Communication method and device

Abstract

The embodiment of the invention discloses a communication method and device. The method comprises the following steps: a terminal sends terminal capability information to network equipment, wherein the terminal capability information indicates the capability of the terminal for supporting an on-demand request synchronization signal block SSB; wherein the terminal capability information is used for the network equipment to determine whether to use a first cell as a secondary cell SCell of the terminal, and the first cell is a cell supporting an on-demand request SSB. By implementing the embodiment of the invention, the network equipment can understand that the terminal has the capability of supporting the SSB on demand, so that the network equipment can conveniently add / modify the first cell supporting the SSB on demand as the SCell to the terminal, thereby ensuring that the terminal can communicate with the first cell supporting the SSB on demand.

Description

Communication method and device Technical Field

[0001] The present disclosure relates to the field of communication technology, and in particular to a communication method and device. Background Art

[0002] With the gradual application of large-scale active antenna arrays and the large-scale construction of fifth-generation (5G) mobile networks, the energy consumption of wireless communication networks has increased significantly. The growth rate of energy consumption costs has even exceeded the revenue growth of operators. Therefore, network energy saving is an important means for operators to reduce the cost of operating 5G systems.

[0003] For cells (also called NES cells) that support on-demand SSB (Synchronization Signal Block) requests in a carrier aggregation scenario, the network side can add / modify the cell to the terminal through the SCell (Secondary Cell) addition / modification process.

[0004] Summary of the Invention

[0005] The embodiments of the present disclosure provide a communication method and a device thereof.

[0006] According to a first aspect of an embodiment of the present disclosure, a communication method is provided, where the method is executed by a terminal and includes:

[0007] Sending terminal capability information to the network device, where the terminal capability information indicates a capability of the terminal to support on-demand request for synchronization signal blocks (SSBs);

[0008] The terminal capability information is used by the network device to determine whether to use the first cell as the secondary cell SCell of the terminal, and the first cell is a cell that supports on-demand SSB.

[0009] According to a second aspect of an embodiment of the present disclosure, a communication method is provided, where the method is performed by a network device and includes:

[0010] receiving terminal capability information sent by a terminal, where the terminal capability information indicates a capability of the terminal to support on-demand request for a synchronization signal block (SSB);

[0011] Based on the first information, determine whether to use the first cell as the secondary cell SCell of the terminal; wherein the first cell is a cell that supports on-demand SSB.

[0012] According to a third aspect of an embodiment of the present disclosure, a terminal is provided, including:

[0013] a transceiver module, configured to send terminal capability information to a network device, wherein the terminal capability information indicates a capability of the terminal to support on-demand request for synchronization signal blocks (SSBs);

[0014] The terminal capability information is used by the network device to determine whether to use the first cell as the secondary cell SCell of the terminal, and the first cell is a cell that supports on-demand SSB.

[0015] According to a fourth aspect of an embodiment of the present disclosure, a network device is provided, including:

[0016] a transceiver module, configured to receive terminal capability information sent by a terminal, wherein the terminal capability information indicates a capability of the terminal to support on-demand request for synchronization signal blocks (SSBs);

[0017] A processing module is used to determine whether to use the first cell as the secondary cell SCell of the terminal based on the first information; wherein the first cell is a cell that supports on-demand SSB.

[0018] According to a fifth aspect of an embodiment of the present disclosure, a communication system is provided, including:

[0019] A terminal, configured to execute an optional implementation of the first aspect;

[0020] A network device is configured to perform the optional implementation of the aforementioned second aspect.

[0021] According to a sixth aspect of an embodiment of the present disclosure, a communication device is provided, including: one or more processors;

[0022] The processor is used to call instructions to enable the communication device to execute the optional implementation of the first and second aspects mentioned above.

[0023] According to a seventh aspect of an embodiment of the present disclosure, a storage medium is proposed, which stores instructions. When the instructions are executed on a communication device, the communication device executes optional implementation methods of the aforementioned first and second aspects.

[0024] According to the technical solution disclosed in the present invention, the terminal capability information is sent to the network device through the terminal, and the network device is informed of the terminal's ability to support on-demand SSB request through the terminal capability information, so that the network device can add / modify the first cell supporting on-demand SSB request as SCell to the terminal, thereby ensuring that the terminal can communicate with the first cell supporting on-demand SSB request. For example, the terminal supporting the on-demand SSB request capability can request the first cell to send SSB to ensure that the terminal can communicate normally with the first cell. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0025] In order to more clearly illustrate the technical solutions in the embodiments of the present disclosure, the following drawings required for describing the embodiments are introduced. The following drawings are merely some embodiments of the present disclosure and do not impose specific limitations on the protection scope of the present disclosure.

[0026] FIG1 is a schematic diagram of the architecture of a communication system provided by an embodiment of the present disclosure;

[0027] FIG2A is an interactive schematic diagram illustrating a communication method according to an embodiment of the present disclosure;

[0028] FIG2B is an interactive schematic diagram illustrating a communication method according to an embodiment of the present disclosure;

[0029] FIG2C is an interactive schematic diagram illustrating a communication method according to an embodiment of the present disclosure;

[0030] FIG3A is a flow chart showing a communication method according to an embodiment of the present disclosure;

[0031] FIG3B is a flow chart showing a communication method according to an embodiment of the present disclosure;

[0032] FIG3C is a flow chart showing a communication method according to an embodiment of the present disclosure;

[0033] FIG4A is a flow chart showing a communication method according to an embodiment of the present disclosure;

[0034] FIG4B is a flow chart showing a communication method according to an embodiment of the present disclosure;

[0035] FIG4C is a flow chart showing a communication method according to an embodiment of the present disclosure;

[0036] FIG4D is a flow chart showing a communication method according to an embodiment of the present disclosure;

[0037] FIG5 is an interactive diagram of a communication method proposed in an embodiment of the present disclosure;

[0038] FIG6A is a schematic structural diagram of a terminal proposed in an embodiment of the present disclosure;

[0039] FIG6B is a schematic diagram of the structure of a network device proposed in an embodiment of the present disclosure;

[0040] FIG7A is a schematic structural diagram of a communication device 7100 proposed in an embodiment of the present disclosure;

[0041] FIG7B is a schematic structural diagram of a chip 7200 according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0042] The embodiments of the present disclosure provide a communication method and apparatus.

[0043] In a first aspect, an embodiment of the present disclosure provides a communication method, which is executed by a terminal and includes:

[0044] Sending terminal capability information to the network device, where the terminal capability information indicates a capability of the terminal to support on-demand request for synchronization signal blocks (SSBs);

[0045] The terminal capability information is used by the network device to determine whether to use the first cell as the secondary cell SCell of the terminal, and the first cell is a cell that supports on-demand SSB.

[0046] In the above embodiment, the terminal capability information is sent to the network device by the terminal, and the network device is informed of the terminal's ability to support on-demand SSB through the terminal capability information, so that the network device can add / modify the first cell supporting on-demand SSB as an SCell to the terminal, thereby ensuring that the terminal can communicate with the first cell supporting on-demand SSB. For example, the terminal supporting the on-demand SSB capability can request the first cell to send SSB to ensure that the terminal can communicate normally with the first cell.

[0047] In combination with some embodiments of the first aspect, in some embodiments, the terminal is in a radio resource control RRC connected state.

[0048] In the above embodiment, the terminal capability information can be used to inform the network device that the terminal in the RRC connection supports the ability to request SSB on demand, so that the network device can add / modify the cell that supports the SSB on demand as an SCell to the terminal in the RRC connection state, thereby ensuring that the terminal in the RRC connection state can communicate with the cell that supports the SSB on demand request. For example, a terminal in the RRC connection state and supporting the SSB on demand request capability can request the cell to send SSB to ensure that the terminal can communicate normally with the cell.

[0049] In combination with some embodiments of the first aspect, in some embodiments, the reporting granularity of the terminal capability information includes any one of the following: terminal granularity; frequency band granularity; frequency band combination granularity; feature set FeatureSet granularity.

[0050] In combination with some embodiments of the first aspect, in some embodiments, the reporting granularity of the terminal capability information is the terminal granularity, wherein the terminal capability information is carried in the first information, and the first information is the terminal new air interface capability UE-NR-Capability signaling.

[0051] In combination with some embodiments of the first aspect, in some embodiments, the UE-NR-Capability signaling carries the terminal capability information, which is used to indicate the ability of the terminal to support the on-demand SSB request.

[0052] In combination with some embodiments of the first aspect, in some embodiments, the reporting granularity of the terminal capability information is the frequency band granularity, wherein the terminal capability information is carried in first information, and the first information is a radio frequency parameter RF-Parameter.

[0053] In combination with some embodiments of the first aspect, in some embodiments, the RF-Parameter carries the terminal capability information, which is used to indicate the terminal's ability to support the on-demand SSB request.

[0054] In combination with some embodiments of the first aspect, in some embodiments, the terminal capability information is terminal capability information only under the time division duplex TDD standard; or, the terminal capability information is terminal capability information only under the frequency division duplex FDD standard; or, the terminal capability information does not distinguish between TDD and FDD.

[0055] In combination with some embodiments of the first aspect, in some embodiments, the terminal capability information is terminal capability information only in frequency range 1 FR1; or, the terminal capability information is terminal capability information only in frequency range 2 FR2; or, the terminal capability information does not distinguish between FR1 and FR2.

[0056] In combination with some embodiments of the first aspect, in some embodiments, the capability of supporting on-demand SSB request is a mandatory capability of the terminal; or, the capability of supporting on-demand SSB request is a non-mandatory capability of the terminal.

[0057] In combination with some embodiments of the first aspect, in some embodiments, the first cell serves as a secondary cell of the terminal, and the terminal must support the capability of requesting SSB on demand.

[0058] In a second aspect, an embodiment of the present disclosure provides a communication method, which is performed by a network device and includes:

[0059] receiving terminal capability information sent by a terminal, where the terminal capability information indicates a capability of the terminal to support on-demand request for a synchronization signal block (SSB);

[0060] Based on the first information, determine whether to use the first cell as the secondary cell SCell of the terminal; wherein the first cell is a cell that supports on-demand SSB.

[0061] In combination with some embodiments of the second aspect, in some embodiments, the terminal is in a radio resource control RRC connected state.

[0062] In combination with some embodiments of the second aspect, in some embodiments, the reporting granularity of the terminal capability information includes any one of the following: terminal granularity; frequency band granularity; frequency band combination granularity; feature set FeatureSet granularity.

[0063] In combination with some embodiments of the second aspect, in some embodiments, the reporting granularity of the terminal capability information is the terminal granularity, wherein the terminal capability information is carried in the first information, and the first information is the terminal new air interface capability UE-NR-Capability signaling.

[0064] In combination with some embodiments of the second aspect, in some embodiments, determining whether to use the first cell as the secondary cell SCell of the terminal based on the first information includes: the UE-NR-Capability signaling carries the terminal capability information, and determining to use the first cell as the SCell of the terminal.

[0065] In combination with some embodiments of the second aspect, in some embodiments, the reporting granularity of the terminal capability information is the frequency band granularity, wherein the terminal capability information is carried in first information, and the first information is a radio frequency parameter RF-Parameter.

[0066] In combination with some embodiments of the second aspect, in some embodiments, determining whether to use the first cell as the secondary cell SCell of the terminal based on the first information includes: carrying the terminal capability information in the RF-Parameter, and determining to use the first cell as the SCell of the terminal.

[0067] In combination with some embodiments of the second aspect, in some embodiments, the terminal capability information is terminal capability information only under the time division duplex TDD standard; or, the terminal capability information is terminal capability information only under the frequency division duplex FDD standard; or, the terminal capability information does not distinguish between TDD and FDD.

[0068] In combination with some embodiments of the second aspect, in some embodiments, the terminal capability information is terminal capability information only in frequency range 1 FR1; or, the terminal capability information is terminal capability information only in frequency range 2 FR2; or, the terminal capability information does not distinguish between FR1 and FR2.

[0069] In combination with some embodiments of the second aspect, in some embodiments, the capability of supporting on-demand SSB request is a mandatory capability of the terminal; or, the capability of supporting on-demand SSB request is a non-mandatory capability of the terminal.

