Communication method and device

Abstract

The invention provides a communication method and device, and the method comprises the steps that terminal equipment receives first configuration information and a first reference signal from network equipment, and the first configuration information is used for configuring first quasi co-location QCL source information corresponding to the first reference signal; the first reference signal is used for activating the first secondary cell; and the terminal device performs measurement according to the first reference signal and the first configuration information to obtain a first measurement result. According to the method, the complexity of processing the reference signal by the terminal equipment is reduced by utilizing the QCL relationship.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This application relates to the field of communication technologies, and in particular, to a communication method and apparatus. Background Art

[0002] Currently, for the activation process of a high-frequency secondary cell (SCell), the quasi-co-location (QCL) source of all reference signals during the activation process is the synchronization signal and PBCH block (SSB) signal of the SCell. If no SSB signal is sent, a UE-specific temporary reference signal (T-RS) is introduced to replace the SSB signal of the SCell to complete the cell activation process. Subsequently, there will be no QCL source information for the reference signals, that is, the QCL chain will no longer be complete, resulting in the need for the terminal device to estimate information such as Doppler frequency shift on each antenna port corresponding to the reference signal, increasing the processing complexity of the terminal device. Summary of the Invention

[0003] This application provides a communication method and a communication apparatus, which are applied to a scenario where the cell activation process is completed according to the T-RS, and can reduce the processing complexity of the terminal device.

[0004] In a first aspect, an embodiment of this application provides a communication method, which is applied to a terminal device. The method includes: receiving first configuration information from a network device, where the first configuration information is used to configure the QCL source information corresponding to a first reference signal; the first reference signal is used to activate a first secondary cell; receiving the first reference signal from the network device; and performing a measurement according to the first reference signal and the first configuration information to obtain a first measurement result.

[0005] The first reference signal in the above design may be a T-RS. By configuring the QCL source information for the first reference signal, subsequent reference signals use the first reference signal as the QCL source signal, which can ensure the integrity of the QCL chain, thereby reducing the workload of signal measurement of the terminal device and reducing the processing complexity of the terminal device.

[0006] In a possible design, the first configuration information includes one or more of the following: indication information of a second reference signal, cell information corresponding to the second reference signal, and the type of QCL relationship between the first reference signal and the second reference signal.

[0007] In a possible design, the second reference signal is the synchronization broadcast block SSB signal corresponding to the primary cell; wherein, the frequency point of the primary cell is within the first frequency band range, the frequency point of the first secondary cell is within the second frequency band range, and the channel correlation between the first secondary cell and the primary cell is greater than a second threshold; or, the frequency points of the first secondary cell and the primary cell are within the second frequency band range, and the frequency difference between the first secondary cell and the primary cell is less than a first threshold. In such a design, using the primary cell as the QCL source of the secondary cell can quickly determine the relevant signal measurement results of the secondary cell and reduce the processing complexity of the terminal device.

[0008] In a possible design, the second reference signal is the third reference signal corresponding to the activated second secondary cell; wherein, the frequency points of the first secondary cell and the second secondary cell are within the second frequency band range, and the frequency difference between the first secondary cell and the second secondary cell is less than a third threshold. In such a design, using the activated secondary cell as the QCL source of the to-be-activated cell can quickly determine the relevant signal measurement results of the to-be-activated secondary cell and reduce the processing complexity of the terminal device. Optionally, the third reference signal is the synchronization broadcast block SSB signal corresponding to the second secondary cell, or the tracking reference signal TRS periodically sent by the second secondary cell, or the demodulation reference signal DRMS sent by the second secondary cell.

[0009] In a possible design, the above method further includes: receiving second configuration information from the network device, where the second configuration information is used to configure the type of the QCL relationship between the fourth reference signal and the first reference signal; receiving the fourth reference signal from the network device; and performing measurements according to the fourth reference signal and the second configuration information to obtain a second measurement result. In another possible design, the above method further includes: receiving second configuration information from the network device, where the second configuration information is used to configure the types of the QCL relationships between the fourth reference signal, the fifth reference signal and the first reference signal; receiving the fourth reference signal from the network device; and performing measurements according to the fourth reference signal and the second configuration information to obtain a second measurement result. Herein, the fourth reference signal is a signal received by the terminal device after the first reference signal, and it can also be understood that the fourth reference signal is a subsequent signal of the first reference signal. In such a design, by using the QCL relationship and combining the parameters of the first reference signal during the measurement of the fourth reference signal, the measurement workload can be reduced and the processing complexity of the terminal device can be reduced.

[0010] In a possible design, the above method further includes: receiving third configuration information from the network device, where the third configuration information is used to configure the type of the quasi-co-location (QCL) relationship between the signal transmitted based on the activated first secondary cell and the first reference signal; or, the third configuration information is used to configure the type of the QCL relationship between the signal transmitted based on the activated first secondary cell and the fifth reference signal corresponding to the first secondary cell. Wherein, in the signal measurement process after the secondary cell is activated, by using the parameters of the first reference signal with reference to the QCL relationship, the measurement workload can be reduced, and the complexity of the processing of the terminal device can be reduced.

[0011] In a second aspect, an embodiment of the present application provides a communication method applied to a network device. The method includes: determining first configuration information, where the first configuration information is used to configure the quasi-co-location (QCL) source information corresponding to a first reference signal; the first reference signal is used to activate a first secondary cell; sending the first configuration information and the first reference signal to a terminal device, where the first configuration information and the first reference signal are used for measurement.

[0012] In a possible design, the first configuration information includes one or more of the following: indication information of a second reference signal, cell information corresponding to the second reference signal, and the type of the QCL relationship between the first reference signal and the second reference signal.

[0013] In a possible design, the second reference signal is a synchronization signal block (SSB) signal corresponding to the primary cell; wherein, the frequency point of the primary cell is in a first frequency band range, the frequency point of the first secondary cell is in a second frequency band range, and the channel correlation between the first secondary cell and the primary cell is greater than a second threshold; or, the frequency point of the first secondary cell and the frequency point of the primary cell are in the second frequency band range, and the frequency difference between the first secondary cell and the primary cell is less than a first threshold.

[0014] In a possible design, the second reference signal is a third reference signal corresponding to an activated second secondary cell; wherein, the frequency points of the first secondary cell and the second secondary cell are in the second frequency band range, and the frequency difference between the first secondary cell and the second secondary cell is less than a third threshold. Optionally, the third reference signal is a synchronization signal block (SSB) signal corresponding to the second secondary cell, or a tracking reference signal (TRS) periodically sent by the second secondary cell, or a demodulation reference signal (DRMS) sent by the second secondary cell.

[0015] In a possible design, the above method further includes: sending second configuration information to the terminal device, where the second configuration information is used to configure the type of the quasi-co-location (QCL) relationship between a fourth reference signal and the first reference signal; sending the fourth reference signal to the terminal device; where the second configuration information and the fourth reference signal are used for measurement.

[0016] In a possible design, the above method further includes: sending second configuration information to the terminal device, where the second configuration information is used to configure the types of the QCL relationships between a fourth reference signal, a fifth reference signal and the first reference signal; sending the fourth reference signal to the terminal device; where the second configuration information and the fourth reference signal are used for measurement.

[0017] In a possible design, the above method further includes: sending third configuration information to the terminal device, where the third configuration information is used to configure the type of the QCL relationship between the signal transmitted based on the activated first secondary cell and the first reference signal; and / or, the third configuration information is used to configure the type of the QCL relationship between the signal transmitted based on the activated first secondary cell and the fifth reference signal corresponding to the first secondary cell.

[0018] In a third aspect, an embodiment of the present application provides a communication device, which may be a terminal device, or a device, module or chip in the terminal device, etc., or a device that can be used in matching with the terminal device. In one design, the communication device may include modules corresponding one by one to the methods / operations / steps / actions described in the first aspect, and the module may be a hardware circuit, software, or a combination of hardware circuit and software. In one design, the communication device may include a processing module and a communication module, and the communication module includes a sending unit and a receiving unit. Optionally, the processing module may also be described as a processing unit.

