augmented reality, industrial control, autonomous driving, telemedicine, smart grid, smart furniture, smart office, smart wearables, smart transportation, smart city, etc. The terminal device can specifically be a mobile phone, a tablet computer, a computer with wireless transceiver functions, a wearable device, a vehicle, an airplane, a ship, a robot, a robotic arm, a smart home device, etc. The embodiments of the present application do not limit the specific technologies and specific device forms adopted by the terminal device.

[0067] The network device and the terminal device can be fixed in position or movable. The network device and the terminal device 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 the present application do not limit the application scenarios of the network device and the terminal device.

[0068] The roles of the network device and the terminal device can be relative. For example, Figure 1 the helicopter or drone 120i in [figure] can be configured as a mobile network device. For the terminal devices 120j that access the radio access network 100 through 120i, the terminal device 120i is a network device; but for the network device 110a, 120i is a terminal device, that is, the communication between 110a and 120i is through the radio air interface protocol. Of course, the communication between 110a and 120i can also be through the interface protocol between network devices. At this time, relative to 110a, 120i is also a network device. Therefore, the network device and the terminal device can both be uniformly referred to as communication devices. Figure 1 The 110a and 110b in [figure] can be referred to as communication devices with network device functions. Figure 1 The 120a - 120j in [figure] can be referred to as communication devices with terminal device functions.

[0069] Communication can be carried out between a network device and a terminal device, between network devices, and between terminal devices through licensed spectrum, through unlicensed spectrum, or through both licensed and unlicensed spectrum simultaneously; communication can be carried out through spectrum below 6 gigahertz (GHz), through spectrum above 6 GHz, or through both spectrum below 6 GHz and spectrum above 6 GHz simultaneously. Embodiments of this application do not limit the spectrum resources used for wireless communication.

[0070] In embodiments of this application, the functions of a network device can also be performed by a module (such as a chip) in the network device, or by a control subsystem that includes the functions of the network device. Here, the control subsystem that includes the functions of the network device can be a control center in the above application scenarios such as smart grid, industrial control, intelligent transportation, and smart city. The functions of a terminal device can also be performed by a module (such as a chip or a modem) in the terminal device, or by a device that includes the functions of the terminal device.

[0071] In this application, the network device sends a downlink signal or downlink information to the terminal device, and the downlink signal or downlink information is carried on a downlink channel; the terminal device sends an uplink signal or uplink information to the network device, and the uplink signal or uplink information is carried on an uplink channel. In order to communicate with the network device, the terminal device needs to establish a wireless connection on a cell controlled by the network device. The cell that has established a wireless connection with the terminal device is called the serving cell of the terminal device. When the terminal device communicates with the serving cell, it may also be interfered by signals from neighboring cells.

[0072] In embodiments of this application, a time-domain symbol can be an orthogonal frequency-division multiplexing (OFDM) symbol or a discrete Fourier transform-spread OFDM (DFT-s-OFDM) symbol. Unless otherwise specified, the symbols in embodiments of this application refer to time-domain symbols.

[0073] In the carrier aggregation scenario, the primary cell (PCell) and secondary cells (SCells) of a network device jointly serve a terminal device. The primary cell is the cell to which the terminal device connects during initial connection establishment, or the cell to which the terminal device connects during radio resource control (RRC) connection re - establishment, or the cell designated by the terminal device during handover. The secondary cell is a cell added through an RRC connection re - configuration message after the initial security activation process, and is used to provide additional radio resources different from the primary cell. The default state of the secondary cell is the de - activated state, and the network device uses media access control (MAC) control element (CE) signaling to instruct the terminal device to activate the secondary cell. After the secondary cell is activated, the terminal device can transmit data on the secondary cell.

[0074] As Figure 2 shown, a schematic diagram of a carrier aggregation scenario for frequency range 1 (FR1) - FR2 is introduced. The terminal device camps on the low - frequency primary cell (i.e., FR1 PCell) and activates the high - frequency secondary cell (i.e., FR2 SCell) as needed.

[0075] The activation process of the cell includes but is not limited to the following processes: automatic gain control (AGC) settling, cell search, and L1 reference signal receiving power (RSRP) measurement (L1 - RSRP measurement), etc. The following introduces these three processes:

[0076] AGC settling: For each receive beam of the UE, the network device scans 2 times. If the UE is configured with 8 receive beams, the AGC settling part needs to scan 16 times. After 16 beam scans, the terminal device can learn about the received power of each beam pair.

[0077] Among them, one scan can be understood as: the network device sequentially sends an SSB on multiple transmission beams according to time order, and the time units occupied by different transmission beams are different. One scan means sending an SSB for one period, and the number of SSBs included in one period is the same as the number of multiple transmission beams used in one scan. The multiple SSBs sent in one scan (i.e., the multiple SSBs sent in one period) can be called an SSB burst set, or an SSB set, or an SSB sample. In the current technology, the network device supports up to 64 transmission beams at most. If the UE is configured with 8 receiving beams and the network device uses 32 beams for scanning, then in the AGC settling part, the terminal device can obtain the received power conditions of 8 * 32 beam pairs. If the UE is configured with 8 receiving beams and the network device uses 64 beams for scanning, then in the AGC settling part, the terminal device can obtain the received power conditions of 8 * 64 beam pairs.

[0078] cell search: For each receiving beam of the UE, the network device scans once. If the UE is configured with 8 receiving beams, then the cell search part needs to scan 8 times.

[0079] The UE can detect the content in the SSB, obtain synchronization information, and then determine the frame boundary (i.e., where a frame starts and ends).

[0080] L1-RSRP measurement: For each receiving beam of the UE, the network device scans once. If the UE is configured with 8 receiving beams, then the L1-RSRP measurement part needs to scan 8 times. The UE determines the optimal beam pair (i.e., the receiving beam on the UE side and the transmission beam on the network device side) based on the RSRP and notifies the network device of the optimal beam pair. It can be understood that the "optimal beam pair" in this application document can be a relatively better beam pair determined according to certain criteria.