[0070] In combination with some embodiments of the second aspect, in some embodiments, the method further includes: using the first cell as the SCell of the terminal; wherein, the terminal must support the capability of requesting SSB on demand.

[0071] In a third aspect, an embodiment of the present disclosure proposes a terminal, comprising at least one of a transceiver module and a processing module; wherein the terminal is used to execute the optional implementation method of the first aspect.

[0072] In a fourth aspect, an embodiment of the present disclosure proposes a network device, comprising at least one of a transceiver module and a processing module; wherein the above-mentioned network device is used to execute the optional implementation method of the second aspect.

[0073] In a fifth aspect, an embodiment of the present disclosure provides a communication system, including:

[0074] A terminal configured as an optional implementation of the first aspect;

[0075] A network device is configured to perform the optional implementation of the aforementioned second aspect.

[0076] In a sixth aspect, an embodiment of the present disclosure proposes a communication device, comprising: one or more processors; wherein the processor is used to call instructions to enable the communication device to execute the optional implementation method of the aforementioned first aspect.

[0077] In a seventh aspect, an embodiment of the present disclosure proposes a communication device, comprising: one or more processors; wherein the processor is used to call instructions to enable the communication device to execute the optional implementation method of the aforementioned second aspect.

[0078] In an eighth aspect, an embodiment of the present disclosure proposes a storage medium storing instructions. When the instructions are executed on a communication device, the communication device executes optional implementation methods of the aforementioned first and second aspects.

[0079] In a ninth aspect, an embodiment of the present disclosure proposes a program product. When the program product is executed by a communication device, the communication device executes the method described in the optional implementation of the first and second aspects.

[0080] In a tenth aspect, an embodiment of the present disclosure proposes a computer program, which, when executed on a computer, enables the computer to execute the method described in the optional implementation of the first and second aspects.

[0081] In an eleventh aspect, an embodiment of the present disclosure provides a chip or a chip system, wherein the chip or chip system includes a processing circuit configured to execute the method described in the optional implementation of the first and second aspects above.

[0082] It is understandable that the above-mentioned terminals, network devices, communication systems, storage media, program products, computer programs, chips, or chip systems are all used to perform the methods proposed in the embodiments of the present disclosure. Therefore, the beneficial effects that can be achieved can refer to the beneficial effects of the corresponding methods and will not be repeated here.

[0083] The present disclosure provides a communication method and apparatus thereof. In some embodiments, the terms information processing method, communication method, etc. are interchangeable, the terms information processing apparatus, communication apparatus, etc. are interchangeable, and the terms information processing system, communication system, etc. are interchangeable.

[0084] The embodiments of the present disclosure are not exhaustive and are merely illustrative of some embodiments, and are not intended to be a specific limitation on the scope of protection of the present disclosure. In the absence of contradiction, each step in a certain embodiment can be implemented as an independent embodiment, and the steps can be arbitrarily combined. For example, a solution after removing some steps in a certain embodiment can also be implemented as an independent embodiment, and the order of the steps in a certain embodiment can be arbitrarily exchanged. In addition, the optional implementation methods in a certain embodiment can be arbitrarily combined; in addition, the embodiments can be arbitrarily combined. For example, some or all steps of different embodiments can be arbitrarily combined, and a certain embodiment can be arbitrarily combined with the optional implementation methods of other embodiments.

[0085] In each embodiment of the present disclosure, unless otherwise specified or provided for by logic, the terms and / or descriptions between the embodiments are consistent and can be referenced by each other. The technical features in different embodiments can be combined to form a new embodiment based on their inherent logical relationships.

[0086] The terms used in the embodiments of the present disclosure are only for the purpose of describing specific embodiments and are not intended to limit the present disclosure.

[0087] In the embodiments of the present disclosure, unless otherwise specified, elements expressed in the singular, such as "a", "an", "the", "above", "said", "the", "the", etc., may mean "one and only one", or "one or more", "at least one", etc. For example, when using articles such as "a", "an", "the" in English in translation, the noun following the article may be understood as a singular expression or a plural expression.

[0088] In the embodiments of the present disclosure, “plurality” refers to two or more.

[0089] In some embodiments, the terms "at least one," "one or more," "a plurality of," "multiple," etc. may be used interchangeably.

[0090] In some embodiments, descriptions such as "at least one of A and B," "A and / or B," "A in one case, B in another case," or "in response to one case A, in response to another case B" may include the following technical solutions depending on the situation: in some embodiments, A (A is executed independently of B); in some embodiments, B (B is executed independently of A); in some embodiments, execution is selected from A and B (A and B are selectively executed); and in some embodiments, A and B (both A and B are executed). The above is also applicable when there are more branches such as A, B, and C.

[0091] In some embodiments, "A or B" and other descriptions may include the following technical solutions depending on the situation: in some embodiments, A (A is executed independently of B); in some embodiments, B (B is executed independently of A); in some embodiments, execution is selected from A and B (A and B are selectively executed). The above is also applicable when there are more branches such as A, B, C, etc.

[0092] The prefixes such as "first" and "second" in the embodiments of the present disclosure are only used to distinguish different description objects and do not constitute any restriction on the position, order, priority, quantity or content of the description objects. For the statement of the description object, please refer to the description in the context of the claims or embodiments, and no unnecessary restriction should be constituted due to the use of prefixes. For example, if the description object is a "field", the ordinal number before the "field" in the "first field" and the "second field" does not limit the position or order between the "fields". "First" and "second" do not limit whether the "fields" they modify are in the same message, nor do they limit the order of the "first field" and the "second field". For another example, if the description object is a "level", the ordinal number before the "level" in the "first level" and the "second level" does not limit the priority between the "levels". For another example, the number of description objects is not limited by the ordinal number and can be one or more. Taking "first device" as an example, the number of "devices" can be one or more. In addition, the objects modified by different prefixes can be the same or different. For example, if the description object is "device", then the "first device" and the "second device" can be the same device or different devices, and their types can be the same or different; for another example, if the description object is "information", then the "first information" and the "second information" can be the same information or different information, and their contents can be the same or different.

[0093] In some embodiments, “including A,” “comprising A,” “used to indicate A,” and “carrying A” can be interpreted as directly carrying A or indirectly indicating A.

[0094] In some embodiments, terms such as "time / frequency" and "time / frequency domain" refer to the time domain and / or the frequency domain.

[0095] In some embodiments, terms such as "in response to...", "in response to determining...", "in the case of...", "at the time of...", "when...", "if...", "if...", etc. can be used interchangeably.

[0096] In some embodiments, terms such as "greater than", "greater than or equal to", "not less than", "more than", "more than or equal to", "not less than", "higher than", "higher than or equal to", "not less than", and "above" can be replaced with each other, and terms such as "less than", "less than or equal to", "not greater than", "less than", "less than or equal to", "not more than", "lower than", "lower than or equal to", "not higher than", and "below" can be replaced with each other.

[0097] In some embodiments, devices and equipment can be interpreted as physical or virtual, and their names are not limited to the names recorded in the embodiments. In some cases, they can also be understood as "equipment", "device", "circuit", "network element", "node", "function", "unit", "section", "system", "network", "chip", "chip system", "entity", "subject", etc.

[0098] In some embodiments, "network" can be interpreted as devices included in the network, such as access network equipment, core network equipment, etc.

[0099] In some embodiments, "access network device (AN device)" may also be referred to as "radio access network device (RAN device)", "base station (BS)", "radio base station", "fixed station", and in some embodiments may also be understood as "node", "access point", "transmission point (TP)", "reception point (RP)", "transmission and / or reception point (TRP)" "panel", "antenna panel", "antenna array", "cell", "macro cell", "small cell", "femto cell", "pico cell", "sector", "cell group", "serving cell", "carrier", "component carrier", "bandwidth part (BWP)", etc.

[0100] In some embodiments, "terminal" or "terminal device" may be referred to as "user equipment (UE)", "user terminal" "mobile station (MS)", "mobile terminal (MT)", subscriber station, mobile unit, subscriber unit, wireless unit, remote unit, mobile device, wireless device, wireless communication device, remote device, mobile subscriber station, access terminal, mobile terminal, wireless terminal, remote terminal, handset, user agent, mobile client, client, etc.

[0101] In some embodiments, obtaining data, information, etc. may comply with the laws and regulations of the country where the data is obtained.

[0102] In some embodiments, data, information, etc. may be obtained with the user's consent.

[0103] Figure 1 is a schematic diagram of the architecture of a communication system according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. The communication system may include, but is not limited to, one terminal and one network device. The number and configuration of devices shown in Figure 1 are for example purposes only and do not limit the present disclosure. In practical applications, two or more terminals and two or more network devices may be included. The communication system 100 shown in Figure 1 includes, for example, one terminal 101 and one network device 102.

[0104] In some embodiments, the terminal 101 herein may be an entity on the user side for receiving or transmitting signals, such as a mobile phone. It may also be referred to as a terminal, user equipment (UE), mobile station (MS), mobile terminal (MT), etc. The terminal may be a car with communication capabilities, a smart car, a mobile phone, a wearable device, a tablet computer (Pad), a computer with wireless transceiver capabilities, a virtual reality (VR) terminal, an augmented reality (AR) terminal, a wireless terminal in industrial control, a wireless terminal in self-driving, a wireless terminal in remote medical surgery, a wireless terminal in a smart grid, a wireless terminal in transportation safety, a wireless terminal in a smart city, a wireless terminal in a smart home, etc. The embodiments of the present disclosure do not limit the specific technology and specific device form adopted by the terminal.

[0105] In some embodiments, the network device 102 may be an access network device. In some embodiments, the access network device is, for example, a node or device that connects a terminal device to a wireless network. The access network device may include at least one of an evolved NodeB (eNB), a next generation evolved NodeB (ng-eNB), a next generation NodeB (gNB), a NodeB (NB), a home nodeB (HNB), a home evolved nodeB (HeNB), a wireless backhaul device, a radio network controller (RNC), a base station controller (BSC), a base transceiver station (BTS), a base band unit (BBU), a mobile switching center, a base station in a 6G communication system, an open RAN, a cloud RAN, a base station in other communication systems, and an access node in a Wi-Fi system, but is not limited thereto.

[0106] In some embodiments, the technical solution of the present disclosure can be applied to the Open RAN architecture. In this case, the interfaces between or within the access network devices involved in the embodiments of the present disclosure can be transformed into internal interfaces of the Open RAN, and the processes and information interactions between these internal interfaces can be implemented through software or programs.

[0107] In some embodiments, the access network device can be composed of a centralized unit (CU) and a distributed unit (DU), where the CU can also be called a control unit. The CU-DU structure can be used to split the protocol layer of the access network device, with the functions of some protocol layers centrally controlled by the CU, and the functions of the remaining part or all of the protocol layers distributed in the DU, which is centrally controlled by the CU, but is not limited to this.

[0108] It can be understood that the communication system described in the embodiment of the present disclosure is for the purpose of more clearly illustrating the technical solution of the embodiment of the present disclosure, and does not constitute a limitation on the technical solution proposed in the embodiment of the present disclosure. Ordinary technicians in this field can know that with the evolution of the system architecture and the emergence of new business scenarios, the technical solution proposed in the embodiment of the present disclosure is also applicable to similar technical problems.

[0109] The following embodiments of the present disclosure may be applied to the communication system 100 shown in FIG1 , or a portion thereof, but are not limited thereto. The entities shown in FIG1 are illustrative only. The communication system may include all or part of the entities shown in FIG1 , or may include other entities outside of FIG1 . The number and form of the entities are arbitrary, and the entities may be physical or virtual. The connection relationships between the entities are illustrative only. The entities may be connected or disconnected, and the connection may be in any manner, including direct or indirect, wired or wireless.