[0019] A receiving unit, configured to receive first configuration information from a network device, where the first configuration information is used to configure the quasi-co-location (QCL) source information corresponding to a first reference signal; and receive the first reference signal from the network device; where the first reference signal is used to activate a first secondary cell;

[0020] A processing unit, configured to perform measurement according to the first reference signal and the first configuration information to obtain a first measurement result.

[0021] In a possible design, the first configuration information includes one or more of the following: indication information of a second reference signal, cell information corresponding to the second reference signal, and the type of the QCL relationship between the first reference signal and the second reference signal.

[0022] In a possible design, the second reference signal is the synchronization broadcast block SSB signal corresponding to the primary cell; wherein, the frequency point of the primary cell is within the first frequency band range, the frequency point of the first secondary cell is within the second frequency band range, and the channel correlation between the first secondary cell and the primary cell is greater than a second threshold; or, the frequency points of the first secondary cell and the primary cell are within the second frequency band range, and the frequency difference between the first secondary cell and the primary cell is less than a first threshold.

[0023] In a possible design, the second reference signal is the third reference signal corresponding to the activated second secondary cell; wherein, the frequency points of the first secondary cell and the second secondary cell are within the second frequency band range, and the frequency difference between the first secondary cell and the second secondary cell is less than a third threshold. Optionally, the third reference signal is the synchronization broadcast block SSB signal corresponding to the second secondary cell, or the tracking reference signal TRS periodically sent by the second secondary cell, or the demodulation reference signal DRMS sent by the second secondary cell.

[0024] In a possible design, the receiving unit is further configured to receive second configuration information from the network device, where the second configuration information is used to configure the type of the QCL relationship between the fourth reference signal and the first reference signal; and receive the fourth reference signal from the network device. The processing unit is further configured to perform measurements according to the fourth reference signal and the second configuration information to obtain a second measurement result.

[0025] In a possible design, the receiving unit is further configured to receive second configuration information from the network device, where the second configuration information is used to configure the types of the QCL relationships between the fourth reference signal, the fifth reference signal and the first reference signal; and receive the fourth reference signal from the network device. The processing unit is further configured to perform measurements according to the fourth reference signal and the second configuration information to obtain a second measurement result. Wherein, the fourth reference signal is the signal received by the terminal device after the first reference signal, and it can also be understood that the fourth reference signal is the subsequent signal of the first reference signal.

[0026] In a possible design, the receiving unit is further configured to receive third configuration information from the network device, where the third configuration information is used to configure the type of the QCL relationship between the signal transmitted based on the activated first secondary cell and the first reference signal; or, the third configuration information is used to configure the type of the QCL relationship between the signal transmitted based on the activated first secondary cell and the fifth reference signal corresponding to the first secondary cell.

[0027] Fourthly, an embodiment of the present application provides a communication device, which may be a network device, or a device, module, or chip in the network device, or a device that can be used in combination with the network device. In one design, the communication device may include modules corresponding one by one to the methods / operations / steps / actions described in the second aspect. The module may be a hardware circuit, software, or a combination of hardware circuit and software. In one design, the communication device may include a processing module and a communication module; wherein, the communication module includes a sending unit and a receiving unit. Optionally, the processing module may also be alternatively described as a processing unit.

[0028] A processing unit, configured to determine first configuration information, where the first configuration information is used to configure quasi co-location (QCL) source information corresponding to a first reference signal, and the first reference signal is used to activate a first secondary cell.

[0029] The sending unit sends the first configuration information and the first reference signal to a terminal device, and the first configuration information and the first reference signal are used for measurement.

[0030] In a possible design, the first configuration information includes one or more of the following: indication information of a second reference signal, cell information corresponding to the second reference signal, and a type of QCL relationship between the first reference signal and the second reference signal.

[0031] In a possible design, the second reference signal is a synchronization signal block (SSB) signal corresponding to a primary cell; wherein, the frequency point of the primary cell is within a first frequency band range, the frequency point of the first secondary cell is within a second frequency band range, and the channel correlation between the first secondary cell and the primary cell is greater than a second threshold; or, the frequency point of the first secondary cell and the frequency point of the primary cell are within the second frequency band range, and the frequency difference between the first secondary cell and the primary cell is less than a first threshold.

[0032] In a possible design, the second reference signal is a third reference signal corresponding to an activated second secondary cell; wherein, the frequency points of the first secondary cell and the second secondary cell are within the second frequency band range, and the frequency difference between the first secondary cell and the second secondary cell is less than a third threshold. Optionally, the third reference signal is an SSB signal corresponding to the second secondary cell, or a tracking reference signal (TRS) periodically sent by the second secondary cell, or a demodulation reference signal (DRMS) sent by the second secondary cell.

[0033] In a possible design, the above method further includes: sending second configuration information to the terminal device, where the second configuration information is used to configure the type of the quasi-co-location (QCL) relationship between a fourth reference signal and the first reference signal; sending the fourth reference signal to the terminal device; where the second configuration information and the fourth reference signal are used for measurement.

[0034] In a possible design, the sending unit is further configured to send second configuration information to the terminal device, where the second configuration information is used to configure the type of the QCL relationship between a fourth reference signal, a fifth reference signal and the first reference signal; sending the fourth reference signal to the terminal device; where the second configuration information and the fourth reference signal are used for measurement.

[0035] In a possible design, the sending unit is further configured to send third configuration information to the terminal device, where the third configuration information is used to configure the type of the QCL relationship between a signal transmitted based on the activated first secondary cell and the first reference signal; and / or, the third configuration information is used to configure the type of the QCL relationship between a signal transmitted based on the activated first secondary cell and a fifth reference signal corresponding to the first secondary cell.

[0036] In a fifth aspect, an embodiment of the present application provides a communication device, where the communication device includes a processor for implementing the method described in the first aspect above. The processor is coupled to a memory, and the memory is used to store instructions and data. When the processor executes the instructions stored in the memory, the method described in the first aspect can be implemented. Optionally, the communication device may further include a memory; the communication device may further include a communication interface, and the communication interface is used for the communication device to communicate with other devices. Exemplarily, the communication interface may be a transceiver, a circuit, a bus, a module, a pin or other types of communication interfaces.

[0037] In a sixth aspect, an embodiment of the present application provides a communication device, where the communication device includes a processor for implementing the method described in the second aspect above. The processor is coupled to a memory, and the memory is used to store instructions and data. When the processor executes the instructions stored in the memory, the method described in the second aspect can be implemented. Optionally, the communication device may further include a memory; the communication device may further include a communication interface, and the communication interface is used for the communication device to communicate with other devices. Exemplarily, the communication interface may be a transceiver, a circuit, a bus, a module, a pin or other types of communication interfaces.

[0038] In a seventh aspect, an embodiment of the present application provides a communication system, including the communication device described in the third aspect or the fifth aspect; and the communication device described in the fourth aspect or the sixth aspect.

[0039] In an eighth aspect, an embodiment of the present application further provides a computer program, which, when running on a computer, causes the computer to execute the method provided in the first aspect or the second aspect above.

[0040] In a ninth aspect, an embodiment of the present application further provides a computer program product, including instructions, which, when running on a computer, cause the computer to execute the method provided in the first aspect or the second aspect above.

[0041] In a tenth aspect, an embodiment of the present application further provides a computer-readable storage medium, in which a computer program or instructions are stored, which, when running on a computer, cause the computer to execute the method provided in the first aspect or the second aspect above.

[0042] In an eleventh aspect, an embodiment of the present application further provides a chip, which is used to read a computer program stored in a memory and execute the method provided in the first aspect or the second aspect above, or the chip includes a circuit for executing the method provided in the first aspect or the second aspect above.

[0043] In a twelfth aspect, an embodiment of the present application further provides a chip system, which includes a processor for supporting a device to implement the method provided in the first aspect or the second aspect above. In a possible design, the chip system further includes a memory for storing necessary programs and data of the device. The chip system can be composed of chips or can include chips and other discrete devices.