[0081] As Figure 3 shown, the schematic diagram of the SSB transmission time is introduced. As Figure 3 shown in (a) of it, one period is 20 ms. Within one period, the SSB burst set is restricted to be sent within 5 ms (5 ms is half a frame), and the remaining 15 ms does not transmit SSB. Due to frequency band differences, the subcarrier spacing of the SSB is different, and the transmission positions of each SSB in the SSB burst set are also different, which results in different SSB patterns. As Figure 3As shown in (b) therein, the SSB pattern in the carrier frequency band within FR2 with an SSB subcarrier spacing of 120 kHz is introduced. One SSB occupies 4 consecutive symbols. The SSB at a transmission position is a candidate SSB. The index of the first symbol of the candidate SSB in its half-frame is {4, 8, 16, 20} + 28×n, where n = 0, 1, …, 18. It can be seen that the 15 ms idle transmission interval and the idle transmission intervals between different candidate SSBs within the SSB pattern will result in a high activation delay of the serving cell.

[0082] If the example as Figure 3 is adopted to activate the secondary cell, the delay of the three processes of AGC settling, cell search, and L1-RSRP measurement is (16 + 8 + 8) * 20 ms = 640 ms. The activation delay of the secondary cell is very high, and the user experience is poor.

[0083] Based on this, the embodiments of the present application provide a communication method to compress the idle transmission intervals within a period, and the length of a period will be shortened, which can reduce the activation delay of the secondary cell.

[0084] The methods provided by the embodiments of the present application can all be applied to Figure 1 and Figure 2 the network architectures shown or other network architectures. Taking the application to Figure 1 as an example, for example, the terminal devices involved in the embodiments of the present application can be 120i, or 120a, or 120b, or 120c, etc., and the network devices involved in the embodiments of the present application can be 110a; for another example, the terminal devices involved in the embodiments of the present application can be 120h or 120g, and the network devices involved in the embodiments of the present application can be 120f; for another example, the terminal devices involved in the embodiments of the present application can be 120e, and the network devices involved in the embodiments of the present application can be 120a or 120d. Taking the application to Figure 2 as an example, for example, the primary cell of the terminal device involved in the embodiments of the present application can be an FR1 PCell, and the secondary cell of the terminal device involved in the embodiments of the present application can be an FR2 SCell.

[0085] Hereinafter, some terms or concepts in the embodiments of the present application are explained to facilitate the understanding of those skilled in the art.

[0086] 1) Differences between the first SSB and the second SSB: The lengths of the periods of the first SSB and the second SSB are different, and the SSB patterns are different. The length of the period of the first SSB is less than the length of the period of the second SSB, and the idle transmission intervals in the first SSB pattern are fewer than those in the second SSB pattern. The latency for activating a secondary cell based on the first SSB is lower than that based on the second SSB. In one example, the second SSB can be understood as the SSB sent according to Figure 3 the example of

[0087] The SSB is transmitted by means of beam scanning, that is, the SSB is transmitted on different beams by means of time division multiplexing. Multiple SSBs transmitted in one beam scanning can be referred to as an SSB burst set (SS Burst Set) or an SSB set or an SSB sample. The length of the period of the SSB refers to the time interval between two transmissions of the SSB burst set / SSB set / SSB sample or the time interval between two beam scans. The period of the SSB can be replaced by the SSB burst set (SS Burst Set) or the SSB set or the SSB sample.

[0088] The internal structures of the first SSB and the second SSB can be the same or different. In one same example, both the first SSB and the second SSB occupy 4 consecutive symbols. The first symbol carries the primary synchronization signal (PSS), the third symbol carries the secondary synchronization signal (SSS), and the second and fourth symbols carry the physical broadcast channel (PBCH). In one different example, the second SSB occupies 4 consecutive symbols. The first symbol carries the primary synchronization signal PSS, the third symbol carries the secondary synchronization signal SSS, and the second and fourth symbols carry the physical broadcast channel PBCH. The first SSB occupies 2 consecutive symbols. The first symbol carries the primary synchronization signal PSS, and the second symbol carries the secondary synchronization signal SSS. This design of the first SSB only retains the synchronization function, and the system information carried by the PBCH will be provided by other signals, which can reduce the transmission overhead of the first SSB.

[0089] In the embodiments of this application, "transmitting the first SSB" means transmitting the first SSB in units of one period, or one SSB burst set / SSB set / SSB sample, so the network device transmits an integer number of periods, or an integer number of SSB burst sets / SSB sets / SSB samples of the first SSB. Similarly, in the embodiments of this application, "transmitting the second SSB" means transmitting the second SSB in units of one period or one SSB burst set, so the network device transmits an integer number of periods or an integer number of SSB burst sets / SSB sets / SSB samples of the second SSB.

[0090] The first SSB in the embodiments of this application can also be replaced with a compact SSB, and the second SSB in the embodiments of this application can also be replaced with a normal SSB.

[0091] 2) The primary cell and the secondary cell are defined with respect to the terminal device; the primary cell of UE1 may be the primary cell of UE2, or may be the secondary cell of UE2; the secondary cell of UE1 may be the primary cell of UE2, or may be the secondary cell of UE2.

[0092] 3) When the terminal device receives ** on the primary cell, it means that the terminal device receives ** using the time-frequency resources of the primary cell; when the network device transmits ** on the primary cell, it means that the network device transmits ** using the time-frequency resources of the primary cell. Similarly, receiving / sending ** on the secondary cell means receiving / sending ** using the time-frequency resources of the secondary cell.

[0093] 4) Beams: Beams are divided into analog beams and digital beams. Analog beams are generated by multiple phase shifters of an analog filter. By configuring the phases of the multiple phase shifters, the signals generated by the superposition of the multiple phases have different signal gains in different directions, thus forming a beam in space. In the process of forming a digital beam, the participation of phase shifters is not required. Instead, digital weighting is performed on multiple signals sent from the baseband to the antenna to form a digital beam.

[0094] To better introduce the embodiments of this application, the methods provided by the embodiments of this application are introduced below with reference to the accompanying drawings. In the following text, if there is no special description, in the accompanying drawings corresponding to the various embodiments of this application, the steps indicated by the dashed lines are all optional steps.

[0095] Figure 4 It is a schematic diagram of the activation process of a secondary cell provided by the embodiments of this application.

[0096] Step 401: The network device sends the first information on the primary cell of the terminal device. Correspondingly, the terminal device receives the first information on the primary cell of the terminal device.

[0097] The first information indicates the number of first SSBs included in an SSB period, or the number of first SSBs included in an SSB burst set / SSB set / SSB sample, or the number of transmission beams included in an SSB period. One first SSB corresponds to one transmission beam. The maximum value of this number can be 64, and the minimum value can be 1. For example, the number of the first SSBs is 8, 16, 32, 64, etc.