[0110] The embodiments of the present disclosure can be applied to Long Term Evolution (LTE), LTE-Advanced (LTE-A), LTE-Beyond (LTE-B), SUPER 3G, IMT-Advanced, 4th generation mobile communication system (4G), 5th generation mobile communication system (5G), 5G new radio (NR), future radio access (FRA), new radio access technology (RAT), new radio (NR), new radio access (NX), future generation radio access (FX), Global System for Mobile communications (GSM (registered trademark)), CDMA2000, Ultra Mobile Broadband (UMB), IEEE 802.11 (Wi-Fi (registered trademark)), IEEE 802.16 (WiMAX (registered trademark)), IEEE 802.20, Ultra-WideBand (UWB), Bluetooth (registered trademark), Public Land Mobile Network (PLMN) networks, Device-to-Device (D2D) systems, Machine-to-Machine (M2M) systems, Internet of Things (IoT) systems, Vehicle-to-Everything (V2X), systems utilizing other communication methods, and next-generation systems based on and extending these methods. Furthermore, multiple systems may be combined (for example, a combination of LTE or LTE-A with 5G).

[0111] It's important to note that with the increasing demand for speed, latency, high-speed mobility, and energy efficiency, coupled with the increasing diversity and complexity of future services, the 3GPP (3rd Generation Partnership Project) international standards organization has begun developing 5G. The main application scenarios for 5G are: enhanced mobile broadband (eMBB), ultra-reliable low-latency communications (URLLC), and massive machine-type communications (mMTC). eMBB continues to focus on providing users with multimedia content, services, and data, and demand for it is growing rapidly. However, since eMBB can be deployed in diverse scenarios, such as indoors, in urban areas, and in rural areas, its capabilities and requirements vary significantly, making a generalized approach difficult and requiring detailed analysis based on specific deployment scenarios. Typical applications of URLLC include industrial automation, power automation, remote medical operations (surgery), and traffic safety. mMTC's key features include high connection density, low data volumes, latency-insensitive services, low module costs, and a long service life.

[0112] Since the energy consumption of 5G base stations is four times that of LTE base stations, network energy saving is an important means for operators to reduce the cost of operating 5G systems. In some embodiments, in order to save energy in the RRC connected state (RRC_CONNECTED) terminal, WUS (wake up signal) is introduced. An offset in front of the on duration of UE C-DRX (Connected Discontinuous Reception) defines a duration for sending a WUS signal. During this WUS duration, the WUS signal, i.e., DCI 2-6, is sent and scrambled by PS-RNTI (Power Saving RNTI) to indicate whether the terminal wakes up to monitor PDCCH (Physical Downlink Control Channel) during the next UE C-DRX onduration.

[0113] In some embodiments, a paging WUS (paging wake-up signal) is introduced to save energy in RRC_IDLE / INACTIVE terminals. This WUS, also known as the PEI (paging early indication), is sent sometime before the paging occasion (PO) to indicate whether the terminal is monitoring paging schedule information at that PO. The PEI is DCI 2-7, scrambled by the PEI-RNTI (paging early indication radio network temporary identifier).

[0114] In some embodiments, R19 NES supports FR2 and non-co-site scenarios. On-demand SSB can be used as an enhancement to SSB transmission for scenarios not covered by SSB-less operation to achieve network element gain and ensure appropriate / enhanced SCell functionality, including time / frequency synchronization, L1 / L3 measurements, and SCell activation. If the terminal needs to obtain the SSB of the on-demand SSB SCell, it can use the UL WUS wake-up signal to request the SSB from the on-demand SSB SCell.

[0115] In the carrier aggregation scenario, the network device (such as a base station) adds a secondary cell (SCell) to the terminal through the SCell addition process. If the network device (such as a base station) wants to add the SSB-based requested cell / NES cell as an SCell to the terminal, the network device (such as a base station) needs to first obtain the capabilities of the terminal to determine whether the terminal supports the ability to request SSB on demand (or determine whether the terminal has the ability to request SSB on demand). Based on this, the embodiment of the present disclosure provides a communication method and apparatus thereof, which can send terminal capability information to the network device through the terminal, and inform the network device of the ability of the terminal to support the on-demand request of SSB through the terminal capability information, so that the network device can add / modify the first cell that supports the on-demand request of SSB to the terminal as an SCell, thereby ensuring that the terminal can communicate with the first cell that supports the on-demand request of SSB. For example, a terminal that supports the on-demand request of SSB capability can request the first cell to send SSB to ensure that the terminal can communicate normally with the first cell.

[0116] Figure 2A is an interactive diagram of a communication method according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. As shown in Figure 2A, the communication method according to the embodiment of the present disclosure can be applied to a communication system 100, and the method includes but is not limited to the following steps.

[0117] Step S2101 : Terminal 101 sends terminal capability information to network device 102 .

[0118] In some embodiments, the terminal capability information may be carried in the first information, the first information may only carry the terminal capability information, or the first information may carry other information. For example, the network device may carry the terminal capability information through existing signaling, or may carry the terminal capability information through new signaling.

[0119] In some embodiments, the first information carrying the terminal capability information may be sent by the terminal 101 to the network device 102. Exemplarily, the terminal 101 sends the first information carrying the terminal capability information to the network device 102, and correspondingly, the network device 102 receives the first information carrying the terminal capability information sent by the terminal 101.

[0120] In a possible implementation, the terminal 101 may send the first information carrying the terminal capability information to the network device 102 based on the capability query request of the network device 102. Exemplarily, the network device 102 sends the capability query request to the terminal 101, and after receiving the capability query request, the terminal 101 sends the terminal capability information to the network device 102. For example, the terminal may send the first information carrying the terminal capability information to the network device.

[0121] In another possible implementation, the terminal 101 may send the first information carrying the terminal capability information to the network device 102 based on the implementation. For example, the terminal 101 sends the first information carrying the terminal capability information to the network device 102 during the initial access process. Alternatively, the terminal 101 may send the first information carrying the terminal capability information to the network device 102 at other times. This disclosure does not limit this and will not be described in detail.

[0122] In some embodiments, the terminal capability information indicates the ability of the terminal 101 to support SSB on demand. In some embodiments, the terms "capability of supporting SSB on demand," "capability of requesting SSB on demand," and "supporting SSB on demand" may be used interchangeably. Similarly, the terms "capability of not supporting SSB on demand," "capability of not requesting SSB on demand," and "supporting SSB on demand" may be used interchangeably.

[0123] In some embodiments, the terminal 101 may be in an RRC connected state. Exemplarily, the terminal capability information may indicate that the terminal 101 in the RRC connected state supports the capability of requesting SSB on demand.

[0124] In some embodiments, the reporting granularity of the terminal capability information may include, but is not limited to, any of the following: terminal granularity (per UE granularity); frequency band granularity (per band granularity); frequency band combination granularity (per band combination (BC) granularity); feature set granularity (per FS (FeatureSet) granularity). In some embodiments, the terms "frequency band", "frequency band", "frequency band", etc. may be used interchangeably.

[0125] Exemplarily, the terminal capability information is reported according to the terminal (UE) (ie, different UEs can independently report corresponding capabilities), that is, per UE reporting.

[0126] For example, the terminal capability information is reported per frequency band (i.e., the UE can independently report the corresponding capabilities for different frequency bands, that is, one terminal capability information is reported for each frequency band), that is, per band reporting. In this case, independent reporting of different frequency bands allows the terminal to have greater freedom. For example, the terminal may support this capability on one or some bands, but not on other bands. Whether the terminal supports reporting varies depending on the frequency band.

[0127] For example, the terminal capability information is reported independently according to the frequency band combination, that is, per-band combination reporting. In this case, the independent reporting of different frequency band combinations allows the terminal to have greater freedom. For example, the terminal may not support a certain capability under a certain frequency band combination, but support it under another frequency band combination.

[0128] For example, the terminal capability information is reported independently according to the feature set (FS (FeatureSet)), that is, reported per FS (FeatureSet). In this case, different feature sets are reported independently, which allows the terminal to have greater freedom of implementation. For example, the terminal may not support this capability under a certain feature set, but support this capability under another feature set.

[0129] In some embodiments, the reporting granularity of the terminal capability information is the terminal granularity, and the first information carrying the terminal capability information is, for example, the terminal new air interface capability (UE-NR-Capability) signaling. Exemplarily, a new terminal capability is defined to indicate whether the terminal supports the capability of requesting SSB on demand, and exemplarily, to indicate whether the terminal in the RRC connection state supports the capability of requesting SSB on demand. Exemplarily, a new terminal capability is defined in the terminal new air interface capability (UE-NR-Capability) signaling, for example, the terminal capability information can be called onDemandSSB-Connected (this name is only used as an example, and the specific naming is not limited in this disclosure), and the terminal capability information can be indicated by a 1-bit indicator bit, for example, ENUMERATED{supported}, and the terminal 101 sends the UE-NR-Capability signaling to the network device. The UE-NR-Capability signaling carries the terminal capability information, which is used to indicate that the terminal 101 supports the capability of requesting SSB on demand, and exemplarily, it can indicate that the terminal 101 supports the capability of requesting SSB on demand in the RRC connection state. If the terminal 101 sends the UE-NR-Capability signaling to the network device, and the terminal capability information is omitted in the UE-NR-Capability signaling, it can indicate that the terminal 101 does not support the ability to request SSB on demand. For example, it can indicate that the terminal 101 does not support the ability to request SSB on demand in the RRC connected state.

[0130] In some embodiments, the reporting granularity of the terminal capability information is the frequency band granularity, and the first information carrying the terminal capability information is, for example, a radio frequency parameter (RF-Parameter). Exemplarily, a new terminal capability is defined to indicate whether the terminal supports the ability to request SSB on demand. Exemplarily, it indicates whether the terminal in the RRC connected state supports the ability to request SSB on demand. Exemplarily, a new terminal capability is defined in RF-Parameter, for example, the BandNR is extended, and the terminal capability information can be defined as onDemandSSB-Connected (this name is only used as an example, and the specific naming is not limited in this disclosure). The terminal capability information can be indicated by a 1-bit indicator, for example, ENUMERATED{supported}. If the terminal reports the terminal capability information, it indicates that the terminal supports the ability to request SSB on demand in the associated frequency band in the connected state. Otherwise, if the terminal capability information is default, it indicates that the terminal does not support the ability to request SSB on demand in the associated frequency band in the connected state. Exemplarily, the terminal 101 sends an RF-Parameter to the network device, and the RF-Parameter carries the terminal capability information, which is used to indicate the terminal 101's ability to support on-demand SSB request in the associated frequency band. Exemplarily, it can indicate that the terminal 101 supports the ability to request SSB on demand in the associated frequency band in the RRC connection state. If the terminal 101 sends the RF-Parameter to the network device, and the terminal capability information is omitted in the RF-Parameter, it can indicate that the terminal 101 does not support the ability to request SSB on demand in the associated frequency band. Exemplarily, it can indicate that the terminal 101 does not support the ability to request SSB on demand in the associated frequency band in the RRC connection state.

[0131] In some embodiments, the RF-Parameter may be carried in the UE-NR-Capability signaling. Exemplarily, the terminal 101 sends the UE-NR-Capability signaling to the network device, and the UE-NR-Capability signaling carries the RF-Parameter, and the RF-Parameter carries the terminal capability information, which is used to indicate the terminal 101's ability to support on-demand SSB request in the associated frequency band. Exemplarily, it may indicate that the terminal 101 supports on-demand SSB request in the associated frequency band in the RRC connection state. If the terminal 101 sends the UE-NR-Capability signaling to the network device, and the UE-NR-Capability signaling carries the RF-Parameter, and the terminal capability information is missing in the RF-Parameter, it may indicate that the terminal 101 does not support on-demand SSB request in the associated frequency band. Exemplarily, it may indicate that the terminal 101 does not support on-demand SSB request in the associated frequency band in the RRC connection state.

[0132] In some embodiments, the terminal capability information may be terminal capability information only under the TDD (Time Division Duplexing) standard. Exemplarily, the terminal capability information distinguishes between the FDD (Frequency Division Duplexing) frequency band and the TDD frequency band. For example, the capability of supporting on-demand SSB may support the TDD standard but not the FDD standard. That is, the capability of supporting on-demand SSB may be a terminal capability only under the TDD standard.

[0133] In some embodiments, the terminal capability information may be terminal capability information only under the FDD standard. Exemplarily, the terminal capability information distinguishes between the FDD frequency band and the TDD frequency band. For example, the capability of supporting on-demand SSB may support the FDD standard but not the TDD standard. In other words, the capability of supporting on-demand SSB may be a terminal capability only under the FDD standard.