[0044] For the effects of the solutions provided in any of the second aspect to the twelfth aspect above, reference can be made to the corresponding descriptions in the first aspect. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0045] Figure 1 It is a schematic diagram of the architecture of a communication system in an embodiment of the present application;

[0046] Figure 2 It is one of the schematic flowcharts of the communication method in an embodiment of the present application;

[0047] Figure 3A It is one of the schematic diagrams of the QCL relationship in an embodiment of the present application;

[0048] Figure 3B It is one of the schematic diagrams of the QCL relationship in an embodiment of the present application;

[0049] Figure 4 It is one of the schematic flowcharts of the communication method in an embodiment of the present application;

[0050] Figure 5AOne of the schematic diagrams of the QCL relationship in the embodiments of the present application;

[0051] Figure 5B One of the schematic diagrams of the QCL relationship in the embodiments of the present application;

[0052] Figure 6 One of the schematic flowcharts of the communication method in the embodiments of the present application;

[0053] Figure 7A One of the schematic diagrams of the QCL relationship in the embodiments of the present application;

[0054] Figure 7B One of the schematic diagrams of the QCL relationship in the embodiments of the present application;

[0055] Figure 8 One of the schematic diagrams of the structure of the communication device in the embodiments of the present application;

[0056] Figure 9 One of the schematic diagrams of the structure of the communication device in the embodiments of the present application. Detailed implementation manners

[0057] In order to make the objectives, technical solutions, and advantages of the embodiments of the present application clearer, the embodiments of the present application will be further described in detail below with reference to the accompanying drawings.

[0058] At least one (item) involved in the following embodiments of the present application indicates one (item) or more (items). More (items) means two (items) or more than two (items). "And / or" describes the association relationship of associated objects and indicates that there can be three relationships. For example, A and / or B can indicate: A exists alone, A and B exist simultaneously, and B exists alone. These three situations. The character " / " generally indicates that the associated objects before and after are in an "or" relationship. In addition, it should be understood that although terms such as first and second may be used in the embodiments of the present application to describe various objects, these objects should not be limited to these terms. These terms are only used to distinguish each object from each other.

[0059] As used in the following description of the embodiments of the present application, the terms "including" and "having" and any variations thereof are intended to cover non-exclusive inclusion. For example, a process, method, system, product, or device that includes a series of steps or units is not limited to the listed steps or units, but may optionally further include other steps or units not listed, or may optionally further include other steps or units inherent to these processes, methods, products, or devices. It should be noted that in the embodiments of the present application, words such as "exemplary" or "for example" are used to mean being an example, illustration, or description. Any method or design solution described as "exemplary" or "for example" in the embodiments of the present application should not be construed as being more preferred or having more advantages than other methods or design solutions. Rather, the use of words such as "exemplary" or "for example" is intended to present the relevant concepts in a specific manner.

[0060] As Figure 1 shown, the communication system includes a radio access network (RAN) 100, where the RAN 100 includes at least one RAN node (such as Figure 1 110a and 110b in Figure 1 , collectively referred to as 110), and may further include at least one terminal (such as Figure 1 120a - 120j in

[0061] 120). The RAN 100 may further include other RAN nodes, for example, wireless relay devices and / or wireless backhaul devices ( Figure 1 not shown in ). The terminal 120 is connected to the RAN node 110 wirelessly. Terminals and terminals, as well as RAN nodes and RAN nodes, can be connected to each other in a wired or wireless manner. The communication system 1000 may further include a core network 200. The RAN node 110 is connected to the core network 200 wirelessly or by wire. The core network devices in the core network 200 and the RAN nodes 110 in the RAN 100 may be independent and different physical devices, or may be the same physical device integrating the logical functions of the core network devices and the logical functions of the RAN nodes. The communication system 1000 may further include the Internet 300.

[0061] The RAN 100 may be an evolved universal terrestrial radio access (E-UTRA) system, a new radio (NR) system, and a future wireless access system defined in the 3rd generation partnership project (3GPP). The RAN 100 may further include two or more different wireless access systems described above. The RAN 100 may also be an open RAN (O-RAN).

[0062] A RAN node, also known as a network device, access network device, radio access network device, RAN entity, or access node, is used to assist a terminal in accessing a communication system wirelessly. In one application scenario, the RAN node can be a base station, evolved NodeB (eNodeB), transmission reception point (TRP), next generation NodeB (gNB) in a 5th generation (5G) mobile communication system, next generation NodeB in a 6th generation (6G) mobile communication system, or a base station in a future mobile communication system. The RAN node can be a macro base station (such as Figure 1 110a in Figure 1In 110b), it can also be a relay node or a donor node. In another application scenario, the cooperation of multiple RAN nodes can be used to assist the terminal in achieving wireless access, and different RAN nodes respectively implement some functions of the base station. For example, the RAN node can be a central unit (CU), a distributed unit (DU), or a radio unit (RU). Here, the CU completes the functions of the radio resource control protocol and the packet data convergence protocol (PDCP) of the base station, and can also complete the function of the service data adaptation protocol (SDAP); the DU completes the functions of the radio link control layer and the medium access control (MAC) layer of the base station, and can also complete some or all of the functions of the physical layer. For the specific descriptions of the above various protocol layers, reference can be made to the relevant technical specifications of 3GPP. The RU can be used to implement the functions of transmitting and receiving radio frequency signals. The CU and the DU can be two independent RAN nodes, or can be integrated in the same RAN node, for example, integrated in the baseband unit (BBU). The RU can be included in the radio frequency device, for example, included in the remote radio unit (RRU) or the active antenna unit (AAU). The CU can be further divided into two types of RAN nodes: CU-control plane and CU-user plane. In different systems, the RAN node may have different names. For example, in the O-RAN system, the CU can be called an open CU (O-CU), the DU can be called an open DU (O-DU), and the RU can be called an open RU (O-RU). The RAN node in the embodiments of the present application can be implemented by means of a software module, a hardware module, or a combination of a software module and a hardware module. For example, the RAN node can be a server loaded with the corresponding software module. The embodiments of the present application do not limit the specific technologies and specific device forms adopted by the RAN node. For the convenience of description, in the following text, a network device is used as an example of the RAN node for description.

[0063] A terminal is a device with wireless transceiver capabilities that can send signals to a network device or receive signals from a network device. A terminal can also be referred to as a terminal device, user equipment (UE), mobile station, mobile terminal, etc. Terminals can be widely applied in 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. A terminal can be a mobile phone, tablet computer, computer with wireless transceiver capabilities, wearable device, vehicle, airplane, ship, robot, robotic arm, smart home device, etc. Embodiments of this application do not limit the specific technologies and specific device forms adopted by the terminal.

[0064] The network device and the terminal can be fixed-location or movable. The network device and the terminal can be deployed on land, including indoors or outdoors, handheld or vehicle-mounted; they can also be deployed on water; they can also be deployed on airplanes, balloons, and artificial satellites. Embodiments of this application do not limit the application scenarios of the network device and the terminal.

[0065] The roles of the network device and the terminal can be relative. For example, Figure 1 the helicopter or drone 120i in [reference] can be configured as a mobile network device. For the terminals 120j that access the radio access network 100 through 120i, the terminal 120i is a network device; but for the network device 110a, 120i is a terminal, 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. In this case, relative to 110a, 120i is also a network device. Therefore, both the network device and the terminal can be uniformly referred to as communication devices. Figure 1 The 110a and 110b in [reference] can be referred to as communication devices with network device functions. Figure 1 The 120a - 120j in [reference] can be referred to as communication devices with terminal functions.

[0066] Communication can be carried out between a network device and a terminal, between network devices, or between terminals through licensed spectrum, unlicensed spectrum, or both simultaneously; communication can be carried out through spectrum below 6 gigahertz (GHz), through spectrum above 6 GHz, or using 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.

[0067] 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. The control subsystem that includes the functions of the network device can be a control center in application scenarios such as smart grid, industrial control, intelligent transportation, and smart city. The functions of a terminal can also be performed by a module (such as a chip or a modem) in the terminal or by a device that includes the functions of the terminal.