[0098] The first information may be carried in RRC signaling.

[0099] When the terminal device receives the first information, the default state of the secondary cell (SCell) is the deactivated state.

[0100] Optionally, after step 401 and before step 402, the network device sends MAC CE signaling to the terminal device on the primary cell. Correspondingly, the terminal device receives the MAC CE signaling on the primary cell; the MAC CE signaling is used to indicate activating the secondary cell to serve the terminal device, and the identifier of the secondary cell in step 402 is included in the MAC CE signaling.

[0101] Optionally, before the network device sends MAC CE signaling to the terminal device on the primary cell, the terminal device sends indication information on the primary cell. The functions of the indication information include one or more of the following: used to indicate activating a secondary cell to serve the terminal device, used to indicate sending the first SSB to activate the secondary cell. The indication information may be sent after the first information in step 401 or before the first information in step 401. This example can be applied to the scenario where the terminal device has a large amount of uplink data to be transmitted urgently, which is beneficial to quickly enabling the secondary cell to transmit uplink data and improving the user experience. The indication information may be a wake up signal (WUS), or a sounding reference signal (SRS), or a buffer scheduling request (BSR), and the indication information may be carried in a physical random access channel (PRACH) or a physical uplink control channel (PUCCH).

[0102] Step 402: The network device sends the first SSB on the secondary cell of the terminal device. Correspondingly, the terminal device receives the first SSB on the secondary cell of the terminal device.

[0103] The length of the period of the first SSB is related to the number of first SSBs included in one period. For the period of the first SSB, there are the following multiple possible implementation manners. The numbers in the following various manners are only for distinguishing different manners and are not used to limit the priority of the manners.

[0104] Manner a: The time slot is the smallest granularity. One period of the first SSB includes N time slots, and N is a positive integer.

[0105] In an example a1, one time slot includes 12 symbols or 14 symbols, and the first SSB occupies 4 consecutive symbols. When N is greater than or equal to 2, each of the first N - 1 time slots in the period includes 2 or 3 of the first SSBs. There is no restriction on the Nth time slot. The Nth time slot may include 1, or 2, or 3 first SSBs, or may not include the first SSB, but serves as an idle transmission interval within one period. When each of the first N - 1 time slots includes 2 of the first SSBs, 2 * N is greater than or equal to the number of first SSBs included in one SSB period. When each of the first N - 1 time slots in one period of the first SSB includes 3 of the first SSBs, 3 * N is greater than or equal to the number of first SSBs included in one SSB period. When the number of first SSBs included in one SSB period is 2 or 3, N may be equal to 1 or greater than 1.

[0106] Taking an example where one time slot includes 3 first SSBs, one first SSB occupies 4 consecutive symbols, and one time slot includes 14 symbols for illustration: As Figure 5 shown in (a) of, one SSB period includes 64 first SSBs. 64 first SSBs need 21 time slots to be transmitted. In the configuration of FR2 SCS = 120 kHz, the length of one symbol time is approximately 8.3 us, then the length of one time slot is approximately 0.12 ms (14 × 8.3 us = 0.12 ms), and the length of one period is approximately 2.52 ms (21 × 0.12 ms = 2.5 ms). 2.52 ms is Figure 3 1 / 8 of the period length of 20 ms in the example of. As Figure 5 shown in (b) of, one SSB period includes 32 first SSBs. 32 first SSBs need 10 time slots to be transmitted, then the length of one period is approximately 1.2 ms.

[0107] In Figure 5In the example, one time slot includes 14 symbols (indexed as 0, 1, …, 13), one time slot includes 3 first SSBs, one first SSB occupies 4 consecutive symbols, the last 12 symbols (indexed as 2, 3, …, 13) in one time slot are used for transmitting the first SSB, and the first 2 symbols (indexed as 0, 1) are not used for transmitting the first SSB. A predefined first SSB pattern can be described in the following way. The index of the first symbol among the 4 consecutive symbols occupied by the c-th first SSB satisfies the following formula:

[0108] where, is floor function, mod is the modulo operation, c is a positive integer, and c is less than or equal to the number of first SSBs included in one SSB period.

[0109] Taking an example that one time slot includes 2 first SSBs, one first SSB occupies 4 consecutive symbols, and one time slot includes 14 symbols for illustration: If there are 64 first SSBs included in one SSB period, 64 first SSBs need 32 time slots to be sent. In the configuration of FR2 SCS = 120 kHz, the length of one symbol is about 8.3 us, the length of one time slot is about 0.12 ms (14 × 8.3 us = 0.12 ms), and the length of one period is about 3.84 ms (32 × 0.12 ms = 3.84 ms). If there are 32 first SSBs included in one SSB period, 32 first SSBs need 16 time slots to be sent, and the length of one period is about 1.92 ms (16 × 0.12 ms = 1.92 ms).

[0110] In an example a2, one time slot includes 14 symbols, and the first SSB occupies 2 consecutive symbols. When N is greater than or equal to 2, each of the first N - 1 time slots in the period includes 7 of the first SSBs, and there is no restriction on the N-th time slot. The N-th time slot may include 1, or 2, or 3, or 4, or 5, or 6 first SSBs, or may not include any first SSB, but serve as an idle transmission interval within one period. 7 * N is greater than or equal to the number of first SSBs included in one SSB period. When the number of first SSBs included in one SSB period is less than or equal to 7, N may be equal to 1 or greater than 1.

[0111] A predefined first SSB pattern can be described in the following way. The index of the first symbol among the 2 consecutive symbols occupied by the c-th first SSB satisfies the following formula: index_c = 2 × c. c is a positive integer, and c is less than or equal to the number of first SSBs included in one SSB period.

[0112] Taking 64 first SSBs in one SSB period as an example, 62 first SSBs need 10 time slots to be transmitted. Each of the first 9 time slots includes 7 first SSBs. The first 2 symbols in the 10th time slot carry one first SSB, and the last 12 symbols in the 10th time slot do not transmit the first SSB. In the configuration of FR2 SCS = 120 kHz, the length of one symbol is about 8.3 us, the length of one time slot is about 0.12 ms (14 × 8.3 us = 0.12 ms), and the length of one period is about 1.2 ms (10 × 0.12 ms = 1.2 ms). 1.2 ms is Figure 3 6% of the 20 ms period length in the example of

[0113] Mode b: Taking the subframe (1 ms) as the minimum granularity. One period of the first SSB includes M subframes, where M is a positive integer. One subframe includes a time slots, where a is a positive integer. For example, a is 8 or 16, that is, one period of the first SSB includes a * M time slots.