[0134] In some embodiments, the terminal capability information does not distinguish between TDD and FDD. That is, the capability of supporting on-demand SSB does not distinguish between TDD and FDD. For example, the capability of supporting on-demand SSB can support both FDD and TDD. Exemplarily, in the protocol, the "FDD-TDD DIFF" field of the terminal capability information is set to No, indicating that the terminal capability information does not distinguish between TDD and FDD.

[0135] In some embodiments, the terminal capability information is terminal capability information only in FR1 (Frequency range 1). Exemplarily, the terminal capability information distinguishes between FR1 and FR2 (Frequency range 2). In the protocol, "FR1-FR2 DIFF" of the terminal capability information is set to Yes. For example, the capability of supporting on-demand SSB may support FR1 but not FR2. In other words, the capability of supporting on-demand SSB may be a terminal capability only in FR1.

[0136] In some embodiments, the terminal capability information is terminal capability information for only FR2. Exemplarily, the terminal capability information distinguishes between FR1 and FR2. In the protocol, "FR1-FR2 DIFF" of the terminal capability information is set to Yes. For example, the capability of supporting on-demand SSB may support FR2 but not FR1. In other words, the capability of supporting on-demand SSB may be a terminal capability for only FR2.

[0137] In some embodiments, the terminal capability information does not distinguish between FR1 and FR2. That is, the capability of supporting SSB on demand does not distinguish between FR1 and FR2. For example, the capability of supporting SSB on demand can support both FR1 and FR2. Exemplarily, in the protocol, the "FR1-FR2 DIFF" field of the terminal capability information is set to No, indicating that the terminal capability information does not distinguish between FR1 and FR2.

[0138] In some embodiments, the capability of supporting SSB on demand is a mandatory capability of the terminal 101. That is, the capability of supporting SSB on demand is a capability that the terminal 101 must support, that is, the terminal 101 must have the capability of supporting SSB on demand.

[0139] In some embodiments, the capability of supporting SSB on demand is a non-mandatory capability of the terminal 101. That is, the capability of supporting SSB on demand may be an optional capability of the terminal 101, that is, the terminal 101 may not have the capability of supporting SSB on demand (or the terminal 101 may not support the capability of SSB on demand), or may have the capability of supporting SSB on demand (or the terminal 101 may also support the capability of SSB on demand).

[0140] In some embodiments, the terminal capability information can be used by the network device 102 to determine whether to use the first cell as the SCell (Secondary Cell) of the terminal. In some embodiments, the first cell can be a network energy saving (NES) cell. For example, the first cell is a cell that supports on-demand SSB request, or the first cell can be a SSB-based request cell. The SSB of the first cell can be sent based on the request. For example, for a terminal capable of supporting on-demand SSB request, if it is necessary to obtain the SSB of the first cell, the SSB can be requested from the first cell through a UL WUS wake-up signal. It should be noted that, in some embodiments, the terms "network energy saving (NES) cell", "SSB-based request cell", "cell supporting on-demand SSB request", etc. can be used interchangeably.

[0141] Exemplarily, the network device 1012 receives the first information carrying the terminal capability information sent by the terminal 101, and can determine whether the terminal 101 supports the capability of requesting SSB on demand based on the terminal capability information in the first information. If the terminal 101 supports the capability of requesting SSB on demand, the network device 102 can add / modify the first cell as an SCell to the terminal 101. If the terminal 101 does not support the capability of requesting SSB on demand, the network device 102 cannot add / modify the first cell as an SCell to the terminal 101.

[0142] In step S2102, the network device 102 determines whether to use the first cell as the secondary cell (SCell) of the terminal based on the terminal capability information; wherein the first cell is a cell that supports on-demand SSB.

[0143] In some embodiments, the network device 1012 receives a first message carrying the terminal capability information sent by the terminal 101, and can determine whether the terminal 101 supports the capability of requesting SSB on demand based on the terminal capability information in the first message. Exemplarily, if the first message carries the terminal capability information, the network device 102 can determine that the terminal 101 supports the capability of requesting SSB on demand, and the network device 102 determines that the first cell (such as a cell supporting SSB on demand / NES cell) can be used as the SCell of the terminal 101. For example, if the first information carries the terminal capability information, and a certain specific condition is met, the network device 102 can use the first cell (such as a cell / NES cell that supports on-demand SSB request) as the SCell of the terminal 101, wherein the specific condition can be determined based on the implementation of the network device, and the present disclosure does not limit this. That is, if the first information carries the terminal capability information, the network device 102 can determine that the terminal 101 supports the ability to request SSB on demand, and the network device 102 may use the first cell (such as a cell / NES cell that supports on-demand SSB request) as the SCell. When a certain specific condition is met, the network device 102 adds / modifies the first cell as the SCell to the terminal 101.

[0144] In step S2103, the network device 102 uses the first cell as the SCell of the terminal 101; wherein, the terminal 101 must support the capability of requesting SSB on demand.

[0145] In some embodiments, network device 1012 receives first information sent by terminal 101 that carries capability information of the terminal, and may determine, based on the terminal capability information in the first information, that terminal 101 supports the capability of requesting SSB on demand, and may use the first cell as the SCell of terminal 101. Exemplarily, network device 102 may add / modify the first cell to terminal 101 through an SCell addition / modification procedure. In other words, if network device 102 adds / modifies the first cell as an SCell to terminal 101, terminal 101 must support the capability of requesting SSB on demand.

[0146] In some embodiments, if the first cell is used as the SCell of the terminal 101, the terminal 101 must support the capability of requesting SSB on demand. In other words, only under the premise that the terminal 101 supports the capability of requesting SSB on demand, the network device 102 may configure the first cell as the SCell to the terminal 101. Exemplarily, the network device 102 may configure the first cell as the SCell to the terminal 101 based on network implementation. For example, when certain specific conditions are met, the network device 102 adds / modifies the first cell as the SCell to the terminal 101. In other words, only if the terminal 101 supports the capability of requesting SSB on demand, if the network device 102 needs to configure the NES cell / the cell supporting the on-demand SSB request to the terminal 101, then the NES cell / the cell supporting the on-demand SSB request can only be configured as the SCell to the terminal 101, and cannot be used as the primary cell (PCell).

[0147] In some embodiments, the names of information, etc. are not limited to the names described in the embodiments, and terms such as "information", "message", "signal", "signaling", "report", "configuration", "indication", "instruction", "command", "channel", "parameter", "domain", "field", "symbol", "symbol", "codeword", "codebook", "codeword", "codepoint", "bit", "data", "program", and "chip" can be used interchangeably.

[0148] In some embodiments, terms such as "uplink", "uplink", "physical uplink" can be interchangeable with each other, and terms such as "downlink", "downlink", "physical downlink" can be interchangeable with each other, and terms such as "side", "sidelink", "side communication", "sidelink communication", "direct connection", "direct link", "direct communication", "direct link communication" can be interchangeable with each other.

[0149] In some embodiments, "obtain", "get", "get", "receive", "transmit", "bidirectional transmission", "send and / or receive" can be interchangeable, and can be interpreted as receiving from other entities, obtaining from protocols, obtaining from higher layers, obtaining by self-processing, autonomous implementation, etc.

[0150] In some embodiments, terms such as "send", "transmit", "report", "download", "transmit", "bidirectional transmission", "send and / or receive" can be used interchangeably.

[0151] In some embodiments, terms such as "certain", "preset", "preset", "setting", "indicated", "a certain", "any", and "first" can be interchangeable. "Specific A", "preset A", "preset A", "setting A", "indicated A", "a certain A", "any A", and "first A" can be interpreted as A pre-specified in a protocol, etc., or as A obtained through setting, configuration, or indication, etc., or as specific A, a certain A, any A, or first A, etc., but not limited to this.

[0152] In some embodiments, the determination or judgment can be performed by a value represented by 1 bit (0 or 1), or by a true or false value (Boolean value) represented by true or false, or by comparison of numerical values ​​(for example, comparison with a predetermined value), but is not limited thereto.

[0153] The method involved in the embodiment of the present disclosure may include at least one of steps S2101 to S2103. For example, step S2101 + step S2102 may be implemented as an independent embodiment, and step S2101 + step S2102 + step S2103 may be implemented as an independent embodiment, but the present invention is not limited thereto.

[0154] In some embodiments, step S2103 is optional, and one or more of these steps may be omitted or replaced in different embodiments.

[0155] In some embodiments, reference may be made to other optional implementations described before or after the description corresponding to FIG. 2A .

[0156] Figure 2B is an interactive diagram of a communication method according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. As shown in Figure 2B, the communication method according to the embodiment of the present disclosure can be applied to a communication system 100, and the method includes but is not limited to the following steps.

[0157] In step S2201 , the terminal 101 sends first information containing terminal capability information by default to the network device 102 .

[0158] In some embodiments, the first information with the terminal capability information by default may be sent by the terminal 101 to the network device 102. Exemplarily, the terminal 101 sends the first information with the terminal capability information by default to the network device 102, and correspondingly, the network device 102 receives the first information with the terminal capability information by default sent by the terminal 101.

[0159] In one possible implementation, terminal 101 may send the first information containing the default terminal capability information to network device 102 based on the capability query request of network device 102. Exemplarily, network device 102 sends the capability query request to terminal 101, and terminal 101 receives the capability query request and sends the first information containing the default terminal capability information to network device 102.

[0160] In another possible implementation, the terminal 101 may send the first information containing the default terminal capability information to the network device 102 based on the implementation. For example, the terminal 101 sends the first information containing the default terminal capability information to the network device 102 during the initial access process. Alternatively, the terminal 101 may send the first information containing the default terminal capability information to the network device 102 at other times. This disclosure does not limit this and will not be described in detail.

[0161] In some embodiments, the default terminal capability information (or the terminal capability information is default) may be used to indicate that the terminal does not support the ability to request SSB on demand. In some embodiments, the terminal 101 may be in an RRC connected state. Exemplarily, the default terminal capability information may indicate that the terminal 101 in the RRC connected state does not support the ability to request SSB on demand.

[0162] In some embodiments, the reporting granularity of the terminal capability information may include, but is not limited to, any of the following: terminal granularity (per UE granularity); frequency band granularity (per band granularity); frequency band combination granularity (per band combination (BC) granularity); feature set granularity (per FS (FeatureSet) granularity). In some embodiments, the terms "frequency band", "frequency band", "frequency band", etc. may be used interchangeably.

[0163] In some embodiments, the reporting granularity of the terminal capability information is the terminal granularity, and the first information carrying the terminal capability information is, for example, the terminal new air interface capability (UE-NR-Capability) signaling. Exemplarily, a new terminal capability is defined to indicate whether the terminal supports the ability to request SSB on demand, and exemplarily, to indicate whether the terminal in the RRC connection state supports the ability to request SSB on demand. Exemplarily, a new terminal capability is defined in the UE-NR-Capability signaling, for example, the terminal capability information can be called onDemandSSB-Connected (this name is only used as an example, and the specific naming is not limited in this disclosure). The terminal capability information can be indicated by a 1-bit indicator bit, for example, ENUMERATED{supported}, and the terminal 101 sends the UE-NR-Capability signaling to the network device. The UE-NR-Capability signaling carries the terminal capability information to indicate that the terminal 101 supports the ability to request SSB on demand. Exemplarily, it can indicate that the terminal 101 supports the ability to request SSB on demand in the RRC connection state. If the terminal 101 sends the UE-NR-Capability signaling to the network device, and the terminal capability information is omitted in the UE-NR-Capability signaling, it can indicate that the terminal 101 does not support the ability to request SSB on demand. For example, it can indicate that the terminal 101 does not support the ability to request SSB on demand in the RRC connected state.