[0068] In this application, the network device sends a downlink signal or downlink information to the terminal, and the downlink information is carried on a downlink channel; the terminal sends an uplink signal or uplink information to the network device, and the uplink information is carried on an uplink channel. In order to communicate with the network device, the terminal 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 is called the serving cell of the terminal. When the terminal communicates with the serving cell, it is also affected by signals from neighboring cells.

[0069] It can be understood that in embodiments of this application, the physical downlink shared channel (PDSCH), physical downlink control channel (PDCCH), and physical broadcast channel (PBCH) are only examples of the downlink data channel, downlink control channel, and broadcast channel respectively. In different systems and different scenarios, the data channel and control channel may have different names, and embodiments of this application do not limit this.

[0070] First, the relevant technical features involved in embodiments of this application will be explained below. It should be noted that these explanations are for the purpose of making the embodiments of this application easier to understand and should not be regarded as a limitation on the protection scope required by this application.

[0071] (1) Frequency band, carrier

[0072] A band refers to a segment of frequency or a frequency range. A 5G communication system may include multiple bands, such as n1, n2, n41, n78, etc. n1, n2, n41, n78, etc. can be understood as band numbers, and each band number is used to identify a preset frequency range. For example, the frequency range identified by n41 includes 2496 MHz - 2690 MHz. The frequency range described here takes the uplink frequency range as an example. One band may include one or more carriers. Carriers can be divided into uplink carriers and downlink carriers. The uplink carrier is used for the terminal to communicate with the network device in the uplink, and the downlink carrier is used for the terminal to communicate with the network device in the downlink.

[0073] (2) Cell

[0074] A cell is a set of resources managed by a network device, including frequency domain resources and spatial domain resources. The frequency domain resources of a cell include uplink frequency domain resources and / or downlink frequency domain resources; the spatial domain resources of a cell can be the spatial domain resources corresponding to a beam or a group of beams, and can also be understood as a specific physical coverage area corresponding to a cell.

[0075] In the embodiments of this application, different cells can be managed by different network devices. For example, Cell #1 and Cell #2 can be managed by different network devices. In this case, it can be said that Cell #1 and Cell #2 are not co-located. Cell #1 and Cell #2 can also be managed by the same network device, having the same baseband processing unit and / or radio frequency processing unit. This application does not make special limitations on this.

[0076] According to the different frequency band ranges where the cells are located (or understood as corresponding), cells in the range of 450 MHz - 6000 MHz can be called cells in Frequency Range (FR) 1 or low-frequency cells, and cells in the range of 24250 MHz - 52600 MHz can be called cells in FR2 or high-frequency cells. Among them, the frequency range can also be described by replacing it with the frequency band range, frequency domain range or other names. The embodiments of this application do not limit this. In addition, it should be noted that there is a one-to-one correspondence between a cell and a carrier. Under the condition of no logical conflict, a cell and a carrier can be used interchangeably. That is to say, the frequency band range where a cell is located can be understood as the frequency band range where the frequency of the carrier corresponding to the cell is located, and can also be called the operating frequency band of the cell or the frequency band where the cell is located, etc.

[0077] (3) Carrier Aggregation

[0078] Carrier aggregation is to aggregate two or more carriers together to provide services for a terminal. To efficiently utilize fragmented spectrum, carrier aggregation supports aggregation between different carriers. Here, the different carriers can be carriers with the same bandwidth or different bandwidths, or adjacent or non - adjacent carriers within the same frequency band, or carriers in different frequency bands. Carrier aggregation can be divided into intra - band continuous carrier aggregation, intra - band discontinuous carrier aggregation, and inter - band discontinuous carrier aggregation.

[0079] When carrier aggregation is introduced, the cell providing services for the terminal can include a primary cell and one or more secondary cells. That is to say, the primary cell of the terminal and all secondary cells are the service cells of the terminal. Carrier aggregation supports the terminal to perform data transmission on the primary cell and secondary cells simultaneously. For example, when both the primary cell and the secondary cell include an uplink carrier, the terminal can simultaneously send uplink data to the network device in parallel on the primary cell and the secondary cell; another example is that when both the primary cell and the secondary cell include a downlink carrier, the terminal can simultaneously receive downlink data sent by the network device in parallel on the primary cell and the secondary cell.

[0080] In this application, when the terminal receives downlink data from the network device, it can perform carrier aggregation on N cells. That is, the terminal can perform carrier aggregation on one primary cell and N - 1 secondary cells. Or rather, the maximum number of carriers for the terminal to receive downlink data in parallel is N, the maximum number of cells for the terminal to receive downlink data in parallel is N, the processing capacity of the terminal to receive downlink data in parallel is N, etc. N is an integer greater than 1. In this application, the above several expressions can be used interchangeably. The maximum number of carriers for the terminal to receive downlink data in parallel can be expressed as max number of carrier receiving PDSCH.

[0081] Among them, the primary cell (PCell) can be the cell where the terminal establishes an initial connection, or the primary cell can be the cell where the terminal performs radio resource control (RRC) connection re - establishment. The primary cell can be used for RRC communication between the network device and the terminal. The carrier corresponding to the primary cell is called the primary component carrier (PCC).

[0082] A secondary cell (SCell) can be used to provide additional radio resources. For example, there is no RRC communication between the secondary cell and the terminal. The secondary cell can be added / modified / released through an RRC reconfiguration message after the initial security activation procedure. The carrier corresponding to the secondary cell is called a secondary component carrier (SCC).

[0083] (4) Status of the secondary cell

[0084] The status of the secondary cell can include the active state and the inactive state.

[0085] When the secondary cell is in the active state, the terminal can perform at least one of the following operations within the carrier corresponding to the secondary cell: send semi-persistent scheduling (SPS); report channel state information (CSI); detect the PDCCH transmitted on this secondary cell. When carrier aggregation configures cross-carrier scheduling, if this secondary cell is scheduled by another cell, there will be a PDCCH of this scheduled secondary cell on the scheduling cell, and this PDCCH is called the PDCCH for scheduling this secondary cell.

[0086] When the secondary cell is in the inactive state, the terminal does not send a sounding reference signal (SRS), does not report CSI, does not transmit uplink data, does not listen to the PDCCH, and does not send a PUCCH within the carrier corresponding to the secondary cell. Here, the uplink data includes the uplink shared channel (UL-SCH) and the random access channel (RACH).

[0087] The status of the secondary cell can be switched between the active state and the inactive state.

[0088] Specifically, after the network device configures a secondary cell for the terminal, the secondary cell is in a deactivated state. The network device can determine whether to activate the secondary cell for the terminal according to actual needs. When the network device determines that it is necessary to activate the secondary cell of the terminal, it can send an activation command to the terminal. Subsequently, the terminal can activate the secondary cell according to the activation command, so that the state of the secondary cell changes from the deactivated state to the activated state. Further, for the activated secondary cell, the network device can send a deactivation command to the terminal, and then the terminal can deactivate the secondary cell according to the deactivation command. Among them, both the activation command and the deactivation command can be the control unit (MAC control element, MACCE) of the medium access control (MAC). In addition, the network device can also configure a deactivation timer for the terminal device. When the deactivation timer expires, the terminal device can consider that the state of the secondary cell (SCell) changes from the activated state to the deactivated state.

[0089] (5) Quasi co-location (QCL)

[0090] Theoretically, two signals transmitted from the same antenna port will experience the same radio channel, and two signals transmitted from two different antenna ports will experience different radio channels. According to the protocol definition, in some cases, signals transmitted from two different antenna ports will experience radio channels with common characteristics. Such antenna ports are called quasi co-located, that is, QCL; or it can also be alternatively described as: there is a QCL relationship between the signals transmitted from such antenna ports.