[0114] In an example b1, one time slot includes 12 symbols or 14 symbols, and the first SSB occupies 4 consecutive symbols. Each of the first N - 1 subframes in this period includes 2 or 3 of the first SSBs, where N is an integer greater than or equal to 2. The last a * M - N time slots in this period do not include the first SSB. There is no restriction on the Nth subframe. Each time slot in the Nth subframe can include 1, or 2, or 3 first SSBs, or can not include the first SSB, but serves as an idle transmission interval within one period. When each of the first N - 1 time slots includes 2 of the first SSBs, 2 * N is greater than or equal to the number of first SSBs included in one SSB period. When each of the first N - 1 time slots in one period of the first SSB includes 3 of the first SSBs, 3 * N is greater than or equal to the number of first SSBs included in one SSB period.

[0115] In an example b2, one time slot includes 14 symbols, and the first SSB occupies 2 consecutive symbols. Each of the first N - 1 time slots in this period includes 7 of the first SSBs. There is no restriction on the Nth time slot. The Nth time slot can include 1, or 2, or 3, or 4, or 5, or 6 first SSBs, or can not include the first SSB, but serves as an idle transmission interval within one period. 7 * N is greater than or equal to the number of first SSBs included in one SSB period.

[0116] Mode c: with a minimum granularity of half a frame (5 ms). One period of the first SSB is one half-frame. One half-frame includes 5 sub-frames. One sub-frame includes a time slots, where a is a positive integer. For example, a is 8 or 16. That is, one period of the first SSB includes 5*a time slots.

[0117] In an example c1, one time slot includes 12 symbols or 14 symbols, and the first SSB occupies 4 consecutive symbols. Each of the first N-1 time slots in this period includes 2 or 3 of the first SSBs, where N is an integer greater than or equal to 2. The last 5*a-N time slots in this period do not include the first SSB. There is no restriction on the Nth sub-frame. Each time slot in the Nth sub-frame may include 1, or 2, or 3 first SSBs, or may not include the first SSB, but serve as an idle transmission interval within one period. When each of the first N-1 time slots includes 2 of the first SSBs, 2*N is greater than or equal to the number of first SSBs included in one SSB period. When each of the first N-1 time slots in one period of the first SSB includes 3 of the first SSBs, 3*N is greater than or equal to the number of first SSBs included in one SSB period.

[0118] In an example c2, one time slot includes 14 symbols, and the first SSB occupies 2 consecutive symbols. Each of the first N-1 time slots in this period includes 7 of the first SSBs. There is no restriction on the Nth time slot. The Nth time slot may include 1, or 2, or 3, or 4, or 5, or 6 first SSBs, or may not include the first SSB, but serve as an idle transmission interval within one period. 7*N is greater than or equal to the number of first SSBs included in one SSB period.

[0119] In the above modes a1, b1, and c1, when one time slot includes 12 or 14 symbols and one first SSB occupies 4 consecutive symbols, it is required that at most 3 first SSBs are included in one time slot, so as to avoid a first SSB being scattered into different time slots and avoid inaccurate synchronization.

[0120] In one example, the protocol stipulates that a time slot includes two first SSBs or three first SSBs, and relevant information is configured in both the terminal device and the network device. In another example, the protocol stipulates that a time slot may include two first SSBs or may include three first SSBs; or the protocol does not stipulate this. The network device can determine whether a time slot includes two first SSBs or three first SSBs, and the network device indicates to the terminal device that a time slot includes two first SSBs or three first SSBs. For example, the network device can indicate to the terminal device through the first information, that is, the first information also indicates that the number of the first SSBs included in a time slot is two or three. The network device can also indicate to the terminal device through other information different from the first information.

[0121] In one example, within a time slot, two adjacent first SSBs occupy consecutive symbols in the time slot, as Figure 5 shown. In another example, within a time slot, two adjacent first SSBs may occupy non - consecutive symbols in the time slot. In other words, in a time slot, the last symbol among the multiple (for example, 4) symbols occupied by the previous first SSB and the first symbol among the multiple (for example, 4) symbols occupied by the subsequent first SSB are not adjacent / non - consecutive, and there are other symbols.

[0122] In one example, the symbols occupied by the first SSBs in two adjacent time slots are not adjacent / non - consecutive, as Figure 5 shown; in other words: among two adjacent time slots, the last symbol among the multiple (for example, 4) symbols occupied by the last first SSB in the previous time slot and the first symbol among the multiple (for example, 4) symbols occupied by the first first SSB in the subsequent time slot are not adjacent / non - consecutive, and there are other symbols. In another example, the symbols occupied by the first SSBs in two adjacent time slots are adjacent / consecutive. For example, a time slot includes 12 symbols, and a time slot includes three first SSBs, and one first SSB occupies 4 consecutive symbols, then the three first SSBs have completely occupied the symbols in the time slot, and there are no empty symbols, so the symbols occupied by the first SSBs in two adjacent time slots are adjacent / consecutive. Another example, a time slot includes 14 symbols, and a time slot includes seven first SSBs, and one first SSB occupies 2 consecutive symbols, then the seven first SSBs have completely occupied the symbols in the time slot, and there are no empty symbols, so the symbols occupied by the first SSBs in two adjacent time slots are adjacent / consecutive.

[0123] Step 403: The terminal device and the network device execute the activation process of the secondary cell based on the first SSB.

[0124] In this embodiment, the length of the period is determined based on the number of SSBs in a period. Each of the first N - 1 time slots in a period of the first SSB includes 2 or 3 of the first SSBs. All the first SSBs are placed in the first N time slots, thereby reducing the idle transmission intervals in a period and shortening the length of the period, greatly reducing the latency of secondary cell activation.

[0125] The activation process of the secondary cell based on the first SSB includes one or more of the following processes, but is not limited to: automatic gain control adjustment (AGC settling), cell search, and L1 reference signal received power measurement (L1-RSRP measurement), etc. These 3 processes are similar to the AGC settling, cell search, and L1-RSRP measurement processes introduced above. The following will introduce in detail taking the terminal device being configured with b receiving beams as an example, where b is a positive integer, and optionally, b is less than or equal to 8.