[0164] In some embodiments, the reporting granularity of the terminal capability information is the frequency band granularity, and the first information carrying the terminal capability information is, for example, an RF-Parameter. Exemplarily, a new terminal capability is defined to indicate whether the terminal supports the capability of requesting SSB on demand. Exemplarily, it indicates whether the terminal in the RRC connected state supports the capability of requesting SSB on demand. Exemplarily, a new terminal capability is defined in the RF-Parameter, for example, the BandNR is extended, and the terminal capability information can be defined as onDemandSSB-Connected (this name is only used as an example, and the specific naming is not limited in this disclosure). The terminal capability information can be indicated by a 1-bit indicator, for example, ENUMERATED{supported}. If the terminal reports the terminal capability information, it indicates that the terminal supports the capability of requesting SSB on demand in the associated frequency band in the connected state. Otherwise, if the terminal capability information is default, it indicates that the terminal does not support the capability of requesting SSB on demand in the associated frequency band in the connected state. Exemplarily, the terminal 101 sends an RF-Parameter to the network device, and the RF-Parameter carries the terminal capability information, which is used to indicate the terminal 101's ability to support on-demand SSB request in the associated frequency band. Exemplarily, it can indicate that the terminal 101 supports the ability to request SSB on demand in the associated frequency band in the RRC connection state. If the terminal 101 sends the RF-Parameter to the network device, and the terminal capability information is omitted in the RF-Parameter, it can indicate that the terminal 101 does not support the ability to request SSB on demand in the associated frequency band. Exemplarily, it can indicate that the terminal 101 does not support the ability to request SSB on demand in the associated frequency band in the RRC connection state.

[0165] In some embodiments, the RF-Parameter may be carried in the UE-NR-Capability signaling. Exemplarily, the terminal 101 sends the UE-NR-Capability signaling to the network device, and the UE-NR-Capability signaling carries the RF-Parameter, and the RF-Parameter carries the terminal capability information, which is used to indicate the terminal 101's ability to support on-demand SSB request in the associated frequency band. Exemplarily, it may indicate that the terminal 101 supports on-demand SSB request in the associated frequency band in the RRC connection state. If the terminal 101 sends the UE-NR-Capability signaling to the network device, and the UE-NR-Capability signaling carries the RF-Parameter, and the terminal capability information is missing in the RF-Parameter, it may indicate that the terminal 101 does not support on-demand SSB request in the associated frequency band. Exemplarily, it may indicate that the terminal 101 does not support on-demand SSB request in the associated frequency band in the RRC connection state.

[0166] In some embodiments, the terminal capability information may be terminal capability information only under the TDD standard; or, the terminal capability information may be terminal capability information only under the FDD standard; or, the terminal capability information does not distinguish between TDD and FDD.

[0167] In some embodiments, the terminal capability information is terminal capability information only in FR1; or, the terminal capability information is terminal capability information only in FR2; or, the terminal capability information does not distinguish between FR1 and FR2.

[0168] In some embodiments, the above-mentioned capability of supporting on-demand SSB request is a mandatory capability of terminal 101; or, the above-mentioned capability of supporting on-demand SSB request is a non-mandatory capability of terminal 101.

[0169] In some embodiments, the terminal capability information is used by the network device 102 to determine whether to use the first cell as the SCell of the terminal, where the first cell is a cell that supports on-demand SSB. In some embodiments, the first cell may be a network energy saving (NES) cell. Exemplarily, the first cell is a cell that supports on-demand SSB, or the first cell may be a cell where SSB is request-based. The SSB of the first cell may be sent based on the request. For example, for a terminal that supports the on-demand SSB capability, if it is necessary to obtain the SSB of the first cell, the SSB may be requested from the first cell through a UL WUS wake-up signal.

[0170] In step S2202, the network device 102 determines whether to use the first cell as the secondary cell SCell of the terminal based on the first information; wherein the first cell is a cell that supports on-demand SSB.

[0171] In some embodiments, the network device 1012 receives the first information sent by the terminal 101 that defaults the terminal capability information, and can determine whether the terminal 101 supports the ability to request SSB on demand based on the first information. Exemplarily, if the terminal capability information is defaulted in the first information, the network device 102 can determine that the terminal 101 does not support the ability to request SSB on demand, and the network device 102 determines that the first cell (such as a cell / NES cell that supports SSB on demand) cannot be used as the SCell of the terminal 101. Exemplarily, if the terminal capability information is defaulted in the first information, even if a certain condition is met, the network device 102 cannot use the first cell (such as a cell / NES cell that supports SSB on demand) as the SCell of the terminal 101, wherein the specific condition can be determined based on the implementation of the network device, and this disclosure does not limit this. That is to say, if the network device 102 adds / modifies the first cell as an SCell to the terminal 101, the terminal 101 must support the ability to request SSB on demand. For example, the terminal 101 must be able to request the first cell to send SSB through WUS.

[0172] The method involved in the embodiment of the present disclosure may include at least one of step S2201 and step S2202. For example, step S2201 and step S2202 may be implemented as independent embodiments, but are not limited thereto.

[0173] In some embodiments, reference may be made to other optional implementations described before or after the description corresponding to FIG. 2B .

[0174] Figure 2C is an interactive diagram of a communication method according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. As shown in Figure 2C, the communication method according to an embodiment of the present disclosure can be applied to a communication system 100, and the method includes but is not limited to the following steps.

[0175] Step S2301: Terminal 101 sends a first signaling to network device 102.

[0176] In some embodiments, the first signaling may be sent by the terminal 101 to the network device 102. For example, the terminal 101 sends the first signaling to the network device 102, and correspondingly, the network device 102 receives the first signaling sent by the terminal 101.

[0177] In some embodiments, the first signaling is, for example, UE-NR-Capability signaling. Optionally, the first signaling may also be other signaling, which is not limited in this disclosure.

[0178] In one possible implementation, a new terminal capability information (such as onDemandSSB-Connected, which is only an example and is not limited in this disclosure) is defined in the first signaling to indicate whether the terminal supports the capability of requesting SSB on demand. The terminal capability information can be indicated by a 1-bit indication bit, for example, ENUMERATED{supported}. If the terminal reports the terminal capability information, it indicates that the terminal supports the capability of requesting SSB on demand in the RRC connected state. If the terminal capability information is default, it indicates that the terminal does not support the capability of requesting SSB on demand in the RRC connected state.

[0179] Exemplarily, the reporting granularity of the terminal capability information is the terminal granularity, then the terminal capability information can be carried in the first signaling (such as UE-NR-Capability signaling). If the first signaling sent by the terminal to the network device carries the terminal capability information, it indicates that the terminal supports the ability to request SSB on demand in the RRC connection state. If the terminal capability information is omitted in the first information sent by the terminal to the network device, it indicates that the terminal does not support the ability to request SSB on demand in the RRC connection state.

[0180] Exemplarily, if the reporting granularity of the terminal capability information is the frequency band granularity, the terminal capability information can be carried in the RF-Parameter of the first signaling (such as UE-NR-Capability signaling). If the terminal capability information is carried in the RF-Parameter of the first signaling sent by the terminal to the network device, it indicates that the terminal supports the ability to request SSB on demand in the associated frequency band in the RRC connection state. If the terminal capability information is omitted in the RF-Parameter of the first information sent by the terminal to the network device, it indicates that the terminal does not support the ability to request SSB on demand in the associated frequency band in the RRC connection state.

[0181] In some embodiments, the terminal capability information may also be reported at a frequency band combination granularity, or at a feature set granularity, or at other granularities, which is not limited in this disclosure and will not be elaborated upon.

[0182] In one possible implementation, terminal 101 may send the first signaling to network device 102 based on the capability query request of network device 102. Exemplarily, network device 102 sends the capability query request to terminal 101, and terminal 101 receives the capability query request and sends the first signaling to network device 102.

[0183] In another possible implementation, the terminal 101 may send the first signaling to the network device 102 based on the implementation. For example, the terminal 101 sends the first signaling to the network device 102 during the initial access process. Alternatively, the terminal 101 may send the first signaling to the network device 102 at other times, which is not limited in this disclosure and will not be described in detail.

[0184] In some embodiments, the terminal capability information may be terminal capability information only under the TDD standard; or, the terminal capability information may be terminal capability information only under the FDD standard; or, the terminal capability information does not distinguish between TDD and FDD.

[0185] In some embodiments, the terminal capability information is terminal capability information only in FR1; or, the terminal capability information is terminal capability information only in FR2; or, the terminal capability information does not distinguish between FR1 and FR2.

[0186] In some embodiments, the above-mentioned capability of supporting on-demand SSB request is a mandatory capability of terminal 101; or, the above-mentioned capability of supporting on-demand SSB request is a non-mandatory capability of terminal 101.

[0187] In some embodiments, the first signaling is used by the network device 102 to determine whether to use the first cell as the SCell of the terminal, where the first cell is a cell that supports on-demand SSB. In some embodiments, the first cell may be a network energy saving (NES) cell. Exemplarily, the first cell is a cell that supports on-demand SSB, or the first cell may be a cell where SSB is request-based. The SSB of the first cell may be sent based on the request. For example, for a terminal that supports the on-demand SSB capability, if it is necessary to obtain the SSB of the first cell, the SSB may be requested from the first cell through a UL WUS wake-up signal.

[0188] In step S2302 , the network device 102 determines whether to use the first cell as the SCell of the terminal based on the first signaling.

[0189] In some embodiments, the network device 1012 receives the first signaling sent by the terminal 101 and can determine whether to use the first cell as the SCell of the terminal based on the first signaling.

[0190] Exemplarily, taking the case where the terminal capability information is reported according to the terminal granularity, the first signaling (such as UE-NR-Capability signaling) carries the terminal capability information, which is used to indicate the terminal's ability to support on-demand SSB requests in the RRC connection state. The terminal capability information is omitted in the first signaling, which is used to indicate that the terminal does not support on-demand SSB requests in the RRC connection state. The network device 102 receives the first signaling sent by the terminal 101. If the terminal capability information is carried in the first information, the network device 102 determines that the first cell can be used as the SCell of the terminal. Exemplarily, when certain specific conditions are met, the network device 102 uses the first cell as the SCell of the terminal. If the first information received by the network device defaults to the terminal capability information, the network device 102 determines that the first cell cannot be used as the SCell of the terminal. The specific condition can be determined based on the implementation of the network device, and this disclosure does not limit this.

[0191] Optionally, in some embodiments, the method may further include: step S2303, the network device 102 uses the first cell as the SCell of the terminal; wherein the terminal must support the capability of requesting SSB on demand. Exemplarily, the network device 1012 receives the first signaling sent by the terminal 101, and can determine based on the first signaling that the terminal 101 supports the capability of requesting SSB on demand, and can use the first cell as the SCell of the terminal 101. Exemplarily, the network device 102 can add / modify the first cell to the terminal 101 through the SCell addition / modification process. That is, if the network device 102 adds / modifies the first cell as the SCell to the terminal 101, the terminal 101 must support the capability of requesting SSB on demand.

[0192] The method involved in the embodiment of the present disclosure may include at least one of steps S2301 to S2303. For example, step S2301 + step S2302 may be implemented as an independent embodiment, and step S2301 + step S2302 + step S2303 may be implemented as an independent embodiment, but the present invention is not limited thereto.

[0193] In some embodiments, step S2303 is optional, and one or more of these steps may be omitted or replaced in different embodiments.

[0194] In some embodiments, reference may be made to other optional implementations described before or after the description corresponding to FIG. 2C .

[0195] FIG3A is a flow chart of a communication method according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. As shown in FIG3A , the embodiment of the present disclosure relates to a communication method, which can be executed by terminal 101 and may include but is not limited to the following steps.

[0196] Step S3101 , sending terminal capability information to the network device 102 .

[0197] In some embodiments, the terminal capability information may be carried in the first information, the first information may only carry the terminal capability information, or the first information may carry other information. For example, the network device may carry the terminal capability information through existing signaling, or may carry the terminal capability information through new signaling.

[0198] In some embodiments, the first information carrying the terminal capability information may be sent by the terminal 101 to the network device 102. Exemplarily, the terminal 101 sends the first information carrying the terminal capability information to the network device 102, and correspondingly, the network device 102 receives the first information carrying the terminal capability information sent by the terminal 101.

[0199] In some embodiments, the terminal capability information may be used by the network device 102 to determine whether to use the first cell as the SCell of the terminal.

[0200] In some embodiments, the terminal 101 is in a radio resource control RRC connected state.

[0201] In some embodiments, the reporting granularity of the terminal capability information includes any one of the following: terminal granularity; frequency band granularity; frequency band combination granularity; feature set FeatureSet granularity.