[0091] The embodiments of this application involve the transmission of some reference signals. The reference signal can also be called a "pilot" signal, which is a known signal sent from the transmitting end to the receiving end for channel estimation or channel sounding. According to the functional division, the reference signal can include a demodulation reference signal (DMRS), a channel state information reference signal (CSI-RS), a phase tracking reference signal (PTRS), a sounding reference signal (SRS), etc. The reference signal is generally used for measurements (such as channel state measurement or signal quality measurement, etc.), channel estimation, auxiliary signal demodulation, detection, etc. For example, DMRS and CSI-RS can be used to obtain channel information, and PTRS can be used to obtain phase change information.

[0092] For example, reference signals having a QCL relationship correspond to the same parameters. Alternatively, the parameters corresponding to a reference signal (which may also be referred to as QCL parameters) can be used as a QCL source to determine the parameters corresponding to another reference signal having a QCL relationship with the reference signal. Alternatively, two reference signals correspond to the same parameters, or the difference between the parameters corresponding to the two reference signals is less than a certain threshold. Among them, the parameters may include one or more of the following: delay spread, doppler spread, doppler shift, average delay, average gain, spatial Rx parameters. Among them, the spatial Rx parameters may include one or more of the following: angle of arrival (AOA), average AOA, AOA spread, angle of departure

[0093] (AOD), average angle of departure AOD, AOD spread, receive antenna spatial correlation parameters, transmit antenna spatial correlation parameters, transmit beam, receive beam, and resource identifier.

[0094] In the NR protocol, the QCL relationship can be divided into four types as shown in Table 1 based on different parameters:

[0095] Table 1

[0096] QCL Type Description QCL Type A Doppler Shift, Doppler Spread, Average Delay, Delay Spread QCL Type B Doppler Shift, Doppler Spread QCL Type C Doppler Shift, Average Delay QCL Type D Spatial Rx Parameter

[0097] Among them, QCL type A, QCL type B, and QCL type C are applicable to all frequency bands, while QCL type D is only used for high frequency bands (such as greater than 6 GHz).

[0098] Currently, for the activation process of high-frequency SCell, the QCL source of all reference signals during the activation process is the SSB signal of the SCell. If no SSB signal is transmitted, a UE-specific temporary reference signal (T-RS) is introduced to replace the SSB signal of the SCell to complete the cell activation process. Then, there will be no QCL source information for subsequent CSI-RS / PDCCH DMRS / PDSCH DMRS, and the QCL chain will no longer be complete, resulting in the need for the terminal device to estimate information such as doppler shift on the antenna port corresponding to each signal, increasing the processing complexity of the terminal device.

[0099] Based on this, embodiments of the present application provide some solutions to configure the QCL source information of the T-RS, and use the T-RS as the QCL source of the subsequent CSI-RS / PDCCH DMRS / PDSCH DMRS, ensuring the integrity of the QCL chain in the case of no SSB signal transmission and reducing the complexity of the terminal device in processing reference signals.

[0100] For example Figure 2 schematically shows a communication method, which involves configuring the QCL source information of the T-RS. Specifically, the method includes the following steps.

[0101] S201, the network device sends first configuration information to the terminal device.

[0102] The first configuration information is used to configure the first quasi-co-located QCL source information corresponding to the first reference signal; the first reference signal is used to activate the first secondary cell. The first reference signal represents the aforementioned T-RS, and the first reference signal (or T-RS) may specifically be a CSI-RS or a simplified SSB signal. It can be understood that the simplified SSB refers to an SSB signal that only includes the primary synchronization signal (PSS) and the secondary synchronization signal (SSS), but does not include the PBCH.

[0103] Specifically, the first configuration information includes one or more of the following: indication information of the second reference signal, cell information corresponding to the second reference signal, and type of the QCL relationship between the first reference signal and the second reference signal. It can be understood that the second reference signal is the QCL source signal of the first reference signal.

[0104] In a possible design, for example Figure 3A schematically shows that the T-RS on the SCell to be activated can be co-located with the SSB signal on the primary cell (PCell) through QCL type C, that is, referring to the information of the SSB signal port on the primary cell PCell, and obtaining the Doppler frequency shift and average delay information of receiving the T-RS signal on the port of the secondary cell. Based on this, the second reference signal may be the synchronization broadcast block SSB signal corresponding to the primary cell, and the first configuration information includes indication information of the SSB signal, the identifier (index) of the primary cell corresponding to the SSB, and indication information of QCL type C. For example, here the reference signal is SSB information, the cell index is the cell index of the PCell, and the QCL type is QCL type C.

[0105] Specifically, such a design can be applied to the following two communication scenarios.

[0106] Scenario 1: The frequency of the first secondary cell is in the second frequency band range and the frequency difference between the first secondary cell and the primary cell is less than the first threshold. For example, the frequencies of the primary cell (PCell) and the first secondary cell (SCell) are both in the FR2 frequency band range, that is, both the PCell and the first SCell are FR2 cells, and the frequency difference between the PCell and the first SCell is less than the first threshold. Then, the second reference signal may be the synchronization broadcast block (SSB) signal corresponding to the primary cell. Optionally, it may also be restricted that the reception timing difference or reception power difference between the PCell and the first SCell is less than a specified threshold. The aforementioned threshold may be predefined by the protocol or pre-configured by the network device.

[0107] Scenario 2: The frequency of the primary cell is in the first frequency band range, the frequency of the first secondary cell is in the second frequency band range, and the channel correlation between the first secondary cell and the primary cell is greater than the second threshold. For example, the frequency of the primary cell (PCell) is in the FR1 frequency band range, being an FR1 cell; the frequency of the first secondary cell (SCell) is in the FR2 frequency band range, being an FR2 cell. In this case, if the channel correlation between the PCell and the first SCell is greater than the second threshold, then the second reference signal may be the synchronization broadcast block (SSB) signal corresponding to the primary cell. Optionally, in this scenario, the PCell in FR1 and the first SCell in FR2 correspond to the same network device, or it can also be understood that the PCell in FR1 and the first SCell in FR2 are co-located. The aforementioned threshold may be predefined by the protocol or pre-configured by the network device.

[0108] In another possible design, such as Figure 3B It is indicated that the T-RS signal on the SCell to be activated can be co-located with the reference signals of other activated SCells through QCL type A. Based on this, the second reference signal is the third reference signal corresponding to the activated second secondary cell. Optionally, the third reference signal may be one of the following signals: the synchronization broadcast block (SSB) signal corresponding to the second secondary cell, the tracking reference signal (TRS) periodically sent by the second secondary cell, the demodulation reference signal (DRMS) sent by the second secondary cell, or alternatively described as: the third reference signal may be the synchronization broadcast block (SSB) signal corresponding to the second secondary cell, or the tracking reference signal (TRS) periodically sent by the second secondary cell, or the demodulation reference signal (DRMS) sent by the second secondary cell

[0109] Specifically, such a design can be applied to the following communication scenarios: the frequency points of the first secondary cell and the second secondary cell are within the second frequency band range, and the frequency difference between the first secondary cell and the second secondary cell is less than a third threshold. For example, the frequency points of the first SCell and the second SCell are both within the FR2 frequency band range, that is, both the first SCell and the second SCell are FR2 cells, and the frequency difference between the first SCell and the second SCell is less than the third threshold, then the second reference signal can be the SSB signal, TRS, or DMRS corresponding to the activated second SCell. Optionally, the reception timing difference or reception power difference between the primary PCell and the first SCell can also be constrained to be less than a specified threshold. The foregoing thresholds can be predefined by the protocol or preconfigured by the network device.

[0110] In a possible implementation, the network device can send the first configuration information to the terminal device through RRC signaling.

[0111] S202, the network device sends the first reference signal to the terminal device.

[0112] The definition of the first reference signal can be understood with reference to the description in S201, and this application embodiment will not elaborate on it. In a possible implementation, the network device can send the first reference signal to the terminal device through one or more beam directions, that is, the number of first reference signals that the terminal device can receive is one or more, and the beam directions corresponding to the multiple first reference signals are different.

[0113] S203, the terminal device performs measurements based on the first reference signal and the first configuration information to obtain a first measurement result.