[0126] AGC settling: The network device sends the first SSB for 2*b periods on the secondary cell. The terminal device receives the first SSB for one period on the secondary cell based on each of the b receiving beams, and then receives the first SSB for one period on the secondary cell based on each of the b receiving beams again. The terminal device can initially obtain the received power conditions of each beam pair.

[0127] Cell search: The network device sends the first SSB for b periods on the secondary cell. The terminal device receives the first SSB for one period on the secondary cell based on each of the b receiving beams respectively. The terminal device detects the content in the first SSB, obtains the synchronization information, and determines the frame boundary.

[0128] L1-RSRP measurement: The network device sends the first SSB for b periods on the secondary cell. The terminal device receives the first SSB for one period on the secondary cell based on each of the b receiving beams respectively. The terminal device determines the optimal beam pair (i.e., the receiving beam of the terminal device and the transmitting beam of the network device) based on the RSRP of each beam pair, and informs the network device of the optimal beam pair. For example, the optimal beam pair is the beam pair with the largest RSRP.

[0129] The activation process of the secondary cell further includes the following process:

[0130] The network device transmits a downlink reference signal on the secondary cell. Correspondingly, the terminal device receives the downlink reference signal on the secondary cell. The terminal device transmits a measurement report of the downlink reference signal on the primary cell. Correspondingly, the network device receives the measurement report of the downlink reference signal on the primary cell. For example, the downlink reference signal is a channel state information reference signal (CSI-RS).

[0131] Based on the L1-RSRP measurement process introduced above, the terminal device determines the optimal beam pair, that is, the receiving beam of the terminal device and the transmitting beam of the network device. The network device can use the transmitting beam in the optimal beam pair to transmit the downlink reference signal on the secondary cell. The terminal device can use the receiving beam in the optimal beam pair to receive the downlink reference signal on the secondary cell.

[0132] The terminal device will transmit a measurement report of the downlink reference signal on the primary cell only when it determines that the received power of the downlink reference signal reaches the set threshold. When the network device receives the measurement report of the downlink reference signal on the primary cell, it can be considered that the activation of the secondary cell is successful. If the network device does not receive the measurement report of the downlink reference signal on the primary cell, it can be considered that the activation of the secondary cell fails.

[0133] After the network device receives the measurement report of the downlink reference signal on the primary cell, the network device transmits a second SSB on the secondary cell. Correspondingly, after the terminal device transmits a measurement report of the downlink reference signal on the primary cell, the terminal device receives the second SSB on the secondary cell. Wherein, the length of the period of the second SSB is greater than the length of the period of the first SSB. For example, the length of the period of the second SSB is Figure 3 20 ms as introduced in (a) above. Exemplarily, the network device uses the transmitting beam in the optimal beam pair to transmit the second SSB on the secondary cell. Exemplarily, the terminal device uses the receiving beam in the optimal beam pair to receive the second SSB on the secondary cell. After activating the secondary cell through the first SSB, it falls back to the transmission process of the normal SSB (i.e., the second SSB).

[0134] Combined with Figure 4 and the process of falling back to the normal SSB (i.e., the second SSB) after successful activation, as Figure 6 described, a schematic flowchart of a communication method is introduced.

[0135] Step 60: The terminal device transmits indication information on the primary cell, and the indication information is used to indicate the transmission of the first SSB to activate a secondary cell to serve the terminal device. This step 60 is an optional step.

[0136] Step 61: The network device prepares for the activation of the secondary cell. The network device sends RRC signaling to the terminal device on the primary cell to configure the relevant information of the first SSB. Correspondingly, the terminal device receives the RRC signaling on the primary cell and configures the relevant information of the first SSB.

[0137] For example, configure the number of first SSBs included in an SSB period through RRC signaling (refer to step 401).

[0138] Step 62: The network device sends MAC CE signaling to the terminal device on the primary cell, and the MAC CE signaling includes the identifier of the secondary cell. Correspondingly, the terminal device receives the MAC CE signaling on the primary cell and starts listening to the first SSB.

[0139] Step 63: The network device sends the first SSB to the terminal device on the secondary cell. Correspondingly, the terminal device receives the first SSB on the secondary cell. This step 63 can refer to the description in step 402 and will not be repeated here.

[0140] Step 64: Execute the activation process of the secondary cell based on the first SSB. This step 64 can refer to the description in step 403 and will not be repeated here.

[0141] Step 65: The network device sends CSI-RS on the secondary cell. Correspondingly, the terminal device receives CSI-RS on the secondary cell.

[0142] Step 66: The terminal device sends a measurement report of CSI-RS on the primary cell. Correspondingly, the network device receives the measurement report of CSI-RS on the primary cell.

[0143] Step 67: The network device sends the second SSB on the secondary cell. Correspondingly, the terminal device receives the second SSB on the secondary cell.

[0144] In a possible implementation, if the network device does not receive a measurement report of the downlink reference signal on the primary cell, it determines that the activation of the secondary cell fails. The network device sends MAC CE signaling to the terminal device on the primary cell again. Correspondingly, the terminal device receives the MAC CE signaling on the primary cell again. The MAC CE signaling is used to indicate activating the secondary cell to serve the terminal device, and the MAC CE signaling includes the identifier of the secondary cell. The network device repeats step 402 (or step 63), step 403 (or step 64) and subsequent steps to execute the activation process of the secondary cell. In this case, the activation delay of the secondary cell is relatively large.

[0145] In another possible implementation, the terminal device may request the network device to re - execute (re - execution can also be understood as restarting) the activation process of the secondary cell. For example, the terminal device may request the network device to re - execute the activation process of the secondary cell after AGC settling and before cell search, that is, after the terminal device has received the first SSB for 2 cycles based on each of the b receiving beams on the secondary cell. Another example is that the terminal device may request the network device to re - execute the activation process of the secondary cell after cell search and before L1 - RSRP measurement, that is, after the terminal device has received the first SSB for 3 cycles based on each of the b receiving beams on the secondary cell. Another example is that the terminal device may request the network device to re - execute the activation process of the secondary cell after L1 - RSRP measurement and before receiving the downlink reference signal, that is, after the terminal device has received the first SSB for 4 cycles based on each of the b receiving beams on the secondary cell. Compared with the network device sending MAC CE signaling to indicate re - execution of the activation process of the secondary cell, the latency of secondary cell activation can be reduced.