[0202] In some embodiments, the reporting granularity of the terminal capability information is the terminal granularity, wherein the terminal capability information is carried in the first information, and the first information is the terminal new air interface capability UE-NR-Capability signaling.

[0203] In some embodiments, the UE-NR-Capability signaling carries terminal capability information, which is used to indicate the terminal's ability to support on-demand SSB requests.

[0204] In some embodiments, the reporting granularity of the terminal capability information is a frequency band granularity, wherein the terminal capability information is carried in first information, and the first information is a radio frequency parameter RF-Parameter.

[0205] In some embodiments, the RF-Parameter carries terminal capability information, which is used to indicate the terminal's ability to support on-demand SSB requests.

[0206] In some embodiments, the terminal capability information is terminal capability information only under the time division duplex TDD standard; or, the terminal capability information is terminal capability information only under the frequency division duplex FDD standard; or, the terminal capability information does not distinguish between TDD and FDD.

[0207] In some embodiments, the terminal capability information is terminal capability information only in frequency range 1 FR1; or, the terminal capability information is terminal capability information only in frequency range 2 FR2; or, the terminal capability information does not distinguish between FR1 and FR2.

[0208] In some embodiments, the capability of supporting on-demand SSB request is a mandatory capability of the terminal; or, the capability of supporting on-demand SSB request is a non-mandatory capability of the terminal.

[0209] In some embodiments, the first cell serves as a secondary cell of the terminal, and the terminal 101 must support the capability of requesting SSB on demand.

[0210] The optional implementation of step S3101 can refer to the optional implementation of step S2101 in Figure 2A and other related parts in the embodiment involved in Figure 2A, which will not be repeated here.

[0211] FIG3B is a flow chart of a communication method according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. As shown in FIG3B , the embodiment of the present disclosure relates to a communication method, which can be executed by terminal 101 and may include but is not limited to the following steps.

[0212] Step S3201: Send first information containing terminal capability information by default to the network device 102.

[0213] In some embodiments, the first information with the terminal capability information by default may be sent by the terminal 101 to the network device 102. Exemplarily, the terminal 101 sends the first information with the terminal capability information by default to the network device 102, and correspondingly, the network device 102 receives the first information with the terminal capability information by default sent by the terminal 101.

[0214] In some embodiments, the terminal capability information is used by the network device 102 to determine whether to use the first cell as the SCell of the terminal, where the first cell is a cell that supports on-demand SSB.

[0215] The optional implementation of step S3201 can refer to the optional implementation of step S2201 in Figure 2B and other related parts in the embodiment involved in Figure 2B, which will not be repeated here.

[0216] FIG3C is a flow chart showing a communication method according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. As shown in FIG3C , the embodiment of the present disclosure relates to a communication method, which can be executed by terminal 101 and may include but is not limited to the following steps.

[0217] Step S3301: Send a first signaling to the network device 102.

[0218] In some embodiments, the first signaling may be sent by the terminal 101 to the network device 102. For example, the terminal 101 sends the first signaling to the network device 102, and correspondingly, the network device 102 receives the first signaling sent by the terminal 101.

[0219] In some embodiments, the above-mentioned first signaling is used by the network device 102 to determine whether to use the first cell as the SCell of the terminal, and the first cell is a cell that supports on-demand SSB.

[0220] The optional implementation of step S3301 can refer to the optional implementation of step S2301 in Figure 2C and other related parts in the embodiment involved in Figure 2C, which will not be repeated here.

[0221] FIG4A is a flow chart showing a communication method according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. As shown in FIG4A , the embodiment of the present disclosure relates to a communication method, which can be executed by the network device 102 and can include but is not limited to the following steps.

[0222] Step S4101: The receiving terminal 101 sends terminal capability information.

[0223] In some embodiments, the terminal capability information may be carried in the first information, the first information may only carry the terminal capability information, or the first information may carry other information. For example, the network device may carry the terminal capability information through existing signaling, or may carry the terminal capability information through new signaling.

[0224] In some embodiments, the first information carrying the terminal capability information may be sent by the terminal 101 to the network device 102. Exemplarily, the terminal 101 sends the first information carrying the terminal capability information to the network device 102, and correspondingly, the network device 102 receives the first information carrying the terminal capability information sent by the terminal 101.

[0225] The optional implementation of step S4101 can refer to the optional implementation of step S2101 in Figure 2A and other related parts in the embodiment involved in Figure 2A, which will not be repeated here.

[0226] Step S4102: Based on the terminal capability information, determine whether to use the first cell as the secondary cell SCell of the terminal; wherein the first cell is a cell that supports on-demand SSB.

[0227] The optional implementation of step S4102 can refer to the optional implementation of step S2102 in Figure 2A and other related parts in the embodiment involved in Figure 2A, which will not be repeated here.

[0228] Step S4103: Use the first cell as the SCell of the terminal 101; wherein, the terminal 101 must support the capability of requesting SSB on demand.

[0229] The optional implementation of step S4103 can refer to the optional implementation of step S2103 in Figure 2A and other related parts in the embodiment involved in Figure 2A, which will not be repeated here.

[0230] The method involved in the embodiment of the present disclosure may include at least one of steps S4101 to S4103. For example, step S4101 + step S4102 may be implemented as an independent embodiment, and step S4101 + step S4102 + step S4103 may be implemented as an independent embodiment, but the present invention is not limited thereto.

[0231] In some embodiments, step S4103 is optional, and one or more of these steps may be omitted or replaced in different embodiments.

[0232] FIG4B is a flow chart illustrating a communication method according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. As shown in FIG4B , the embodiment of the present disclosure relates to a communication method, which may be executed by the network device 102 and may include but is not limited to the following steps.

[0233] Step S4201: Receive first information including terminal capability information by default sent by terminal 101.

[0234] In some embodiments, the first information with the terminal capability information by default may be sent by the terminal 101 to the network device 102. Exemplarily, the terminal 101 sends the first information with the terminal capability information by default to the network device 102, and correspondingly, the network device 102 receives the first information with the terminal capability information by default sent by the terminal 101.

[0235] The optional implementation of step S4201 can refer to the optional implementation of step S2201 in Figure 2B and other related parts in the embodiment involved in Figure 2B, which will not be repeated here.

[0236] Step S4202: Based on the first information, determine whether to use the first cell as the secondary cell SCell of the terminal; wherein the first cell is a cell that supports on-demand SSB.

[0237] The optional implementation of step S4202 can refer to the optional implementation of step S2202 in Figure 2B and other related parts in the embodiment involved in Figure 2B, which will not be repeated here.

[0238] The method involved in the embodiment of the present disclosure may include at least one of step S4201 and step S4202. For example, step S4201 and step S4202 may be implemented as independent embodiments, but are not limited thereto.

[0239] Figure 4C is a flow chart illustrating a communication method according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. As shown in Figure 4C, the present disclosure embodiment relates to a communication method, which can be executed by the network device 102 and may include but is not limited to the following steps.

[0240] Step S4301: Receive the first signaling sent by terminal 101.

[0241] In some embodiments, the first signaling may be sent by the terminal 101 to the network device 102. For example, the terminal 101 sends the first signaling to the network device 102, and correspondingly, the network device 102 receives the first signaling sent by the terminal 101.

[0242] The optional implementation of step S4301 can refer to the optional implementation of step S2301 in Figure 2C and other related parts in the embodiment involved in Figure 2C, which will not be repeated here.

[0243] Step S4302: Based on the first signaling, determine whether to use the first cell as the SCell of the terminal.

[0244] The optional implementation of step S4302 can refer to the optional implementation of step S2302 in Figure 2C and other related parts in the embodiment involved in Figure 2C, which will not be repeated here.

[0245] Step S4303: Use the first cell as the SCell of the terminal; wherein, the terminal must support the capability of requesting SSB on demand.

[0246] The optional implementation of step S4303 can refer to the optional implementation of step S2303 in Figure 2C and other related parts in the embodiment involved in Figure 2C, which will not be repeated here.

[0247] The method involved in the embodiment of the present disclosure may include at least one of steps S4301 to S4303. For example, step S4301 + step S4302 may be implemented as an independent embodiment, and step S4301 + step S4302 + step S4303 may be implemented as an independent embodiment, but the present invention is not limited thereto.

[0248] In some embodiments, step S4303 is optional, and one or more of these steps may be omitted or replaced in different embodiments.

[0249] FIG4D is a flow chart illustrating a communication method according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. As shown in FIG4D , the present disclosure embodiment relates to a communication method, which may be executed by the network device 102 and may include but is not limited to the following steps.

[0250] Step S4401, receiving terminal capability information sent by terminal 101, where the terminal capability information indicates the terminal's ability to support on-demand request for synchronization signal blocks SSB.

[0251] Step S4402: Based on the terminal capability information, determine whether to use the first cell as the secondary cell SCell of the terminal 101; wherein the first cell is a cell that supports on-demand SSB.

[0252] In some embodiments, the terminal is in a radio resource control (RRC) connected state.

[0253] In some embodiments, the reporting granularity of the terminal capability information includes any one of the following: terminal granularity; frequency band granularity; frequency band combination granularity; feature set FeatureSet granularity.

[0254] In some embodiments, the reporting granularity of the terminal capability information is the terminal granularity, wherein the terminal capability information is carried in first information, and the first information is the terminal new radio interface capability UE-NR-Capability signaling. Exemplarily, a possible implementation method of determining whether to use the first cell as the secondary cell (SCell) of the terminal based on the terminal capability information includes: carrying the terminal capability information in the UE-NR-Capability signaling, and determining to use the first cell as the SCell of the terminal.

[0255] In some embodiments, the reporting granularity of the terminal capability information is frequency band granularity, wherein the terminal capability information is carried in first information, and the first information is a radio frequency parameter (RF-Parameter). Exemplarily, a possible implementation of determining whether to use the first cell as the secondary cell (SCell) of the terminal based on the terminal capability information includes: carrying the terminal capability information in the RF-Parameter and determining to use the first cell as the SCell of the terminal.

[0256] In some embodiments, the terminal capability information is terminal capability information only under the time division duplex TDD standard; or, the terminal capability information is terminal capability information only under the frequency division duplex FDD standard; or, the terminal capability information does not distinguish between TDD and FDD.

[0257] In some embodiments, the terminal capability information is terminal capability information only in frequency range 1 FR1; or, the terminal capability information is terminal capability information only in frequency range 2 FR2; or, the terminal capability information does not distinguish between FR1 and FR2.

[0258] In some embodiments, the capability of supporting on-demand SSB request is a mandatory capability of the terminal; or, the capability of supporting on-demand SSB request is a non-mandatory capability of the terminal.

[0259] In some embodiments, the network device may use the first cell as the SCell of the terminal; wherein the terminal must support the capability of requesting SSB on demand.

[0260] For the implementation of the method on the network device 102 side involved in the embodiment of the present disclosure, please refer to the relevant description of the network device side in Figures 2A to 2C above, and will not be repeated here.

[0261] Figure 5 is an interactive diagram of a communication method according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. As shown in Figure 5, the method involved in the embodiment of the present disclosure can be applied to a communication system 100, and the method includes but is not limited to the following steps.

[0262] In step S5101, the terminal 101 sends terminal capability information to the network device 102, where the terminal capability information indicates that the terminal 101 supports the capability of requesting synchronization signal blocks SSB on demand.

[0263] In some embodiments, the terminal capability information is used by the network device 102 to determine whether to use the first cell as the secondary cell SCell of the terminal, where the first cell is a cell that supports on-demand SSB.

[0264] The optional implementation of step S5101 can refer to the optional implementation of step S2101 in Figure 2A and other related parts in the embodiment involved in Figure 2A, which will not be repeated here.

[0265] In step S5102, the network device 102 determines whether to use the first cell as the secondary cell SCell of the terminal 101 based on the terminal capability information; wherein the first cell is a cell that supports on-demand SSB.

[0266] The optional implementation of step S5102 can refer to the optional implementation of step S2102 in Figure 2A and other related parts in the embodiment involved in Figure 2A, which will not be repeated here.

[0267] In some embodiments, the above method may include the method described in the above terminal side, network device side, etc. embodiments, which will not be repeated here.