[0114] Specifically, as described in S201, the first reference signal is T-RS. When the terminal device executes the activation process of the first secondary cell, it can complete the automatic gain control (AGC) settling based on the T-RS to obtain a power value, or complete the coarse synchronization (i.e., cell search) process based on the T-RS to obtain frame synchronization information; or complete the measurement of the layer 1 reference signal received power (L1-RSRP) based on the T-RS to obtain the RSRP measurement value.

[0115] Optionally, corresponding to the case where the network device uses multiple beam directions to transmit the first reference signal in S202, the terminal device may perform L1-RSRP measurement based on the first reference signal corresponding to each beam direction to obtain RSRP measurement values corresponding to multiple beam directions, and determine the beam direction corresponding to the highest RSRP measurement value as the optimal beam direction.

[0116] In the above design, in the process of using T-RS to replace the SSB signal to activate the secondary cell, QCL source information is defined for T-RS. When the terminal device receives and measures T-RS, it can refer to some known measurement results or channel estimation information on the QCL source information, which helps to reduce the processing complexity of the terminal device.

[0117] Such as Figure 4 Schematically shows a communication method, which involves configuring the QCL source information of CSI-RS. Specifically, the method includes the following steps.

[0118] S401, the network device sends second configuration information to the terminal device.

[0119] The second configuration information is used to configure the quasi-co-location QCL source information corresponding to the fourth reference signal, and the fourth reference signal is CSI-RS.

[0120] In a possible design, such as Figure 5A Schematically shows that the CSI-RS on the to-be-activated SCell can be co-located with T-RS through QCL type C and QCL type D, that is, for the CSI-RS, the terminal device can refer to the antenna port information on the previously received T-RS (i.e., the first reference signal). In addition to some large-scale information such as Doppler frequency shift, the CSI-RS is also associated with the receiving beam information of the T-RS, that is, the beam direction for the terminal device to receive the CSI-RS is the same as the beam direction for receiving the T-RS. Among them, the parameters of the T-RS can be determined according to the QCL source information of the T-RS described in S201; or, there is no need to define QCL for the T-RS, and the terminal device receives the T-RS and obtains the large-scale information from the T-RS itself, and then uses the T-RS signal as the QCL source for subsequent signals (such as CSI-RS).

[0121] Based on this, the second configuration information can be specifically used to configure the type of QCL relationship between the fourth reference signal and the first reference signal. For example, the second configuration information includes the indication information of the first reference signal, the cell identifier corresponding to the first reference signal, and the indication information for indicating QCL type C and QCL type D.

[0122] In addition, considering the case where the network device transmits the first reference signal in multiple beam directions, the terminal device can determine the optimal beam direction during the stage of performing L1-RSRP measurement on the first reference signals in multiple beam directions, and the terminal device can report the optimal beam to the network device based on the L1-RSRP result. In this case, the fourth reference signal (CSI-RS) can directly establish a QCL type D association with the beam in the optimal beam direction, or it can also be understood that the QCL type between the fourth reference signal and the first reference signal corresponding to the optimal beam direction is QCL type D, that is, the beam direction of the first reference signal indicated in the second configuration information is the optimal one.

[0123] In another possible design, as Figure 5B It is shown that the CSI-RS on the SCell to be activated can be co-located with the TRS through QCL type A, the CSI-RS can be co-located with the T-RS through QCL type D, and the TRS and the T-RS are co-located through QCL type C and QCL type D; or, the CSI-RS can be co-located with the TRS through QCL type A and QCL type D, and the TRS is co-located with the T-RS through QCL type C and QCL type D. Among them, the TRS signal can be a P-TRS signal (periodic TRS signal), or an AP-TRS signal (aperiodic TRS signal) associated with the P-TRS, and the T-RS corresponds to the optimal beam direction.

[0124] Based on this, the second configuration information can be specifically used to configure the types of QCL relationships between the fourth reference signal, the fifth reference signal, and the first reference signal. For example, the second configuration information includes the indication information of the fifth reference signal and the first reference signal, the cell identifiers corresponding to the fifth reference signal and the first reference signal respectively, the type of the QCL relationship between the fourth reference signal and the fifth reference signal, the type of the QCL relationship between the fourth reference signal and the first reference signal, and the type of the QCL relationship between the fifth reference signal and the first reference signal.

[0125] S402. The network device sends the fourth reference signal to the terminal device.

[0126] The definition of this fourth reference signal can be understood with reference to the description in S401, and this application embodiment will not elaborate on it.

[0127] S403. The terminal device performs measurement according to the fourth reference signal and the second configuration information to obtain a second measurement result.

[0128] Specifically, as described in S401, the fourth reference signal is CSI-RS. When the terminal device executes the activation process of the first secondary cell, it can complete the measurement of channel information based on CSI-RS and obtain a channel estimation result such as a CSI report. It can be understood that the CSI-RS used for channel information measurement can also be denoted as CSI-RS for CQI, where CQI refers to channel quality indication (CQI).

[0129] In the above design, in the process of using T-RS to replace the SSB signal to activate the secondary cell, QCL source information is defined for CSI-RS. When the terminal device receives and measures CSI-RS, it can refer to some known channel estimation information on the QCL source information, which helps to reduce the processing complexity of the terminal device.

[0130] Such as Figure 6 A communication method is illustrated. This communication method is applied to the scenario where the secondary cell (SCell) is successfully activated. After the SCell activation is completed, the network device can send PDCCH and PDSCH on this SCell for data scheduling transmission, and send CSI-RS for refined beam management (denoted as CSI-RS for BM), where BM refers to beam management. In this communication method, a QCL relationship definition method for signals such as PDCCH DMRS and PDSCH DMRS is provided. Specifically, the method includes the following steps.

[0131] S601, the network device sends the third configuration information to the terminal device.

[0132] The third configuration information is used to configure the quasi-co-location (QCL) source information corresponding to the signal transmitted based on the activated first secondary cell, where the signals transmitted based on the activated first secondary cell include PDCCH DMRS, PDSCH DMRS, or the CSI-RS signal for refined beam management.

[0133] In a possible design, such as Figure 7A It is illustrated that PDCCH DMRS (or PDSCH DMRS) can be associated with T-RS through QCL type A, and PDCCH DMRS (or PDSCH DMRS) is associated with T-RS through QCL type D; alternatively, PDCCH DMRS (or PDSCH DMRS) is directly associated with T-RS through QCL type A and QCL type D.

[0134] Among them, the parameters of the T-RS can be determined according to the QCL source information of the T-RS described in S201; alternatively, it is not necessary to define the QCL source for the T-RS. The terminal device receives the T-RS and obtains the large-scale information from the T-RS itself, and then uses the T-RS signal as the QCL source for subsequent signals (such as CSI-RS). If the network device sends the T-RS in multiple beam directions, the T-RS corresponding to the optimal beam direction is used to establish the QCL relationship with the fifth reference signal.

[0135] Based on this, the third configuration information is used to configure the type of the QCL relationship between the signal transmitted based on the activated first secondary cell and the first reference signal; and / or, the third configuration information is used to configure the type of the QCL relationship between the signal transmitted based on the activated first secondary cell and the fifth reference signal corresponding to the first secondary cell. Among them, the fifth reference signal may be a TRS. For example, the third configuration information includes one or more of the following: indication information of the first reference signal, indication information of the fifth reference signal, cell identifier corresponding to the first reference signal, cell identifier corresponding to the fifth reference signal, type of the QCL relationship between the signal transmitted based on the activated first secondary cell and the fifth reference signal, type of the QCL relationship between the signal transmitted based on the activated first secondary cell and the first reference signal, and type of the QCL relationship between the fifth reference signal and the first reference signal.

[0136] In another possible design, such as Figure 7B It is shown that the CSI-RS signal for refined beam management can be associated with the T-RS signal through QCL type A and QCL type D. The T-RS corresponds to the optimal beam direction, and the CSI-RS signal is further received for addressing a finer optimal beam.

[0137] S602. The network device sends a signal to the terminal device through the first secondary cell.

[0138] The definition of this signal can be understood with reference to the description in S601, and this embodiment of the present application will not elaborate on it.