[0146] A scheme with less latency is that the terminal device requests the network device to re - execute the activation process of the secondary cell after receiving the first SSB for 1 cycle based on each of the b receiving beams on the secondary cell, that is, after only part of the AGC settling process has been executed. For the network device, after sending the first SSB for multiple (i.e., b) cycles, where the multiple cycles of the first SSB are used for each receiving beam configured for the terminal device to receive the first SSB for one cycle, the network device learns of the re - execution of the activation process of the secondary cell.

[0147] During AGC settling, the terminal device can preliminarily obtain the received power situation of each beam pair. One possible implementation is that the terminal device determines that the signal quality of all the first SSBs is lower than a set threshold, for example, the RSRP is lower than the set threshold, and the terminal device requests the network device to re - execute the activation process of the secondary cell.

[0148] There can be the following multiple possible examples for the terminal device to actively request the network device to re - execute the activation process of the secondary cell:

[0149] An example: The terminal device sends second information on the primary cell. Correspondingly, the network device receives the second information on the primary cell. The second information is used to indicate to perform the secondary cell activation process again. Further, the network device sends a first SSB on the secondary cell. Correspondingly, the terminal device receives the first SSB on the primary cell and performs the secondary cell activation process again based on the first SSB. Alternatively, the network device sends a second SSB on the secondary cell. Correspondingly, the terminal device receives the second SSB on the primary cell and performs the secondary cell activation process again based on the second SSB. In this method a, it is the network device that decides to send the first SSB or the second SSB.

[0150] Another example: The terminal device sends second information on the primary cell. Correspondingly, the network device receives the second information on the primary cell. The second information is used to indicate that the network device sends the first SSB on the secondary cell. Further, the network device sends the first SSB on the secondary cell. Correspondingly, the terminal device receives the first SSB on the primary cell and performs the secondary cell activation process again based on the first SSB.

[0151] Yet another example: The terminal device sends second information on the primary cell. Correspondingly, the network device receives the second information on the primary cell. The second information is used to indicate that the network device sends the second SSB on the secondary cell. Further, the network device sends the second SSB on the secondary cell. Correspondingly, the terminal device receives the second SSB on the primary cell and performs the secondary cell activation process again based on the second SSB.

[0152] In methods b and c, it is the terminal device that indicates to the network device to send the first SSB or the second SSB. For example, it can be indicated to send the first SSB or the second SSB by the value of at least 1 bit. For example, when the value of 1 bit is 1, it indicates to send the first SSB, and when the value of 1 bit is 0, it indicates to send the second SSB.

[0153] For example, when the terminal device determines to request the network device to perform the secondary cell activation process again for the first time, or the number of times of requesting the network device to perform the secondary cell activation process again is less than or equal to the set number threshold, the terminal device indicates to the network device to send the first SSB on the secondary cell. Otherwise, the terminal device indicates to the network device to send the second SSB on the secondary cell.

[0154] To re - execute the activation process of the secondary cell, the network device sends the first SSB or the second SSB on the secondary cell, which can be at least 4*b periods of the first SSB or the second SSB, where b is the number of receiving beams configured for the terminal device, so that the terminal device can perform three processes: AGC settling, cell search, and L1 - RSRP measurement. Additionally, compared with the previous execution of the activation process of the secondary cell, the transmission beam used by the network device to send the first SSB in one period can be exactly the same, or partially the same and partially different, or completely different. Also, the transmission power of the first SSB in the re - execution of the activation process of the secondary cell may be the same as or different from the transmission power of the first SSB in the previous execution of the activation process of the secondary cell.

[0155] As Figure 7 shown, a flowchart of a communication method is introduced. The Figure 7 Compared with Figure 6 , the terminal device infers that the activation process of the secondary cell based on the first SSB fails, and the terminal device requests the network device to re - execute the activation process of the secondary cell based on the first SSB.

[0156] Steps 70 to 73 refer to steps 60 to 63.

[0157] Step 74: In the process of executing the activation process of the secondary cell based on the first SSB, if after receiving the first SSB for one period on each configured receiving beam on the secondary cell, the signal quality of all the first SSBs is lower than the set threshold, the terminal device infers / estimates that the activation process will fail, and the terminal device sends a second message on the primary cell to indicate to the network device to send the first SSB on the secondary cell. Correspondingly, the network device receives the second message on the primary cell.

[0158] Step 75: The network device sends the first SSB on the secondary cell. Correspondingly, the terminal device receives the first SSB on the primary cell.

[0159] Step 76: Re - execute the activation process of the secondary cell based on the first SSB.

[0160] Step 77: The network device sends CSI - RS on the secondary cell. Correspondingly, the terminal device receives CSI - RS on the secondary cell.

[0161] Step 78: The terminal device sends a measurement report of CSI - RS on the primary cell. Correspondingly, the network device receives the measurement report of CSI - RS on the primary cell.

[0162] Step 79: The network device sends the second SSB on the secondary cell. Correspondingly, the terminal device receives the second SSB on the secondary cell.

[0163] As Figure 8 shown, a schematic flowchart of a communication method is introduced. This Figure 8 Compared with Figure 6 and Figure 7 , the activation process of the secondary cell based on the first SSB fails for the terminal device. The terminal device requests the network device to execute the activation process of the secondary cell based on the second SSB.

[0164] Steps 80 to 83 refer to Steps 70 to 73.

[0165] Step 84: In the process of executing the activation process of the secondary cell based on the first SSB, if after receiving one cycle of the first SSB on each configured receiving beam on the secondary cell, the signal quality of all the first SSBs is lower than the set threshold, the terminal device infers / estimates that the activation process will fail. The terminal device sends a second piece of information on the primary cell to instruct the network device to send the second SSB on the secondary cell. Correspondingly, the network device receives the second piece of information on the primary cell.

[0166] Step 85: The network device sends the second SSB on the secondary cell. Correspondingly, the terminal device receives the second SSB on the primary cell.

[0167] Step 86: Execute the activation process of the secondary cell again based on the second SSB.

[0168] Step 87: The network device sends CSI-RS on the secondary cell. Correspondingly, the terminal device receives CSI-RS on the secondary cell.

[0169] Step 88: The terminal device sends a measurement report of CSI-RS on the primary cell. Correspondingly, the network device receives the measurement report of CSI-RS on the primary cell.