[0268] This disclosure proposes a method for reporting terminal capabilities, which solves the problem of a network device adding / modifying an SCell to a terminal through the add / modify SCell process in a carrier aggregation scenario. If the network device wants to add / modify the above-mentioned first cell (such as an SSB request-based cell / NES cell) as an SCell to the terminal, the network device must first obtain the terminal's capabilities and determine whether the terminal supports the ability to request SSB on demand.

[0269] In the present disclosure, a new terminal capability is defined to indicate whether the terminal supports the ability to request SSB on demand.

[0270] In some embodiments, the new terminal capability indicates whether the terminal supports the capability of requesting SSB on demand, and exemplarily, indicates whether the terminal in the RRC connected state supports the capability of requesting SSB on demand.

[0271] In some embodiments, the terminal capability granularity is per UE granularity or per band granularity, or per band combination (BC) granularity, or per FS (feature set) granularity.

[0272] In some embodiments, the terminal capability is a non-mandatory capability or the terminal capability is a mandatory capability.

[0273] In some embodiments, the terminal capability does not distinguish between TDD and FDD frequency bands, that is, FDD-TDD DIFF is set to No. Alternatively, the terminal capability distinguishes between FDD and TDD frequency bands, illustratively, the terminal capability is FDD-only capability or TDD-only capability.

[0274] In some embodiments, the terminal capability does not distinguish between FR1 and FR2, that is, FR1-FR2 DIFF is set to No. Alternatively, the terminal capability distinguishes between FR1 and FR2, illustratively, the terminal capability is FR1-only capability or FR2-only capability, or FDD-TDD DIFF is set to Yes.

[0275] Exemplarily, the new terminal capability is defined in UE-NR-Capability, for example: onDemandSSB-Connected (just as an example, the specific naming is not limited), and the value is 1-bit indication, for example, ENUMERATED{supported}. If the terminal reports the terminal capability, it indicates that the terminal supports the ability to request SSB on demand in the connected state. Otherwise, if the terminal capability is default, it indicates that the terminal does not support the ability to request SSB on demand in the connected state.

[0276] Exemplarily, the new terminal capability is defined in RF-Parameter, for example: extending BandNR, defining onDemandSSB-Connected (just as an example, the specific naming is not limited), and the value is 1-bit indication, for example, ENUMERATED{supported}. If the terminal reports the terminal capability, it indicates that the terminal supports the ability to request SSB on demand in the connected state. Otherwise, if the terminal capability is default, it indicates that the terminal does not support the ability to request SSB on demand in the connected state.

[0277] In the present disclosure, a first cell (e.g., an SSB-on-request cell / NES cell) can only serve as an SCell for a terminal that supports the capability of requesting SSB on demand. In some embodiments, a network device adds / modifies an SCell to a terminal through an SCell addition / modification process. Specifically, if the network device adds an SSB-on-request NES cell as an SCell to a terminal, the terminal must support the capability of requesting SSB on demand (e.g., requesting SSB via WUS).

[0278] The embodiments of the present disclosure further provide an apparatus for implementing any of the above methods. For example, an apparatus is provided that includes units or modules for implementing each step performed by a terminal in any of the above methods. For another example, another apparatus is provided that includes units or modules for implementing each step performed by a network device in any of the above methods.

[0279] It should be understood that the division of the various units or modules in the above device is merely a division of logical functions. In actual implementation, they may be fully or partially integrated into a physical entity, or they may be physically separated. In addition, the units or modules in the device may be implemented in the form of a processor calling software: for example, the device includes a processor, the processor is connected to a memory, and the memory stores instructions. The processor calls the instructions stored in the memory to implement any of the above methods or implement the functions of the various units or modules of the above device, wherein the processor is, for example, a general-purpose processor, such as a central processing unit (CPU) or a microprocessor, and the memory is a memory within the device or a memory outside the device. Alternatively, the units or modules in the device can be implemented in the form of hardware circuits, and the functions of some or all of the units or modules can be realized by designing the hardware circuits. The above-mentioned hardware circuits can be understood as one or more processors; for example, in one implementation, the above-mentioned hardware circuit is an application-specific integrated circuit (ASIC), which realizes the functions of some or all of the above units or modules by designing the logical relationship of the components in the circuit; for example, in another implementation, the above-mentioned hardware circuit can be realized by a programmable logic device (PLD). Taking a field programmable gate array (FPGA) as an example, it can include a large number of logic gate circuits, and the connection relationship between the logic gate circuits is configured by configuring the configuration file, thereby realizing the functions of some or all of the above units or modules. All units or modules of the above devices can be realized in the form of software called by the processor, or in the form of hardware circuits, or in part by the form of software called by the processor, and the rest by hardware circuits.

[0280] In the embodiments of the present disclosure, the processor is a circuit with information processing capabilities. In one implementation, the processor can be a circuit with instruction reading and execution capabilities, such as a central processing unit (CPU), a microprocessor, a graphics processing unit (GPU) (which can be understood as a microprocessor), or a digital signal processor (DSP). In another implementation, the processor can implement certain functions through the logical relationship of the hardware circuit. The logical relationship of the above-mentioned hardware circuit is fixed or reconfigurable. For example, the processor is a hardware circuit implemented by an application-specific integrated circuit (ASIC) or a programmable logic device (PLD), such as an FPGA. In a reconfigurable hardware circuit, the process of the processor loading a configuration document and implementing the hardware circuit configuration can be understood as the process of the processor loading instructions to implement the functions of some or all of the above units or modules. In addition, it can also be a hardware circuit designed for artificial intelligence, which can be understood as an ASIC, such as a neural network processing unit (NPU), a tensor processing unit (TPU), a deep learning processing unit (DPU), etc.

[0281] Figure 6A is a schematic diagram of the structure of a terminal proposed in an embodiment of the present disclosure. As shown in Figure 6A, terminal 6100 may include at least one of a transceiver module 6101 and a processing module 6102. In some embodiments, the transceiver module is configured to send terminal capability information to a network device, where the terminal capability information indicates the terminal's ability to support on-demand synchronization signal blocks (SSBs). The terminal capability information is used by the network device to determine whether to use a first cell as a secondary cell (SCell) for the terminal, where the first cell supports on-demand SSBs.

[0282] In some embodiments, the terminal 6100 is in a radio resource control RRC connected state.

[0283] In some embodiments, the reporting granularity of the terminal capability information includes any one of the following: terminal granularity; frequency band granularity; frequency band combination granularity; feature set FeatureSet granularity.

[0284] In some embodiments, the reporting granularity of the terminal capability information is the terminal granularity, wherein the terminal capability information is carried in the first information, and the first information is the terminal new air interface capability UE-NR-Capability signaling.

[0285] In some embodiments, the UE-NR-Capability signaling carries terminal capability information, which is used to indicate the terminal's ability to support on-demand SSB requests.

[0286] In some embodiments, the reporting granularity of the terminal capability information is a frequency band granularity, wherein the terminal capability information is carried in first information, and the first information is a radio frequency parameter RF-Parameter.

[0287] In some embodiments, the RF-Parameter carries terminal capability information, which is used to indicate the terminal's ability to support on-demand SSB requests.

[0288] In some embodiments, the terminal capability information is terminal capability information only under the time division duplex TDD standard; or, the terminal capability information is terminal capability information only under the frequency division duplex FDD standard; or, the terminal capability information does not distinguish between TDD and FDD.

[0289] In some embodiments, the terminal capability information is terminal capability information only in frequency range 1 FR1; or, the terminal capability information is terminal capability information only in frequency range 2 FR2; or, the terminal capability information does not distinguish between FR1 and FR2.

[0290] In some embodiments, the capability of supporting on-demand SSB request is a mandatory capability of the terminal; or, the capability of supporting on-demand SSB request is a non-mandatory capability of the terminal.

[0291] In some embodiments, the first cell serves as a secondary cell of the terminal, and the terminal 6100 must support the capability of requesting SSB on demand.

[0292] Optionally, the transceiver module is used to perform at least one of the communication steps such as sending and / or receiving performed by the terminal 101 in any of the above methods (for example, step S2101, step S2201, step S2301, but not limited thereto), which are not described in detail here. Optionally, the processing module is used to perform at least one of the other steps performed by the terminal 101 in any of the above methods, which are not described in detail here.

[0293] Figure 6B is a schematic diagram of the structure of a network device proposed in an embodiment of the present disclosure. As shown in Figure 6B, network device 6200 may include at least one of a transceiver module 6201 and a processing module 6202. In some embodiments, transceiver module 6201 is configured to receive terminal capability information sent by a terminal, where the terminal capability information indicates the terminal's ability to support on-demand synchronization signal blocks (SSBs). Processing module 6202 is configured to determine, based on the terminal capability information, whether to use a first cell as a secondary cell (SCell) for the terminal; the first cell being a cell that supports on-demand SSBs.

[0294] In some embodiments, the terminal is in a radio resource control (RRC) connected state.

[0295] In some embodiments, the reporting granularity of the terminal capability information includes any one of the following: terminal granularity; frequency band granularity; frequency band combination granularity; feature set FeatureSet granularity.

[0296] In some embodiments, the reporting granularity of the terminal capability information is terminal granularity, wherein the terminal capability information is carried in first information, and the first information is terminal new radio capability UE-NR-Capability signaling. Exemplarily, the processing module 6202 is specifically configured to: carry the terminal capability information in the UE-NR-Capability signaling, and determine to use the first cell as the SCell of the terminal.

[0297] In some embodiments, the reporting granularity of the terminal capability information is frequency band granularity, wherein the terminal capability information is carried in first information, and the first information is a radio frequency parameter RF-Parameter. Exemplarily, the processing module 6202 is specifically configured to: carry the terminal capability information in the RF-Parameter, and determine to use the first cell as the SCell of the terminal.

[0298] In some embodiments, the terminal capability information is terminal capability information only under the time division duplex TDD standard; or, the terminal capability information is terminal capability information only under the frequency division duplex FDD standard; or, the terminal capability information does not distinguish between TDD and FDD.

[0299] In some embodiments, the terminal capability information is terminal capability information only in frequency range 1 FR1; or, the terminal capability information is terminal capability information only in frequency range 2 FR2; or, the terminal capability information does not distinguish between FR1 and FR2.

[0300] In some embodiments, the capability of supporting on-demand SSB request is a mandatory capability of the terminal; or, the capability of supporting on-demand SSB request is a non-mandatory capability of the terminal.

[0301] In some embodiments, the processing module 6202 is further configured to use the first cell as the SCell of the terminal; wherein the terminal must support the capability of requesting SSB on demand.

[0302] Optionally, the transceiver module is used to perform at least one of the communication steps such as sending and / or receiving performed by the network device 102 in any of the above methods, which will not be described in detail here. Optionally, the processing module is used to perform at least one of the other steps (such as steps S2102-S2103, step S2202, and steps S2302-S2303, but not limited thereto) performed by the network device 102 in any of the above methods, which will not be described in detail here.

[0303] In some embodiments, the transceiver module may include a transmitting module and / or a receiving module, and the transmitting module and the receiving module may be separate or integrated. Optionally, the transceiver module may be interchangeable with the transceiver.

[0304] In some embodiments, the processing module can be a single module or can include multiple submodules. Optionally, the multiple submodules respectively execute all or part of the steps required to be executed by the processing module. Optionally, the processing module can be interchangeable with the processor.

[0305] Figure 7A is a schematic diagram of the structure of a communication device 7100 proposed in an embodiment of the present disclosure. Communication device 7100 can be a network device (e.g., an access network device, a core network device, etc.), a terminal (e.g., a user equipment, etc.), a chip, a chip system, or a processor that supports a network device to implement any of the above methods, or a chip, a chip system, or a processor that supports a terminal to implement any of the above methods. Communication device 7100 can be used to implement the methods described in the above method embodiments. For details, please refer to the description of the above method embodiments.

[0306] As shown in Figure 7A, the communication device 7100 includes one or more processors 7101. The processor 7101 can be a general-purpose processor or a dedicated processor, for example, a baseband processor or a central processing unit. The baseband processor can be used to process the communication protocol and communication data, and the central processing unit can be used to control the communication device (such as a base station, a baseband chip, a terminal device, a terminal device chip, a DU or a CU, etc.), execute programs, and process program data. Optionally, the communication device 7100 is used to perform any of the above methods. Optionally, one or more processors 7101 are used to call instructions to enable the communication device 7100 to perform any of the above methods.