[0139] In the above design, after using the T-RS to replace the SSB signal to activate the secondary cell, QCL source information is defined for the PDCCH DMRS, PDSCH DMRS, or CSI-RS. When the terminal device receives and measures the PDCCH DMRS, PDSCH DMRS, or CSI-RS, it can refer to some known channel estimation information on the QCL source information, which is beneficial to reducing the processing complexity of the terminal device.

[0140] In addition, the T-RS in the embodiments of the present application is mainly used to activate the secondary cell (SCell). In a possible implementation, after the SCell activation process is completed, the network device stops sending the T-RS. At this time, the terminal device can receive the SSB signal again, and switch the QCL source signal from the T-RS to the SSB signal. Specifically, after the terminal device reports the measurement result of the CSI-RS for channel information estimation, it can receive the SSB signal again. Therefore, the terminal can switch the QCL source after reporting the measurement result of the CSI-RS for channel information estimation. Subsequently, when the PDCCH DMRS (or PDSCH DMRS) on the to-be-activated SCell and the SSB signal received by the terminal device are co-located through QCL type A and QCL type D, it can be understood that the SSB signal referred to by the terminal device is the signal corresponding to the determined optimal beam direction.

[0141] Based on the same concept, referring to Figure 8 , an embodiment of the present application provides a communication device 800, which includes a processing module 801 and a communication module 802. The communication device 800 can be a terminal device, or a communication device that is applied to a terminal device or used in combination with a terminal device and can implement the communication method executed on the terminal device side; or, the communication device 800 can be a network device, or a communication device that is applied to a network device or used in combination with a network device and can implement the communication method executed on the network device side.

[0142] Among them, the communication module can also be referred to as a transceiver module, transceiver, transceiver, or transceiver device, etc. The processing module can also be referred to as a processor, processing board, processing unit, or processing device, etc. Optionally, the communication module is used to perform the sending operation and receiving operation on the terminal device side or the network device side in the above method. The device for implementing the receiving function in the communication module can be regarded as a receiving unit, and the device for implementing the sending function in the communication module can be regarded as a sending unit, that is, the communication module includes a receiving unit and a sending unit.

[0143] When the communication device 800 is applied to a terminal device, the processing module 801 can be used to implement Figure 2 , Figure 4 or Figure 6 the processing functions of the terminal device described in the embodiments shown in Figure 2 , Figure 4 or Figure 6 . Or the communication device can also be understood with reference to the third aspect and the possible designs in the third aspect in the summary of the invention.

[0144] When the communication device 800 is applied to a network device, the processing module 801 can be used to implement Figure 2, Figure 4 or Figure 6 In the processing function of the network device described in the embodiments shown, the communication module 802 can be used to implement Figure 2 , Figure 4 or Figure 6 the transceiver function of the network device described in the embodiments shown. Alternatively, the communication device can also be understood with reference to the fourth aspect in the invention content and possible designs in the fourth aspect.

[0145] In addition, it should be noted that the foregoing communication module and / or processing module can be implemented by a virtual module. For example, the processing module can be implemented by a software functional unit or a virtual device, and the communication module can be implemented by a software function or a virtual device. Alternatively, the processing module or the communication module can also be implemented by a physical device. For example, if the communication device is implemented by a chip / chip circuit, the communication module can be an input / output circuit and / or a communication interface, performing input operations (corresponding to the foregoing receiving operations) and output operations (corresponding to the foregoing sending operations); the processing module is an integrated processor or a microprocessor or an integrated circuit.

[0146] The division of modules in the embodiments of the present application is illustrative, merely a logical function division. In actual implementation, there may be other division methods. In addition, in each embodiment of the embodiments of the present application, the various functional modules can be integrated in one processor, can also exist separately physically, or two or more modules can be integrated in one module. The above integrated modules can be implemented in the form of hardware or in the form of software functional modules.

[0147] Based on the same technical concept, the embodiments of the present application also provide a communication device 900. For example, the communication device 900 can be a chip or a chip system. Optionally, in the embodiments of the present application, the chip system can be composed of chips, or can include chips and other discrete devices.

[0148] The communication device 900 can be used to implement the functions of any network element in the communication system described in the foregoing embodiments. The communication device 900 can include at least one processor 910, and the processor 910 is coupled to a memory. Optionally, the memory can be located within the communication device, the memory can be integrated with the processor, or the memory can be located outside the communication device. For example, the communication device 900 can also include at least one memory 920. The memory 920 stores the necessary computer programs, computer programs or instructions and / or data in any of the foregoing embodiments; the processor 910 may execute the computer programs stored in the memory 920 to complete the methods in any of the foregoing embodiments.

[0149] The communication device 900 may further include a communication interface 930. The communication device 900 can interact with other devices through the communication interface 930. Exemplarily, the communication interface 930 can be a transceiver, a circuit, a bus, a module, a pin, or other types of communication interfaces. When the communication device 900 is a chip-like device or a circuit, the communication interface 930 in the communication device 900 can also be an input / output circuit, which can input information (or receive information) and output information (or send information). The processor is an integrated processor, a microprocessor, an integrated circuit, or a logic circuit. The processor can determine the output information according to the input information.

[0150] In the embodiments of the present application, the coupling is an indirect coupling or communication connection between devices, units, or modules, which can be electrical, mechanical, or other forms, and is used for information interaction between devices, units, or modules. The processor 910 may cooperate with the memory 920 and the communication interface 930. In the embodiments of the present application, the specific connection medium between the processor 910, the memory 920, and the communication interface 930 is not limited.

[0151] Optionally, referring to Figure 9 , the processor 910, the memory 920, and the communication interface 930 are interconnected through a bus 940. The bus 940 can be a peripheral component interconnect (PCI) bus, an extended industry standard architecture (EISA) bus, or the like. The bus can be divided into an address bus, a data bus, a control bus, etc. For the sake of convenience of representation, Figure 9 only a thick line is used to represent it in

[0152] In the embodiments of the present application, the processor can be a general-purpose processor, a digital signal processor, an application-specific integrated circuit, a field-programmable gate array, or other programmable logic devices, discrete gate or transistor logic devices, discrete hardware components, and can implement or execute the various methods, steps, and logic block diagrams disclosed in the embodiments of the present application. The general-purpose processor can be a microprocessor or any conventional processor, etc. The steps of the method disclosed in combination with the embodiments of the present application can be directly embodied as being executed by a hardware processor, or executed by a combination of hardware and software modules in the processor.

[0153] In an embodiment of the present application, the memory may be a non-volatile memory, such as a hard disk drive (HDD) or a solid-state drive (SSD), etc., or may also be a volatile memory, such as a random-access memory (RAM). The memory is any other medium that can be used to carry or store the desired program code in the form of instructions or data structures and can be accessed by a computer, but is not limited thereto. The memory in the embodiment of the present application may also be a circuit or any other device capable of implementing a storage function, for storing program instructions and / or data.

[0154] In a possible implementation manner, the communication device 900 may be applied to a network device. Specifically, the communication device 900 may be a network device or a device capable of supporting the network device to implement the functions of the network device in any of the above-mentioned embodiments. The memory 920 stores a computer program (or instructions) and / or data for implementing the functions of the network device in any of the above-mentioned embodiments. The processor 910 may execute the computer program stored in the memory 920 to complete the method executed by the network device in any of the above-mentioned embodiments. When applied to a network device, the communication interface in the communication device 900 may be used to interact with a terminal device, sending information to the terminal device or receiving information from the terminal device.

[0155] In another possible implementation manner, the communication device 900 may be applied to a terminal device. Specifically, the communication device 900 may be a terminal device or a device capable of supporting the terminal device to implement the functions of the terminal device in any of the above-mentioned embodiments. The memory 920 stores a computer program (or instructions) and / or data for implementing the functions of the terminal device in any of the above-mentioned embodiments. The processor 910 may execute the computer program stored in the memory 920 to complete the method executed by the terminal device in any of the above-mentioned embodiments. When applied to a terminal device, the communication interface in the communication device 900 may be used to interact with a network device, sending information to the network device or receiving information from the network device.