[0170] It can be understood that in order to implement the functions in the above embodiments, the terminal device and the network device include corresponding hardware structures and / or software modules for executing each function. Those skilled in the art should easily realize that, combining the units and method steps of each example described in the embodiments disclosed in the present application, the present application can be implemented in the form of hardware or a combination of hardware and computer software. Whether a certain function is executed in the way of hardware or computer software driving hardware depends on the specific application scenario and design constraint conditions of the technical solution.

[0171] Figure 9 and Figure 10Schematic diagram of a possible communication device provided by an embodiment of the present application. These communication devices can be used to implement the functions of the terminal device and the 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, for example, Figure 1 the terminal device 120 shown in Figure 1 , or the network device 110 shown in

[0172] . It can also be a module (such as a chip) applied to the terminal device or the network device. Figure 9 As shown in

[0173] , the communication device 900 includes a processing unit 910 and a transceiver unit 920. For example, the communication device 900 is used to implement the functions of the terminal device or the network device in the above Figure 4 , Figure 6 , Figure 7 , and Figure 8 method embodiments. The transceiver unit 920 can perform the receiving and sending actions performed by the terminal device or the network device in the above method embodiments. The processing unit 910 can perform other actions of the terminal device or the network device in the above method embodiments except for the sending and receiving actions.

[0174] Exemplarily, when the communication device 900 is used to implement the function of the terminal device in the method embodiment shown in Figure 4 , the transceiver unit 920 is used to receive the first information on the primary cell of the terminal device and receive the first SSB on the secondary cell of the terminal device. The processing unit 910 is used to parse the first information and perform the activation process of the secondary cell based on the first SSB.

[0175] Exemplarily, when the communication device 900 is used to implement the function of the network device in the method embodiment shown in Figure 4 , the transceiver unit 920 is used to receive the first information sent to the terminal device on the primary cell of the terminal device and send the first SSB to the terminal device on the secondary cell of the terminal device. The processing unit 910 is used to generate the first information.

[0176] For a more detailed description of the above processing unit 910 and transceiver unit 920, reference can be directly made to the relevant descriptions in the method embodiments shown in Figure 4 , Figure 6 , Figure 7 , and Figure 8 , which will not be elaborated here. The processing unit 910 can be implemented by a processor, and the transceiver unit 920 can be implemented by a transceiver.

[0177] As shown in Figure 10As shown, the communication device 1000 includes a processor 1010 and an interface circuit 1020. The processor 1010 and the interface circuit 1020 are coupled to each other. It can be understood that the interface circuit 1020 can be a transceiver or an input / output interface. Optionally, the communication device 1000 may further include a memory 1030, which is used to store instructions executed by the processor 1010, or input data required for the processor 1010 to run instructions, or data generated after the processor 1010 runs instructions. Sometimes, the interface circuit 1020 can also be understood as a part of the processor 1010. In this case, the communication device 1000 includes the processor 1010.

[0178] When the communication device 1000 is used to implement the above Figure 4 , Figure 6 , Figure 7 and Figure 8 shown method, the processor 1010 is used to implement the functions of the above processing unit 910, and the interface circuit 1020 is used to implement the functions of the above transceiver unit 920.

[0179] When the above communication device is a chip applied to a terminal device, the terminal device chip implements the functions of the terminal device in the above method embodiments. The terminal device chip receives information from a network device. It can be understood that this information is first received by other modules (such as a radio frequency module or an antenna) in the terminal device, and then sent by these modules to the terminal device chip. The terminal device chip sends information to the network device. It can be understood that this information is first sent to other modules (such as a radio frequency module or an antenna) in the terminal device, and then sent by these modules to the network device.

[0180] When the above communication device is a chip applied to a network device, the network device chip implements the functions of the network device in the above method embodiments. The network device chip receives information from a terminal device. It can be understood that this information is first received by other modules (such as a radio frequency module or an antenna) in the network device, and then sent by these modules to the network device chip. The network device chip sends information to the terminal device. It can be understood that this information is sent to other modules (such as a radio frequency module or an antenna) in the network device, and then sent by these modules to the terminal device. Here, the network device module can be a baseband chip of the network device, or a DU or other module. Here, the DU can be a DU under the open radio access network O-RAN architecture.

[0181] In this application, when entity A sends information to entity B, it can be that A directly sends to B, or A indirectly sends to B through other entities. Similarly, when entity B receives information from entity A, it can be that entity B directly receives the information sent by entity A, or entity B indirectly receives the information sent by entity A through other entities. Here, entity A and B can be network devices or terminal devices, or modules inside network devices or modules inside terminal devices. The sending and receiving of information can be information interaction between a network device and a terminal device, or the sending and receiving of information can also be information interaction between two network devices, such as the information interaction between a CU and a DU; the sending and receiving of information can also be information interaction between different modules within a device. For example, the information interaction between a terminal device chip and other modules of the terminal device, or the information interaction between a network device chip and other modules in the network device.

[0182] It can be understood that the processor in the embodiments of this application can be a central processing unit (CPU), or other general-purpose processors, digital signal processors (DSPs), application specific integrated circuits (ASICs), field programmable gate arrays (FPGAs), or other programmable logic devices, transistor logic devices, hardware components, or any combination thereof. The general-purpose processor can be a microprocessor or any conventional processor.

[0183] The embodiments of this application also provide a computer-readable storage medium storing a computer program, which when executed by a computer, can cause the computer to execute the above-mentioned communication method. Or rather: the computer program includes instructions for implementing the above-mentioned communication.

[0184] The embodiments of this application also provide a computer program product, including: computer program code, which when running on a computer, enables the computer to execute the above-provided communication method.

[0185] The embodiments of this application also provide a communication system, which includes: a network device and a terminal device that execute the above-mentioned communication method.

[0186] The method steps in the embodiments of the present application can be implemented in a hardware manner or by a processor executing software instructions. The software instructions can be composed of corresponding software modules, and the software modules can be stored in a 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, removable hard disk, compact disc read-only memory (CD-ROM) (also known as a read-only optical disc), 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 write information to the storage medium. Of course, the storage medium can also be a component of the processor. The processor and the storage medium can be located in an ASIC. In addition, the ASIC can be located in a base station or a terminal. Of course, the processor and the storage medium can also exist as discrete components in a base station or a terminal.