[0307] In some embodiments, the communication device 7100 further includes one or more transceivers 7103. When the communication device 7100 includes one or more transceivers 7103, the transceiver 7103 performs at least one of the communication steps such as sending and / or receiving in the above method (e.g., step S2101, step S2201, step S2301, but not limited thereto), and the processor 7101 performs at least one of the other steps (e.g., step S2102-step S2103, step S2202, step S2302-step S2303, but not limited thereto). In an optional embodiment, the transceiver may include a receiver and / or a transmitter, and the receiver and transmitter may be separate or integrated. Optionally, the terms transceiver, transceiver unit, transceiver, transceiver circuit, interface circuit, and interface may be interchangeable, the terms transmitter, transmitting unit, transmitter, and transmitting circuit may be interchangeable, and the terms receiver, receiving unit, receiver, and receiving circuit may be interchangeable.

[0308] In some embodiments, the communication device 7100 further includes one or more memories 7102 for storing data. Alternatively, all or part of the memories 7102 may be located outside the communication device 7100. In alternative embodiments, the communication device 7100 may include one or more interface circuits 7104. Optionally, the interface circuits 7104 are connected to the memories 7102 and may be configured to receive data from the memories 7102 or other devices, or to send data to the memories 7102 or other devices. For example, the interface circuits 7104 may read data stored in the memories 7102 and send the data to the processor 7101.

[0309] The communication device 7100 described in the above embodiment may be a network device or a terminal, but the scope of the communication device 7100 described in the present disclosure is not limited thereto, and the structure of the communication device 7100 may not be limited by FIG. 7A. The communication device may be an independent device or may be part of a larger device. For example, the communication device may be: 1) an independent integrated circuit IC, or a chip, or a chip system or subsystem; (2) a collection of one or more ICs, optionally, the above IC collection may also include a storage component for storing data or programs; (3) an ASIC, such as a modem; (4) a module that can be embedded in other devices; (5) a receiver, a terminal device, an intelligent terminal device, a cellular phone, a wireless device, a handheld device, a mobile unit, an in-vehicle device, a network device, a cloud device, an artificial intelligence device, etc.; (6) others, etc.

[0310] 7B is a schematic diagram of the structure of a chip 7200 proposed in an embodiment of the present disclosure. If the communication device 7100 can be a chip or a chip system, please refer to the schematic diagram of the structure of the chip 7200 shown in FIG7B , but the present disclosure is not limited thereto.

[0311] The chip 7200 includes one or more processors 7201. The chip 7200 is configured to execute any of the above methods.

[0312] In some embodiments, chip 7200 further includes one or more interface circuits 7202. Alternatively, terms such as interface circuit, interface, and transceiver pins may be used interchangeably. In some embodiments, chip 7200 further includes one or more memories 7203 for storing data. Alternatively, all or part of memory 7203 may be located external to chip 7200. Optionally, interface circuit 7202 is connected to memory 7203 and may be used to receive data from memory 7203 or other devices, or may be used to send data to memory 7203 or other devices. For example, interface circuit 7202 may read data stored in memory 7203 and send the data to processor 7201.

[0313] In some embodiments, the interface circuit 7202 performs at least one of the communication steps (e.g., steps S2101, S2201, and S2301) of the aforementioned method. The interface circuit 7202 performing the communication steps (e.g., steps S2101, S2201, and S2301) of the aforementioned method, for example, means that the interface circuit 7202 performs data exchange between the processor 7201, the chip 7200, the memory 7203, or a transceiver device. In some embodiments, the processor 7201 performs at least one of the other steps (e.g., steps S2102-S2103, S2202, and S2302-S2303, but not limited thereto).

[0314] The present disclosure also proposes a storage medium having instructions stored thereon. When the instructions are executed on the communication device 7100, the communication device 7100 executes any of the above methods. Optionally, the storage medium is an electronic storage medium. Optionally, the storage medium is a computer-readable storage medium, but is not limited thereto and may also be a storage medium readable by other devices. Optionally, the storage medium may be a non-transitory storage medium, but is not limited thereto and may also be a temporary storage medium.

[0315] The present disclosure also provides a program product, which, when executed by the communication device 7100, enables the communication device 7100 to perform any of the above methods. Optionally, the program product is a computer program product.

[0316] The present disclosure also proposes a computer program, which, when executed on a computer, causes the computer to perform any one of the above methods.

[0317] In the above embodiments, all or part of the embodiments can be implemented by software, hardware, firmware or any combination thereof. When implemented using software, all or part of the embodiments can be implemented in the form of a computer program product. The computer program product includes one or more computer programs. When the computer program is loaded and executed on a computer, all or part of the processes or functions described in the embodiments of the present disclosure are generated. The computer can be a general-purpose computer, a special-purpose computer, a computer network, or other programmable device. The computer program 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 can be transmitted from one website, computer, server or data center to another website, computer, server or data center via a wired (e.g., coaxial cable, optical fiber, digital subscriber line (DSL)) or wireless (e.g., infrared, wireless, microwave, etc.) method. 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 available media integrated therein. The available medium may be a magnetic medium (eg, a floppy disk, a hard disk, a magnetic tape), an optical medium (eg, a high-density digital video disc (DVD)), or a semiconductor medium (eg, a solid state disk (SSD)).

[0318] Those skilled in the art will appreciate that the units and algorithm steps of each example described in conjunction with the embodiments disclosed herein can be implemented in electronic hardware, or a combination of computer software and electronic hardware. Whether these functions are performed in hardware or software depends on the specific application and design constraints of the technical solution. Professionals and technicians can use different methods to implement the described functions for each specific application, but such implementation should not be considered beyond the scope of this disclosure.

[0319] Those skilled in the art will clearly understand that, for the convenience and brevity of description, the specific working processes of the systems, devices and units described above can refer to the corresponding processes in the aforementioned method embodiments and will not be repeated here.

[0320] The above description is merely a specific embodiment of the present disclosure, but the scope of protection of the present disclosure is not limited thereto. Any changes or substitutions that can be easily conceived by a person skilled in the art within the technical scope disclosed in this disclosure should be included in the scope of protection of the present disclosure. Therefore, the scope of protection of the present disclosure should be based on the scope of protection of the claims.

Claims

1. A communication method, characterized in that, The method is executed by a terminal, and the method includes: Sending terminal capability information to a network device, where the terminal capability information indicates the terminal's capability to request a Synchronization Signal Block (SSB) on demand; Wherein, the terminal capability information is used by the network device to determine whether to use a first cell as a Secondary Cell (SCell) of the terminal, and the first cell is a cell that supports requesting an SSB on demand.

2. The method according to claim 1, characterized in that, The terminal is in a Radio Resource Control (RRC) connected state.

3. The method according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that, The reporting granularity of the terminal capability information includes any one of the following: Terminal granularity; Frequency band granularity; Frequency band combination granularity; Feature Set granularity.

4. The method according to claim 3, wherein The reporting granularity of the terminal capability information is the terminal granularity, wherein the terminal capability information is carried in a first piece of information, and the first piece of information is a User Equipment - New Radio Capability (UE - NR - Capability) signaling.

5. The method according to claim 4, wherein The UE - NR - Capability signaling carries the terminal capability information, which is used to indicate the terminal's capability to support the on - demand request for an SSB.

6. The method according to claim 3, wherein The reporting granularity of the terminal capability information is the frequency band granularity, wherein the terminal capability information is carried in a first piece of information, and the first piece of information is a Radio Frequency Parameter (RF - Parameter).

7. The method according to claim 6, wherein The RF - Parameter carries the terminal capability information, which is used to indicate the terminal's capability to support the on - demand request for an SSB.

8. The method according to any one of claims 1 - 7, characterized in that The terminal capability information is the terminal capability information only under the Time Division Duplex (TDD) mode; or, The terminal capability information is the terminal capability information only under the Frequency Division Duplex (FDD) mode; or, The terminal capability information does not distinguish between TDD and FDD.

9. The method according to any one of claims 1 - 7, characterized in that The terminal capability information is the terminal capability information only under Frequency Range 1 (FR1); or, The terminal capability information is the terminal capability information only under Frequency Range 2 (FR2); or, The terminal capability information does not distinguish between FR1 and FR2.

10. The method according to any one of claims 1-9, characterized in that, The capability to support the on - demand request for an SSB is an optional capability of the terminal.

11. The method according to any one of claims 1-10, characterized in that, If the first cell is used as the SCell of the terminal, then the terminal must support the capability to request an SSB on demand.

12. A communication method, characterized in that, The method is executed by a network device, and the method includes: Receiving terminal capability information sent by a terminal, where the terminal capability information indicates the terminal's capability to support the on - demand request for an SSB; Based on the terminal capability information, determining whether to use a first cell as the SCell of the terminal; wherein, the first cell is a cell that supports the on - demand request for an SSB.

13. The method according to claim 12, wherein The terminal is in an RRC connected state.

14. The method according to claim 12 or 13, characterized in that, The reporting granularity of the terminal capability information includes any one of the following: Terminal granularity; Frequency band granularity; Frequency band combination granularity; Feature Set granularity.

15. The method according to claim 14, wherein The reporting granularity of the terminal capability information is the terminal granularity, wherein the terminal capability information is carried in a first piece of information, and the first piece of information is a UE - NR - Capability signaling.

16. The method according to claim 15, wherein Determining whether to use a first cell as a secondary cell (SCell) of the terminal based on the terminal capability information includes: The UE-NR-Capability signaling carries the terminal capability information, and it is determined to use the first cell as the SCell of the terminal.

17. The method according to claim 14, wherein The reporting granularity of the terminal capability information is at the frequency band granularity, where the terminal capability information is carried in a first piece of information, and the first piece of information is radio frequency parameter (RF-Parameter).

18. The method according to claim 15, wherein Determining whether to use a first cell as a secondary cell (SCell) of the terminal based on the terminal capability information includes: The RF-Parameter carries the terminal capability information, and it is determined to use the first cell as the SCell of the terminal.

19. The method according to any one of claims 12-18, characterized in that: The terminal capability information is the terminal capability information only in the time division duplex (TDD) mode; or, The terminal capability information is the terminal capability information only in the frequency division duplex (FDD) mode; or, The terminal capability information does not distinguish between TDD and FDD.

20. The method according to any one of claims 12-18, characterized in that: The terminal capability information is the terminal capability information only in frequency range 1 (FR1); or, The terminal capability information is the terminal capability information only in frequency range 2 (FR2); or, The terminal capability information does not distinguish between FR1 and FR2.

21. The method according to any one of claims 12-20, characterized in that, The ability to support single-shot scheduling of synchronization signal blocks (SSBs) is an optional capability of the terminal.

22. The method according to claim 16 or 18, characterized in that, The method further includes: Using the first cell as the SCell of the terminal; where the terminal must support the ability to support single-shot scheduling of SSBs.

23. A terminal, characterized in that, Including: A transceiver module, configured to send terminal capability information to a network device, where the terminal capability information indicates the ability of the terminal to support single-shot scheduling of synchronization signal blocks (SSBs); where the terminal capability information is used by the network device to determine whether to use a first cell as a secondary cell (SCell) of the terminal, and the first cell is a cell that supports single-shot scheduling of SSBs.

24. A network device, characterized in that, Including: A transceiver module, configured to receive terminal capability information sent by a terminal, where the terminal capability information indicates the ability of the terminal to support single-shot scheduling of synchronization signal blocks (SSBs); A processing module, configured to determine whether to use a first cell as a secondary cell (SCell) of the terminal based on the terminal capability information; where the first cell is a cell that supports single-shot scheduling of SSBs.

25. A communication system, characterized in that, Including: A terminal, configured to execute the communication method according to any one of claims 1-11; A network device, configured to execute the communication method according to any one of claims 12-22.

26. A communication device, characterized in that, Including: One or more processors; where the communication device is used to execute the communication method according to any one of claims 1-11, 12-22.

27. A storage medium, the storage medium stores instructions, characterized in that, When the instruction runs on the communication device, the communication device is caused to execute the communication method according to any one of claims 1-11, 12-22.

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