[0156] Since the communication device 900 provided in this embodiment can be applied to a network device to complete the method executed by the network device, or applied to a terminal device to complete the method executed by the terminal device. Therefore, the technical effects it can obtain can refer to the above method examples and will not be elaborated here.

[0157] Based on the above embodiments, an embodiment of the present application provides a communication system, including a network device and a terminal device, where the network device and the terminal device can implement Figure 2 、 Figure 4 or Figure 6The method provided in the illustrated embodiment.

[0158] The technical solutions provided in the embodiments of this application 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 instructions. When the computer program instructions are loaded and executed on a computer, the processes or functions described in the embodiments of this application are generated in whole or in part. The computer can be a general-purpose computer, a special-purpose computer, a computer network, a terminal device, a network device, or other programmable devices. The computer instructions can be stored in a computer-readable storage medium or transmitted from one computer-readable storage medium to another. For example, the computer instructions can be transmitted from one website, computer, server, or data center to another website, computer, server, or data center by wire (such as coaxial cable, optical fiber, digital subscriber line (DSL)) or wirelessly (such as infrared, wireless, microwave, etc.). The computer-readable storage medium can be any available medium that can be accessed by a computer or a data storage device such as a server or data center that includes one or more integrated available media. The available medium can be a magnetic medium (such as a floppy disk, hard disk, magnetic tape), an optical medium (such as a digital video disc (DVD)), or a semiconductor medium, etc.

[0159] In the embodiments of this application, on the premise of no logical contradiction, the embodiments can reference each other. For example, the methods and / or terms between method embodiments can reference each other. For example, the functions and / or terms between device embodiments can reference each other. For example, the functions and / or terms between device embodiments and method embodiments can reference each other.

[0160] Obviously, those skilled in the art can make various changes and modifications to the embodiments of this application without departing from the scope of the embodiments of this application. Thus, if these modifications and variations of the embodiments of this application fall within the scope of the claims of the embodiments of this application and their equivalent technologies, the embodiments of this application are also intended to include these changes and modifications.

Claims

1. A communication method, characterized in that, Including: Receiving first configuration information from a network device, where the first configuration information is used to configure quasi - co - located (QCL) source information corresponding to a first reference signal; The first reference signal is used to activate a first secondary cell; Receiving the first reference signal from the network device; Performing measurements according to the first reference signal and the first configuration information to obtain a first measurement result.

2. The method according to claim 1, characterized in that, The first configuration information includes one or more of the following: indication information of a second reference signal, cell information corresponding to the second reference signal, and the type of QCL relationship between the first reference signal and the second reference signal.

3. The method according to claim 2, characterized in that, The second reference signal is a synchronization signal block (SSB) signal corresponding to a primary cell; wherein, the frequency point of the primary cell is within a first frequency band range, the frequency point of the first secondary cell is within a second frequency band range, and the channel correlation between the first secondary cell and the primary cell is greater than a second threshold; or, the frequency point of the first secondary cell and the frequency point of the primary cell are within the second frequency band range, and the frequency difference between the first secondary cell and the primary cell is less than a first threshold.

4. The method according to claim 2, characterized in that, The second reference signal is a third reference signal corresponding to an activated second secondary cell; wherein, the frequency points of the first secondary cell and the second secondary cell are within the second frequency band range, and the frequency difference between the first secondary cell and the second secondary cell is less than a third threshold.

5. The method according to claim 4, characterized in that, The third reference signal is an SSB signal corresponding to the second secondary cell, or a tracking reference signal (TRS) periodically sent by the second secondary cell, or a demodulation reference signal (DRMS) sent by the second secondary cell.

6. The method according to any one of claims 1-5, characterized in that, Also including: Receiving second configuration information from the network device, where the second configuration information is used to configure the type of QCL relationship between a fourth reference signal and the first reference signal; Receiving the fourth reference signal from the network device; Performing measurements according to the fourth reference signal and the second configuration information to obtain a second measurement result.

7. The method according to any one of claims 1-5, characterized in that, Also including: Receiving second configuration information from the network device, where the second configuration information is used to configure the types of QCL relationships between a fourth reference signal, a fifth reference signal and the first reference signal; Receiving the fourth reference signal from the network device; Performing measurements according to the fourth reference signal and the second configuration information to obtain a second measurement result.

8. The method according to any one of claims 1-7, characterized in that, Also including: Receiving third configuration information from the network device, where the third configuration information is used to configure the type of QCL relationship between a signal transmitted based on the activated first secondary cell and the first reference signal; or, the third configuration information is used to configure the type of QCL relationship between a signal transmitted based on the activated first secondary cell and a fifth reference signal corresponding to the first secondary cell.

9. A communication method, characterized in that, Including: Determining first configuration information, where the first configuration information is used to configure quasi - co - located (QCL) source information corresponding to a first reference signal; The first reference signal is used to activate a first secondary cell; Sending the first configuration information and the first reference signal to a terminal device, where the first configuration information and the first reference signal are used for measurement.

10. The method according to claim 9, characterized in that, The first configuration information includes one or more of the following: indication information of a second reference signal, cell information corresponding to the second reference signal, and the type of the QCL relationship between the first reference signal and the second reference signal.

11. The method according to claim 10, characterized in that, The second reference signal is a synchronization broadcast block SSB signal corresponding to a primary cell; wherein, the frequency point of the primary cell is within a first frequency band range, the frequency point of the first secondary cell is within a second frequency band range, and the channel correlation between the first secondary cell and the primary cell is greater than a second threshold; or, the frequency point of the first secondary cell and the frequency point of the primary cell are within the second frequency band range, and the frequency difference between the first secondary cell and the primary cell is less than a first threshold.

12. The method according to claim 10, characterized in that, The second reference signal is a third reference signal corresponding to an activated second secondary cell; wherein, the frequency point of the first secondary cell and the frequency point of the second secondary cell are within the second frequency band range, and the frequency difference between the first secondary cell and the second secondary cell is less than a third threshold.

13. The method according to claim 12, characterized in that, The third reference signal is a synchronization broadcast block SSB signal corresponding to the second secondary cell, or a tracking reference signal TRS periodically sent by the second secondary cell, or a demodulation reference signal DRMS sent by the second secondary cell.

14. The method according to any one of claims 9-13, characterized in that, It further includes: Sending second configuration information to the terminal device, where the second configuration information is used to configure the type of the QCL relationship between a fourth reference signal and the first reference signal; Sending the fourth reference signal to the terminal device; wherein, the second configuration information and the fourth reference signal are used for measurement.

15. The method according to any one of claims 9-13, characterized in that, It further includes: Sending second configuration information to the terminal device, where the second configuration information is used to configure the types of the QCL relationships between a fourth reference signal, a fifth reference signal and the first reference signal; Sending the fourth reference signal to the terminal device; wherein, the second configuration information and the fourth reference signal are used for channel estimation.

16. The method according to any one of claims 9-15, characterized in that, It further includes: Sending third configuration information to the terminal device, where the third configuration information is used to configure the type of the QCL relationship between a signal transmitted based on the activated first secondary cell and the first reference signal; And / or, the third configuration information is used to configure the type of the QCL relationship between a signal transmitted based on the activated first secondary cell and a fifth reference signal corresponding to the first secondary cell.

17. A communication device, characterized in that, It includes a module for executing the method according to any one of claims 1-8.

18. A communication device, characterized in that, It includes a module for executing the method according to any one of claims 9-16.

19. A communication system, characterized in that, It includes a communication device for executing the method according to any one of claims 1-8, and a communication device for executing the method according to any one of claims 9-16.

20. A communication device, characterized in that, It includes: A processor, the processor is coupled with a memory, and the processor is used to call computer program instructions stored in the memory to execute the method according to any one of claims 1-16.

21. A computer-readable storage medium, characterized in that, Instructions are stored on the computer-readable storage medium, and when the instructions run on a computer, the computer is made to execute the method according to any one of claims 1-16.

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