[0187] In the above embodiments, it can be implemented in whole or in part by software, hardware, firmware, or any combination thereof. When implemented using 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 instructions are loaded and executed on a computer, the processes or functions described in the embodiments of the present application are executed in whole or in part. The computer can be a general-purpose computer, a special-purpose computer, a computer network, a network device, a first control plane network element, a user equipment, or other programmable devices. The computer program or instructions can 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 instructions can be transmitted from one website, computer, server, or data center to another website, computer, server, or data center in a wired or wireless manner. The computer-readable storage medium can be any available medium that the computer can access or a data storage device such as a server or a data center integrating one or more available media. The available medium can be a magnetic medium, such as a floppy disk, a hard disk, or a magnetic tape; it can also be an optical medium, such as a digital video disc; or it can be a semiconductor medium, such as a solid-state drive. The computer-readable storage medium can be a volatile or non-volatile storage medium, or can include both volatile and non-volatile types of storage media.

[0188] In various embodiments of the present application, if there is no special explanation and logical conflict, the terms and / or descriptions between different embodiments are consistent and can be referenced to each other. The technical features in different embodiments can be combined to form new embodiments according to their inherent logical relationships.

[0189] In the embodiments of the present application, for the number of nouns, unless otherwise specified, it means "singular noun or plural noun", that is, "one or more". "At least one" means one or more, and "multiple" means two or more. "And / or" describes the association relationship of associated objects and indicates that three relationships can exist. For example, A and / or B can represent: A exists alone, A and B exist simultaneously, and B exists alone, where A or B can be singular or plural. The character " / " generally represents an "or" relationship between the preceding and following associated objects. For example, A / B means: A or B. Similar expressions such as "at least one of the following" or "one or more of them" refer to any combination of these items, including any combination of single item or plural items. For example, at least one of a, b, or c, or one or more of a, b, or c means: a, b, c, a and b, a and c, b and c, or a, b, and c. Each of a, b, and c can be single or multiple.

[0190] In the embodiments of the present application, ordinal numbers such as "first" and "second" are used to distinguish multiple objects and are not used to limit the size, content, order, time sequence, priority, or importance of multiple objects, etc. Moreover, such names do not indicate differences in the content, sender / receiver, sending order, size, application scenario, priority, or importance, etc. included in these two pieces of information. Additionally, for the numbering of steps in each of the embodiments introduced in the present application, it is only for distinguishing different steps and is not used to limit the sequence of steps.

Claims

1. A method for activating a secondary cell, characterized in that, applied to a terminal device, comprising: receiving, on a primary cell of the terminal device, first information indicating the number of first SSBs included in a Synchronization Signal and Physical Broadcast Channel block (SSB) period; receiving the first SSB on a secondary cell of the terminal device, wherein each of the first N - 1 time slots in a period of the first SSB includes 2 of the first SSBs, and 2 * N is greater than or equal to the number; or each of the first N - 1 time slots in a period of the first SSB includes 3 of the first SSBs, and 3 * N is greater than or equal to the number; N is an integer greater than or equal to 2; performing an activation process of the secondary cell based on the first SSB.

2. The method according to claim 1, characterized in that, a period of the first SSB includes N time slots; or, a period of the first SSB includes M sub - frames, M being a positive integer; or, a period of the first SSB is a half - frame.

3. The method according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that, the first information further indicates that the number of the first SSBs included in one time slot is 2 or 3.

4. The method according to any one of claims 1 - 3, characterized in that, two adjacent first SSBs within a time slot occupy consecutive symbols in the time slot.

5. The method according to any one of claims 1 - 3, characterized in that, further comprising: receiving a downlink reference signal on the secondary cell; sending a measurement report of the downlink reference signal on the primary cell.

6. The method according to claim 5, characterized in that, after sending the measurement report of the downlink reference signal on the primary cell, further comprising: receiving a second SSB on the secondary cell, wherein the length of a period of the second SSB is greater than the length of a period of the first SSB.

7. The method according to any one of claims 1 - 4, characterized in that, in the process of performing the activation process of the secondary cell based on the first SSB, if after receiving a period of the first SSB on each configured receive beam on the secondary cell, the signal quality of all the first SSBs is lower than a set threshold, further comprising: sending second information on the primary cell, the second information being used to instruct the network device to send the first SSB or the second SSB on the secondary cell.

8. A method for activating a secondary cell, characterized in that, applied to a network device, comprising: sending, on a primary cell of a terminal device, first information to the terminal device, the first information indicating the number of first SSBs included in a Synchronization Signal and Physical Broadcast Channel block (SSB) period; Transmit the first SSB to the terminal device on a secondary cell of the terminal device, where each of the first N - 1 time slots in a period of the first SSB includes 2 of the first SSBs, and 2*N is greater than or equal to the quantity; or, each of the first N - 1 time slots in a period of the first SSB includes 3 of the first SSBs, and 3*N is greater than or equal to the quantity; N is an integer greater than or equal to 2.

9. The method according to claim 8, characterized in that, a period of the first SSB includes N time slots; or, a period of the first SSB includes M sub - frames, where M is a positive integer; or, a period of the first SSB is a half - frame.

10. The method according to claim 8 or 9, characterized in that, the first information further indicates that the number of the first SSBs included in a time slot is 2 or 3.

11. The method according to any one of claims 8 - 10, characterized in that, two adjacent first SSBs within a time slot occupy consecutive symbols in the time slot.

12. The method according to any one of claims 8 - 11, characterized in that, after transmitting the first SSB to the terminal device, further includes: transmit a downlink reference signal to the terminal device on the secondary cell; receive a measurement report of the downlink reference signal from the terminal device on the primary cell.

13. The method according to any one of claims 8 - 12, characterized in that, after receiving the measurement report of the downlink reference signal from the terminal device on the primary cell, further includes: transmit a second SSB to the terminal device on the secondary cell, where the length of a period of the second SSB is greater than the length of a period of the first SSB.

14. The method according to any one of claims 8 - 12, characterized in that, after transmitting multiple periods of the first SSB, where each of the multiple periods of the first SSB is received by each receive beam configured for the terminal device for one period of the first SSB, further includes: receive second information from the terminal device on the primary cell, where the second information is used to indicate that the network device transmits the first SSB or the second SSB on the secondary cell.

15. A communication device, characterized in that, includes a module for performing the method according to any one of claims 1 - 14.

16. A computer - readable storage medium, characterized in that, the storage medium stores a computer program or instruction, and when the computer program or instruction is executed by a communication device, the method according to any one of claims 1 - 14 is implemented.

17. A computer program product, characterized in that, the computer program product includes: computer instructions, and when the computer instructions run on a computer, the method according to any one of claims 1 - 14 is implemented.

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